FYV #40 - Manage Nerves Instantly: How the Navy Seals Might Help You In Trial
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Release Date: 10/13/2025
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
In this episode, Kristi explores how subtle shifts in presence—rather than words alone—can revive a dragging courtroom. Drawing inspiration from a Trevor Noah and Simon Sinek conversation, she reframes how attorneys invite juror participation by distinguishing between niceness and kindness. The episode then moves into a practical communication tip on using breath to regulate energy in the courtroom, helping attorneys re-engage jurors, manage stress, and intentionally shape the emotional tone of the room without ever calling attention to it. In this episode, you’ll learn: The...
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In this episode, Kristi reflects on an unexpected insight sparked by a late-night podcast listen—and how it reshaped her thinking about goal-setting, motivation, and decision-making in business. Drawing from philosopher David Deutsch’s idea of “following the fun,” she explores the tension between long-term strategy and genuine curiosity. The episode then shifts into a practical courtroom communication tip, unpacking how mismatched vocal and physical energy can quietly erode credibility—and how trial attorneys can use intentional energy to help jurors truly feel the weight of...
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In this special year-end bonus episode, Kristi invites you into her personal annual process of reflection and intention-setting. She recaps meaningful moments from 2025 — professionally and personally — and shares how consistency, seasonality, learning deeply, and honoring life outside of work have shaped her year. This episode offers perspective for trial attorneys who carry heavy work, reminding you that leadership, growth, and sustainability are built through intentional reflection and aligned priorities. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why taking stock of where you are is...
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In this episode, we explore motivation from two critical angles: what motivates jurors to stay engaged and move toward a verdict — and what actually motivates you to show up grounded, prepared, and consistent in high-stakes moments. Jurors don’t get motivated in isolation; they respond to your energy, clarity, and intentionality. And before jurors ever lean in, you have to generate momentum for yourself. This episode bridges courtroom communication with personal practice, showing how relevance fuels juror engagement and how motivation is built through small, repeatable actions — not...
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In this episode, we zoom out from pure vocal technique and dig into one of the most overlooked communication tools in the courtroom: your face. With 43 expressive muscles firing even when you’re not speaking, your facial expressions reveal more than you think — especially to jurors who instinctively read micro-cues for safety, sincerity, and credibility. You’ll learn why your “resting face,” thinking patterns, stress habits, and unintended microexpressions can either support your message or sabotage it — and how to intentionally build a neutral, open, trustworthy facial baseline...
info_outlineFoster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
In this episode, Kristi unveils the two personality types that quietly shut jurors down long before your story ever gets a chance to land: the know-it-all and the chronic apologizer. Both create emotional friction that drains jurors' attention and engagement — just in opposite ways. Kristi breaks down how each style shows up vocally and nonverbally in the courtroom, why jurors feel instantly exhausted by them, and how even small shifts in vocal presence, humility, and breath-supported delivery can completely change how jurors perceive you. This is a mindset-and-voice tune-up every trial...
info_outlineFoster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Jurors don’t get real breaks. Not mentally, not emotionally, and certainly not socially. In this episode, we explore how cognitive fatigue shows up inside the courtroom and why even small, intentional pauses in your delivery can dramatically improve juror engagement and listening stamina. You’ll learn how micro-pauses, grounded transitions, and light moments of levity create essential “brain rest” for jurors—without derailing your momentum or weakening your command of the room. This episode reframes pauses from something to fear into one of your most strategic storytelling tools....
info_outlineBreath is more than survival—it’s leadership. In this episode, Kristi pulls back the curtain on how trial attorneys can use breath not just for vocal power, but for nervous system regulation and courtroom leadership. From gospel singing roots to practical techniques like box and triangle breathing, you’ll learn how intentional breath control can steady your system, shape juror perception, and give you the stamina to lead with authority in high-stakes moments.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
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Why courtroom breath needs to be more like a singer’s breath.
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How your autonomic nervous system responds instantly to how you breathe.
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The difference between fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest states—and how breath shifts you between them.
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Why box breathing and triangle breathing are powerful tools for managing nerves.
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How your breathing patterns unconsciously influence jurors’ emotional state.
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Practical ways to integrate intentional breathwork into trial prep and live courtroom delivery.
Key Takeaway:
Breath isn’t just automatic—it’s strategic. The way you breathe sustains your voice, regulates your nervous system, and shapes the energy in the courtroom.
Favorite Moment:
“Breath isn’t just SELF-regulation. It’s leadership. Jurors unconsciously borrow the rhythm of your breath. When you’re grounded and breathing low and slow, you model calm—and they follow you there.”
Links & Resources:
Top 20 Legal Terms to Avoid: https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/top20
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