The BD Catalyst Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-bd-catalyst A podcast for law firm business development and marketing changemakers. © 2026 David Freeman Consulting Group bbb0b1e7-9db0-53fe-94e3-431e644bf397 yes en Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:47:04 -0500 Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:48:03 -0500 https://img.transistorcdn.com/SL3o6tgH9Na443ZpKv5CqK2JE4LO91Gi2BTRyDnx7b8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85NGVh/NzliNTczYjliZDc5/ZDM1ZTViNjQ5Yzgy/M2IzZS5wbmc.jpg The BD Catalyst episodic Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder A podcast for law firm business development and marketing changemakers. A podcast for law firm business development and marketing changemakers.. law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development Kristo Sween kristo@lawyerbookbuilder.com No No Amanda Bekric, MBA, Marketing Manager at Dady & Gardner, P.A. 8 8 Amanda Bekric, MBA, Marketing Manager at Dady & Gardner, P.A. full a72f5230-3dfe-40b1-a3f4-21ec742d26d7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/f64de277 In this episode of the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Amanda Bekric, MBA, Marketing Manager at Dady & Gardner, P.A., for a conversation about the "old-fashioned" secret sauce behind her firm's success: genuine, deeply human relationships built on trust and authenticity, in a national franchise law practice. Amanda shares how she channels David Kelly's "fail faster, succeed sooner" ethos in her own approach with attorneys by encouraging them to show up authentically, embrace the occasional fumble, recover quickly and let real human connection be what actually wins clients. The result is a firm culture where what clients hear on the phone, see online, and experience in the room are all exactly the same. And that consistency is a metric that truly predicts decades of client retention.

]]> In this episode of the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Amanda Bekric, MBA, Marketing Manager at Dady & Gardner, P.A., for a conversation about the "old-fashioned" secret sauce behind her firm's success: genuine, deeply human relationships built on trust and authenticity, in a national franchise law practice. Amanda shares how she channels David Kelly's "fail faster, succeed sooner" ethos in her own approach with attorneys by encouraging them to show up authentically, embrace the occasional fumble, recover quickly and let real human connection be what actually wins clients. The result is a firm culture where what clients hear on the phone, see online, and experience in the room are all exactly the same. And that consistency is a metric that truly predicts decades of client retention.

]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 15:46:59 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1390 In this episode of the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Amanda Bekric, MBA, Marketing Manager at Dady & Gardner, P.A., for a conversation about the "old-fashioned" secret sauce behind her firm's success: genuine, deeply human relationships built on trust and authenticity, in a national franchise law practice. Amanda shares how she channels David Kelly's "fail faster, succeed sooner" ethos in her own approach with attorneys by encouraging them to show up authentically, embrace the occasional fumble, recover quickly and let real human connection be what actually wins clients. The result is a firm culture where what clients hear on the phone, see online, and experience in the room are all exactly the same. And that consistency is a metric that truly predicts decades of client retention.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Lisa Jones, Senior Practice Development Manager at Miller & Martin 7 7 Lisa Jones, Senior Practice Development Manager at Miller & Martin full c0214e36-cf88-483c-acdf-4e9d4ea7ce57 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0c80cd60 This week on the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Lisa Jones, Senior Practice Development Manager at Miller & Martin, for a practical, grounded conversation about what it actually looks like to move the needle on business development inside a law firm, sometimes one attorney at a time. Lisa shares how pairing consistent coaching with real accountability has helped one of her attorneys go from casting a wide net to building genuine, results-producing relationships over the course of three years. Lisa also talks about why BD professionals who stay close to the process, not just the outcome, make all the difference. Her closing thought is the one that sticks: many of the successes in her career aren't hers alone. They belong to the attorneys she's coached, trained and mentored.

]]> This week on the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Lisa Jones, Senior Practice Development Manager at Miller & Martin, for a practical, grounded conversation about what it actually looks like to move the needle on business development inside a law firm, sometimes one attorney at a time. Lisa shares how pairing consistent coaching with real accountability has helped one of her attorneys go from casting a wide net to building genuine, results-producing relationships over the course of three years. Lisa also talks about why BD professionals who stay close to the process, not just the outcome, make all the difference. Her closing thought is the one that sticks: many of the successes in her career aren't hers alone. They belong to the attorneys she's coached, trained and mentored.

