The conversations shaping our lives aren’t always the ones we say out loud.
Communication is more than speaking and listening. It is how we interpret our experiences, understand ourselves, connect with others and participate in the world.
My philosophy
I believe communication is one of the most powerful forces shaping our lives.
Not just the words we speak, but the conversations happening beneath them.
The stories we tell ourselves. The assumptions we make about others. The meaning we attach to experiences. The things we say, the things we don't say, and the things we wish we'd said differently.
I've always been fascinated by how two people can experience the same event and walk away with completely different interpretations.
How someone can be confident and successful in one area of life, yet struggle to express their needs in another.
How a simple misunderstanding can change a relationship.
And how the way we speak to ourselves can influence what we believe is possible.
I see three interconnected conversations shaping our human experience.
The conversation within us.
The conversation between us.
The conversation beyond us.
These conversations influence how we relate to ourselves, to other people and to the wider world.
I don't believe communication can magically solve every problem. But I believe that greater awareness, curiosity and understanding can change the way we approach almost any problem.
Within · Between · Beyond
The Three Conversations.
Three interconnected lenses for exploring being human: what happens within us, between us and in the wider world we share.
Each conversation influences the others. None exists in isolation.
01
Within
The conversations we have with ourselves.
Explore internal dialogue, self-perception, inherited beliefs, assumptions and the stories we repeatedly tell ourselves.
02
Between
The conversations we have with one another.
Explore how assumptions, emotions, expectations, listening and unspoken needs affect our relationships.
03
Beyond
The conversations shaping our communities.
Explore how language, dialogue and understanding influence leadership, workplace culture, belonging and public discourse.
I use these conversations as a framework for reflection, not an established scientific theory or a fixed sequence. Our inner stories can affect how we relate; our relationships and communities can also reshape those stories.
From philosophy to practice
This is why I created The Five.
To help people recognise the patterns and internal conversations influencing their choices, relationships and behaviour.
Because sometimes the most meaningful change begins when we question a conversation we've been having for years.
Marisa De Salvo
An invitation, not a prescription
Change the Conversation.
Change the Conversation is an invitation to become more curious, conscious and intentional in how we communicate. A movement that begins with everyday choices, not having all the answers.
To question the story before accepting it as fact. To listen beyond the words. To notice an assumption before speaking from it. To make space for a perspective other than our own.
Not every problem can be solved by a conversation. Circumstances, systems and the support available to us matter too. But paying attention to how we communicate can open a different way of understanding, and a more considered choice about what comes next.
Change the conversation. Change what becomes possible.
