Linda Smith is one of the few women who has reached the summit of the legal profession, litigating on behalf of clients like Exxon and IBM in some of the biggest cases ever tried. She has often tangled with outsized male egos, from Michael Dell to Mick Jagger, without ever breaking stride. Her experience over the past 40 years landed her with the prodigious title of “The Meanest Woman Alive.”

Today, Linda is on a mission to empower ambitious women in all fields to use their talent, smarts, and femininity to reach their own pinnacles of success. Whether it's defeating gender stereotypes, conquering self-sabotaging behaviors, handling difficult men, or seizing and holding on to leadership positions, Linda has done it all and come out on top by embodying the best traits of women—while beating the men at their own game. Let her show you how.

ABOUT LINDA SMITH For nearly 40 years, Linda Smith has represented the world’s biggest companies in their most complex litigation issues—“bet-the-company” cases where everything is at stake. On behalf of AMD, she led a team of 200+ lawyers to beat Intel in a multibillion-dollar antitrust case. She successfully defended Exxon in another multibillion-dollar trial that falsely questioned and sought damages for the oil giant’s cleanup efforts in Alaska. In industries ranging from accounting to show business, she’s taken on the toughest challenges and emerged victorious. She has also given back by handling pro bono cases all the way up to the Supreme Court, most recently when she represented immigrant mothers of U.S. citizen children facing deportation and the breakup of their families.

While she can definitely be the “meanest” to opposing lawyers who try to pull a fast one, Smith is also a lovely person with a deep commitment to collaboration and decades of success as a devoted mentor to professional women. Smith's experience makes her an expert on topics of vital interest to your listeners—shattering glass ceilings, dealing with difficult men, finding career success in a man's world, and more.

Ian and Linda discuss; -

Linda believes with talent, ability and bad-assery, women can overcome the structural impediments and rise to the top of any chosen profession Linda talks about confidence over competence being the key to career success and the need to embrace the feminine power of a woman. Linda gives her views on emotional intelligence and outlines her own leadership skills that serve her well in the workplace.

Linda shares two bonus stories with us in another episode, including when she knocked back Mick Jagger.

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TheMeanestWomanAlive.com

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