The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

45. Sara Williams — Breaking Barriers with Authenticity and Vulnerability

Feb 16, 2021

43:48

"You want a 30(b)(6) cross-examined and torn to shreds? I'm your girl." - Sara Williams

Why do you need to be authentic to reach your maximum potential?
How did Sara Williams go from aspiring sports agent to top dog at Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys?
Why does the legal industry still have a long way to go to be truly diverse?
How can "being yourself" help you in front of a jury?

Attorney and Educator

Sara Williams is a Leading Trial Attorney at Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys. After attending Cumberland Law School and quickly falling in love with the work of a trial lawyer, Sara made her way to Shunnarah’s empire in 2013.

Sara has built up a name for herself as a truly formidable lawyer, and she litigates on various cases from motor vehicle negligence to wrongful deaths. As well as her work as an attorney, Sara is an educator. Serving as adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at Cumberland School of Law, Sara helps students "flip the switch" and go from good attorneys to great attorneys.

Advocate of Authenticity

One of Sara's core strengths is authenticity, and her main goal as an educator and mentor is to help others recognize that you cannot reach your full potential while you're pushing against — or hiding — who you truly are.

We discuss what it means to be authentic and the impact it’s had on Sara's journey. We also talk about her ongoing work to help others defeat generations of social conditioning to unleash their true voices, and why having authentic mentors is vital for personal and professional development.

Career Growth: Chase Skills, Not Roles

The factor that has most influenced Sara's career choices isn't money or titles, but skills. Time and time again, Sara's need for professional growth has made her choose learning opportunities over bigger paychecks — and even abandon the familiarity of one job for the educational value of another.

Sara explores why it's important to always be learning and why you should value opportunities to develop your skillset over bigger salaries or fancier offices. We also talk about how this single belief influenced Sara's trajectory and put her on the path to become the lawyer she is today.

Key takeaways:

Don't worry about your weaknesses. Focus more on your strengths, and be great at a few things rather than average at a lot of things.
Find a mentor you can be vulnerable with and who makes you feel comfortable, so you can develop your authentic voice and build confidence.
Be confident in your abilities, and don't be afraid to show it. The quickest way to lose a skill is to hide it away.

Links and Resources