From Hostage To Hero

Sari de la Motte
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From Hostage To Hero

Sari de la Motte is the host of "From Hostage to Hero" and has been dubbed the "Attorney Whisperer" because of her unique ability to help attorneys communicate their real selves. Join us weekly as Sari shares tips that will help you up your game at trial and connect with your jurors.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Ep. 274 - Protecting Your Mental Energy: A Holiday Survival Guide for Trial Lawyers

    Let’s be real — holidays aren’t all twinkling lights and cozy vibes. In this week’s episode, we’re diving into 7 strategies to protect your energy during the holiday chaos. Here’s a sneak peek: 🎯 How to Say No: Without guilt. Without drama. Without over-explaining. 🎯 How to create boundaries that keep you sane and stress-free. 🎯 Why the “Grey Rock” technique is a lifesaver for dealing with toxic relatives. 🎯 How to find joy without bending over backward to meet everyone else’s expectations. Protect your energy, ditch the guilt, and learn how to actually enjoy the season. 🎄✨ 🎧 Ready to protect your peace? Listen now 👇🏽 Xo, Sari   Mentions: Grey Rock Technique Quote:  "Joy isn’t a to-do list item. Joy is something you need to notice. It’s something that’s in the ether that just bypasses us unless we’re looking for it. I have a personal mantra right now: 'I create space for joy.' We tend to think we don’t have time for joy, but once you create that space, you have more opportunities to find it. Look for it in those messy, funny moments, like when the flour spills on the floor and the dogs get powdery noses. Find the moments. They’re there if you look." — Sari de la Motte   * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury  Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    27 min

  2. DEC 13

    Non-Economic Damages Made Easy With Christy Crowe Childers

    ❗NEWSFLASH – instructing the jurors to put a value on non-economic damages is like asking someone to build a piece of IKEA furniture without the instruction manual.  Jurors are practically BEGGING you for a formula, and without guidance, they often feel resigned to the task well before deliberation even begins. **THE DAMAGES HOUSE HAS ENTERED THE CHAT** 🏠 The Damages House is a powerful visual approach that organizes each of your state’s jury charges into “rooms” in a house, providing jurors with a clear and logical foundation for your non-economic damages ask. 🤔 AND WHO, you ask, is the MASTERMIND behind this strategy?  My brilliant friend, coach here at H2H, a leading lady in trucking law, and soon-to-be published author, it’s none other than… CHRISTY CROWE CHILDERS Ready to discover the game-changing strategy that will give you the upper hand? Tune in and start building YOUR Damages House! 🛠 Xo, Sari   Mentions: Childers and McCain Trial Guides video podcasts christy@childersmccain.com sariswears.com/play Quote:  “By giving them this framework, we're creating juror epiphanies within themselves. So, I'm going to give them a house and put each category of non-economic damages in the same size rooms and then let the jurors decide which rooms are supposed to be bigger. And so, they're using it as language to trade and make rooms bigger or smaller, and of course that correlates with dollars.” – Christy Crowe Childers   * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury    Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    36 min

  3. DEC 6

    Ep. 272 - How to Get What You Need in a Deposition (SPECIAL GUESTS: Coach Jody and Coach Marlo)

    I sat down with Coach Jody and Coach Marlo to discuss a smarter and more intentional way to tackle depositions. MOST attorneys are doing them on autopilot, and we’re here to show you HOW to approach them with purpose and creativity. Here’s what we cover: ➡ WHY fact-finding depos alone are holding you back and how to flip the narrative. ➡ THE DIFFERENCE between being reactive and proactive in depo prep. (Spoiler: one gets you better results.) ➡ HOW to bring the same clarity and confidence from voir dire into depos. ➡ WHY collaboration will always beat going it alone — EVERY TIME. Hit play NOW and start rethinking your depositions. Xo, Sari Quote:  "If I’m the director at trial, I’m also the director in the deposition. I want to direct where we’re going, not just follow where the witness leads me. Strategic depo work is how cases shift." -Coach Jody * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury  Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    32 min

  4. NOV 29

    Ep. 271 - [TRIAL DEBRIEF] - The $262 Million Dollar Playbook: Inside the Dram Shop Verdict That Made History (with Jon Bailey, Pedro Leiva and Chad Inderman)

    What does it take to turn a tough case into a $262.5 MILLION VERDICT? This week, we’re breaking down the career-changing H2H strategies behind one of the biggest dram shop cases in history. Here’s what’s in store for you: 💡 How to simplify your opening statement without losing the jury’s attention. 🧠 How juror-centric voir dire builds trust and turns jurors into allies. 🎯 The mindset shifts that let the team to let go and to trust jurors to do the right thing. 🔥 The “truth torch” method that brings authenticity and impact into every argument. Want to know how this team pulled it off and what YOU can learn to dominate your next trial? Listen now and level up your game. 🎧⚡ Xo, Sari   Quote:  "Trial work isn’t about tricks or manipulation — it’s about love. Love for your client, your team, the jury, and even opposing counsel. It’s about stepping into your client’s shoes, truly feeling what they’ve endured, and translating that for the jury. When you focus on love and truth, you strip away fear. You don’t need to win every trial, but when you stand in that space of truth, it’s not a fair fight—and it shouldn’t be."  — Jon Bailey   * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury    Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    53 min

