John Kormanik empowers attorneys to reach their full potential by transforming discomfort into growth through strategic coaching and mindset mastery.
What if your best work is still ahead? That’s the question Executive Attorney Coach John Kormanik invites lawyers to explore. In this episode of Stride 2 Freedom, host Russell Benaroya sits down with John—former respiratory therapist, veteran trial attorney, and three-time Ironman finisher—to talk about coaching for attorneys, the power of a “someday” vision, and why mindset is the real lever for sustainable law firm growth.
From Courtroom to Coaching: Why Attorneys Need a Different Playbook
Attorneys are trained to be risk-averse. Entrepreneurs are trained to find and price risk. Bridging that gap is where John thrives. As he shares on the show, many lawyers launch firms without truly treating them like businesses. The result? Long hours, stalled growth, and decisions guided by fear rather than strategy. John’s work centers on helping lawyers build a business—not just a practice—by reframing risk, clarifying direction, and executing on what matters.
The Ironman Mindset: Discomfort Is Data
John keeps a photo from the 2011 Ironman Coeur d’Alene on his wall to remind clients (and himself) that endurance is won in the mind first. Training builds capacity for discomfort; coaching turns that capacity into focused action. As John notes, the gift is on the other side of discomfort. That’s true whether you’re tackling a 2.4-mile swim or a new marketing channel for your firm.
John’s Coaching Framework: Vision-Based, Goal-Driven
While each engagement is client-led, John follows a clear scaffolding:
- Cast your “Someday” Vision: Not five years out—farther. John writes his as a snapshot of life at age 70, covering work, family, community, and geography.
- Back-cast to Five Years: If that’s your someday, where must you reasonably be in five years?
- Chunk to Near-Term Goals: Translate big ambitions into concrete, manageable steps (marketing activities, promise-to-family boundaries, hiring plans, etc.).
- Do the Mindset Work: Tools like the Energy Leadership Index surface patterns (e.g., confidence, avoidance) that either accelerate or stall execution.
- Build Accountability: Clients set their own action items; sessions explore what helped—or blocked—follow-through so progress compounds.
Where Transformation Happens (Spoiler: It’s Not Just Marketing)
Many attorneys arrive looking for lead-gen tactics. John starts there—but the breakthrough often comes when clients examine their story about themselves. One solo practitioner realized, “That lack of confidence runs through everything I do.” From that insight, the work shifted to routines and practices that strengthen confidence, making marketing work because the person doing it had changed.
How Long Does It Take?
John structures engagements in 90-day or six-month containers. Weekly sessions at the start create momentum; after the foundation is set, cadence moves to every other week to allow time for deeper execution. The goal isn’t dependency—it’s durable capability.
Values That Power a Third Career
Why coaching now? John’s core values—service, success, and adventure—point the way. Coaching lets him serve a profession he loves, define success on client outcomes (not billable hours), and keep exploring what’s possible—for himself and the attorneys he supports.
In this Freedom Speaker Series episode with John, you will learn:
- How to work back from your “someday” to achieve what is possible.
- Why coaching is not naturally embraced in services like law.
- How fear and change can be overcome by taking that next step.
- How our story about ourselves can accelerate or slow us down.
We are fortunate to have John available to spend time with us on this edition of Stride 2 Freedom. If there is a speaker you’d like us to interview, let us know. Stay well. Stay safe. Stay healthy.
Show Notes and Links From Episode:
John Kormanik website | Linkedin | email
Energy Leadership
Episode Transcript:
Podcast Transcript: Finding Your Limitless Potential with John Kormanik, Executive Attorney Coach
