Counsel Brew

Epizode

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  Change of Plans - Kandace Walter 02.10.2026 57min

  Kandace Walter did not grow up dreaming of becoming a lawyer. She was a painfully shy child who loved math and science, went to college to study chemical engineering, then switched to chemistry and pre-med to become a forensic pathologist. When she realized how long medical school was going to take, she reconsidered. Law school was three years, she liked Law & Order, and she quickly pivoted in a completely different direction. It wasn’t the last time Kandace changed her mind. Her fi...
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  Unforgettable - Mark Shoffner 18.09.2026 1h 4min

  Most swag when you attend a conference is okay - nothing new that you don’t expect. A new coffee mug, a tote bag, maybe a charger you’ll toss in your desk drawer and forget about. Useful? Sure. Unforgettable? Not usually. But when Mark Shoffner handed out The Companion at the Texas General Counsel Forum Annual Conference on behalf of his firm, he broke the mold. The gift was a hit, the laughs kept coming, and months later people were still talking about it and, frankly, hoping it makes a come...
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  Still Running - Joe Cox 04.09.2026 59min

  Most people would look at Joe Cox's ten-year running streak and see dedication. Joe sees something much simpler: a chance to clear his head, experience a city one step at a time, and occasionally get stopped by neighbors who are less concerned about Joe than they are about where his dogs are. Spend an hour with Joe, though, and you realize the running isn't really the story. It's simply one example of the quiet consistency that has shaped the way he practices law, teaches future lawyers, and ...
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  Duck on a Pond - Lauren Brogdon 21.08.2026 1h 1min

  A Misto isn't just Lauren Brogdon's go-to coffee order. It's part of a routine she intentionally keeps simple, saving her energy for the decisions that matter most during her day. That same philosophy carries into every aspect of her career, especially when the stakes are high, which, in Lauren's world, is often. In this episode of Counsel Brew, Lauren shares how a piece of advice she received early in her career became one of the guiding principles she still lives by today: be a duck on a po...
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  The Long Flight - Dr. Rhonda Evans 07.08.2026 1h 3min

  A flat white earned Dr. Rhonda Evans an immediate nod of approval from Nicola before becoming the perfect springboard for a conversation about Australia, curiosity, and the unexpected opportunities that can shape an entire career. Rhonda didn't get her first passport until she was 28 years old. She had no idea that one long flight to Australia would change the course of her life. In this episode of Counsel Brew, she reflects on how growing up as a first-generation college student in rural Ohi...
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  No Stoplight - Leigha Simonton 24.07.2026 1h 4min

  It's often the moments that don't seem remarkable at the time that change everything. For Leigha Simonton, those moments included a move across state lines, a mock trial competition, and a mother who never stopped believing in her. In this episode of Counsel Brew, Leigha reflects on the experiences that shaped her long before she stepped into leadership. She shares what it was like growing up in a rural Louisiana community, moving to Dallas as a teenager, discovering mock trial, and learning ...
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  Just Hit Post - Mark Melton 10.07.2026 1h 15min

  His perfect morning is surprisingly simple: a couple cups of black coffee, one decaf to round out the trio, and then it's off to tackle whatever impossible challenge lands on his desk. Somewhere between leading a national tax practice, advocating for thousands of Texas tenants, and occasionally grabbing a karaoke microphone, he's also managed to build one of the largest eviction advocacy organizations in the country. This week on Counsel Brew, Nicola and Shereen sit down with attorney and pub...
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  I Like Winners - Noelle LeVeaux 19.06.2026 1h 13min

  This week on Counsel Brew, we sit down with Noelle LeVeaux — strategic marketer, civic brand-builder, cancer survivor, TEDxSMU speaker, children’s author, entrepreneur, and currently the Chief Marketing Officer helping lead North Texas’ FIFA World Cup 26™ moment onto the global stage. If you’ve lived in Dallas long enough, chances are you’ve already experienced Noelle’s work without even realizing it. From launching the award-winning BIG campaign that helped reshape Dallas’ identity to leadin...
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  Ruby Slippers - Misty Leon 05.06.2026 58min

  What happens when a former child actor, ERISA lawyer, and Fortune 500 in-house counsel walks into a coffee shop? In this case, she orders a lavender chai latte* and starts reimagining what a legal career can look like. *served best in an actual coffee mug, preferably with fancy foam art and enjoyed while sitting in a coffee shop In this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down with Misty Leon, who at the time of recording was serving as in-house counsel at Texas Instruments. Misty's career ...
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  That Doesn't Go in the Book - Professor C. Paul Rogers III 22.05.2026 1h 10min

  Professor C. Paul Rogers III has spent more than four decades shaping lawyers, preserving baseball history, mentoring students, navigating college athletics, and collecting stories that somehow sound too good to be true — except they are. In this episode of Counsel Brew, Nicola and Shereen sit down with one of the most beloved and legendary figures from SMU Dedman School of Law just as he prepares to retire at the end of the semester after an extraordinary career. Both Nicola and Shereen rece...
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  To Do F/U - Gabe Vazquez 01.05.2026 1h 9min

