What Lawyers Know About Negotiation That Most Entrepreneurs Miss: Lessons from Attorney and Mediator Natalie Lehman

When I first met Natalie Lehman, she was deep in her career as a litigation attorney. Over the last year, I watched her begin to explore something different—something that would eventually become Blackacre Mediation, her own business helping people resolve complex property disputes outside the courtroom. In this episode, Natalie and I talk about what it really looks like to step away from a secure legal career and build something on your own terms. With over 20 years of experience in property and real estate law, Natalie now uses mediation to help individuals, businesses, and attorneys resolve disputes more efficiently—often avoiding years of costly litigation. We also talk about the behind-the-scenes journey of entrepreneurship: building the right network, recognizing the right season of life to start something new, and learning how to say no so you can stay aligned with your bigger vision. Natalie shares what mediation actually looks like in practice, the types of real estate disputes she helps resolve, and the lessons she learned while launching her business less than a year ago. If you’ve ever thought about starting something of your own—or wondered how legal disputes can be resolved without spending years in court—you’ll want to hear this conversation. In This Episode We Talk About: Natalie’s transition from litigation attorney to mediator What property and real estate mediation actually involves Why some disputes are better resolved outside the courtroom How networking played a key role in building her business Recognizing the right season to start something new Setting boundaries and saying no as a new entrepreneur Feeling foggy, anxious, bloated, or burnt out? You’re not broken — your gut, brain, and nervous system may just need a reset. Learn more & join here: Gut Brain Reset   Connect with Natalie Lehman Website: https://www.blackacremediation.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackacremediation Natalie Lehman is the founder of Blackacre Mediation, where she helps individuals, businesses, and attorneys resolve property and real estate disputes through mediation.   Similar Episode to Listen To: If you enjoyed this conversation about networking and building a business through relationships, check out: Proximity Is Opportunity: The Relationship Strategy Behind Long-Term Business Success with Ruth Furman.