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Maximum Mom

Maximum Mom

Elise Buie

We’re here to share tips, resources, wins, losses and encouragement for moms who are raising a family while building a lawfirm, so you feel less alone in your journey toward a fulfilling career and being the best mom you can be.
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Top 10 Maximum Mom Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Maximum Mom episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Maximum Mom for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Maximum Mom episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Victoria Collier.

Victoria Collier, Founder and CEO of Quid Pro Quo: Victoria is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the legal industry. In addition to building and selling her own 7-figure law firm, she has been coaching lawyers since 2008 on how to add value to their law firms.

Take a listen!

08:15 Victoria Collier discusses how having children has influenced her entrepreneurial journey and the motivation it provides to show her children they can pursue their dreams

11:50 Introduction to Victoria Collier's business, Quid Pro Quo, which assists law firm owners in selling or buying law firms, focusing on finding a perfect match between buyers and sellers

18:51 The importance of being true to yourself and finding fulfillment in your work and personal life

19:56 The dangers of pursuing growth without considering personal values and alignment with clients

24:12 The importance of preserving the culture and legacy of a law firm when buying or selling, and the need for realistic expectations and a successful transition process

29:11 Discussion on the transition timeline when buying or selling a law firm, including the importance of respecting the seller's decisions and allowing them to stay as long as they want

30:50 Exploring the importance of going beyond surface-level conversations and understanding the fears and concerns that drive people's decisions

34:31 Steps involved in working with the speaker to evaluate and position a law firm for sale, including assessing the current state of the firm, determining the desired outcome, conducting a valuation, and creating a marketing package.

37:44 Discusses the rules of thumb for valuing law firms based on the services provided and the multiple of earnings before taxes and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

38:45 Explains the concept of sellers discretionary earnings and how it involves recasting personal expenses back into the net income of the law firm.

42:18 Emphasizes the significance of financial forecasting for law firms, including the ability to analyze trends, make strategic decisions, and understand the impact on the numbers.

Connect with Victoria Collier:

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Amy Cote.

Amy started Think Out because for most organizations prevention is an afterthought. With communication, consistency and execution, employees will perform well as teams that are prepared for the expected and unexpected.

Thanks to Amy’s training and experience, she has strong skills in leadership, communication, change management, operations, labor relations, policy development and best practices.

Thanks to Amy’s genes, she has an obsessive curiosity, keen ability to think out, problem solve and counsel.

If you have questions or just want to think out loud together, Amy would love you to take action and advocate for yourself, your people, your business, your future!

Take a listen!

11:34 How curiosity and innovative thinking play a role in Amy’s business

19:29 The need to question traditional ways of doing things and the benefits of thinking outside the box

20:38 A businesses to plan for the future

32:08 Amy starting her own business, including the initial uncertainty and the importance of perseverance

44:08 Personal growth and self-discovery that comes with owning a business

Connect with Amy Cote:

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Rachel Clar.

Rachel is a divorced lawyer mom, and in deciding to launch a business. She had to first move through a tremendous inner journey of self-discovery and personal growth to develop the courage to take a big chance.

As lawyers, we often live our lives based on the model we learned in school, the lie that conflict is a binary only resolved with someone prevailing. As women, in general, we were raised to elevate ourselves through collaborative leadership instead.

Rachel believes in reconciliation work, humility, and collaboration. She wants women lawyers to find their sisterhood where they can speak freely, ask their toughest career questions, and level up to get the pay and the influence that they rightly deserve.

Rachel creates spaces where real conversations happen and women both deeply bond & craft brilliant career strategies. She is a woman, a lawyer, and entrepreneur, professionally. Rachel is a mom to two amazing teenage boys. She is an empath, an artist, and a student of non-violence.

02:48 Meet Rachel and Interconnected Us

06:40 The struggles and unhappiness experienced by women lawyers

10:32 Combating the pressure to always appear strong.

