S03E119 Trusting Your Intuition, Building Your Career Path with Rhonda Coleman

What if the fastest path to a top-tier legal career isn’t straight at all? We sit down with commercial attorney and strategic advisor Rhonda Coleman to chart a nonlinear route from high school English teacher to Big Ten Network dealmaker, from Axiom to Accenture, and finally to Google, before leaving to build a thriving fractional counsel practice built on autonomy, impact, and trust.

Rhonda breaks down how complex technology transactions actually move: align with the business early, collaborate with solutions architects to map the tech, and turn risk into clear, workable contract terms rather than roadblocks. We get tactical about master services agreements, outsourcing, and licensing, and we talk through the habits that shrink negotiation cycles, playbooks, prioritization, and tight feedback loops, especially for mid-market legal teams stretched thin. Her perspective across multiple clients reveals patterns that save time and money without ripping out tool stacks.

Beneath the tactics is a bigger shift: confidence and clarity don’t magically appear with a brand-name badge. Rhonda shares how executive coaching helped her unpack imposter syndrome, set real boundaries, and define success as the energy and freedom to do her best work. That values-first lens guided bold choices, including stepping away from a coveted role to build a business that lets her partner directly with general counsels, scale with specialized contractors, and bring enterprise-grade judgment to companies that need it most.

Reach Rhonda here:
www.rhondacolemanwandel.com 

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E118 Lawyer Well-Being & Networking with Emily Logan Stedman

Ever catch yourself wishing for a harmless excuse to avoid your inbox? That quiet thought is more common than most lawyers admit, and it’s one of several subtle signs our guest, commercial litigator Emily Logan Stedman, learned to stop ignoring. We dive into the real cost of burnout, the routines that rebult her sense of control, and the culture shifts that hep high achievers thrive without losing themselves.

Emily traces a path from clerkship to partnership that looks linear on paper but felt anything but. She breaks down the early cues she missed, skipping tennis, withdrawing from friends, and fantasizing about an “out”, and then shares the simple, repeatable practices that brought her back: daily bookends to open and close the workday, weekly review rituals to prevent Sunday scaries, and short mid-day resets that sharpen thinking rather than slow it down. We also unpack how over-communicating with your team and at home turns boundaries into trust, not friction.

Leadership shows up in the small things: stating you won’t take a laptop home, explaining when to text for true urgency, and treating colleagues like adults. Emily explains how flexible, trust-based cultures, remote, hybrid, or in-person, unlock better work and better lives. We also explore building a portable professional brand on LinkedIn: telling honest stories, offering solutions, and staying consistent to attract opportunities and a supportive community.

If you think you might be sliding toward burnout, Emily offers a three-step reset: give yourself permission to pause without missing deadlines, create daily rituals that close loops, and align expectations through clear communication.

Reach Emily here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/ 

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S03E117 Protect What You Create with Trademark & IP Attorney Liscah Isaboke

Want your brand to be more than a great idea? We unpack how founders and creators can turn names, processes, and content into protected assets that boost credibility, prevent copycats, and raise valuation. Our guest, business and IP attorney Liscah Isaboke, walks us through the must-dos that too many entrepreneurs skip: choosing the right entity, separating finances, running real trademark searches, and using NDAs to secure trade secrets. We also get practical about contracts, from Force Majeure to the two modern clauses most people overlook, AI disclosures and chargeback terms that can save you when disputes hit.

We dig into the timing and ROI of IP filings, why social media can accelerate trust without undermining professionalism, and how trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets play distinct roles in growth and eventual exit. Liscah shares how licensing creates new revenue, when to hold off on filings, and how to document unique processes so employees and partners respect confidentiality. For creators, we break down FTC disclosures, defamation risks, and the payment and usage terms to insist on before posting a single deliverable.

Across the conversation, the theme is proactive strategy. Form the right entity, keep money clean, protect the brand you plan to invest in for the next five to ten years, and treat contracts as growth tools that define scope, speed approvals, and keep cash predictable. If you want your business to feel more credible to clients, banks, and buyers, these are the moves that build real equity.

Reach Liscah: 
www.isabokelaw.com 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liscahisaboke/ 
https://www.instagram.com/lawyerliss/ 

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E116 The Importance of Referral Marketing with Delisi Friday

Referrals don’t have to be random. We sit down with legal marketing strategist Delisi Friday to show how law firms can turn trust into a steady pipeline by building real relationships, staying top of mind, and using LinkedIn the way clients and peers actually do. Delisi grew firms from seven to eight figures and learned early that the best cases arrive through people who already believe in your work. She explains why referrals convert better than ads, why former clients are your hidden goldmine, and how a few thoughtful touch points, like a holiday photo event or a handwritten birthday card, can keep your name on someone’s fridge and in their messages.

