Wild Business Growth Podcast #40: Wendi Weiner – The Writing Guru, Lawyer Turned Award-Winning Writer

Imagine going through law school and spending over a decade as a practicing attorney…only to realize your true passion lies in writing, not law. That’s the story of this week’s podcast guest, Wendi Weiner! Episode #40 of the Wild Business Growth Podcast is HERE (all rise!) and features the Attorney & Award-Winning Writer known as The Writing Guru. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify, Overcast, and your other favorite audio platforms – subscribe and leave a 5-star review if you’re inspired by Wendi’s journey!

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Hear how entrepreneurs & innovators unleash creativity to grow bigger and better businesses. Hear from an exciting new guest every single Wednesday morning who’s turning wild ideas into wild growth. Guests include startup founders, product inventors, social media influencers, and much more. Hosted by our digital marketing dude Max Branstetter – that’s me!

Episode #40: Wendi Weiner – The Writing Guru, Lawyer Turned Award-Winning Writer

Wendi Weiner, The Writing Guru, Attorney, Career Branding Expert, and Resume Writer joins the show to share how she transitioned from a decade-long law career to her own writing business. Wendi and I connected over social media and I was super intrigued by her background. It takes a ton of courage to start your own business – and even more to leave behind a law career when you do it. Wendi is one of the most genuine, intelligent, helpful, and kind people you’ll ever hear from and truly opened up about her ups and downs in this interview. This episode covers everything from the importance of personal branding to how running the NYC Marathon changed Wendi’s life. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How being bullied as a child gave Wendi thick skin
• Why she chose writing and entrepreneurship over law
• How a background in law can translate to the business world
• Tips to improve your resume and LinkedIn profile
• How to grow your Instagram following and engagement through storytelling
• The pros and cons of working from home
• How riding Peloton can help you stay creative
• Wendi’s favorite U2 song

Connect with Wendi on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook at @TheWritingGuru and at WritingGuru.net.

Enjoy the show and be true to yourself! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. Interested in the full episode transcript? Go here

