The Future Is Bright Podcast

I interviewed Lori Lorenzo | Managing Director at Deloitte on Friday, April 9th, 2021.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Her Journey in BigLaw
• How Career Services Affirmed what She Loved to Do
• Focused on real DE&I Impact 
• The Unspoken Importance of Relationship Building
• Lots of Career Advice for Job Hunters 
• Deloitte’s free Programs for CLOs and Deputy GCs 
• BigFour being Well-Positioned for the Legal Industry
• Recommended Books 
• Blended Family 
• Weight Lifting

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Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Lori Lorenzo | LinkedIn Profile
• Lori Lorenzo | Deloitte Website Bio
• Dewey & LeBoeuf | The Collapse by The New Yorker
• Florida Coastal School of Law | Website
• University of Miami School of Law | Website
• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) | Website
• Marcy Cox | Assistant Dean at University of Miami
• Valerie Jackson | LinkedIn Profile
• National Organization for Workplace Diversity (NOW Diversity) | Website
• Robert Grey | LCLD President
• American Bar Association
• Kenji Yoshino | LinkedIn Profile
• Next Gen Academy | Chief Legal Officer Program | Deloitte
• Caste: The Origins of our Discontents | Isabel Wilkerson
• Malcolm Gladwell | Author's Website
• Overwhelmed: Work, Love, & Play When No One Has the Time | Brigid Schulte
• Quiet | Susan Cain
• Drive | Daniel Pink
• Dean Koontz | Author's Website

I interviewed Chris Lewis | General Counsel at Edward Jones on Friday, March 26th, 2021.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Civil Rights Heroes
• Betting on Yourself 
• Being Intentional with DE&I 
• Joining Edward Jones & 10x the Legal Dept 
• SIFMA & The Buttermilk Group
• Leadership Inspiration 
• St. Louis & his Community Involvement
• From Jamaica to NY
• Recommended Books on the Black Experience

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Chris Lewis | LinkedIn Profile
• Chris Lewis | Edward Jones Website Bio
• Edward Jones | Website
• Thurgood Marshall | US Courts Website
• Constance Baker Motley | US Courts Website
• Charles Hamilton Houston | NAACP Feature
• Civil Rights Law Society | Columbia Law School
• Kristen Clarke | Lawyers Committee Feature
• Jim Tricarico | Duane Morris Feature
• National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF) | Website
• Securities Industries and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) | Website
• Beth Dorfman | LinkedIn Profile
• Penny Pennington | LinkedIn Profile
• Walter Mosley | Author's Website
• Marlon James | Macalester College Bio
• A Brief History of Seven Killings | Marlon James

I interviewed Norman Wain | General Counsel, Chief of Business Affairs at USA Track & Field on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Having Passion in his Legal Career
• Learning the Business of Sports
• The Road to General Counsel
• The Importance of Networking
• US Soccer History
• Leadership & Culture Building 
• Public Speaking Advice
• Fostering Success through Energizing Your Team
• Using Analytics to Drive Business Decision Making
• Parenting 5 Kids

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Norman Wain | LinkedIn Profile
• USA Track & Field | Website
• Rick Davis | Society for American Soccer History Feature
• Major League Soccer | Website
• The Finish Line | Website
• The Family Man | IMDb
• United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee | Website
• Anti-Doping US Agency | Website
• The US Center for SafeSport | Website
• The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players | Pat Riley
• Success is a Choice | Rick Pitino
• The Oz Principle | Roger Connors, Tom Smith, & Craig Hickman  
• Crucial Conversations | Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, & Ron McMillan
• The First 90 Days | Michael Watkins

I interviewed Deanna Sheridan | General Counsel, Vice President, & Corporate Secretary of Spartan Race on Friday, February 5th, 2021.

