The Pivot Playbook-rescuing businesses, redesigning midlife
A conversation with restructuring professionals, business leaders, and growth-minded coaches about pivotal strategies to rescue businesses and inspire midlifers to redesign their lives. End goal- self-actualization.
The Pivot Playbook Podcast is where fresh starts meet real strategy. Host Salene Mazur Kraemer, Esq., CTA, MBA—board-certified business bankruptcy attorney and founder of MazurKraemer Business Law Group—breaks down the moves that save companies and reset lives. Each episode features candid conversations with turnaround CEOs, finance pros, franchise and SBA experts, lawyers, and growth coaches. We cover business topics like cash-flow triage, personal guarantees, asset protection, buying or fixing a business. At the same time, we often talk about important personal issues that hit midlifers hard- empty nest, aging parents, financial tips, limiting beliefs, relationship repair, health challenges, parenting woes, physical fitness, career reinvention, and creative flow. You’ll hear case-study breakdowns, 3-minute “Legal Playbook” explainers, and coach-level frameworks you can apply today. If you’re navigating change—by choice or by circumstance—this is your weekly guide to a smarter pivot.
Episodes
Oct 9, 2025
Oct 9, 2025
23 min
In this episode of The Pivot Playbook, host Salene Mazur Kraemer interviews Ella Vincent, Senior Specialist Legal Editor for Practical Law, Thomson Reuters, and Chair of the Young and New Lawyer Subcommittee of the ABA Business Bankruptcy Committee (BBC).
Ella shares her inspiring journey from private practice in Seattle to her “dream job” writing and maintaining national bankruptcy and restructuring content. She opens up about her passion for mentorship, her leadership in launching the BBC Match Portal—a first-of-its-kind platform connecting lawyers to writing and speaking opportunities—and her mission to make the bankruptcy bar more welcoming to new practitioners.
From municipal healthcare restructurings to balancing work and motherhood in Minneapolis, Ella reminds us that bankruptcy practice is about more than numbers — it’s about people, community, and service.
👩💼 Guest:
Ella VincentSenior Specialist Legal Editor, Bankruptcy & RestructuringPractical Law | Thomson ReutersBased in: Minneapolis, Minnesota
🌐 Professional Affiliations:
American Bar Association – Business Bankruptcy Committee (BBC)
Chair, Young and New Lawyer Subcommittee
Coordinator, BBC Match Portal Initiative
🗒️ Topics Covered:
Transitioning from private practice to legal publishing
Developing bankruptcy and restructuring content for Thomson Reuters Practical Law
The launch and purpose of the ABA BBC’s Match Portal
Mentorship, connection, and growth for young attorneys
The real-life impact of restructuring work — from hospitals to communities
Work-life balance, motherhood, and rediscovering creative hobbies like baking and sewing
💬 Key Takeaways:
“Bankruptcy is not a theoretical practice — it has real-life implications for people and communities.”
“Getting involved early gives clients more options — and better outcomes.”
“Mentorship opens doors and makes our profession stronger.”
🌟 Personal Highlights:
First job: fishmonger — “It taught me customer service, preparation, and knowing your product.”
Favorite dessert: anything chocolate — from cookies to flourless torts.
Favorite vacation: snorkeling with sea turtles in Kona, Hawaii.
Annual tradition: the Minnesota State Fair with her husband and young son.
🔗 Connect with Ella:
LinkedIn – Ella VincentThomson Reuters Practical LawABA Business Bankruptcy Committee
🎧 Host:
Salene Mazur Kraemer, Esq.The Pivot Playbook — Rescuing Business, Redesigning Midlifewww.MazurKraemer.com
Oct 9, 2025
Oct 9, 2025
23 min
In this episode of The Pivot Playbook, host Salene Mazur Kraemer sits down with Jennifer Lyday, a seasoned Chapter 11 practitioner and partner at Waldrip, Wall, Babcock & Bailey in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They are both West Virginia natives and adoptive moms and members of IWIRC- International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation. From helping farmers preserve generational land to steering hospitals through financial distress, Jennifer brings humanity and heart to the practice of insolvency law.
They discuss her journey from Spanish major to bankruptcy attorney, her deep ties to IWIRC’s Carolinas Network, and how she balances professional purpose with her roles as a mom of three and an adoption advocate. Jennifer shares wisdom on why clients should “never wait too long” to seek help, and the profound satisfaction that comes from saving not just a business — but a community.
Guest: Jennifer LydayFirm: Waldrip, Wall, Babcock & Bailey, Winston-Salem, NCWebsite: https://www.waldrepwall.com/Professional Affiliations: International Women’s Insolvency and Reorganization Confederation (Vice Director of Member Services, 2024 Board of Directors; Board Member and Former Communications Chair of the Carolinas Network)
Topics Covered:
Jennifer’s path from Wake Forest to William & Mary Law, and how a mentor sparked her passion for bankruptcy law.
The power of female representation in federal practice areas and the supportive network of IWIRC.
Her love for Chapter 12 farming clients and rural hospitals, where legal work truly transforms lives.
Insights for business owners in distress — and what not to do when facing financial trouble.
Adoption and motherhood: building family through love, faith, and openness.
Her favorite things — from hiking the Camino de Santiago to Christian metal playlists.
Key Takeaways:
“You can’t come to an insolvency practitioner too soon.”
“Integrity and gratitude make the best clients.”
“When you stabilize a hospital, you stabilize a community.”
Connect with Jennifer:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lyday-5509251b/
Host: Salene Mazur KraemerPodcast: The Pivot Playbook — Rescuing Business, Redesigning Midlife