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The Velvet Hammer™ Podcast
Trial lawyers can be real people, too—and this podcast proves it. The Velvet Hammer™ is back, and this time, Karen Koehler isn’t going it alone. Known for her fearless advocacy, bold storytelling, and, yes, even the occasional backwards dress moment, Karen is teaming up with Mo Hamoudi, a lawyer, poet, and storyteller whose empathy and resilience add a whole new dynamic to the show.
Together, they’re pulling back the curtain on trial law, diving into bold topics, heartfelt stories, and the messy, hilarious moments that make trial lawyers human. This is an unscripted, raw, and fun take on life inside—and outside—the courtroom.
Episodes
156 episodes
Sticks, Stones, and Strategic Responses: How We Handle Being Insulted
How do you respond when someone insults you? In this episode, Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd explore how their childhood experiences with insults shape their adult mechanisms. Karen reflects on her mother’s “eye for an eye...
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Season 5
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Episode 37
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32:55
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Crossing the Moat - Building Trust Between Attorneys and Clients
In this episode, Karen Koehler starts with a client who was permanently disfigured and how fast the defense tried to dig through every corner of her life. From medical records to private history, nothing feels off-limits in discovery. Karen and...
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Season 5
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Episode 36
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22:40
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Unbound: A Woman’s Guide to Power Book Review
Episode 35: Unbound: A Woman’s Guide to Power Book ReviewKaren Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd review Unbound: A Woman’s Guide to Power by Kasia Urbaniak. They delve into the meanings of dominance, submission, and infl...
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Season 5
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Episode 35
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36:38
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Keeping Up with Karen
Episode 34: Keeping Up with Karen Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi debate the power of thinking on your feet versus slowing down to choose your words. Karen owns her “borderline manic” speed and explains how fast processing helps...
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Season 5
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Episode 34
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18:48
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The Rise of AI: Adapt or Die
Episode 33: The Rise of AI: Adapt or DieKaren, Mo, and Mike dive into the question every lawyer and law firm is facing: what do we do with AI? Karen breaks down how the firm is already using it, from med-mal intake summaries that ...
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Season 5
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Episode 33
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37:20
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How to Interview Clients and Win Juries
Episode 32: How to Interview Clients and Win JuriesIn this episode of The Velvet Hammer™, Karen Koehler, Mo Hamoudi, and Mike Todd dig into one of the most overlooked skills as a trial lawyer: the client interview. This i...
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Season 5
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Episode 32
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22:25
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Protesting in America: Your Legal Rights Explained
Episode 31: Protesting in America: Your Legal Rights ExplainedSeattle recently saw 70,000 people take to the streets during the No Kings March, and Karen, Mo, and Mike are here to talk about what it means to exercise your right t...
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Season 5
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Episode 31
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51:33
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Placing a Monetary Value on the Loss of a Good Life
Episode 30: Placing a Monetary Value on the Loss of a "Good Life"What constitutes a “good life,” and what happens when catastrophic events forever change its course? Karen Koehler reads an essay she wrote at 17 about what makes a ...
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Season 5
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Episode 30
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42:58
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The Penis Restraining Order
Episode 29 - The Penis Restraining Order - This episode includes discussion of sexual assault and explicit anatomical references. It contains mature content that may not be appropriate for all listeners. Listener discretion is advise...
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Season 5
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Episode 29
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17:03
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DEI, WAMs, and Legal Power Plays
Episode 28: DEI, WAMs, and Legal Power Plays | Karen Koehler shares the 2008 letter that shook up the American Association for Justice (AAJ), calling out its failure to address diversity in any meaningful way. The fallout was...
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Season 5
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Episode 28
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39:18
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Mo Tais in Maui - Hosting the 2025 WTLA Reception
Episode 27: Mo Tais in Maui – Hosting the 2025 WTLA ReceptionWhat happens when Karen offers up her Hawaiian home for a trial lawyer party... and forgets she did it? In this episode, Karen and Mo break down the chaos, comedy, and c...
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Season 5
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Episode 27
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19:15
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Mastering the Art of Direct Examination
Episode 26: Mastering the Art of Direct ExaminationWhat separates a good trial lawyer from a great one? Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi unpack what makes a direct examination persuasive, from reading the jury’s body language to decid...
