Culture becomes strategy when pressure rises. We sit down with communications leader Linda Carlisle to unpack how empathy, transparency, and purpose turn disengaged teams into high-performing ones, and why this work is mission critical for law firms navigating constant change. Linda’s career spans external branding and deep internal communications, giving her a rare view of how the inside of a firm shapes what clients see on the outside. She explains why mission and values are only the starting point, and how defining and rewarding the right behaviors creates the real shift.

We walk through the engagement slump many organizations face and the compounding effects of lean staffing, nonstop initiatives, and change fatigue. Linda shares how to run communication as a two-way dialogue, translate strategy into clear objectives, and avoid the trap of “listening without action.” You’ll hear concrete examples: using 360 feedback to coach leaders, retiring toxic behaviors like knowledge hoarding, and tying recognition and reviews to the competencies that actually move the business forward. We also dig into transparent communication in hard moments, how to frame tough news, support impacted people with dignity, and preserve trust with those who remain.

For law firm owners, the conversation turns practical: build purpose into the work through authentic impact and pro bono, protect well-being with realistic workloads and weekends, and watch for early signals of cultural erosion before top performers walk. In a frozen job market, this is the window to invest in culture so you retain the talent you’ll need when demand shifts. If your goal is a resilient, engaged team that delivers consistent client experience and stronger results, these are the levers to pull.

Reach Linda:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindakcarlisle/
https://www.comm-ext.com

Law Firm Marketing Fix

Fix Your Law Firm’s Marketing in 10 Simple Steps

Download Your Free Checklist - https://fix.lawmarketingzone.com/

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
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

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

Law Firm Marketing Fix

Fix Your Law Firm’s Marketing in 10 Simple Steps

Download Your Free Checklist - https://fix.lawmarketingzone.com/

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
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins

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 rebuilt her sense of control, and the culture shifts that help 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/

Law Firm Marketing Fix

Fix Your Law Firm’s Marketing in 10 Simple Steps

Download Your Free Checklist - https://fix.lawmarketingzone.com/

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
Powered by Law Marketing Zone®
https://lawmarketingzone.com
A full-service Digital Marketing Agency helping clients increase Leads, Cases, and Profit by getting their digital marketing right.

Subscribe on your favorite Podcast listening platform!

Like, Share, and Review us!

#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins