Sari Swears

Sari Swears Podcast: They Came for Trial Skills, They Left Transformed What happens when three trial lawyers commit an entire year to improving not just their trial skills, but themselves? In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte sits down with Sean Olson, Brian Turner, and Adam Princenthal as they reflect on their year in Sari's Mastermind program. From letting go of scripted openings to...

The One Shift You Must Make When Growing Your Business You started your business doing everything. Marketing, bookkeeping, client intake, delivering the actual service. And that worked when it was just you. But what happens when your business grows and you're still operating like you're the only person in it? In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte breaks down the critical mindset shift f...

What do you do after getting a defense verdict? You learn from it, get your ass back in the courtroom, and try again. Chrissy Hagen is back on Sari Swears, this time with fellow trial attorney Emily Peacock, to break down what changed between a previous defense verdict and their recent plaintiff's verdict. We talk about the lessons they took from that loss, how they approached voir dire differentl...

What if the one thing that could change how you show up in the courtroom is something you're already doing every single day? You're breathing, sure. But are you breathing well? In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte welcomes Kevin de la Motte, aka Coach K, to talk about why intentional breathing matters for trial attorneys. From stressful cases and opposing counsel's bullshit to the pres...

Are you spending your entire voir dire trying to figure out which jurors to kick off your case? You might be hurting your case before trial even begins. In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte breaks down seven reasons why exclusionary voir dire is limiting your case, from legitimizing defense arguments and creating a fear-based mindset to missing the opportunity to build a team with your...

Welcome to the premiere of Season 9 of the Sari Swears podcast! In this episode, Sari returns from a 12-week sabbatical to break down why trial law is inherently a creative profession—and why taking an extended break is essential for avoiding burnout and restoring your courtroom presence. Listen in as Sari breaks down the difference between a vacation and a "rest and restore" sabbatical, the mista...

Can being too kind to yourself hold you back from achieving your goals? In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte dismantles the toxic myth that trial lawyers must rely on self-criticism, fear, and burnout to succeed. Grounded in the behavioral science behind James Clear's Atomic Habits, Sari explains why the human brain is wired to respond to joy, desire, and rewards—not self-punishment. I...

Struggling with employees, paralegals, or associates who aren't doing things the way you told them to? In this episode of Sari Swears, Sari de la Motte breaks down the secret to delegating effectively so you can step out of the daily administrative grind and into your Zone of Genius. If you want your firm to run smoothly—even when you're on vacation or preparing for a trial—it comes down to one si...

This is my fifth and final episode before Sari returns, and I'm leaving you with a topic that completely changed my life: manifestation. I used to think it was complete bullshit, too. But it's not magic—it's neuroscience, awareness, and getting out of your own way. In this last episode, I break down: Why fear and self-doubt are the biggest obstacles to creating the life you want The "Upper Limit P...

Anxiety is something almost every trial attorney deals with. The problem is, most of us just push through it. We tell ourselves it's part of the job. That the constant overthinking, worst-case scenarios, and pressure are just what it takes to be successful. I used to believe that too. In this week's podcast, I share my own journey with anxiety, what I've learned coaching trial attorneys through it...

As trial attorneys, you spend your days carrying other people's burdens. But who's taking care of you, Friend ? In this week's podcast, I share the daily spiritual practice that helped me recover from burnout, process secondary trauma, and show up as a better coach, husband, and human. And before you skip this one because of the word spiritual, I'm not talking about religion. I'm talking about cre...

If you're like most trial attorneys I work with, you've probably told yourself, "I just need to prepare more." Preparation matters, but what if the thing that's actually missing isn't another hour at your desk? What if it's play? In this week's podcast, I talk about why creativity doesn't come from grinding harder. I share why: Trying to be "100% prepared" often leads to burnout, not better perfor...

If you've been listening to the podcast for a while, you probably know me as Coach K. While Sari is taking a well-deserved sabbatical, I'll be stepping in each week to share some of the mindset work I do with trial attorneys every day. If we haven't met yet, I'm Kevin de la Motte, mindset coach here at H2H. This week's episode is about something I see constantly with attorneys: O verwhelm. Not the...

