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Live from ILTACON | Sponsored by Steno

What can lawyers learn from Broadway?

More than you might think.

Live from Nashville, David Cowen sits down with Laura Bell Bundy, the actress, singer, songwriter, and producer who originated Elle Woods in Legally Blonde on Broadway, for a conversation about curiosity, grit, reinvention, self-advocacy, and the relationships that shape a career.

Laura shares the unlikely path that took her from Kentucky to Broadway, how she learned to turn imitation into originality, why perceived failures can open unexpected doors, and the lesson from her father that has stayed with her throughout her career:

Ask.

Because if you don't ask, you'll never know what might have been.

In this episode:

• How childhood imitation became a foundation for creativity
• What it took to make Elle Woods her own
• Why optimism and confidence are more powerful than they look
• How curiosity and grit work together
• The night Laura finished Legally Blonde with a fractured elbow
• Why the show must sometimes go on
• How mentors and sponsors can see possibilities in us before we see them ourselves
• Why big goals become achievable when broken into smaller steps
• What perceived failure can teach us about opportunity
• Why relationships matter more than the résumé
• How knowing your value changes the way you negotiate
• Why "ask" may be the most powerful three-letter word
• The importance of advocating for yourself
• Why community matters when careers become difficult
• What Broadway can teach leaders about teamwork and connection

Chapters

00:10 | Back in Nashville
01:06 | A World Changing Fast
02:02 | Growing Up Around Music
04:20 | From Imitation to Originality
06:31 | Making Elle Woods Her Own
08:12 | Finding the Grit
09:28 | What Elle Woods' Transformation Really Means
09:59 | The Broadway Experience That Changed Everything
13:48 | Laura's First Big Break
14:20 | Why Everyone Needs a Sponsor
15:29 | Holding a Vision for Someone Else
17:09 | Redefining Success Through Goals
18:36 | Curiosity + Grit = From Now to Next
19:30 | Breaking Her Arm During Legally Blonde
20:52 | The Show Must Go On
22:36 | Following Another Dream
25:23 | Giving Yourself Permission to Try
26:13 | What Perceived Failure Can Teach You
26:58 | Careers Are Really About Relationships
28:10 | When the Vision Became Reality
32:21 | Know Your Value
33:24 | The Most Powerful Three-Letter Word: Ask
42:07 | Why Community Keeps Us Standing
43:27 | From Now to Next

The Big Idea

Ask.

Ask for the opportunity.

Ask for the promotion.

Ask the question you're afraid might get a no.

Laura's career is filled with moments where curiosity opened one door, grit carried her through another, and someone was willing to see potential before the outcome was obvious.

But there's another lesson underneath all of it.

You have to advocate for yourself.

Knowing your value matters. Having people who believe in you matters. Being willing to fail matters.

And so does having the courage to ask.

Because a career isn't simply a collection of jobs.

It's a collection of relationships, lessons, risks, failures, reinventions and people who catch you when you fall.

Follow SOLID for more conversations with the leaders shaping what comes next in legal: https://solid.legal/

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Never eat alone!