]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1882 This week on the BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Lisa Jones, Senior Practice Development Manager at Miller & Martin, for a practical, grounded conversation about what it actually looks like to move the needle on business development inside a law firm, sometimes one attorney at a time. Lisa shares how pairing consistent coaching with real accountability has helped one of her attorneys go from casting a wide net to building genuine, results-producing relationships over the course of three years. Lisa also talks about why BD professionals who stay close to the process, not just the outcome, make all the difference. Her closing thought is the one that sticks: many of the successes in her career aren't hers alone. They belong to the attorneys she's coached, trained and mentored.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Kaley Green, Director of Business Development at Fogler, Rubinoff LLC 6 6 Kaley Green, Director of Business Development at Fogler, Rubinoff LLC full 70ee00c9-a2ef-4dbd-8751-4f1f05e1e4c7 https://share.transistor.fm/s/be4b57a6 In Episode 6 of The BD Catalyst podcast, Kristo sits down with Kaley Green, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP, for a conversation that ranges from what it takes to build and inspire BD culture at a regional mid-market firm, to what happens when two law firm BDM professionals (who also happen to be Irish dance parents) walk into a podcast. Kaley shares a robust collection of parallels between competitive Irish dancing and lawyer business development. From the power of a first impression to making the case that the same discipline, resilience, and repetition that brings wins in the competition hall is exactly what delivers success in client loyalty and business development.

]]> In Episode 6 of The BD Catalyst podcast, Kristo sits down with Kaley Green, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP, for a conversation that ranges from what it takes to build and inspire BD culture at a regional mid-market firm, to what happens when two law firm BDM professionals (who also happen to be Irish dance parents) walk into a podcast. Kaley shares a robust collection of parallels between competitive Irish dancing and lawyer business development. From the power of a first impression to making the case that the same discipline, resilience, and repetition that brings wins in the competition hall is exactly what delivers success in client loyalty and business development.

]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:00:00 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1980 In Episode 6 of The BD Catalyst podcast, Kristo sits down with Kaley Green, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP, for a conversation that ranges from what it takes to build and inspire BD culture at a regional mid-market firm, to what happens when two law firm BDM professionals (who also happen to be Irish dance parents) walk into a podcast. Kaley shares a robust collection of parallels between competitive Irish dancing and lawyer business development. From the power of a first impression to making the case that the same discipline, resilience, and repetition that brings wins in the competition hall is exactly what delivers success in client loyalty and business development.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Eldin Johnston, Marketing Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC 5 5 Eldin Johnston, Marketing Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC full 861868b5-576d-44d3-9943-e5dd8eeb1e4d https://share.transistor.fm/s/f06b1f84 In this episode Kristo sits down with Eldin Johnston, Marketing Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC for a candid and moving conversation about authenticity in all relationships. We discuss music, motorcycles and those famous gold shoes from LMA 2026. Eldin shares his coaching philosophy of "freeing people up" by replacing the guilt of missed assignments with open-ended brainstorming that consistently unlocks new ideas. In a world where AI is pulling people further from authentic human connection, Eldin makes a compelling case that the lawyers who will win are the ones who do what most people won't: ask a simple question, listen to the answer, and let the conversation go wherever it goes.

]]> In this episode Kristo sits down with Eldin Johnston, Marketing Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC for a candid and moving conversation about authenticity in all relationships. We discuss music, motorcycles and those famous gold shoes from LMA 2026. Eldin shares his coaching philosophy of "freeing people up" by replacing the guilt of missed assignments with open-ended brainstorming that consistently unlocks new ideas. In a world where AI is pulling people further from authentic human connection, Eldin makes a compelling case that the lawyers who will win are the ones who do what most people won't: ask a simple question, listen to the answer, and let the conversation go wherever it goes.