We dig into LinkedIn with a clear stance: people engage with people, not logos. Rather than hiding behind a firm page, empower your attorneys to post under their own names with short lessons, FAQs, and helpful stories that feel human. Not everyone needs to be on camera; lean into your natural ambassadors and let others support with simple reposts. For video, skip the studio: batch 10 FAQ clips in two hours with a basic lav mic, change shirts, and record in a comfortable environment so tone stays warm and real. Authenticity earns attention, and attention earns referrals.

Finally, we move from ideas to execution. Choose where you’ll track referral outreach, CRM, case management, or a shared sheet, then define a cadence for reporting and review. Make data entry non-negotiable so you can measure touches, referrals, conversion rates, and revenue by source. Assign ownership with “who does what by when,” meet monthly to assess, and pivot fast when something isn’t working. By treating relationships as a system instead of a hope, you’ll create a more predictable intake, attract better-fit matters, and build a practice that grows on trust you keep reinforcing.

Reach Delisi here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/delisifriday/ 
50 Activities to Generate Referrals: https://firstcallfriday.com/resources 

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E115 ‘Fixing Healthcare’ to Reduce Waste & Improve Benefits with Donovan Pyle

Healthcare is swallowing budget and patience at the same time, and much of it is unnecessary. We sit down with Donovan Pyle, CEO of Health Compass Consulting and author of ‘Fixing Healthcare’, to expose where employer dollars leak out of the system and how to plug those holes without sacrificing benefits. Donovan has helped organizations with tens of thousands of employees save four figures per employee per year, and he explains why the fix starts with incentives, contracts, and visibility, not another network discount.

We trace Donovan’s journey across barriers, brokerages, and consulting to show how misaligned incentives became the norm. You’ll hear how ACA medical loss ratio rules pushed insurers to vertically integrate with PBMs, why spread pricing inflates drug costs, and how cash prices can undercut “negotiated” rates. We break down the playbook employers can use now: request the 408(b)(2) broker compensation disclosure, move to a fiduciary advisory model, run a true PBM RFP with pass-through terms and audit rights, and carve out shoppable services with bundled prices at centers of excellence. Donovan shares examples from large employers and a teachers’ union that saved millions by changing one contract.

If you think health plans are fixed products, this conversation reframes them as a vendor stack you control. From specialty drug sourcing to bundled surgery “futures,” there are practical ways to buy care like a world-class procurement team: with transparent pricing, competition, and measurable quality. The result isn’t just lower spend; it’s better access, fewer billing surprises, and benefits employees actually feel. Ready to stop paying more for less? Listen, take notes, and start with one move this quarter, ask for the 408 disclosure and audit your PBM terms.

Reach Donovan here:
www.FixingHealthcare.com 
www.Donovanpyle.com 
www.healthcompassconsulting.com 
www.linkedin.com/donovanpyle 
Get the book: “Fixing Healthcare’ https://amzn.to/43hvjgb 

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S03E114 Hourly Billing Is Nuts with Jonathan Stark

Imagine your fastest work earning you the most money and your cliets feeling calmer as the matter progresses. That’s the power of pricing outcomes instead of hours. We sit down with Jonathan Stark, author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts and host of Ditching Hourly, to unpack how lawyers can move from the grind of timesheets to a model that aligns incentives, improves margins, and strengthens trust. 

Jonathan takes us inside the moment he realized hourly billing punished his best developers and rewarded inefficiency. From there, we explore the core mindset shift: stop selling scope and start discovering value. You’ll learn how to lead smarter intake conversations, estimate what the result is worth to the client, and present three clear options with matching scopes of involvement. We dig into a practical divorce example to show how “value to the buyer” varies widely, why hourly pushes risk onto clients, and how fixed fees bring clarity, stability, and better relationships. 

We also dive into technology and AI. Under hourly billing, speed cuts revenue; under fixed fees, speed raises profit. That change turns automation, templates, and systems into strategic assets rather than threats. Jonathan shares tactics for piloting fixed fees, tracking internal effort to calibrate pricing, specializing to attract high buying power clients, and deciding when to decline work that can’t be priced within an order of magnitude. For legacy clients, he outlines a pragmatic path to fixed monthly fees with periodic review, freeing you from time tracking while improving outcomes.

Reach Jonathan here: 
https://valuepricingbootcamp.com 
https://jonathanstark.com/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanstark/ 
Hourly Billing Is Nuts on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3J4EoC6 

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BONUS: The Google Maps Playbook in the AI Age with Marilyn Jenkins

The Google Maps Playbook for Law Firms in the AI Age Free Training

How to Dominate Local Searchs with AI Optimization! Learn how to take advantage of the #1 place your future clients are clicking and calling when they need legal help.

What You’re Going To Learn:

→ How AI is transforming local search: Understanding AEO (AI Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)

→ Why traditional SEO isn’t enough anymore when ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI Overviews are answering legal questions

→ How to optimize your Google Maps listing so AI engines recommend YOUR firm

→ The latest Google Maps updates and what they mean for your rankings

→ 5 biggest issues preventing you from showing up in the 3-pack

→ Our proven model for ranking locally in both traditional search and AI-powered results

→ Best tools to systematize and automate the heavy lifting

Space is limited!