16:57 The value of time, the importance of setting boundaries, and the ongoing journey of learning to manage time effectively

23:27 The importance of celebrating personal wins and prioritizing self-care

27:34 Using exercise to shut the brain off

33:05 The joy of making connections

41:26 The lack of emphasis on emotional intelligence and communication skills in law school and the legal profession

Connect with Rachel:

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Flora Garcia-Sepulveda.

Flora Garcia-Sepulveda, a founding partner of Woodman & Garcia-Sepulveda and a Certified Family Law Specialist, is an experienced trial lawyer who practices family law exclusively, focusing on diverse financial issues including business valuation, property division and child and spousal support. Flora is fluent in Spanish. Flora also represents clients in difficult custody disputes and move-away cases.

Before she opened her practice, she worked at Bay Area Legal Aid a non-profit Agency representing victims of domestic violence in their restraining orders, divorce and immigration matters. Flora began to practice family law exclusively in 2005, and has focused in this area of law since that time. Flora previous work at the San Mateo Court and her domestic violence litigation background results in the smooth management of her family law cases as they progress to trial. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the intricacies of family law procedure enable her to strategically plan her cases and prepare for settlement or trial in a way that ensures that clients are receiving the best and most comprehensive representation available.

Since 2012 Flora expanded her practice to include probate matters such as wills, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships and step-parent adoptions.

05:34 The importance of education in building resilience

07:53 Teaching her daughters to be self-sufficient

11:00 Discussion on the need to educate people about the long-term ramifications of staying at home

19:08 The value of teaching children self-sufficiency and the importance of not doing everything for them

30:58 The need to let go of bitterness and victim mentality

34:14 The importance of educating and empowering women

37:30 The benefits of remote work and flexibility, particularly for working mothers, and how it can lead to increased productivity and work-life balance

Connect with Flora Garcia-Sepulveda:

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Maximum Mom - The Power of Resilience with Christine Diorio
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05/08/23 • 61 min

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Christine Diorio. Christine is a survivor! After losing her brother to a drug overdose when she was 23, she married her first husband less than a year later. They were both alcoholics, and yet somehow she managed to go to law school and have 2 kids while they were there.

After she started work as prosecutor, Christine and her husband went through a very nasty divorce which culminated in her own (and very public!) arrest for DUI and she was forced to resign. Fast forward 13 years later - Christine is sober, in her second marriage with a beautiful blended family, and despite spending the first 5 years after her divorce in and out of court with her ex-husband, today he is also sober and they have a solid and friendly co-parenting relationship.

After Christine’s DUI, she became a public defender. As she worked on her own sobriety - advocating for other addicts in jail was deeply fulfilling but also left her burnt out, so when she became pregnant with her youngest daughter, she went on maternity leave and took a much needed break from the law.

When Christine’s daughter entered kindergarten, she knew it was time to return to work but she still wanted the flexibility to be home with her 3 kids. So, the Law Office of Christine Diorio was born smack dab in the middle of the pandemic! I practice primarily family law (mostly divorce) and some criminal defense (mostly DUI's). She truly feels called to help others through the things she has had to overcome, to hopefully inspire them and provide some light and hope.

Christine’s tagline is "where justice has a heart" because she believes the justice system needs more compassion. She just celebrated 2 years since opening her firms doors in Tampa, Florida. She has 3 staff members and they are totally virtual. They are growing by leaps and bounds and Chirstine believes it is because of the compassion she brings along with the focus to help her clients stay out of court wherever possible.

She believes nothing about the divorce process should become so nasty, that you are unable to be co-parents when it is over, and too many attorneys contribute to this dynamic! By being open with her clients about her own journey, Christine is able to meet them where they are.

02:14 Christine’s story of resilience and grit, sharing her personal and professional journey. Including her struggles with substance abuse, divorce, and career changes.

11:31 Starting a virtual law firm

16:41 Importance of peace in divorce, for the sake of the children and one's own well-being

21:48 Collaborative law and the challenges of its high cost

27:36 Hiring and empowering a team and the importance of prioritizing family

36:18 Resilience in challenges of law practice and overcoming them

49:14 Parental alienation and family law system

54:05 Substance abuse in law school

Connect with Christine:

📹 Watch the interview here.

