We’ve all done it.

Sat at our desk, typing out an opening statement word-for-word, hoping it’ll somehow click once we’re standing in court.

But here’s the thing: The way you practice is the way you’ll perform.

And if you’re only rehearsing in your head, hunched over a keyboard, your brain’s gonna BAIL on you the moment you stand up.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m breaking down how to FINALLY get off your notes and deliver an opening that’s confident, conversational, and compelling.

I’m giving you:

🗒️ A better way to practice (yes, it’s awkward…at first)

🗒️ My 5-step process to ditch the script

🗒️ And a whole lot of tough love (you know I can’t help myself 😉)

You DO NOT need to memorize your opening. 

You NEED to internalize it.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

P.S. Spots for the Opening Masterclass (Nov 13–14) are filling up FAST. Lock in your spot NOW. 

Quote: 

“The thing you must understand is that you’re not just delivering words. You’re delivering you. If you haven’t practiced your opening out loud—if you haven’t stood in your body, heard your own voice, felt your own fear, worked through it—you won’t connect. The jury will sense the dissonance. And that’s why typing your opening and calling it done is a mistake. The practice is the performance. You’ve got to embody it before you ever walk into court.”

Sari

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Have you ever heard a phrase in court and cringe a little?

Not because it’s wrong, but because it’s so… overused. 

We’ve all said them.

BUT. 

The game has changed. Jurors are sharper. Attention is shorter. 

And credibility is everything.

So in this week’s podcast, I’m breaking down 7 phrases that are killing your case and offering better ways to build connection and trust.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

“The reason we say things like ‘you must be fair and impartial’ is because we’re trying to sound lawyerly. But that language doesn’t move people. What moves people is truth. When you speak from principle — when you say things like ‘we hold people accountable when they hurt others’ — you connect with jurors on a human level. That’s where your power is.”

-Sari

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I recently sat down with Mike Takla on the Bad Law, Worse Facts podcast, and we went deep.

🗣️We talked bias.

🗣️We talked voir dire.

🗣️We talked WHY so many attorneys are afraid to ask for the damn money.

And of course, I shared what I’ve been teaching inside the H2H Playground, at Command the Courtroom, and our upcoming Damages Masterclass — including one of my favorite tools: the Funnel Method.

If you’ve ever struggled to confidently talk about damages, if you’re still letting the defense set the tone in voir dire, or if you’re stuck prepping your trial the week before (don’t lie, I see you), you NEED to hear this.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

“Most attorneys believe the juror is your enemy. That’s why I wrote the whole book. We’re scared of them, we think they’re going to screw us over. But what plaintiff attorneys forget to their detriment is that you stand on the side of the right. In most cases the defense is covering up, trying to get away with something. And when you remember that, you realize jurors aren’t against you—they’re actually biased for you. You just haven’t uncovered the principles that connect them to your case yet.”

Sari de la Motte

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Life hurts sometimes.

👎🏽 Your case bombs. 👎🏽 Someone says something that cuts deep. 👎🏽 You lose something or someone that mattered.

That’s PAIN. 

That’s inevitable.

BUT, then your brain chimes in:

🧠 “This shouldn’t be happening.” 🧠 “I should’ve done it differently.” 🧠 “I’m not good enough.”

That’s NOT pain.

That’s suffering… and it’s OPTIONAL. (even if it doesn’t feel optional.)

This week on the podcast, I’m walking you through one of the most powerful mindset shifts I’ve made in the last decade.

If you're in a season of chaos or pain, I hope this feels like a little light breaking through. 💞

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

“Pain is life, your highness, but suffering is optional. It’s something we do in response to pain and that, we can learn to stop doing.”

-Sari 

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This week’s episode is a little different.

Raw. Real. And one of the MOST powerful stories we’ve ever shared on the podcast.

I sat down with the incredible Kim Valentine — a powerhouse trial attorney who went from being homeless…

To someone who now walks into the courtroom fully expressed, fully embodied, and fully herself. 💖

Her story WILL move you.

Because it’s not just about becoming a lawyer.

It’s about becoming the version of yourself you were always meant to be — before the trauma, the chaos, and the noise told you otherwise.

We talk about:

👉🏽 Why dissociation and success often go hand-in-hand 👉🏽 The grief no one warns you about when you start healing 👉🏽 Reclaiming your voice, your body, and your right to be seen

Kim doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

She swears. She cries. She tells the truth.

And by the end of this episode, you’ll be reminded that you can rebuild too — no matter where you started.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

"I used to think being strong meant not feeling anything. But the truth is, strength is being willing to feel everything — the grief, the shame, the regret — and still get back up. That’s what makes you powerful in the courtroom. Not the performance. The presence."

 - Kim Valentine

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Welcome to the very first episode of Sari Swears — the podcast that FINALLY sounds like me, looks like me, and says the things I’ve ALWAYS wanted to say without editing myself down to fit in a box.

We ditched the old name. 

Rebuilt the studio. 

And YES — there’s a theme song now that SLAPS.

This episode is the start of something completely new.

