The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie

There are two words that can make you excellent at your work and quietly sabotage the practice you actually want, and most professionals say them without noticing. A colleague floats an idea, and before they finish the sentence, you are already building the response that starts with "Yes, but."

Stephen Seckler calls it the yes, but reflex, and he has spent a career helping lawyers and dispute resolution professionals catch it before it costs them the relationships, the work, and the practice they keep saying they want.

Susan Guthrie sits down with Stephen Seckler, career and business development coach for lawyers, host of the Counsel to Counsel podcast, and author of Think Like a Lawyer, Act Like an Entrepreneur, published by the American Bar Association. Stephen spends his days helping skilled professionals get out of their own way. What Susan loves about his thinking is that he is not asking anyone to become someone they are not. The same instincts that make you sharp in a negotiation or precise as a neutral are the ones that can stall your growth the minute you step into building a practice.

Together they get into where that line sits, how artificial intelligence is testing it right now, and why so many professionals end up with a full calendar of work they never actually chose. It is about the small shifts that move a practice from reactive to chosen.

What You'll Learn

Why the "yes, but" reflex makes you effective in a deal or a courtroom and quietly undermines you the moment you start building relationships

Why you do not have to change who you are or how you think, only how you act when you are building a practice rather than practicing in it

Why risk is not the enemy, avoiding it on reflex is, and how that same shift is exactly what our professions need around AI right now

How to let the technology do the sorting while your judgment and critical eye stay the real value in the room

Why most practices grow reactively, filled with whatever work shows up, and how to start choosing the work that actually energizes you

Why marketing is not advertising or selling, and how a series of small, genuinely helpful touches is what gets you the call

Free Episode Companion Resource: The "Yes, But" Audit
A one-page reset to help you catch the reflexes that keep you reactive and start choosing the practice you actually want. Download the resource here: https://susaneguthrie.com/podcasts

Meet Our Guest
Stephen Seckler is a career and business development coach for lawyers and the host of the Counsel to Counsel podcast. He is an attorney who has dedicated his entire legal career to heaping other attorneys find greater professional satisfaction in or out of the law. Stephen is the author of Think Like a Lawyer, Act Like an Entrepreneur, published by the American Bar Association. He sits on the board of the ABA Career Center and on the editorial board of the ABA publication GPSolo.

Website: http://www.seckler.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenseckler/
Book: Think Like a Lawyer, Act Like an Entrepreneur

Join The Practice Accelerator 
Susan's Practice Accelerator is now open as a monthly membership subscription!  Designed for professionals who want more than just ideas, the Accelerator delivers structure, strategy, accountability, and a community of forward-thinking professionals who are serious about building sustainable, successful practices.

If you have ever wondered if you would benefit from professional coaching, this is your opportunity to test the waters with Susan at an accessible price point.  

Members receive:

One monthly live webinar with Susan in her signature practical and easily implemented insights and strategies for building your practice.

Two live monthly group Office Hours sessions with Susan.  A place to bring your questions to receive expert advice and insights from colleagues on the same journey.

Weekly Premium Resource that accompanies the latest Practice Playbook Podcast episode that supports you in implementing the golden nuggets in the episode.

And much more for only $99/month.  Use code "PPP" for $10 off your monthly subscription!

Visit https://susaneguthrie.com/accelerator to join now.

Meet Our Creator and Host: Susan Guthrie
Susan E. Guthrie is one of the most respected voices in mediation and conflict resolution today. A nationally recognized family law attorney and mediator for 35 years, she is now a top professional coach and consultant helping dispute resolution and legal professionals build thriving, modern practices.

Susan recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast, expanding her reach to an even broader audience and highlighting her role as a trusted expert in divorce, communication, and modern conflict resolution. She is also the creator and host of The Divorce & Beyond Podcast, ranked in the top 1% worldwide, with millions of listeners and a global following.

As Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Susan continues to shape the future of the profession while training and mentoring practitioners around the world.

Connect with Susan E. Guthrie

Website: https://susaneguthrie.com
Books: https://susaneguthrie.com/books
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie
Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast 

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to The Practice Playbook Podcast on your favorite platform, leave a 5-star review, and share the episode with a colleague or professional friend who would benefit from this conversation. Your support helps us continue bringing practical insights, forward-thinking strategies, and meaningful conversations to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and entrepreneurial professionals looking to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable practices.