Event link: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/GoogleMapsAI 

Law Firm Marketing Fix

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E113 How BizRetire.com Community Connects Advisors, Buyers & Sellers with Evan Poling

Most owners think profit equals sellable, but buyers see something else: key man risk, overworked operators, and books a lender won’t touch. We sit down with Evan Poling, founder of BizRetire.com and former financial crimes investigator, to unpack why so many small busiesses never sell and how to flip the script by building true transferable value. Evan’s reviewed hundreds of company financials, and his take is blunt and useful: if your numbers aren’t clean and your operatins depend on you, you’re not selling a business, you’re selling your job.

We dig into the mistakes that quietly kill deals, from aggressive addbacks and mismatched tax returns to handshake supplier terms that vanish post-closing. Evan explains two paths to credible financials, retroactive cleanup with an owner-focused accountant or a “day zero” reset, and why three years of consistent, lender-ready books change everything. For law firm owners, we talk brand strategy beyond surnames, SOPs that codify expertise, and cross-trained teams that de-risk delivery. The legal angle runs through every phase: pre-sale contracts that lock in relationships, diligence that protects trade secrets, and post-sale enforcement of non-competes and earn-outs without choking a fair deal.

We also pressure-test the role of brokers versus curated marketplaces. Evan’s model charges buyers for access, filtering tire-kickers and creating space for real conversations between principals. That trust accelerates problem solving, cleaning up books, formalizing contracts, and aligning on legacy, so both sides can move with confidence. If you want to stop trading time for money and start building an asset someone else can run and finance, this conversation gives you the roadmap, the pitfalls to avoid, and the legal to-dos that keep value intact.

Reach Evan here:
BizRetire.com 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanpoling/ 

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E112 Strategic Tax Planning Tips with Emil Abedian

Numbers don’t build a law firm, owners do. This conversation with Emil, a CPA who serves only solo and small firms, shows how to replace once-a-year tax prep with a clear, repeatable system for growth. We pull back the curtain on what separates firms that double from those that stall: clean monthly books, a true owner mindset, and a proactive tax plan that turns the code into cash flow.

We start with the biggest blind spot in small practices: running the firm from the bank balance. Emil explains how accurate bookkeeping and quarterly reviews transform guesses into decisions, hiring with confidence, allocating marketing as an investment, and measuring trends before they become problems. A real-world story of two partners who built for scale on day one reveals the power of intent: design the business you want, then staff, track, and finance it like a CEO.

From there, we get tactical. Emil lays out the “PRO” framework, Plan, Roadmap, Opportunities, and shows how missed planning windows can cost hundreds of thousands. We dig into the Pass‑Through Entity (PTE) election for high‑tax states, why deadlines matter, and how a simple deposit can unlock a federal deduction. Then we go deeper on bonus depreciation, cost segregation, and the self‑rental election that allows commercial real estate losses to offset law firm income without real estate professional status. Whether you’re hiring your first associate or eyeing a building purchase, you’ll hear the timing, math, and checkpoints to make confident moves.

Reach Emil here: 
Counsel to Counsel on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KB42ie 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilabedian/ 
https://www.facebook.com/people/Counsel-CPAs/61559571126044/ 

Law Firm Marketing Fix

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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S03E111 Why Clean Books Are a Growth Tool with Victoria Blanc

We sit down with Victoria, a law-firm-focused bookkeeper and trust accounting specialist, to unpack how clean books transform guesswork into growth. From eliminating compliance risk to using ROI to drive hiring and marketing, this conversation turns financial fog into a step-by-step roadmap you can act on today.

We start with the biggest hidden cost: misclassifying client trust funds as revenue. Victoria explains how that single error inflates income, spikes tax bills, and misleads owners about what they can afford. She walks through trust accounting fundamentals, client-level ledgers, invoicing before transfers, and true monthly three-way reconciliations, so you stay audit-ready and confident. Then we connect the dots between numbers and decisions: which ad campaigns earn their keep, when to hire a VA or associate, and how to price work to include overhead and recover case costs.

Victoria also shares a jaw-dropping fraud catch, daily account reviews flagged repeated $1,000 withdrawals via an ITM tied to an EIN, stopped before losses exploded. That story underscores why timely, detailed reporting beats end-of-month surprises. For new and growing firms, we outline simple systems to capture every expense, track KPIs by role and location, and turn monthly reports into clear actions. You’ll learn how to pay yourself a steady salary, smooth tax obligations, and decide whether a second location is a growth lever or a cash drain.

Reach Victoria here: 
www.mga-tx.co 
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DzsoUJq3v/ 

Law Firm Marketing Fix

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Join our private community, Law Firm Growth Guild, Your Shortcut to Marketing Mastery and More Clients at
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Ready to level up your law firm marketing? Book a FREE Discovery Call with Marilyn Here: https://lawmarketingzone.com/bookacall

Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins
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