We discussed:

• Having Psychological Safety in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives
• Keeping Spartan Race Afloat During COVID 
• Acquiring & Integrating Tough Mudder
• How Diversity Strengthens an Organization 
• Learning from Joe de Sena, Founder & CEO of Spartan 
• Spartan: More than an Obstacle Race 
• Girls Rock Campaign Boston
• ONCE Boston
• Reading Recommendations
• Dance Parties at Home

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

_______________________________________________

Links referred to in this episode:

• Deanna Sheridan | LinkedIn Profile
• Spartan Race | Website
• Erin Sutton | LinkedIn Profile
• SHE Summit | Event Website
• Tough Mudder | Website
• Howrey Law Firm | Wikipedia Site
• Winston & Strawn | Firm Website
• Ropes & Gray | Firm Website
• Hinckley Allen | Firm Website
• Norwesco | Company Website
• Darren Braham | Former GC of Spartan Race
• Joe de Sena | Spartan Race CEO & Founder
• Stewart Hirsch | Strategic Relationships | Coaching
• Hugh Merryweather | Former CEO of Spartan Race
• Girls Rock Campaign Boston | Website
• ONCE Somerville | Website
• Alexandra Carter | Ask for More: 10 Questions to Negotiate Anything
• Erik Larson | The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz

I interviewed Megan Belcher | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary on Friday, November 20th, 2020.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Transferring Success to Others 
• Drinks Among Friends in Omaha, NE 
• Launching a Womens’ GC Mastermind 
• The Position of Power & Privilege and Welcoming Others at the Table 
• Having a Professional Development Plan
• The Magic of Scoular 
• Impacting Rural Communities 
• A Passion for Corporate and Personal Marketing and Branding 
• Preparing for Board Service 
• Leadership is Connecting and Collaborating 
• COVID with kids, a puppy, and an RV

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Megan Belcher | LinkedIn Profile
• Megan Belcher | Scoular Leadership Bio
• Scoular | Company Website
• Drinks Among Friends Feature | BC Law Magazine
• R-3 100 List- Next Generation of Women General Counsel | Inside Counsel Magazine
• Ann St. Peter | Global Prairie | Purpose Driven Marketing
• Women in the Workplace 2020 Survey | McKinsey
• Center for Women in Law | Website
• Direct Women | Website
• Paul Pautler | LinkedIn Profile
• Paul Mass | Scoular Leadership Bio
• Armchair Expert Podcast
• The Daily by NY Times Podcast
• Second Life Podcast

I interviewed Michael Moradzadeh | Founding Partner & CEO of Rimon Law on Friday, November 6th, 2020. 

We discussed several topics such as:

• Growing up in Silicon Valley and the Transition to NYC
• Beginning of His Career at Ropes & Gray
• Innovating the Law Firm Business Model
• First 3 Years of Rimon
• Definition of Great Leadership
• Benefits of Non-Attorney Ownership
• Family Life During COVID

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Michael Moradzadeh | LinkedIn Profile
• Michael Moradzadeh | Rimon Co-Founder | Firm Bio
• Rimon Law | Website 
• Yaacov Silberman | Rimon Co-Founder | Firm Bio
• Jim Collins | Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap & Others Don't
• Josh Green | Mentor | LinkedIn Profile
• Gerald Davis | Gilgamesh
• Leon Kass | The Beginning of Wisdom

I interviewed Verona Dorch | Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary at Providence Health on Monday, August 17th, 2020.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Her Move to the frontlines of the war on Covid  
• Her time at Peabody Energy and Leading in Crisis
• Streamlining Outside Counsel from 100+ firms to 12
• Requiring Diversity with Outside Counsel
• How she joined a For-Profit Board  
• Leadership and Those Who Have Helped Her
• Inspiring words for Women and Diverse Attorneys 
• Her Family Immigration Story

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

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Links referred to in this episode:

• Verona Dorch | LinkedIn Profile
• National Diversity Council | 2020's Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Oil and Gas
• Financial Times | The FT Global GC 20 List
• Black Enterprise Magazine | 2019 List of the Most Powerful Women in Corporate America
• American Bar Foundation
• AdvanceLaw Website
• Law.com Article | Big Company GCs Sign On as Mentors to Foster Big Law Diversity
• Firoz Dattu | Chairman at AdvanceLaw
• Director's Academy Website
• Marsha Simms | Partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges
• Lloyd Johnson | Minority Corporate Counsel Association Founder
• Michele Coleman Mayes | General Counsel & Secretary at New York Public Library
• Tom Sabatino | Previous General Counsel of Aetna & Hertz
• James D. White | Co-Founder & Board Chairman of Director's Academy
• Alfreda Bradley-Coar | CEO and Founder of The Bradley-Coar Group
• Nancy Jessen | Executive Vice President, Enterprise Legal Transformation at UnitedLex Corporation
• Michael Watkins | The First 90 Days
• Phil Jackson | Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success
• Michelle Obama | Becoming
• Chinua Achebe | Things Fall Apart

I interviewed Jeanie Latz | Board and Governance Consultant on Friday, July 17th, 2020.

We discussed several topics including:

• Her Journey to Board Consultant
• Better Results with Diversity 
• Helpful Tips for Getting Involved with Boards
• Board Composition Trends
• The ESG Question 
• Signs of an Effective Board  
• Bringing Work In-House & Managing Legal Spend 
• A Hostile Takeover Story
• Bill and Melinda Gates 

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Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

_______________________________________________

Links referred to in this episode:

• Jeanie Latz | LinkedIn Profile
• National Association of Corporate Directors Website
• Society for Corporate Governance Website
• Adam J. Epstein | The Perfect Corporate Board: A Handbook for Mastering the Unique Challenges of Small-Cap Companies
• Netflix | Inside Bill's Brain 

I interviewed Mark Roellig | Senior Client Advisor at Perkins Coie on Friday, June 26th, 2020.

We discussed several topics such as:

• Embracing Self-awareness 
• Surrounding Yourself with Diverse People & Perspectives
• What General Counsel look for? 
• The Value of an MBA 
• Training People to Leave
• Streamlining the Interview Process
• People that Come to Win vs. to Play
• Board Advice 
• Adding Value to Your Team 
• Career Advice for Those Stuck
• What Do Lawyers Really Bring?
• The Evolution of In-House Counsel
• Recommended Biographies

_______________________________________________

Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

_______________________________________________

Links referred to in this episode:

• Mark Roellig | Perkins Coie Profile
• Mark Roellig | LinkedIn Profile
• National Law Journal | America's 50 Outstanding General Counsel 2016
• Ethisphere | 2016 Attorneys Who Matter List
• ACC Docket | Leadership Lessons: Mark Roellig Reflects on 45 Years of Working
• Charlie Russ | Mentor Profile
• Walter Issacson | The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
• Nancy Koehn | Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times
• Pia Flanagan | Chief of Staff to the CEO at MassMutual
• Dominic Blue | Head of Strategy Planning & Delivery at MassMutual  
• Brian Garner | Editor in Chief of Black's Law Dictionary | Twitter Account
• Charles Craver | George Washington Professor
• Patricia Diaz Dennis | Former Commissioner of the Dept. of Labor
• Jim Collins | Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap & Others Don't
• Eric Schmidt | How Google Works

Hello friends, I had a wonderful conversation with the Chairman and Managing Partner of Spencer Fane.

We discussed several topics such as:

• The Incredible Growth Story of Spencer Fane 
• Profit Margin Expansion through Scaling 
• Humility as the Foundation 
• 200% Headcount Growth with Laterals 
• A Passion for Lifelong Learning & Harvard Business School 
• Leadership and the Potential of Others 
• Family Life & Gratitude 
• Recommended Books & Pat’s System 

_______________________________________________

Give Feedback

Please share your feedback for the show, who I should interview, and the topics that interest you right now. 

_______________________________________________

Links referred to in this episode:

• Pat Whalen | Spencer Fane Attorney Profile
• Pat Whalen | LinkedIn Profile
• Harvard Business School | Executive Education
• Clayton Christensen | Professor | Harvard Business School 
• Clayton Christensen | The Innovator's Dilemma
• Clayton Christensen | How Will You Measure Your Life?
• Nancy Koehn | Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times
• Dr. Carol Dweck | Mindset: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential
• Bill George | Professor | Harvard Business School  
• Bill George, Peter Sims, & David Gergen | True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership
• Brené Brown | Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.