  5. NOV 22

    The Gift of Fear: Book Review

    🚨REALITY CHECK: Many lawyers live in what they think is fear, but let’s be honest — most of it is just manufactured worry. That’s where Gavin de Becker’s book, The Gift of Fear, comes in. He discusses the difference between real fear and everyday worries.  🗨️ “Worry is a way to avoid admitting powerlessness... it is a protection against future disappointment.”  But REAL fear is different — it’s intuitive, it’s a useful signal to get yourself to safety. AND (despite what y’all seem to think), winning your case is NOT a life-or-death situation. 🙃 When you spend hours obsessing over every possible terrifying outcome of your case, you’re wasting your precious energy.  Not to mention, you are desensitizing yourself against the real fear signals that your body is evolutionarily hardwired to send.  When you learn to separate the do-or-die moments from the not-so-serious ones, you gain the power to control your fear response, instead of letting it control you. Tune in to fine-tune your fear radar. 🎯   Xo, Sari PS. I want to give you a trigger warning — in this podcast, I’ll read excerpts from the book that include violent situations that can be triggering for some. If that’s not your cup of tea, I’ll see you in the next episode! ❤️   Mentions: The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker Quote:  “Y’all talk about fear being a motivator, and I'm going to suggest that that is bollocks. Fear is the worst motivator in terms of the type of work that you're doing. And the author, Gavin de Becker, says that if we're scared all the time, we don't leave room for real fear to do its job when needed.” * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury  Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    22 min

  6. NOV 15

    Ep. 269 - H2H Witness Prep with Coach Jody and Coach Marlo

    I’ve got two INCREDIBLE voices joining me: Coach Jody (a.k.a Jody F’ing Moore 😄) and our newest chief collaborator, Coach Marlo Arnold!  Together, we’re tackling a topic so many attorneys struggle with: prepping expert witnesses for trial.  Some key points we hit: 🔑 Finding the Balance: Jody and Marlo dig into what happens when we underprepare OR overprepare our experts — and why a middle ground is where the magic happens. 🔑 Forget the Script: We’re all about genuine conversations. Scripting your expert to the point they sound robotic? It’s not helping anyone. 🔑 Mindset Matters: We break down why mindset is key, and how SCARF principles can help experts keep calm, stay confident, and connect with the jury. Whether you’re preparing for a major trial or just want to brush up on best practices, this episode’s got you covered. Xo, Sari   Quote:  "Your expert isn’t there to be a robot on the stand. They need to be human, for fuck’s sake—calm, connected, and ready to throw down if they have to. That’s how you get the jury to actually trust them."  — Coach Jody * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury  Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    33 min

  7. NOV 8

    Ep. 268 - Beware of the Negative Teaching Section

    Let’s get one thing straight: if your opening statement is just a list of “what shouldn’t have happened”, then you’re setting yourself up for FAILURE. In this week’s episode, we’re breaking down HOW to captivate the jury’s attention from the start and teach them the right way to look at the facts — starting with the teaching section in your opening statement. Here’s what you’ll learn: ⚖️ Why the “what not to do” approach doesn’t work and what to do instead. ⚖️ The strategy that makes the defense’s case look like an intentional mess. ⚖️ The secret to guiding jurors to see the defense’s actions for what they are — choices, not accidents. Ready to own the courtroom from the very first word? Ya know what to do. 😉 Xo, Sari   Quote:  "When we tell the jury, ‘Here are the things to do,’ we can frame the defense’s actions as choices. They chose not to do this right, they chose to cut corners. But when we say, ‘Here are things to avoid,’ it feels like we’re suggesting the outcome was guaranteed unless they avoided these things. Showing the right way makes the defendant’s actions stand out even more." — Sari de la Motte   * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury  Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte   Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    15 min

  8. NOV 1

    How to Design With Your Judge

    We create a designed alliance with our jurors—why wouldn’t we do the same with our judge?!  In this episode, we’re diving into the art of building BENCH rapport. ⚖️ Because the last thing you need is your judge side-eyeing you and throwing objections your way just because your approach is unfamiliar.  We need to approach them with a transparent and deferential strategy that makes them feel prioritized in their courtroom. Tune in to learn how to make your judge your strongest ally! 💪   Xo, Sari   Mentions:  sariswears.com Christy Crowe Childers co-active coaching Malorie Peacock collaboration podcast  Michael Cowen Quote:  "Judges are expected to know everything — talk about imposter syndrome. We often see them as these assholes that just do all this shit to try to fuck with us, but I believe that in most cases, judges experience imposter syndrome even more than anyone else. When they encounter something unfamiliar, it can really throw them off."   * * * * FREE H2H TRAINING * * * *  THREE POWERFUL STRATEGIES TO HELP READ A JUROR’S MIND Understand what the jury is thinking, so you can gain the confidence to trust them - and yourself - in the courtroom. Get the training here:  sariswears.com/jury    Can't get enough of me? Connect with me here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saridelamotte/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SariSwears Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@saridelamotte Free FB Group for Plaintiff & Criminal Defense Attorneys https://www.facebook.com/groups/fromhostagetohero/

    21 min
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4.9
out of 5
123 Ratings

About

Sari de la Motte is the host of "From Hostage to Hero" and has been dubbed the "Attorney Whisperer" because of her unique ability to help attorneys communicate their real selves. Join us weekly as Sari shares tips that will help you up your game at trial and connect with your jurors.

Information

  • Creator
    Sari de la Motte
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2024
  • Episodes
    314
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Sari de la Motte 2018. All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    From Hostage To Hero

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