What if recovery wasn’t a single path or a sudden epiphany, but a practical system you can build step by step? We sit down with Mary Beth O’Connor, attorney, former federal administrative law judge, and author of From Junkie to Judge, to unpack how trauma, co-occurring disorders, and culture shape addiction and how personalized plans create lasting change.

Mary Beth shares how early substance use and a high ACE score fueled years of chaos, and how prioritizing five core areas, sobriety, trauma care, relationships, work, and debt, became the backbone of a sustainable rebuild. We explore multiple pathways to recovery beyond 12-step programs, including LifeRing Secular Recovery, SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety, She Recovers, and Dharma Recovery, and why outcomes improve when people choose the peer support that actually fits. We also dig into evidence-based tools like medications for alcohol and opioid use disorders, trauma therapy, and the reality that plans should evolve as life does.

For legal professionals, Mary Beth offers a candid look at why attorneys face double the national addiction rate: relentless pace, perfection pressure, and unpredictable calendars. We connect the dots between impairment and ethics, competence, diligence, and case delays, and point to confidential help through lawyer assistance programs. On stigma, Mary Beth explains how “open recovery” changes minds, brings hope to families, and reframes addiction as a medical, mental health disorder. Families get a clear starting point with CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) and the book Beyond Addiction, which replace ultimatums with positive reinforcement and shared problem-solving.

Reach Mary Beth here:
Website: junkietojudge.com
My memoir: https://a.co/d/0W8sMrq
X: MaryBethO_
Bluesky: marybethoconnor

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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Safety should not depend on a binder no one reads. We sat down with Debbie Ausburn and Tom Rawlings, national leaders in child welfare, youth protection, and organizational safety, to map a path from good intentions to everyday practices that actually keep kids safe. Drawing on decades as a prosecutor, juvenile court judge, state child advocate, and advisors to youth organizations, they show how to build policies people will use, not ignore.

We unpack the core problem: top-down, one-size-fits-all rules look strong on paper but fail on the ground. Debbie explains why zero tolerance breeds exceptions and silence, while Tom lays out a culture-first model where staff report small mistakes without fear so teams can learn and prevent bigger harms. Together, we stress a simple aim, stop isolation, using realistic supervision like open doors, line-of-sight checks, and leaders present on the floor. We also go beyond the predator lens to address peer-to-peer risk, bullying versus conflict, and the everyday recklessness that creates openings for harm.

You’ll get a clear starting plan for the first 30 days: name a child safety coordinator, form two teams (prevention and incident response), audit your files for background checks and references, and benchmark against regulations and industry standards. Then keep the momentum with annual surveys to gauge psychological safety and whistleblowing confidence, micro-trainings that fit busy schedules, and tabletop drills that build crisis “muscle memory.” This is how policy moves from compliance to culture, and how organizations earn parents’ trust.

Reach Debbie & Tom here: 
Book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4airvz4
Website:  http://www.DebbieAusburn.com
Website: https://www.ysoacademy.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahausburn/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OtherPeoplesChildrenLLC
X: @debbieausburn
Instagram: @debbieausburn

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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What if your next investigation didn’t end at “who’s to blame,” but opened the door to safer work, stronger trust, and a healthier culture? We sit down with Desai Link, former lawyer, health and safety executive, and author of Beyond the Incident: Practical Tools, Legal Causation and Applied Workplace Investigation Practice, to rethink how leaders and lawyers approach evidence, accountability, and care when things go wrong.

Desai walks us through a striking case where a routine injury revealed a deeper recruitment failure, showing how courtroom-grade thinking, verifying claims, reading inconsistencies, and valuing oral evidence, can transform workplace investigations. We unpack why documents alone rarely tell the full story and how to conduct non-adversarial interviews that surface credible, testable narratives. From body language awareness to simple language choices, Desai shares practical steps that make people feel safe to speak while still meeting legal and operational standards.

We also dig into the human side of high-stakes cases like bullying and misconduct. Desai outlines a clear triage, people, property, notifications, to stabilize situations fast, protect dignity, and preserve evidence. You’ll learn how to reduce bias with assumption logs, clarify purpose and ethics before you begin, and apply legal causation to trace systemic factors rather than stop at individual error. Finally, we talk about power dynamics after the fact: how to control the narrative responsibly, indicate accountability without breaching confidentiality, and keep your team’s trust intact.

Reach Desai here:
Beyond the Incident: https://amzn.to/49O5bMt
https://dynamichse.co.nz
https://www.linkedin.com/in/desailink
https://www.circusofsafety.com
Ihttps://www.instagram.com/dreamstolenses

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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Stop thinking about video as a camera problem and start treating it like a business tool. We sat down with Robert from Multivision Digital, who went from sales leader to producing 1,700+ videos, to unpack a video-first strategy that actually drives growth for law firms. The big shift: forget the “about us” reel and focus on short, useful FAQ and thought leadership clips that answer the exact questions your clients are already searching for on Google and YouTube.