Resources:

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Maximum Mom - Leaving a Legacy with Carmen Rosas
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04/17/23 • 47 min

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Carmen Rosas. Award-winning attorney Carmen, is on a mission to help women get control of their lives beyond the grave. She enlightens them with not only how to protect their legacies but also teaches what, how, and when to protect their assets and legacy.

Carmen Rosas, was born and raised in the bay area. A proud mix of Mexican, French, and Italian, she grew up fascinated by her grandmother’s stories of living in Mexico, arriving in America, and settling in California.

Even at a young age, Carmen was fascinated by other cultures and the development of languages and communal systems, which led her to study anthropology at Santa Clara University. Carmen’s comparison studies of the U.S. legal system and tribal systems in New Zealand, as well as her interest in policy change, led her to law school.

She has been featured in Forbes, Huff Post, and has been a recognized Super Lawyer for three years in a row.

02:40 Meet Carmen!

12:48 Writing a book about creating a legacy plan

21:06 Balancing the masculine and feminine energy of being an attorney

24:27 Good enough for now

29:39 The power to change your mind

31:48 Catching yourself saying “No”

Connect with Carmen:

🎧Listen to the podcast here.

📹 Watch the interview here.

Resources:

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Michelle Bomberger. Michelle founded Equinox in 2005 to provide business leaders a more transparent, responsive, and business focused solution for their legal needs.

Over the past 17 years, she’s morphed the business model to offer a fixed fee General Counsel Services solution giving business leaders the confidence and freedom to include legal in their strategic and tactical planning -- they have a relationship with their lawyer and they know what they are paying, when they'll get a response, and that the solution is right for their business.

It's a tough model to manage and she’s learned a ton about how to make this work for her clients and for her own business. When Michelle started Equinox in 2005, she had a 1 year old at home and was pregnant with her second child.

Michelle’s kids have grown up with Equinox a part of their lives -- but also having their mom in their lives! While they've seen her work a lot over the years - and seen the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur and employer, she’s always been there for them.

Michelle committed early on to picking them up from school, taking them where they needed to go, and participating in what was important to them. These were priorities for Michelle and forced her to make decisions in her business and her life to make these work for her family.

Michelle has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Notre Dame and a JD/MBA from Northwestern University. She is an active member and member of the Board of Directors of the Seattle Chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization and a member of the Board of Bellevue LifeSpring and Youth Theatre Northwest.

04:42 The start of the law firm and having little children

11:55 When the firm office encourages the flexibility needed for motherhood and work

14:07 Strategic misses that are happening right now

17:47 Using fixed price

23:42 Books recommended by Michelle that have really shifted her thinking

29:25 How does Michelle streamline the administrative burden

37:55 Tips for how to succeed in life as “mom” and as a law firm owner!

40:55 Tips for handling email inbox #rabbithole

Connect with Michelle:

Links Mentioned:

🎧Listen to the podcast here.

📹 Watch the interview here.

Resources:

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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Nishea Clark. Nishea is not a lawyer but the is Founder and Owner of NVC Consulting, LLC market research and strategic planning customized services.

Since 2002, NVC Consulting has provided insights and analysis for customers in pharmaceuticals, consumer package goods, media and entertainment and financial services. Nishea experience spans from the most elite advertising agencies such as EURO RSCG, Leo Burnett and DDB to premier Fortune 500 clients including, Pfizer, IMG, Procter & Gamble, McDonalds, SiriusXM, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Microsoft and many more. Her team of seasoned professionals is equally skilled at delivering excellent insights with the highest level of customer service.

Nishea received her BS in Journalism from Northwestern University. She also earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern, where she has consulted and returned as a visiting lecturer to the business school. NVC Consulting is currently based in New York.

NVC Consulting has partnered with numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Novo Nordisk and Eisai, conducting novel market research and strategic projects in areas such as rare disease, cardiovascular and mental health.

