‘How to Be Who You Are to Get What You Want’: Damali Peterman empowers with Distinguished Speaker address
Damali Peterman, the esteemed author, attorney, conflict resolution expert and chief executive officer of global firm BreakthroughADR in New York City, gave an empowering and lively talk titled “How to Be Who You Are to Get What You Want” as the spring 2025 SUNY New Paltz Distinguished Speaker on April 22.
The address, which more than 200 attendees registered to see, illustrated the techniques Peterman has developed throughout her life to master the art of negotiation, emphasizing the value that we can all create by staying true to ourselves and our values in any transactional situation.
“Visibility is not guaranteed, it’s negotiated,” she said. “Even when you know who you are, the world may try to define you differently. In those moments, your power is not in who they see, but who you decide to be. You don’t win by emulating power, you win by embodying it.”
She leveraged her talent in storytelling for attendees, crystallizing in each anecdote the importance of being authentic.
“Storytelling is one of the most neurologically powerful tools that we have,” Peterman said. “When we tell stories that resonate with someone’s experience, that’s not just a connection, that’s validation.”
She ended her powerful, inspiring dialogue by encouraging attendees looking to make changes in their life to reclaim their narrative, reflect on their past and reimagine their future.
“What if the version of you who gets what you want tomorrow doesn’t exist today? If that is the case, let today be your launch pad, your legacy and your liberation,” she said. “That version of you is not just possible, that version of you is already in progress.”
Following the address, Peterman continued the conversation with attendees over signed copies of her book, “Negotiating While Black: Be Who You Are to Get What You Want.”
About the Distinguished Speaker Series
The SUNY New Paltz Distinguished Speaker Series connects the University’s alumni, community members, faculty, staff, students and their families with well-known authors, policy makers, scientists, media experts, business leaders and other luminaries.
The spring 2025 Distinguished Speaker Series was made possible by the SUNY New Paltz Foundation, with thanks to presenting sponsors Campus Auxiliary Services, M&T Bank, NBT Bank – New Paltz, Sodexo, SUNY Ulster, the Ulster Community College Foundation, Inc., Ulster Savings Bank and Woodland Pond at New Paltz and local business sponsors Central Hudson and Heritage Financial Credit Union.