Erica Carlson — Signature Talk Blueprint
Designed for This

Erica Carlson
Signature Talk Blueprint

Human Design: Manifester · Splenic Authority · 3/5 Profile
Defined Centers: Throat, Spleen, Root
Niche: Divorce Coach · Speaker
Date: June 2026
Core Hook — every talk, every room
"Erica bridges the gap between the legal & emotional worlds throughout a divorce."
Human Design

Erica's Natural Speaker Profile

This is the foundation of how Erica shows up, decides, and builds credibility — wired directly into her talk design.

Type
Manifester
Designed to initiate. Creates what doesn't exist yet. Bold vision, burst energy, category-creator on stage.
Strategy
Inform Before You Act
Walk the audience through what's coming before you do it. Not for them — for her. Lines her up. Creates peace.
Authority
Splenic
First instinct is right. The hit happens once and doesn't repeat. Create quiet before big decisions.
Profile
3/5 Experimenter / Heretic
Learns through trial and error — then teaches it. People project solutions onto her. Every "failure" = credibility.
Signature (aligned)
Peace
When she's in the right room, saying the right thing, she feels it as calm certainty.
Not-Self (watch for)
Anger
Anger shows up when she's blocked, controlled, or in the wrong room. A clear signal to exit or realign.
Defined Centers
Throat · Spleen · Root
Consistent voice, consistent intuition, consistent drive to initiate and complete. Her energy creates pressure that moves rooms.
Speaker Superpower
Stimulating Through Storytelling
Gate 56 — stories that move people. Paired with Gate 57 (reads the room) and Gate 12 (a noticeable voice). She is built for stages.
20 Active Gifts
1Self-expression with courage
5Fixed rhythms & timing
12A noticeable voice
16Mastery through repetition
17Substantiating opinions
18Finding what needs correction
26Tailoring your message
27A natural ability to nurture
28Making the most out of life
29Love of getting involved
31Leading with influence
33Privacy & retreat
38A warrior of the light
41Seeing all future outcomes
44Spotting trends & patterns
48Natural depth & wisdom
51Competitive spirit & initiation
52Strength in stillness
56Stimulating through storytelling
57Reading the room
Framework

The SAGE Approach

Three options built from Erica's own words. Run each through your Splenic Authority — first hit wins. One will land immediately. That's the one.

Option A Emotional to Empowered

"She holds the unhingedness. Then clears the path." — works for both audiences.

S
Stabilize
Stop the spiral. Get them off the floor and back in the room.
A
Acknowledge
What they feel is valid. No one walks down the aisle planning for this.
G
Ground
What is actually in their control right now. Rabbit holes closed.
E
Execute
Clear next steps. Ready for their attorney. Ready for mediation.
Option B Prepared for Worst, Ready for Best

"Erica's own words, almost verbatim. Most authentic." — strongest for client audience.

S
Safety
Feel safe enough to hear hard truths from someone who has actually been there.
A
Awareness
Know what's coming. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
G
Groundwork
Lay the legal and emotional foundation before court proceedings.
E
Empowerment
Leave the process with agency, clarity, and a better outcome.
Option C The Bridge-Builder

"Attorney-forward language. Best for referral partnerships, panels, and law firm outreach."

S
Support
The emotional side handled before it hits your inbox.
A
Anchor
Clients arrive grounded and anchored in what is real and actionable.
G
Guide
Navigate the process with education, lived experience, and a clear map.
E
Elevate
Attorneys become the hero. Clients get better outcomes. Everyone wins.
Naming Your Talk

Signature Talk Title Options

Four options per audience. Read each one out loud. The one that makes Erica's gut say "yes, that's it" — that's the one. Splenic hit, first reaction, done.

Attorney / Paralegal Audience
The Case for the Coach: Why Your Best Clients Still Need Someone Else in Their Corner
Speaks to their ego and their exhaustion in the same sentence. They feel seen before she says a word.
Best for: Family Law Institute, paralegal networks, attorney associations
From Unhinged to Unbothered: What Happens When Your Client Has a Coach Before They Have a Crisis
Uses the exact language attorneys use behind closed doors. Earns instant trust. Room laughs and relaxes.
Best for: Smaller attorney groups, divorce camp-style events, informal panels
Stop Answering Emotional Emails. Start Sending Clean Directives.
ROI-forward and direct. Billing-conscious attorneys feel the dollar value immediately.
Best for: Law firm presentations, paralegal networking, continuing ed sessions
Be the Hero You Went to Law School to Be
The core hook as a title. Aspirational and emotional. Strong for keynotes and panels.
Best for: Large conferences, Family Law Institute panels, opening keynote
Divorce Client / Consumer Audience
Prepare for the Worst. Hope for the Best. Here's How to Do Both.
Erica's own words. Most authentic option. Audiences feel like she already knows them.
Best for: Divorce Support Collective, consumer events, podcasts
I've Been There: What Nobody Tells You About Navigating Divorce
Story-led and credibility-first. 3/5 profile doing exactly what it's designed to do.
Best for: Intimate groups, support settings, virtual events
You Don't Have to Lose Everything to Start Over
Hope-forward and immediate. Stops the spiral of the room before she even starts.
Best for: Larger consumer audiences, women's groups, financial recovery events
Stop the Spiral: The Roadmap Nobody Gave You When You Filed
Action-oriented and urgent. Hits the pain point so precisely the room goes quiet.
Best for: Workshops, continuing education, online summits
Attorney + Paralegal Audience

Attorney Talk Outlines — 4 Lengths

Each talk starts with the core hook, builds the same arc, and scales with time. The credential strip (UW-Madison psych · St. Thomas counseling · Abbott school counseling · CDC · Certified Mediator) appears in every version.