]]> Thu, 28 May 2026 14:45:59 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1747 In this episode Kristo sits down with Eldin Johnston, Marketing Director at Elsberg Baker & Maruri PLLC for a candid and moving conversation about authenticity in all relationships. We discuss music, motorcycles and those famous gold shoes from LMA 2026. Eldin shares his coaching philosophy of "freeing people up" by replacing the guilt of missed assignments with open-ended brainstorming that consistently unlocks new ideas. In a world where AI is pulling people further from authentic human connection, Eldin makes a compelling case that the lawyers who will win are the ones who do what most people won't: ask a simple question, listen to the answer, and let the conversation go wherever it goes.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Thomas Keller, Business Development Director at Kerr Russell 4 4 Thomas Keller, Business Development Director at Kerr Russell full 8c0f08e6-9fd4-478b-a620-f9f719985108 https://share.transistor.fm/s/fcdadc30 In this episode of The BD Catalyst, host Kristo Sween sits down with Thomas Keller, Business Development Director at Kerr Russell, for a wide-ranging conversation about the overlap between improv comedy and the art of attorney business development coaching and opportunity spotting. Tom reveals how he spent years quietly using improv as a "secret ninja skill" in his legal marketing career. From using a reporter's mindset and the power of intentionality to unearth hidden opportunities with attorneys, to the firm conviction that in-person connection is irreplaceable for building the kind of trust that actually moves the needle on business development, Tom provides practical wisdom and a few laughs along the way.

]]> In this episode of The BD Catalyst, host Kristo Sween sits down with Thomas Keller, Business Development Director at Kerr Russell, for a wide-ranging conversation about the overlap between improv comedy and the art of attorney business development coaching and opportunity spotting. Tom reveals how he spent years quietly using improv as a "secret ninja skill" in his legal marketing career. From using a reporter's mindset and the power of intentionality to unearth hidden opportunities with attorneys, to the firm conviction that in-person connection is irreplaceable for building the kind of trust that actually moves the needle on business development, Tom provides practical wisdom and a few laughs along the way.

]]> Thu, 21 May 2026 15:01:43 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 2416 In this episode of The BD Catalyst, host Kristo Sween sits down with Thomas Keller, Business Development Director at Kerr Russell, for a wide-ranging conversation about the overlap between improv comedy and the art of attorney business development coaching and opportunity spotting. Tom reveals how he spent years quietly using improv as a "secret ninja skill" in his legal marketing career. From using a reporter's mindset and the power of intentionality to unearth hidden opportunities with attorneys, to the firm conviction that in-person connection is irreplaceable for building the kind of trust that actually moves the needle on business development, Tom provides practical wisdom and a few laughs along the way.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Emmad Awaad, MBA, Business Development Associate at Bodmin PLC 3 3 Emmad Awaad, MBA, Business Development Associate at Bodmin PLC full aed9d388-2269-4117-86de-41d5701f5e18 https://share.transistor.fm/s/935e6712 BD Catalyst host Kristo Sween sits down with Emmad Awaad, MBA, Business Development Associate at Bodman PLC, for a conversation about what it really takes to build a culture of business development inside a law firm. Emmad shares how leaning into an attorney's passions can unlock unexpected BD wins. From the simple but powerful act of picking up the phone to rekindle dormant client relationships, to the mindset shift he instills in associates that BD starts on day one, Emmad shares his practical, human-centered business development approach that law firm BDM pros can put to work immediately.

]]> BD Catalyst host Kristo Sween sits down with Emmad Awaad, MBA, Business Development Associate at Bodman PLC, for a conversation about what it really takes to build a culture of business development inside a law firm. Emmad shares how leaning into an attorney's passions can unlock unexpected BD wins. From the simple but powerful act of picking up the phone to rekindle dormant client relationships, to the mindset shift he instills in associates that BD starts on day one, Emmad shares his practical, human-centered business development approach that law firm BDM pros can put to work immediately.

