Melissa Fortunato, Founder and Chief Negotiation Officer (CNO) of Alchemy-Team, tells us about her 23-year FBI career as a Crisis Negotiator and Undercover Agent. Melissa is a graduate of Quantico’s famed negotiation training program and tells us how active listening and well-designed questions brought her remarkable success in resolving hostage for ransom, political kidnappings, and off-kilter abductions. On the show this week, she tells Paige and David how a “romantic” trip to Thailand led to a fake wedding and the chauffeur-driven apprehension of a large band of international arms dealers.

Melissa also dives into some of the benefits of being a woman in crisis negotiation and how her background in psychology helps her de-escalate high-stakes risks. Melissa remains committed to empowering others through transformative negotiation training in her current role.



“Humanness shows up in the strangest situations." - Melissa Fortunato

"Crime is as old as time. We're always chasing; they're always evolving." - Melissa Fortunato

"You can't meet anger with anger. It gets you nowhere." - Melissa Fortunato

This week on Disarming Data:

• How Melissa moved from being a counselor to becoming an FBI Agent
• Melissa shares all about her fake wedding on a yacht and how it led to the apprehension of a large group of criminals
• The duel-edged sword of building connections and a rapport with people they end up arresting
• The difference between crisis response and hostage negotiations on an emotional level
• The kidnap for ransom case of a U.S. citizen in Afghanistan involving the Taliban that Melissa was involved in
• Melissa gives the real story of whether or not people should pay a ransom if someone or something is taken
• The importance of reaching out for help if you’re a victim of ransomware or tech crime
• The transition from undercover to hostage negotiator and why she stopped doing undercover work to focus on hostage negotiations
• Melissa’s new company Alchemy Team and her role as a negotiation consultant for businesses
• Melissa shares her book recommendations for people who want to improve their negotiation skills

Connect with Melissa Fortunato:

• Melissa Fortunato on LinkedIn

Connect with Disarming Data:

• David Biderman on LinkedIn