Ever feel like you're carrying around a heaviness you can't quite explain? Maybe you're exhausted, distracted, or constantly thinking about something that happened months or even years ago. Maybe you can't figure out why it's so hard to move forward. This week's podcast might explain it. Coach K and I are talking about something we don't do very well as humans: completion. We rush from one thing t...

Most lawyers would have taken the $400,000… The plaintiff had healed. No surgery. Relatively modest medical bills. Plenty of risk heading into trial. But attorney Matthew Wilson saw something bigger . In this episode of Sari Swears, Matthew breaks down how he turned down the highest offer in the case, took it to verdict, and watched a jury return $1.8 million. More importantly, he shares what chan...

Today marks five years since the day I learned there was no more cancer in my body. It's a milestone that means more to me than I can put into words. In this week's podcast episode, I'm sharing the full story—from the diagnosis that changed everything, to the moments I was certain I couldn't do it, to the people who carried me through when I couldn't carry myself. It's a story about hope, gratitud...

One of the most common mistakes I see attorneys make in voir dire is unintentionally putting jurors in the wrong seat. When jurors answer your questions, they're automatically imagining themselves in that situation—and their brains are looking for ways they would have avoided the outcome. That's not because they're against you. It's because that's how people are wired. In this week's podcast, I br...

You want the breakthrough . You want the next level. What if the thing keeping you stuck isn't your trial skills, but the habits driving them? In this week's podcast episode, I'm breaking down the hidden thought patterns and old wiring that keep trial lawyers operating on autopilot—even when they desperately want change. We're talking about: why success still feels hard the habit of overworking ho...

Most lawyers focus on how to argue damages. Very few spend enough time truly understanding the loss. And jurors can feel that. In this week's episode, I break down the 3 components every damages argument needs: Understanding the loss Valuing the loss Communicating the loss We also talk about: Why metaphor matters How small stories hit harder than big explanations A simple framework I use to think...

Today is my 54th birthday, which honestly feels surreal to say out loud. And it got me reflecting on how I somehow went from being a classically trained pianist… to becoming the "Queen of Voir Dire." There was no grand plan. No moment where I suddenly felt ready. Just a series of moments where my want became bigger than my worry. In this week's podcast, I share the full story of how I found this w...

You're spending your voir dire on the wrong thing. And it's not subtle. You're trying to get ahead of the defense's argument—funneling defense points, repeating their story, mapping out everything wrong with what they might bring up. Meanwhile, your jury is soaking up defense point after defense point. That's the problem. Because what you give airtime to, they give weight to. In this week's podcas...

You might be asking the wrong questions. Not bad ones.  Just ones that never get past small talk. And if that's happening in your voir dire… you're missing the moment where jurors actually connect. Because connection doesn't come from: "Where are you from?" "What do you do?" "Have you ever…?" It comes from something deeper. From getting jurors to talk about what they value and actually staying the...

I'm seeing this a lot lately, so let me say it straight: If your case feels too simple, you're probably FINALLY getting it right. You keep trying to add more: more detail, more explanation, more persuasion. But jurors don't need more. They need clarity . When you hit the point where someone hears your case and thinks, "Well… duh," that's the sweet spot. Because "duh" means: It's common sense It's...

Have you ever caught yourself thinking: "Why does everything feel so overwhelming lately?" It might not be your caseload. It might not be your schedule. It might be this: You're making thousands of decisions every single day. Big ones. Small ones. Constant ones. And it's draining you. In this week's episode, I break down the exact tools I use to cut through decision fatigue, so you can STOP spinni...

Have YOU ever thought: "I don't think I want to do this anymore." Not forever. Not dramatically. Just… quietly, in the back of your mind. In this week's episode, I sat down with Coach K to talk about why so many trial attorneys hit this exact point. And no, you're not alone. 😉 What we've seen time and time again is this: It's not that you actually want to quit… It's that you can't keep doing it t...