Nishea and her associates have provided a viewpoint that allows her clients to better anticipate issues/opportunities with the target audience prior to going into market. The philosophy of delivering actionable strategies led to an output that empowers the entire team to be more proactive versus reactive.

01:00 Meet Nishea
12:14 Being a mom is the most humbling journey in my entire life
17:48 Getting a parenting coach so you can parent the kids you have
21:38 Personality archetypes in the workplace are so valuable ... here’s why!
27:40 Have the label of intimidating — and coming to terms with people about it
33:13 Making it work for you! — back to boundaries
36:15 What does marketing research look like

Connect with Nishea:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter

Reading: Find Your Unicorn Space by: Eve Rodsky

🎧Listen to the podcast here.

Subscribe to our channel so you never miss an interview, presentation or training!

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Maximum Mom - Joy In the Journey with Bridgette Bennett
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12/12/22 • 44 min

This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Bridgette Bennett.

Bridgette is the CEO & Founding Attorney at the Bennett Law Center. Bridgette, or Attorney B as clients call her, is a U.S. immigrant. While she will tell you that her immigration story was a positive experience, the same could not be said for her husband's immigration experience.

After immigration authorities attempted to deport her husband, Attorney Bennett realized she had a higher purpose in life. She left her corporate job to attend law school with the risk that she would lose everything she had built. Now, she is living her own American Dream.

As an immigration attorney, Bridgette can now tell clients that she knows exactly what they are going through, and will do everything in her power to help you achieve your own version of the American Dream.

01:00 Meet Bridgette ...

08:55 Getting started in immigration law by being an immigrant herself.

14:26 Fascinated by the practice of immigration, for all the people.

16:41 Working with a team of 14 people.

18:49 How does the business of immigration work during coivd and recession.

23:05 How education can help what we are facing today.

29:00 Self care in the form of travel.

Reading the book: 4,000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman which is about accepting that you can not do it all. What do you want to do?

Reading the book: The Gap in the Gain by Dan Sullivan which is about intentionally taking time to look where you came from and to stop chasing the next goal.

Listen to the podcast here.
Watch the interview here.

Subscribe to Maximum Mom on your favorite podcast player, so you never miss an episode!
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This week on Maximum Mom, your host Elise Buie is joined by Bridget O'Toole.

Bridget is a millennial environmental, land use, municipal and energy lawyer and mom to a 4-year-old son. She opened her own law firm on April 1, 2023 (April Fools Day) in one of New York's most rural counties after leaving a bougie downtown boutique law firm.

She’s been practicing since 2011 and represents clients all over New York State in her practice areas.

Take a listen!

01:11 Meet Bridget

04:58 Bridget’s practice in environmental, land use, municipal, and renewable energy law

09:37 The challenges of working from home

10:35 The persistent issue of schools contacting mothers first

16:42 Bridget's work in renewable energy and her experience working with commercial fishing associations in New York State

22:44 The benefits of meditation for stress management and the importance of unplugging from technology

29:18 Bridget’s fear of what others would think if she opened an office in a rural county and how she overcame it

31:26 The value of giving trusted referrals

34:56 The lack of access to justice and technology in rural communities and how it affects her practice

39:53 The different types of insurance that are necessary as a law practice grows

41:19 The significance of joining a mastermind group and connecting with other women who have similar experiences as working moms

📹 Watch the interview here

Resources:

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FAQ

How many episodes does Maximum Mom have?

Maximum Mom currently has 85 episodes available.

What topics does Maximum Mom cover?

The podcast is about Mom, Lawyer, Entrepreneurship, Motherhood, Law Firm, Podcasts and Business.

What is the most popular episode on Maximum Mom?

The episode title 'Breaking Free: Women's Journey to Financial Independence with Sarah Walton' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Maximum Mom?

The average episode length on Maximum Mom is 43 minutes.

How often are episodes of Maximum Mom released?

Episodes of Maximum Mom are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Maximum Mom?

The first episode of Maximum Mom was released on Nov 11, 2020.

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