Show Notes

• Intro & Career as a Lawyer
  • [0:30] Email me at max@hippodirect.com for help starting and building your own podcast or with digital marketing
  • [0:38] This Is 40
  • [0:40] Connect with Wendi on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook at @TheWritingGuru and at WritingGuru.net
  • [0:51] Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Business Insider
  • [2:05] What made Wendi get into law in the first place
  • [5:01] Wild Business Growth Podcast Episode 31: Michael Rozen – Special Settlement Master of Historic Cases, Founder of TRGP Capital
  • [5:25] How law and writing intersect
  • [5:54] Special Investigations Unit (SIU)
  • [6:43] “Goldie Norman” samples
  • [7:11] Shark Tank
  • [7:22] How to be assertive when you’re not naturally assertive
  • [7:29] How being bullied as a child gave Wendi thick skin
  • [8:56] Picture of Wendi as a child
  • [9:30] How thick skin allowed her to leave her full-time career as a lawyer
  • [10:09] TCS New York City Marathon
  • [10:44] Bank of America Chicago Marathon
  • [11:15] Glycogen
  • [11:46] How long to train for the NYC marathon
  • [12:55] Wendi’s injuries while running the marathon
  • [13:09] L4-L5 spinal segment, Tendonitis
  • [13:27] Central Park
  • [14:05] My buddy Tim Crowley who finished the NYC marathon after coming back from a significant leg injury
• The Writing Guru
  • [14:39] People’s reaction to Wendi transitioning from law to business
  • [15:35] Suze Orman, Nest Egg
  • [16:38] Wendi “The Red Pen of Justice”
  • [19:09] How she decided to trademark The Writing Guru
  • [20:57] Her time as a college writing professor
  • [21:28] Whether Wendi ever misses law these days
  • [21:45] Connect with Hippo Direct at HippoDirect.com for all your mailing list, email list, digital marketing, and podcasting needs
• Personal Branding, Resume Writing, and LinkedIn
  • [22:21] Why is personal branding important
  • [22:59] Google
  • [23:25] The Miami Hurricane
  • [24:55] Find the best mailing lists and email lists by market segment (including Attorneys & Legal Professionals) at Hippo Direct
  • [25:47] The pros and cons of email marketing
  • [25:57] Frank Kern, Dave Mitz
  • [26:35] Constant Contact
  • [27:15] Wendi on CNN
  • [28:31] How to divide your time between your resume, LinkedIn, and personal brand strategy
  • [31:25] Starbucks
  • [32:36] How to improve your resume
  • [33:13] Keyword stuffing
  • [35:09] How to improve your LinkedIn profile
  • [35:50] Why you shouldn’t just dump your resume on Linkedin
  • [36:51] How to approach your strategy for personal branding
  • [38:00] Why so many more people see your LinkedIn profile than your resume
  • [38:46] Boilerplate
  • [39:12] Wendi’s experience getting plagiarized on LinkedIn
  • [39:37] Darren Heitner of Heitner Legal
• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [40:56] Wendi’s biggest inspiration for being a lawyer
  • [41:05] Wendi’s brother
  • [42:21] Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
  • [42:50] Hobbies for creativity
  • [42:49] How riding Peloton can help you stay creative
  • [43:09] Flywheel
  • [43:35] Amazon
  • [44:08] The pros and cons of working from home
  • [44:33] Wendi’s shih tzu Riley
  • [48:22] Learning from webinars for Instagram
  • [49:00] How to grow your Instagram following and engagement through storytelling (Wendi nearly tripled her followers)
  • [49:52] National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA), Nationally Certified Online Profile Expert (NCOPE)
  • [50:17] New York University (NYU)
  • [50:30] Why you should never stop learning
  • [50:50] The Tim Ferris Show, Game 7 Podcast with Mike Elkins
  • [51:30] Goal Digger Podcast with Jenna Kutcher, Their Instagram
• Wild Business Shoutout of the Week
  • [52:38] How LinkedIn is evolving with video content, live recordings, and more
  • [53:39] The problem with Engagement Pods
  • [55:46] Kyle Elliott aka Caffeinated Kyle
  • [56:45] How to know who’s real and authentic online
  • [58:40] Claudia Oshry aka @GirlWithNoJob, The Morning Toast, Jackie O
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [59:55] John Grisham, Tom Cruise in The Firm
  • [1:00:12] Wendi’s favorite place she’s ever traveled
  • [1:00:36] U2, “New Year’s Day,” “Where the Streets Have No Name“
  • [1:01:04] Wendi’s favorite part of living in Miami
  • [1:01:14] Stetson University College of Law, Florida State University (FSU)
  • [1:01:34] Weird talents
  • [1:01:57] Lefties unite!
  • [1:03:35] Connect with Wendi on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook at @TheWritingGuru and at WritingGuru.net
  • [1:03:50] Wendi’s final thoughts
  • [1:04:02] Hamlet
  • [1:04:06] Why you should be true to yourself and others
  • [1:04:20] Subscribe to the Wild Business Growth Podcast and leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts / iTunes and more!
  • [1:04:32] Check out the Hippo Direct Blog at HippoDirect.com/Blog for show notes, Favorite Books, and the Hippo Digest
  • [1:04:34] Get your creative juices flowing with the Hippo Digest – your Weekly Recap of Creative Marketing
  • [1:04:41] Connect with Hippo Direct on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube including #HippoTips
  • [1:04:46] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn at @MaxBranstetter
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – Jungle Tribe – provided by Jamendo

How do I start a podcast?

How’d you like a podcast of your own? Email me at max@hippodirect.com with questions on any part of the podcasting process:

• Podcast Planning
• Podcast Production
• Podcast Promotion
• More!

If you’re interested, we’ll connect for a free 30-minute consultation and provide some helpful resources that have been instrumental in getting the Wild Business Growth Podcast up and rolling and connecting with high-quality guests. We love making your podcast the best it can be. Let your podcast Run Wild!

When there’s a Wendi, there’s a way. Who’s joining the podcast next? Get fired up for a wild new guest every single Wednesday morning! Let us know any guests you’d like to see on the show and follow along for your favorite marketing tips, business tips, and podcasts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube. You’ll especially enjoy this list of the favorite books of Wild Business Growth Podcast guests. Sign up for the Hippo Digest email newsletter for your Weekly Recap of Creative Marketing. Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!