The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie Podcast By Susan E. Guthrie LLC cover art

The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie

The Practice Playbook Podcast with Susan Guthrie

By: Susan E. Guthrie LLC
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Welcome to The Practice Playbook Podcast, the go-to show for legal and dispute resolution professionals who want more than just survival in their practices; they want strategy, sustainability, and success.

Hosted by best-selling author, attorney, mediator, and practice development expert Susan E. Guthrie, this podcast brings you straight-talking insights, actionable tips, and real-world advice on what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving professional landscape. Whether you're a lawyer, mediator, coach, or consultant, you'll learn how to build a business that reflects your values, supports your lifestyle, and positions you as a trusted expert.

Each episode pulls from the strategies in The Practice Playbook book series, featuring topics like:

  • Ditching the billable hour and implementing flat fees with confidence

  • Building a thought leadership brand that attracts ideal clients

  • Using AI and technology to streamline your workflow and boost productivity

  • Mastering client experience, referrals, and pricing strategy

  • Real-world case studies, expert interviews, and practice-building stories

From the creator of The Flat Fee Playbook, The Thought Leadership Playbook, and The Practice Accelerator membership community - this is your weekly shot of clarity, confidence, and momentum.

Your practice doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It just needs a better playbook.

Copyright Susan E Guthrie LLC 2020-2026 - All rights reserved. Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Be That Professional: Business Development Without Feeling Salesy with Steve Fretzin on the Practice Playbook Podcast #559

    Be That Professional: Business Development Without Feeling Salesy with Steve Fretzin on the Practice Playbook Podcast #559
    Apr 16 2026
    You can be exceptional at what you do, the best lawyer, mediator, consultant, or coach in the room, but if people don’t know who you are or how you can help, building a thriving practice becomes an uphill climb. In fact, if you’ve ever left a conference, networking event, or even a series of great meetings thinking, “That was really valuable… so why aren’t any leads coming from it?” then you’ve already felt the gap we’re going to talk about in this episode. With the help of guest Steve Fretzin, we’re exploring the difference between simply meeting people and actually building a meaningful book of business, or put another way, how to grow your practice without feeling like you’re selling. Steve is a nationally recognized business development coach, author of five books on legal marketing and rainmaking, and host of the podcasts Be That Lawyer and Future Rainmakers. He works with professionals across the country to help them grow their practices in a way that feels both effective and authentic. In this conversation, we’ll talk about how to become what Steve calls “that lawyer,” or in our world, that professional, the one people remember, trust, and want to work with. What You’ll Learn: Business development is not selling. It’s relationship building, and when you approach it that way, everything changes.Meeting people is not the same as building business. Without follow-up, adding value, and deepening relationships, it’s easy to become what Steve calls a “professional meeter.”Activity without strategy does not create results. You need a system you can follow, track, and improve over time.Consistency is what separates successful professionals from everyone else. Not intensity or short bursts of effort, but showing up week after week in a meaningful way. Get the FREE Resource: The Professional "Meeter" to Rainmaker Reset Kit: a companion resource to this episode designed to help you move from just meeting people to actually building a book of business building on the insights shared by Steve Fretzin in this episode. Get the Resource here. Guest Driven, focused, and committed to helping attorneys realize their full potential, Steve Fretzin is an internationally recognized coach, skills trainer, and roundtable facilitator for lawyers who want to build meaningful books of business and take control of their careers. He has authored five books on legal marketing and business development and hosts two highly rated podcasts, BE THAT LAWYER and Future Rainmakers. Steve also writes a monthly column for Above the Law, and his podcasts are regularly featured on the Above the Law and Attorney at Work websites. Find out more about Steve’s new Be That Lawyer Community. Website: bethatlawyer.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevefretzin/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/fretzinsteve Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fretzinsteve/ 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/susans-books LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast
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    38 mins
  • The 7 Fastest Ways to Grow Your Practice in 2026 with Susan Guthrie on the Practice Playbook Podcast #558

    The 7 Fastest Ways to Grow Your Practice in 2026 with Susan Guthrie on the Practice Playbook Podcast #558
    Apr 2 2026

    Most professionals are busy, capable, doing good work and yet the practice is not growing the way they expected. The issue is not effort. The issue is usually strategy, or lack thereof. Because most professionals are focused on what feels productive, not what actually drives growth.