We dig into the leadership mindset behind great content, delegation, trust, and staying in your lane, so subject-matter experts can shine while pros handle the technical craft. Robert shares a case study where replacing a single overview video with a batch of FAQs lifted page rankings by 20–30 percent. We map out how one recording session can fuel months of marketing: embed videos in blog posts with transcripts for SEO, drop them into nurture emails, build YouTube playlists, and arm sales with the right clip at the right moment.

You’ll hear how to scope smart budgets by starting with message, not gear; why drones and motion graphics are tools, not trophies; and how remote production with pro coaching lets attorneys record high-quality content anywhere. We also talk about the real timeline to build “video mojo.” Expect about two years to refine on-camera presence, streamline workflows, and see compounding gains, but that consistency becomes a durable edge because legal video adoption is still catching up.

Reach Robert here:
Legal Video Portfolio - https://multivisiondigital.com/portfolio/law-firm-videos/
Remote Video Production - https://multivisiondigital.com/attorneys/ 

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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A prison designed to sit “beyond the law” still shapes how power understands accountability, and how advocates fight back. We sit down with Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, special counsel at Human Rights First and veteran of impact litigation around Guantánamo, to unpack a two-decade journey that blends courtroom battles, diplomacy, and storytelling into what he calls empathetic strategic lawyering. The result is a rare, unvarnished look at why trials have stalled, how detainees went home through political channels, and what it takes to stand up to governments when process becomes the battlefield.

Joshua traces the early habeas wins that opened access to clients, then explains why a bespoke military commission system broke under its own flaws. He offers a ground-level view of serving as a lifeline to people held incommunicado for years and shows how empathy sharpened strategy: engage allies, inform the public, and negotiate transfers when courts move too slowly. We dig into CIA black sites, the jurisdiction fight that reached the Supreme Court, and the quiet truth that the higher the stakes, the longer the slog, especially when states hide behind immunity and national security.

The conversation doesn’t stop at history. We confront the present: a shrunken detainee population, stalled 9/11 cases, and a troubling new twist, migrants briefly routed through Guantánamo as costly political theater. Joshua connects these choices to a broader erosion of U.S. credibility; when Washington bends international law, authoritarian regimes point and follow. Still, there is light: lower federal courts continue to enforce baseline standards, and the public can see through spectacle when the human harm is clear.

Reach Joshua here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcolangelo
https://www.instagram.com/joshua_colangelo/
https://humanitasmedia.org/
https://www.instagram.com/humanitas_media/
Book mentioned: https://amzn.to/3NhWgv2/

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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What does it really take to win justice for ordinary people when the defendants are deep-pocketed corporations with layers of contractors and complex policies? We sit down with Tony Edwards, a four-decade plaintiff’s lawyer from Oklahoma, to unpack how small-town values, disciplined discovery, and genuine relationships carry cases across the finish line, and change lives along the way.

Tony traces his leadership journey from a large statewide PI firm to building a values-first practice in McAlester and Tulsa. He explains why oilfield and trucking cases demand patient, methodical work: untangling corporate webs, identifying true control, and proving preventable failures with clear, targeted discovery. We talk about the end of “trial by ambush,” the craft of asking the right questions, and the strategic edge that comes from truly knowing clients, their families, their routines, and the losses jurors can understand without translation.

The conversation turns personal as Tony shares a wrongful death case that still shapes his approach, illustrating why jury connection matters more than theatrics. Authentic testimony, not performance, helps jurors see the plaintiff as a neighbor worth helping. Beyond the courtroom, Tony’s firm invests in teachers through an Eastern Oklahoma Teacher of the Year award and student scholarships, a cause rooted in his father’s legacy and his partner’s family. It’s a blueprint for community engagement that’s real, not performative: pick a mission that fits your story and serve it year after year.

Reach Tony here:
https://www.edwardspattersonlaw.com/

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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Legal leadership is most powerful when it sounds human. We sit down with Rory O'Keeffe, an Irish‑born lawyer who’s worked across criminal law, big projects, arbitration, and global tech, to unpack how in‑house teams move from being seen as blockers to becoming strategic guides. Rory’s journey reveals why curiosity beats certainty, how a blunt “no” kills influence, and why the best legal advice often looks like three clear options with honest tradeoffs.

We dig into real stories: the temptation to backdate a contract and how to stop it without blowing up the relationship, the moment a single acronym derails a meeting, and the quiet damage caused by clauses that always get negotiated down. Rory makes the case for coaching over mentoring, building psychological safety so teams raise issues early, and using practical playbooks to cut contract cycle times by 20% or more. He also shares his approach to cross‑functional trust, asking simple questions, translating privacy and cybersecurity into narratives leaders can actually use, and giving the C‑suite decisions they can own.