  This conversation covers a lot of ground. From exploding matcha to stepping into leadership before you feel ready, Gabe keeps it real about what it looks like to operate under pressure. In this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down with Gabe Vazquez, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Vistra Corp., to talk less about titles and more about how he works. His approach is simple on the surface. Gather. Organize. Optimize. Build the system. Trust the system. Then know when it’s time to...
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  Y'all Build Different - Jasmin Brand 17.04.2026 1h 17min

  Jasmin Brand doesn’t just build businesses. She builds ecosystems. An award-winning marketer, speaker, and serial entrepreneur, Jasmin has made a career out of doing what most people just dream about: creating strategic partnerships, unlocking opportunity, and moving communities forward in real, measurable ways. Born and raised in Dallas, with roots at Booker T. Washington and Southern Methodist University, Jasmin’s path has never been linear. From launching her first creative agency in 2009 ...
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  Pivot Play - Kathy Wise 27.03.2026 1h 9min

  Fifty episodes in and we have started to recognize a pattern: the most interesting people don’t follow straight lines—they pivot, rebuild, and end up somewhere better. Enter Kathy Wise. A former attorney turned award-winning journalist, Kathy is now the Editorial Director of D Magazine and the founder of MÄHJ the Magazine, a quarterly mahjong publication that’s equal parts culture, connection, and beautifully curated storytelling. But before all of that, Kathy was in the trenches of legal pra...
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  Between Innings - Eunice Nakamura 13.03.2026 1h 9min

  ​​On this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down with Eunice Nakamura, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Texas Rangers, for a conversation that proves the path to a dream role rarely follows the plan you laid out for yourself. Eunice didn’t set out to work in professional sports. Like many lawyers, she started with a clear plan—be a litigator, build the career, hit the milestones. But along the way, a secondment with the Rangers, a move in-house, leadership roles across industrie...
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  Write Your Own Soundtrack - Sterling Miller 27.02.2026 1h 7min

  Sterling Miller knew he wanted to be a lawyer when he pulled the lawyer card while playing Life. That early realization turned into a remarkable legal career spanning private practice, in-house roles at American Airlines and Sabre, and ultimately General Counsel positions at Travelocity, Sabre, and Marketo. Today, he serves as COO, General Counsel, and Senior Counsel at Hilgers PLLC and is still very much in the game of life. Fueled by black coffee and Diet Coke (alternating, unapologetically...
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  A Thousand Yards - Alana Matthews 13.02.2026 1h 14min

  This episode is fueled by a lot of coffee. We’re joined by Alana Matthews, former BigLaw litigator, trailblazing sports executive, and founder & CEO of Alautus. She’s a woman who runs on instinct, grit, and an impressive amount of caffeine. The girl whose mother cut her hair short and snuck her onto a boys’ hockey team at age seven has never waited for permission since. After graduating from law school, Alana began her career in BigLaw litigation, but a Google search for “how to become a ...
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  Madam President - Vicki Blanton 30.01.2026 57min

  ☕ This week on Counsel Brew, we’re joined by Vicki Blanton, Assistant VP and Senior Legal Counsel of Tax and Benefits at AT&T, Adjunct Professor at SMU Dedman School of Law, and immediate past President of the Dallas Bar Association. Vicki’s career spans some of the most complex in-house environments in the country, touching approximately $150B in plan assets and impacting millions of employees, retirees, and beneficiaries worldwide. But what anchors this conversation isn’t the scale of t...
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  One-Vote Revolution - The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn 16.01.2026 1h 21min

  Some guests command the room without ever raising their voice. They make you sit up straighter, rethink your posture, and question whether your coffee order is sufficiently ambitious. In this episode of Counsel Brew, we sit down and debrief with The Honorable Judge Barbara Lynn (Ret.) who takes us from her early days in Florida—pushing past stage fright and finding her voice—to becoming one of the most respected federal judges in the country. She embodies what it means to lead with cour...
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  Looking Back, Brewing Forward 03.01.2026 32min

  A New Year at Counsel Brew Time really does fly when you’re having fun. In this New Year reflection, we’re looking back on the stories, sips, and moments that shaped Counsel Brew in 2025—and sharing what we’re brewing next as we head into 2026. Happy New Year from Counsel Brew! 🍻 In this special year-end reflection episode, we’re looking back on a year that flew by—and gave us so much more than we expected. ✨ 2025 Highlights: 24 episodes, 25 incredible guests, and countless storie...
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  Mama's in a Meeting - Jenny & Sharon King 12.12.2025 1h 11min

  At its core, this episode is about legacy with intention. Sharon and Jenny King — a mother–daughter duo built on service, strategy, and grit — show how generational leadership is passed down when lived into and shaped together. Their story is a masterclass in intergenerational badassery. Sharon came of age in turbulent 1960s Atlanta, stumbled into a dream job at a legendary department store, and got pulled into community work by a woman who simply said, “Would you help me?” That one yes...