And as always, please remember that this podcast is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, business advice, or professional advice of any kind, and listening to this podcast does not create any attorney-client or professional relationship.

The best business relationships have nothing to do with business. Not at the start, not in the room, not over coffee or at a conference. Phil Fornaro, attorney and podcast host, calls what he has built relationship capital, and with a client conversion rate approaching 100%, he has the results to prove that leading with the relationship instead of the business is not just a nicer approach, it is the smarter one.

Susan Guthrie sits down with Phil Fornaro, attorney, founder of Fornaro Law, and outside general counsel to founder-led businesses. He is also the host of the podcast Light Bulb Moments: It's All About The Energy. When Susan was a guest on his show, Phil said two words at the end of their conversation that made the light bulb go off: relationship capital. She knew right away it needed to be an episode of The Practice Playbook Podcast.

Together they get into what relationship capital actually is, why most professionals are not building it intentionally even though they think they are, and how the shift from transactional networking to genuine relationship investment changes everything about how a practice grows. This is not a conversation about networking tips. It is a conversation about rethinking one of the most valuable assets in your professional life.

What You'll Learn

Why relationship capital is a compounding asset that grows in value over time, just like money in the S&P 500

Why the moment you walk into a room thinking about business, you have already lost the relationship

How the follow-up, done in person and in a specific way, is where relationships are built or lost

Why trust begins with your ears, not your elevator pitch or your credential list

How to stop waiting for connection opportunities and start creating them, from small dinners to a thirteen-year networking event

Why authenticity is not optional, and how people can always tell when you are performing instead of engaging

Free Episode Companion Resource: The Relationship Capital Audit
A 10-question self-assessment that gives you an honest picture of where your relationship capital stands right now, plus one clear action you can take immediately.

Download the resource here: https://susaneguthrie.com/podcasts

Meet Our Guest

Philip Fornaro is the founder of Fornaro Law, where he serves as Outside General Counsel to founder-led businesses navigating complex, high-stakes decisions. For nearly three decades, he has worked at the intersection of legal strategy, business judgment, and relationship capital - helping clients create clarity and move forward with confidence.

He is also the host of Light Bulb Moments: It's All About the Energy, a podcast featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and professionals about the moments that shape how they think, lead, and grow.

Philip believes the most valuable asset people build over time is relationship capital - the trust and alignment that compound when thoughtful people connect.

Email: philip@lbmpodcast.com
Website: http://fornarolaw.com
Podcast: http://lbmpodcast.com

Join The Practice Accelerator 
Susan's Practice Accelerator is now open as a monthly membership subscription!  Designed for professionals who want more than just ideas, the Accelerator delivers structure, strategy, accountability, and a community of forward-thinking professionals who are serious about building sustainable, successful practices.

If you have ever wondered if you would benefit from professional coaching, this is your opportunity to test the waters with Susan at an accessible price point.  

Members receive:

One monthly live webinar with Susan in her signature practical and easily implemented insights and strategies for building your practice.

Two live monthly group Office Hours sessions with Susan.  A place to bring your questions to receive expert advice and insights from colleagues on the same journey.

Weekly Premium Resource that accompanies the latest Practice Playbook Podcast episode that supports you in implementing the golden nuggets in the episode.

And much more for only $99/month.  Use code "PPP" for $10 off your monthly subscription!

Visit https://susaneguthrie.com/accelerator to join now.

Meet Our Creator and Host: Susan Guthrie
Susan E. Guthrie is one of the most respected voices in mediation and conflict resolution today. A nationally recognized family law attorney and mediator for 35 years, she is now a top professional coach and consultant helping dispute resolution and legal professionals build thriving, modern practices.

Susan recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast, expanding her reach to an even broader audience and highlighting her role as a trusted expert in divorce, communication, and modern conflict resolution. She is also the creator and host of The Divorce & Beyond Podcast, ranked in the top 1% worldwide, with millions of listeners and a global following.

As Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Susan continues to shape the future of the profession while training and mentoring practitioners around the world.

