Heather Hansen's Blog - Advocate To Win

How to Build Belief In Yourself – You’ve Got to Be an Advocate

Imagine this. A woman is about to stand trial for murder. The jury is sitting in the jury box, waiting to hear the case and choose. Guilty or not guilty? The prosecutor is seated at counsel table with binders and exhibits all around her. She’s prepared to make the case that this woman is guilty. […]

You Can’t Sell It If You Don’t Buy It

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. In the courtroom, I had to sell my case to a jury. It was impossible to help my jury believe in my case if my client and I didn’t believe. We couldn’t prove it until we believed it. My work was always to get my client and I in […]

This Is Better Than Confidence – Why We Need to Stop Looking for Confidence and Start Believing

When I was in grammar school, we had to diagram sentences in English class. We were asked to identify the noun, the verb, and the various modifiers (adverbs, adjectives, etc) in each sentence. At the very least, each sentence had a noun and a verb, an action and a “doer” of the action. She worked. […]

Leaders Need More Doubt – Integrity Isn’t Enough Without Discernment

George Santos won a seat in Congress Elizabeth Holmes raised $945 million, including money from famous and powerful leaders Charlie Javis “conned” JPMorgan into buying her company for $175 million Anna Sorokin “scammed” New York city banks and hotels out of over $200,000 How do so many smart and savvy leaders become the victims of […]

Don’t Be Afraid to Advocate for Exactly What You Want – Overcoming the Backlash Against Self Advocacy

Last week, I was scrolling through social media during a break in one of my training sessions. After 20 years as a trial attorney, I teach people to use the tools I used in the courtroom to advocate for what they want and get it. Teaching people to advocate is my passion and my expertise, […]

Am I Using My Voice If No One Listens?

“Everyone tells me to ‘use my voice’. But no one is listening…….” My coaching client added this at the end of our first hour together. I had to extend the session. Because this is the truth of what many of my clients face, and we have to talk about it. I teach women to advocate […]

A Jazz Split and Self Confidence

Who knew a jazz split would teach me my greatest lesson about self confidence? The other day I was walking the dog with my niece when I started cheering. And I don’t mean “Rah Rah!” I mean “Feehan Shamrocks at their best. We’ll put you to the test.” My niece looked as me like I’d […]

Drifting Out to Sea, Saved by an Advocate

“I’m drifting out to sea!” My niece is 9 (and a half) and when she cried out “I’m drifting out to sea!” she really believed it. Fear is a compelling story, and her Inner Jury was taking that story and, well, drifting with it. It was last weekend, and she was on my paddleboard alone […]

The Power of Non Negotiables

Do you know the power of non negotiables? I do. Non negotiables are those things that are not open to modification. I’ve used non negotiables to lose 100 pounds, write an Amazon best seller and maintain a popular podcast for almost two years. I also use non negotiables to schedule my day, ensure my mental […]

Help Your Jury Choose the Story that Works for You

What’s a Jury’s Job? A jury chooses, and your job as an advocate is to help your jury choose the story that works for you. When I was a young trial attorney I realized this truth. And that’s when my law practice changed. Before that, I thought the jury was there to judge me and […]

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