]]> Thu, 14 May 2026 15:12:04 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1650 BD Catalyst host Kristo Sween sits down with Emmad Awaad, MBA, Business Development Associate at Bodman PLC, for a conversation about what it really takes to build a culture of business development inside a law firm. Emmad shares how leaning into an attorney's passions can unlock unexpected BD wins. From the simple but powerful act of picking up the phone to rekindle dormant client relationships, to the mindset shift he instills in associates that BD starts on day one, Emmad shares his practical, human-centered business development approach that law firm BDM pros can put to work immediately.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Adam Brown, Director of Marketing at FMJ 2 2 Adam Brown, Director of Marketing at FMJ full 850ce659-eacd-499c-badb-7f151d8a6c5f https://share.transistor.fm/s/932f2b93 In this episode of The BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Adam Brown, Director of Marketing at Fafinski Mark & Johnson, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to help lawyers grow their practices. Adam draws on his background as a practicing attorney, a professional development leader and a legal marketing director, including his work teaching law students, to share what works and what doesn't when it comes to building a business development culture inside a law firm. Kristo and Adam dig into why individualized BD plans lead to better results, how marketing and business development professionals can show up as confident, valued partners, and how the non-billable nature of the marketing and BD role is actually a strategic advantage when it comes to collaborating with lawyers in meaningful ways.

LMA Members, here's a link to the Associate Business Development Training webinar referenced in the episode.

https://www.legalmarketing.org/Purchase/associate-business-development-programs-a-practical-approach-for-small-teams-with-limited-resources-mch

Kristo and Adam were on a panel with law firm BDM leader Susan Slifer.

]]> In this episode of The BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Adam Brown, Director of Marketing at Fafinski Mark & Johnson, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to help lawyers grow their practices. Adam draws on his background as a practicing attorney, a professional development leader and a legal marketing director, including his work teaching law students, to share what works and what doesn't when it comes to building a business development culture inside a law firm. Kristo and Adam dig into why individualized BD plans lead to better results, how marketing and business development professionals can show up as confident, valued partners, and how the non-billable nature of the marketing and BD role is actually a strategic advantage when it comes to collaborating with lawyers in meaningful ways.

LMA Members, here's a link to the Associate Business Development Training webinar referenced in the episode.

https://www.legalmarketing.org/Purchase/associate-business-development-programs-a-practical-approach-for-small-teams-with-limited-resources-mch

Kristo and Adam were on a panel with law firm BDM leader Susan Slifer.

]]> Thu, 07 May 2026 14:23:05 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 1494 In this episode of The BD Catalyst, Kristo sits down with Adam Brown, Director of Marketing at Fafinski Mark & Johnson, for a candid conversation about what it really takes to help lawyers grow their practices. Adam draws on his background as a practicing attorney, a professional development leader and a legal marketing director, including his work teaching law students, to share what works and what doesn't when it comes to building a business development culture inside a law firm. Kristo and Adam dig into why individualized BD plans lead to better results, how marketing and business development professionals can show up as confident, valued partners, and how the non-billable nature of the marketing and BD role is actually a strategic advantage when it comes to collaborating with lawyers in meaningful ways.

LMA Members, here's a link to the Associate Business Development Training webinar referenced in the episode.

https://www.legalmarketing.org/Purchase/associate-business-development-programs-a-practical-approach-for-small-teams-with-limited-resources-mch

Kristo and Adam were on a panel with law firm BDM leader Susan Slifer.

]]> law firm business development, law firm marketing, BD coaching, attorney business development No Ralph Cooper, Jr., BD Manager at Benesch 1 1 Ralph Cooper, Jr., BD Manager at Benesch full 795d4a1f-7710-48e7-bdee-64e1c77d5c85 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0cb9d64c Today I sit down with Ralph Cooper, Jr., Business Development Manager at Benesch in Chicago. Ralph shares success stories and insights he brings to coaching lawyers from his experience as an athlete and coach of youth sports.

]]> Today I sit down with Ralph Cooper, Jr., Business Development Manager at Benesch in Chicago. Ralph shares success stories and insights he brings to coaching lawyers from his experience as an athlete and coach of youth sports.

]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:24:26 -0500 Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder Kristo Sween, BD Coach, Trainer and CGO at Lawyer BookBuilder 814 Today I sit down with Ralph Cooper, Jr., Business Development Manager at Benesch in Chicago. Ralph shares success stories and insights he brings to coaching lawyers from his experience as an athlete and coach of youth sports.

]]> bd coaching, law firm business development, attorney coaching, law firm marketing, No