Connect with Susan E. Guthrie

Website: https://susaneguthrie.com
Books: https://susaneguthrie.com/books
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie
Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast 

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to The Practice Playbook Podcast on your favorite platform, leave a 5-star review, and share the episode with a colleague or professional friend who would benefit from this conversation. Your support helps us continue bringing practical insights, forward-thinking strategies, and meaningful conversations to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and entrepreneurial professionals looking to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable practices.

And as always, please remember that this podcast is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, business advice, or professional advice of any kind, and listening to this podcast does not create any attorney-client or professional relationship.

This episode is about what happens to legal and dispute resolution pricing when AI does in twenty minutes what used to take a full day, and why the subscription billing model may be the answer. Clients know their lawyers are using AI, and they want to know why that is not showing up in what they are charged. It is a fair question, and most practitioners do not have a good answer yet.

Here is the part that should get your attention: if you use a tool that cuts your time in half and bill as though you did not, that may not be a client relations problem. It may be an ethics one.

Susan Guthrie sits down with Mathew Kerbis, The Subscription Attorney and CEO of Practi, and what makes this one worth your time is simple. Mathew is not theorizing about subscription pricing from the sidelines. He runs a subscription law firm. He knows what these pricing conversations actually feel like, what scope management looks like day to day, and what it takes to get clients to genuinely prefer this model over the clock.

Together they get into the ethics questions clients are already raising, how a subscription practice really works from the entry-level price to the tiers to the flat-fee add-ons, why putting your pricing on your website now helps AI tools recommend you, and what the next five years look like for the practices that decide not to adapt.

Free Episode Companion Resource: Are Your Fees Keeping Up With How You Actually Work?
Download the resource here: https://susaneguthrie.com/podcasts

What You'll Learn

Why billing by the hour while using AI is a professional responsibility question, not just a business one

Why your clients are not paying for your time, they are paying for your judgment, your access, and your outcomes

Why it is bad scope definitions, not bad pricing, that quietly sink subscription practices

How just two or three clients and a 60-day evaluation let you test this model without rebuilding your practice

Meet Our Guest

Mathew Kerbis, The Subscription Attorney and CEO of Practi, is a national award winner dedicated to revolutionizing the legal profession by helping attorneys abandon the billable hour for the subscription model, and leverage automations and artificial intelligence to serve clients affordably at scale. After 10 years of practice and four years running his law firm, he co-founded Practi as the business model solution for Al-powered lawyers. He is also a frequent public speaker, host of the Law Subscribed and Legal Al Live podcasts, and instructor of highly-rated CLE courses.

Mathew's free notebook, 276 curated resources powered by NotebookLM: https://notebook.practi.ai

Practi: https://www.practi.ai

The Subscription Attorney law firm: https://subscriptionattorney.com

Law Subscribed and Legal AI Live podcasts: https://lawsubscribed.com and https://legalailive.com

Matthew on LinkedIn: Kerbisverse

Join The Practice Accelerator 
Susan's Practice Accelerator is now open as a monthly membership subscription!  Designed for professionals who want more than just ideas, the Accelerator delivers structure, strategy, accountability, and a community of forward-thinking professionals who are serious about building sustainable, successful practices.

If you have ever wondered if you would benefit from professional coaching, this is your opportunity to test the waters with Susan at an accessible price point.  

Members receive:

One monthly live webinar with Susan in her signature practical and easily implemented insights and strategies for building your practice.

Two live monthly group Office Hours sessions with Susan.  A place to bring your questions to receive expert advice and insights from colleagues on the same journey.

Weekly Premium Resource that accompanies the latest Practice Playbook Podcast episode that supports you in implementing the golden nuggets in the episode.

And much more for only $99/month.

Visit https://susaneguthrie.com/accelerator to join now.

Meet Our Creator and Host: Susan Guthrie
Susan E. Guthrie is one of the most respected voices in mediation and conflict resolution today. A nationally recognized family law attorney and mediator for 35 years, she is now a top professional coach and consultant helping dispute resolution and legal professionals build thriving, modern practices.

