Fresh Face: Pangea Mediation LLC

If you visit the Pangea Mediation website, the first sentence you will see in big, bold lettering is “conflict is normal.” It is refreshing to get another perspective on disagreement in a world full of loud talking heads and Twitter rants. Mila Pilz, the principal mediator, wants you to know that conflict is neutral.

“It’s something we can either learn and grow from and use as a way to get to know ourselves and other people better, or it’s something that can really hamper us in our relationships.”

In science, the word Pangea describes the supercontinent: a theory that several millennia ago, earth consisted of one giant landmass before a series of shifts created what we live on today.

For some of us, changes in relationships have been just as dramatic as the separation of continents. And as the emotional ground shakes, it is impossible to imagine a new world, and this is where mediation comes in. “There’s a stigma attached to needing help with conflict. I think it’s a human thing not to want to admit it’s a little too much and that you may need some assistance.”

At Pangea Mediation, there is no judgment surrounding conflict, and the tagline is shifts happen. Mila and her team understand that just like everything on this planet, relationships evolve. “So much of it is just a shift in the type of relationship…(for example) learning how to go from being spouses to being co-parents.” While Mila does mediate divorces and separations, one does not need to be in an intimate relationship to benefit from her services. She has coached companies and business partners on how to state their professional goals and expectations. Even individuals could benefit from her advice on how to initiate conflict productively.

Mila facilitates collaboration and empowers her clients to create solutions. Proving that when the ground stops shifting, it’s possible for civilization to go on or at the very least be civil.