AI and legal tech are here, but the smartest teams choose tools with eyes open. We cover the questions every leader should ask before adopting new platforms: where the data lives, how it’s secured, what exit looks like, and whether the tool solves a real workflow problem or just looks good on a dashboard. As Rory puts it, AI won’t take your job, but a lawyer using AI will, so learn to leverage it without risking confidentiality or budget lock‑in.

Reach Rory here: 
https://www.rmoklegal.com/

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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Compliance isn’t a checkbox anymore; it’s the engine room shaping strategy, pricing risk, and deciding whether a deal should close. We sit down with Darshan Kulkarni, pharmacist, attorney, professor, and veteran advisor to life sciences companies, to examine how enforcement trends, data ownership, and AI are rewriting the rules for pharma, biotech, and health tech leaders.

We start with Darshan’s unconventional path from sixth-generation pharmacist to regulatory lawyer and educator, then dig into the pressure points every leader feels right now. Why the DOJ and OIG expect compliance to be resourced and at the table. How successor liability can blow up an acquisition if issues aren’t self-identified and disclosed. Why “100% compliant” is not a badge of honor but a signal your program isn’t looking hard enough. And where promotional risk really lives today: not in the TV ad that passed MLR review, but in the hallway conversation where a rep guesses at an off-label question.

From there, we turn to diligence and dealmaking. Darshan breaks down the most common red flags in clinical trial sites, especially physician-ownership rules and formation problems that can make a target effectively unownable. We explore how non-competes, data rights, and state privacy laws collide with federal frameworks, and how to price and structure deals when the risks are real but fixable.

AI and digital health raise the stakes even further. We unpack consent gaps, PHI exposure, IP conflicts, and the difference between public LLMs and truly private deployments. Transparent does not mean public domain, and pushing sensitive data into a public model can make control vanish. The throughline is clear: build controls that find problems early, separate legal advocacy from compliance oversight, and make incentives support the behavior you want.

Reach Darshan here: 
[email protected]
https://www.kulkarnilawfirm.com/

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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Ever wondered how a junior lawyer becomes the steady legal voice in a fast‑moving startup? We sit down with corporate attorney and Legal Chutney host Jagdeep to unpack the mindset shift that turns theory into leadership: owning outcomes, translating rules into business choices, and building relationships that open real doors. From taking board minutes through an acquisition to guiding product timelines and negotiating contracts that reflect industry norms, she shows how to lead without waiting for a title.

We open up about the art of the principled no, how to explain the law, frame the commercial risk, and propose a workable path that keeps sales and product moving. In tech, where innovation races ahead of regulation, that skill is the difference between friction and flow. Jagdeep shares pragmatic tactics for in‑house counsel and firm leaders alike: understand your product, quantify risk, decide when credits beat refunds, and focus every redline on what advances the business.

Networking gets a refresh too. Forget collecting contacts. Ask better questions, follow up at milestones, and turn a one‑off chat into a mentor who tells you the truth. You’ll learn how informational interviews help you choose a practice area, avoid mismatched firms, and grow faster with genuine connections. We also go deep on mental health and belonging in legal education, what isolation feels like for first‑gen students of color, why the curve undermines collaboration, and how schools can help with socially aware faculty, resourced DEI, and accessible counseling.

Reach Jagdeep here:
https://linktr.ee/legalchutney13

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®
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A seasoned trial lawyer opens the door to his hardest truths, and shows how they forged a life of service. We sit down with Steven Scott Eichenblatt, a 38-year attorney and founding partner of Page & Eichenblatt in Orlando, to trace his path from insurance defense to plaintiffs’ advocacy, the rise and strain of small firms in an ad-driven market, and the human habits that keep clients returning for decades. The twist is his memoir, Pretend They Are Dead, where abandonment, abuse, and a shocking encounter with his biological father collide with a lawyer’s instinct to verify and make sense of the past.

Steven explains how handwritten notes, steady follow-up, and community presence became his small firm’s unfair advantage against big-budget advertising and impersonal digital funnels. He’s candid about using technology and AI without losing the human voice, and he shares practical marketing wisdom for law firm owners: center the client, communicate clearly, and build trust that outlasts campaigns. The stories are raw and specific, guardian ad litem cases, families shattered by loss, and clients who kept his notes for years before returning with life-changing matters.

We also go inside the emotional calculus of a life shaped by trauma: the “feeling of no feeling,” the discipline that helped in litigation but complicated relationships, and the conscious choice to break patterns through fatherhood. Steven’s reflections on resilience, purpose, and advocacy land like field notes for anyone building a values-driven practice. 

Reach Steven here:
https://www.stevenscotteichenblatt.com/
Book: https://amzn.to/48IxFqo
https://www.floridalawonline.com/
@pageandeichenblatt
@steveeichenblatt

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Leadership In Law Podcast with host, Marilyn Jenkins 
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#leadershipinlawpodcast #leadershipinlaw #lawmarketingzone #marilynjenkins