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Season 5
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Episode 26
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36:28
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Amazon's Dirty Discovery Tactics
Episode 25: Amazon's Dirty Discovery TacticsAmazon dropped a steaming pile of objections to discovery responses and Karen and Mo are not having it. In this episode of The Velvet Hammer™, they unpack Amazon’s absurd respon...
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Season 5
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Episode 25
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28:49
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Sean Combs on Trial: Jury Out For Deliberation
Episode 24: Sean Combs on Trial: Jury Out For DeliberationAs the jury deliberates in the explosive federal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, attorneys Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi break down the charges, evidence, and legal strateg...
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Season 5
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Episode 24
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26:43
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Confronting the Money Taboo in Plaintiff Work
Episode 23: Confronting the Money Taboo in Plaintiff WorkWhat happens when you’ve spent your whole life avoiding money, and now your entire job is to ask for it in the name of justice?In this episode, Mo Hamoudi opens up ab...
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Season 5
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Episode 23
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38:33
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Post-Settlement Syndrome
Episode 22: Post-Settlement Syndrome In this episode of The Velvet Hammer™, Karen and Mo talk about the emotional crash that hits when you’re “all dressed up and nowhere to party.” Karen calls it post-settlement synd...
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Season 5
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Episode 22
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25:29
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The Archetypes That Drive Us in Life and Law
Episode 21: The Archetypes That Drive Us in Life and LawHave you ever noticed how you show up differently depending on the room you're in? In this episode, Karen, Mo, and Mike explore the inner archetypes that shape our thoughts, ...
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Season 5
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Episode 21
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38:20
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Karen Koehler on Leadership Challenges in Managing a Law Firm
Episode 20: Karen Koehler on Leadership Challenges in Managing a Law FirmCan being too humble hold you back?Karen opens up about her leadership style, one that p...
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Season 5
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Episode 20
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21:29
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The Punk Move: When Abusers Use SLAPP Suits to Silence Survivors
🎙️ Episode 19: The Punk Move: When Abusers Use SLAPP suits to Silence SurvivorsWhat happens when the accused turns around and sues the person making the accusation? Karen and Mo dive into the disturbing rise of SLAPP suits — laws...
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Season 5
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Episode 19
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26:57
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The Art of Driving Defense Lawyers Crazy
Episode 18: The Art of Driving Defense Lawyers CrazyIn this episode of The Velvet Hammer™ podcast, Karen Koehler and Mo Hamoudi break down the tactics that send defense lawyers into a spiral and explain why that’s not onl...
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Season 5
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Episode 18
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32:26
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Goal Setting, Dreams, and the People Who Shape Them
Episode 17: Goal Setting, Dreams, and the People Who Shape ThemIn this episode of The Velvet Hammer™ podcast, Karen, Mo, and Mike dive into the raw, reflective, and often uncomfortable goal-setting process. What is the re...
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Season 5
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Episode 17
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42:58
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In Defense of Flip-Flopping: Why Adaptability Matters in Law
Episode 16: In Defense of Flip-Flopping: Why Adaptability Matters in LawKaren Koehler opens up about her so-called "flip-flopping," her tendency to change her mind, and reframes it as one of her greatest strengths. From trial tact...
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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34:09
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Why We Suck at Celebrating Wins
Episode 15: Why We Suck at Celebrating Wins It’s been a week of big wins. Sanctions against Amazon. Settlements in multiple cases. Momentum heading into trial. And yet, instead of celebrating, Karen and Mo are back in the offi...
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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20:08
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Why Trial Lawyers Must Talk About Money (Even When It’s Uncomfortable)
Episode 14: Why Trial Lawyers Must Talk About Money (Even When It’s Uncomfortable)Is money the most uncomfortable topic in the courtroom? For many trial lawyers, yes. But when it comes to representing injured clients, avoid...
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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46:42
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Karen’s Journal Entry at 19: Crisis is Perpetual
Episode 13: Karen’s Journal Entry at 19: Crisis is PerpetualAt 19, Karen wrote a stream of consciousness that no one had ever read. Until now. In this episode, she shares that handwritten journal entry and opens up a conversation with Mo...
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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42:53
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