🚫 NO more staying in my lane. 🚫 NO more “shoulds.” 🚫 NO more tone-policing myself so people don’t get uncomfortable.

And if you’ve been doing the same — shrinking to fit, waiting to be “ready,” pretending not to be the badass you actually are — then this is YOUR episode too.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

"I don't stay in my lane—and neither should you. Because guess what? There are no lanes. It's all made up. The rules, the expectations, the labels—they were never yours to begin with. So why the hell are you still playing by them?"

—Sari de la Motte

New theme song FULL Version

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This week’s episode is your blueprint for setting the bar (and the boundaries) before the case ever starts.

We’re talking SYSTEMS that protect your time, your team, and your peace.

We’re getting into:

• 💣 My 7+ Point Case Filter: the BS-proof checklist every case goes through

• 💣 Three-Strikes + Deal-Breakers Rules: no more back-and-forth with on-the-fence cases

• 💣 How to Redesign Mid-Case: reset expectations without burning the bridge

• 💣 Ideal Client + Case Profiles: filter out red flags before they pop up

• 💣 The Case-Slot Mindset: calendar space is currency — allocate, don’t accommodate

• 💣 The Design Intake Conversation: save future-you (and your staff) from endless backtracking

When you start designing your caseload on PURPOSE, you don’t just avoid nightmare clients — you attract the right ones.

The ones who energize you.

The ones who remind you WHY you do what you do.

And because your calendar should FUEL you, not FRY you.

YOU are the gatekeeper.

FUCKING OWN IT.

— Sari 💖

Quote: 

“Three strikes and the case is out. For example: discord between heirs, geographic remoteness, and small damages—three issues, we decline. Deal breakers include clients who are rude to staff, hang up, or insist on speaking only to me. Lying is another: false heir status, hidden criminal history, faked POA. If I can’t get a basic design of mutual respect, we’re done. It’s collaborative and democratic. Any attorney on the team can raise a red flag. If we reach three, we don’t take the case—no debate. That clarity prevents ‘I told you so’ later.” 

— Jody Moore

* * * * JOIN US FOR COMMAND THE COURTROOM: 2-DAY IN-PERSON

OPENING MASTERCLASS WITH SARI DE LA MOTTE * * * * 

🗓️ Date: September 11th – 12th, 2025

👑 Train, LIVE, with Sari

📍Location: H2H Headquarters (Portland, OR)

💰 Investment: $10K - Expense it to your case!

ONLY 12 SPOTS AVAILABLE

*spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Register here: https://sariswears.com/courtroom-master-class-opening/

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Ever wonder what you’re REALLY communicating in the courtroom?

Your posture.

Your tone.

Your presence.

It ALL lands with the jury LONG before your words do.

This week, I’m talking about something I call Nonverbal Intelligence and WHY it’s one of the most overlooked (and powerful) tools in your trial arsenal.

Here’s what we get into:

👉🏽 WHAT you’re unconsciously broadcasting in court

👉🏽 HOW to actually see what you're doing (and shift it)

👉🏽 WHY awareness is the first step to showing up like a damn leader

You don’t have to be loud to lead…

But you do have to be intentional.

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

“Most trial lawyers think if they just get the words right, they’ll win. But your nonverbals are saying more than your opening ever could. The jury is watching how you walk, how you breathe, how you hold space and if you’re not aware of what you’re communicating, you’re not in control of your message.”

—Sari de la Motte

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Your brain’s job? To keep you safe.

Your job? To lead anyway.

Most of the fear you feel in trial is fake news — just recycled thoughts about losing, judgment, or not measuring up.

But here’s the kicker:

Your thoughts aren't facts, and you can rewrite them.

This week’s episode hands you the tools to:

💣 Ditch the vague labels and call it what it is: dread? shame? rage? Name it to tame it.

💣 Sit in the suck and breathe. Stop numbing out and start showing up.

💣 Trade panic-fueled prep for power-fueled presence. Jurors can feel your shift from frantic to fierce.

Confidence isn’t something you find, it’s something you create.

🎧 Listen now and learn to lead the jury like a force they can’t ignore.

And remember, your clients didn’t hire FEAR..

THEY HIRED YOU.

Time to show up, Sari 💖

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There’s this quiet habit so many of you have…

AND it’s costing you in the courtroom.

You’re waiting.

Waiting to be liked.

Waiting to be approved of.

Waiting for some signal that it’s safe to lead.

But here’s the truth: Nobody hands you authority in that courtroom, you CLAIM it.

In this episode, I’m diving into what I call the Permission Principle. 

So many of you are holding back without even realizing it.

📣 You don’t need to be louder. 

😇 You don’t need to be nicer. 

💸 You don’t need to earn it. 

You just NEED to SHOW up like you already belong… BECAUSE YOU DO. 

Tune in NOW! 🎧

Love, Sari 💖

Quote: 

“You don’t need the jury to approve of you before you lead them. You don’t need to wait until you’ve earned the right to take up space. You are the authority in that courtroom — not because someone gave it to you, but because you showed up ready to lead.”

—Sari de la Motte

Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here:

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