Susan recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast, expanding her reach to an even broader audience and highlighting her role as a trusted expert in divorce, communication, and modern conflict resolution. She is also the creator and host of The Divorce & Beyond Podcast, ranked in the top 1% worldwide, with millions of listeners and a global following.

As Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Susan continues to shape the future of the profession while training and mentoring practitioners around the world.

Connect with Susan E. Guthrie

Website: https://susaneguthrie.com
Books: https://susaneguthrie.com/books
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie
Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast 

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to The Practice Playbook Podcast on your favorite platform, leave a 5-star review, and share the episode with a colleague or professional friend who would benefit from this conversation. Your support helps us continue bringing practical insights, forward-thinking strategies, and meaningful conversations to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and entrepreneurial professionals looking to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable practices.

And as always, please remember that this podcast is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, business advice, or professional advice of any kind, and listening to this podcast does not create any attorney-client or professional relationship.

Imagine a potential client calling your office for a consultation, and before you can even finish saying hello, they say, "I've been following your podcast for two years. You are already my professional. I just came to meet you." That is not a fantasy call. That is what it looks like to win a client before they ever call you, and how a podcast can make it happen. 

Susan Guthrie sits down with Dennis "DM" Meador, founder of the Legal Podcast Network, where he and his team produce podcasts for attorneys and legal professionals nationwide. An entrepreneur since his teenage years, DM spent decades in marketing after nearly 20 years as a pastor, and he came to the legal space with a very specific thesis: most attorneys and legal professionals were being set up to podcast the wrong way, for the wrong reasons, and with the wrong format.

DM identifies five distinct types of podcasts that legal and dispute resolution professionals can use strategically, and the type most likely to actually generate clients is probably not the one most people are building. Whether you have thought about starting a podcast, have one that is not doing what you hoped, or have been dismissing the idea entirely, this conversation offers a framework you probably have not heard before.

What You'll Learn

Why the first question to answer is whether you are a business with a podcast or a podcaster with a business

How an authority podcast flips the script, positioning you as the expert being interviewed on your own show

Why a podcast designed for certain people at a certain time with a certain problem wins clients that mass consumption never will

Why 50 targeted local listeners can be worth more than a million downloads, and which metric to track instead

How publishing just five episodes as a real human (and not AI) puts you in the top 5% of all podcasts in existence

Free Episode Companion Resource: Which Podcast is Right for Your Practice?
Download the resource here: https://susaneguthrie.com/podcasts

Meet Our Guest
Dennis “DM" Meador has been an entrepreneur since he was a teenager, building business in everything from shoveling snow to SEO before finding his fit helping attorneys share their voices. A lifelong communicator, from his years as a pastor to his decades in marketing, DM believes the best ideas don't come from selling, they come from conversations.

Website: https://www.thelegalpodcastnetwork.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennismeador/ Website
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelegalpodcastnetwork

Join The Practice Accelerator 
Susan's Practice Accelerator is now open as a monthly membership subscription!  Designed for professionals who want more than just ideas, the Accelerator delivers structure, strategy, accountability, and a community of forward-thinking professionals who are serious about building sustainable, successful practices.

If you have ever wondered if you would benefit from professional coaching, this is your opportunity to test the waters with Susan at an accessible price point.  

Members receive:

One monthly live webinar with Susan in her signature practical and easily implemented insights and strategies for building your practice.

Two live monthly group Office Hours sessions with Susan.  A place to bring your questions to receive expert advice and insights from colleagues on the same journey.

Weekly Premium Resource that accompanies the latest Practice Playbook Podcast episode that supports you in implementing the golden nuggets in the episode.

And much more for only $99/month.

Visit https://susaneguthrie.com/accelerator to join now.

Meet Our Creator and Host: Susan Guthrie
Susan E. Guthrie is one of the most respected voices in mediation and conflict resolution today. A nationally recognized family law attorney and mediator for 35 years, she is now a top professional coach and consultant helping dispute resolution and legal professionals build thriving, modern practices.

Susan recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast, expanding her reach to an even broader audience and highlighting her role as a trusted expert in divorce, communication, and modern conflict resolution. She is also the creator and host of The Divorce & Beyond Podcast, ranked in the top 1% worldwide, with millions of listeners and a global following.

As Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Susan continues to shape the future of the profession while training and mentoring practitioners around the world.

Connect with Susan E. Guthrie

Website: https://susaneguthrie.com
Books: https://susaneguthrie.com/books
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie
Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast 

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to The Practice Playbook Podcast on your favorite platform, leave a 5-star review, and share the episode with a colleague or professional friend who would benefit from this conversation. Your support helps us continue bringing practical insights, forward-thinking strategies, and meaningful conversations to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and entrepreneurial professionals looking to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable practices.

And as always, please remember that this podcast is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, business advice, or professional advice of any kind, and listening to this podcast does not create any attorney-client or professional relationship.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of the infrastructure of modern professional practice, and it is already reshaping the competitive landscape. The question is no longer whether to use it. The question is what professionalism looks like now that it is here.

In this solo episode, Susan Guthrie shares two real conversations that capture the tension so many professionals are feeling right now. One colleague rejected a document because it "reads like AI." Another rejected a job candidate because they failed to use AI to improve a basic follow-up email. Same technology. Completely opposite conclusions. So who's right?

Susan's answer reframes the entire debate. The issue is not whether AI touched the work. The issue is whether a thoughtful professional stands behind it.

This episode is part two of a two-part conversation. If you missed last week's companion episode, start there first:  AI Just Changed Again. Here’s What Actually Matters with Susan Guthrie.

What You'll Learn

Why AI use is not a character flaw, but poor judgment might be

How blind rejection of AI is not a strategy, and neither is blind adoption

What the evolving standard of professionalism actually demands from legal and ADR professionals today

Why your judgment, not AI, is your true competitive advantage

How to evaluate whether AI-assisted work genuinely reflects your standards before it reaches a client or colleague

Free Episode Companion Resource
Susan created the companion resource, The Professional Judgment AI Check, specifically for this episode. It is a practical framework designed to help legal and ADR professionals evaluate AI-assisted workflows before they ever reach a client, colleague, or public audience. Use it as a filter to make sure your AI-assisted work is accurate, ethical, confidential, and genuinely reflects your professional standards.

Download the resource here: https://susaneguthrie.com/podcasts

The Practice Accelerator is Open
It is the monthly membership for lawyers and mediators who are done guessing at pricing, flat fees, and the systems that make a practice run. You get the strategy, the tools, and a community building the same way you are, with new value every month.

The work we cover on the show, made practical enough to use this week.

Join The Practice Accelerator: susaneguthrie.com/accelerator

Upcoming Live Webinar with Susan Guthrie
The New Legal Frontier: AI-Driven Disputes and How You Can Lead Them | June 9th A forward-focused look at how AI is reshaping disputes, client expectations, and professional opportunities, and how you can position yourself as a leader in a rapidly changing environment.

Practice Playbook listeners save an additional 20% with code Susan20 at checkout. Register at https://susaneguthrie.com/webinars.

Meet Our Creator and Host: Susan Guthrie
Susan E. Guthrie is one of the most respected voices in mediation and conflict resolution today. A nationally recognized family law attorney and mediator for 35 years, she is now a top professional coach and consultant helping dispute resolution and legal professionals build thriving, modern practices.

Susan recently appeared on The Oprah Podcast, expanding her reach to an even broader audience and highlighting her role as a trusted expert in divorce, communication, and modern conflict resolution. She is also the creator and host of The Divorce & Beyond Podcast, ranked in the top 1% worldwide, with millions of listeners and a global following.

As Immediate Past Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution, Susan continues to shape the future of the profession while training and mentoring practitioners around the world.

Connect with Susan E. Guthrie
Website: https://susaneguthrie.com
Books: https://susaneguthrie.com/books
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie
Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast 

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to subscribe to The Practice Playbook Podcast on your favorite platform, leave a 5-star review, and share the episode with a colleague or professional friend who would benefit from this conversation. Your support helps us continue bringing practical insights, forward-thinking strategies, and meaningful conversations to lawyers, mediators, arbitrators, and entrepreneurial professionals looking to build stronger, smarter, and more sustainable practices.

And as always, please remember that this podcast is presented for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice, business advice, or professional advice of any kind, and listening to this podcast does not create any attorney-client or professional relationship.