    In this solo episode, Susan Guthrie walks through the seven fastest ways to grow your practice in 2026 and beyond. These are not trends. These are patterns, the things she sees consistently with professionals whose practices are growing, whose calendars are full, and who are being sought out rather than chasing work.

    One important note before diving in: you do not need to do all seven. You should pick one from the list and do it consistently. Work through the episode, refer to the companion download, and find the one strategy that resonates.

    What You’ll Learn:
    • Every successful practice is built on three things: positioning, visibility, and trust. If your practice is not growing, at least one of those is off.
    • The market does not reward general capability. It rewards clear positioning. You can do many things, but you must be known for one.
    • You do not need more visibility. You need the right visibility, showing up where your referral sources already gather.
    • Stop asking how to find more clients. Start asking who already works with your clients and build real relationships with those people.
    • Thought leadership is what turns visibility into demand. It is not about being louder. It is about being clearer.
    Related Resources
    • Companion Worksheet: Download and refer back to it as you listen to the episode!
    • The Business Planning Playbook
    • The Flat Fee Playbook
    • The Thought Leadership Playbook
    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 Daily 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/susans-books LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast

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    25 mins
  • From Litigator to Mediator: How to Build a Successful Neutral Practice with Scott Zucker on the Practice Playbook Podcast #557

    From Litigator to Mediator: How to Build a Successful Neutral Practice with Scott Zucker on the Practice Playbook Podcast #557
    Mar 19 2026
    Most people think you can simply stop practicing law one day and become a mediator the next. But as this episode makes clear, building a successful neutral practice takes years of credibility, relationships, and intentional effort. For anyone who has thought about making the transition from litigator to mediator, or who is already building a neutral practice and wondering what it really takes to succeed, this episode is exactly where to start. Susan Guthrie sits down with Scott Zucker, a commercial litigator with nearly four decades of experience who has built a thriving mediation and arbitration practice. He is also the author of Mediation Minute: Insights on Alternative Dispute Resolution. Scott pulls the curtain back on what his journey really looked like, including the long runway and the simple but powerful marketing principle he calls “Go out, get seen, get asked”. This conversation is packed with the kind of real-world insight that only comes from someone who has walked the walk. Scott and Susan cover everything from making the mental shift from advocate to neutral, to building thought leadership, and to why trust is the true bedrock of dispute resolution work. What You’ll Learn: Building a mediation practice does not happen overnight, and why reputation, relationships, and credibility take years to develop.Thought leadership builds credibility before anyone picks up the phone, and how writing and speaking about what you observe as a neutral lets people understand you betterSome of the best ways to build skills and get cases early in a neutral practiceWhy and how trust is the foundation of dispute resolution Guest Scott Zucker is a founding partner of the Atlanta law firm Weissmann Zucker Euster + Oblinger P.C. and has been practicing law since 1987. His law practice focuses on real estate, employment and construction matters. He is also a certified Mediator and Arbitrator and assists parties in resolving matters through Alternative Dispute Resolution. Scott is a frequent lecturer at national and state real estate and construction trade conventions and is a contributing legal writer for trade industry magazines. Scott is actively involved in the community and has sat on the advisory boards for Emory University’s Winship Cancer Institute as well as the Rollins School of Public Health. He is a past president of Temple Sinai in Atlanta and is a Vice-Chair for the Southeast Division of the Anti-Defamation League. Scott is a fervent writer and educator on the topic of “Ethical Wills” and is a passionate advocate of the importance of legacy writing. Scott presented a TEDx talk on Ethical Wills in 2019 which is available on YouTube. Scott obtained his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and his law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Scott and his wife Melanie are proud parents of two sons (and two wonderful daughter-in-laws) and especially proud grandparents. Connect with Scott Practice: https://milesmediation.com/neutrals/scott-zucker/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-zucker-3643b712/ Book: THE MEDIATION MINUTE: Insights on Alternative Dispute Resolution 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 Daily 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/susans-books LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susaneguthrie Instagram: @susaneguthrie and @practiceplaybookpodcast —--------------------------
    Show more Show less
    49 mins
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