Attorney Opening Hook
"You went to law school to practice law. Not to be a therapist. Not to answer 50 emotional emails before you can do your actual job. I'm Erica — and I take that part off your plate so you can be the hero you went to law school to be."
15-Minute Talk
Plant the seed
Attorney association, networking event, conference breakout
1
Open with the hook — name the problem they live every day. 50 emotional emails. The client who fired a great attorney because her feelings were never handled. Let the room cringe-laugh. (2 min)
2
The real cost — billable hours eaten by emotion. Burnout. Clients who are upset with their attorney because the emotional piece was never addressed. Make it concrete. (3 min)
3
What a coach actually does — one clear sentence: "I get the 50 emails. You get one clean directive." Introduce the SAGE approach by name. One sentence per letter. (4 min)
4
The trust credential — full education strip in one breath. Then: "And I've been through some of the worst of the worst. So I know exactly what your client is carrying." (2 min)
5
One clear CTA — free 1-hour consult. Hand out the trigger checklist. "These are the words worth listening for on your next intake call." (2 min)
Trigger checklist handout Business card + free consult
30-Minute Talk
Build belief
Law firm visit, paralegal association, small conference session
1
Open with hook + true scenario — the 50-email inbox. Walk them through a real scenario: attorney gets retained, client sends emotional flood, retainer disappears. Earn the room. (4 min)
2
The real problem underneath — clients aren't unreasonable. They're terrified. Two houses, less money, less time with kids. This is what the inbox is actually made of. Name their empathy. (4 min)
3
Full SAGE walkthrough — all four steps, each with one concrete example showing what changes in the attorney's inbox when each step happens. (8 min)
4
The credential moment — full education strip. Then: "I have been through some of the worst of the worst — and I made it through. That's why I can sit across from your client and tell them the truth in a way they can actually hear it." (5 min)
5
Before and after — before Erica: emotional spiral, 50 emails, $400/hour used on feelings. After Erica: one clean directive, attorney as hero, better outcome. (4 min)
6
CTA + open Q&A — trigger checklist walkthrough. Free consult. Invite questions. (5 min)
SAGE checklist laminate Business card + free consult Table display option
45-Minute Talk
Build trust + relationship
Attorney association luncheon, Family Law Institute breakout, paralegal chapter meeting
1
Open with humor + hook — lead with what attorneys say behind closed doors. Name what they actually deal with and let the room exhale. Earn trust fast. (5 min)
2
The emotional tax on attorneys — burnout, billing hours eaten by emotion, clients who fire good attorneys because feelings went unhandled. Make the case that this affects their reputation, income, and mental health. (7 min)
3
Full SAGE walkthrough — each step with a real client example. Attorneys can see exactly how the hand-off works. No ambiguity about roles. (12 min)
4
Credential moment + brief story — full education strip first. Then: "I fought for 10 years. I've been through some of the worst of the worst. I'm telling you enough so you know I've earned this seat." (8 min)
5
The mediation case — power of staying out of litigation. How Erica helps clients choose mediation, which means less cost and less conflict for the attorney and the family. (5 min)
6
Live trigger checklist + CTA — walk through the checklist together. "These are the words worth listening for on your very next intake call." Q&A. Free consult. Referral protocol. (8 min)
Laminated trigger checklist Referral protocol one-pager Free consult offer Table presence
90-Minute Talk
Full workshop / keynote
Family Law Institute keynote, law firm training day, continuing education session
1
Open with full problem landscape — divorce camp energy. The stories attorneys tell privately. The burnout they carry. Name it all without judgment. (10 min)
2
Full education + lived experience intro — all credentials. Then the story: fought 10 years, through the worst of the worst, built this work from that experience. "This is why I get to stand here." (10 min)
3
The emotional tax — deep dive — real cost to attorneys, clients, and outcomes. The court system isn't built for the complexity of families. That gap is exactly where Erica works. (10 min)
4
Full SAGE workshop — interactive — each step with real case examples. Attorneys ask questions. Working session energy. Make it live. (25 min)
5
Live trigger checklist exercise — go through each trigger word together. Discuss what they've heard in intake calls. Build the habit in real time. (15 min)
6
The referral system — how the attorney-coach relationship actually works. What Erica does, what she never does, why clients take the hard truth from her that they won't take from counsel. (10 min)
7
Close + CTA — the vision: what the attorney's practice looks like when every complex client has a coach. They get to be the hero. Every. Single. Time. Open Q&A. (10 min)
Full SAGE workbook Referral intake card CEU credit potential Speaking fee: $4,800 base
Divorce Client / Consumer Audience

Client Talk Outlines — 4 Lengths

Lead with the client result every time. Story comes mid-talk — after credibility is established, before the hope close. The SAGE approach becomes a roadmap, not a framework.

Client Audience Opening Hook
"When my divorce started, I told myself it would be okay. I had the education. I had the training. I had been through hard things. What I didn't have was someone who had been through exactly what I was about to walk into — and could tell me the truth about what was coming. That is exactly what I want to give you today."
15-Minute Talk
Open the door
Divorce Support Collective, referral event, virtual intro talk
1
Lead with the result — clients who work with a divorce coach before entering the legal process make better decisions, spend less, and get through it with more of themselves intact. Paint the picture first. (2 min)
2
Name the spiral — the rabbit holes, the 3am what-ifs, the emotional chaos that makes a hard process even harder. They are nodding. (3 min)
3
The one-line credibility drop — "I have the degrees, the certifications, and I have been through some of the worst of the worst. So when I sit with you, I know exactly what you're carrying." (3 min)
4
What a coach does in 3 sentences — I stop the spiral. I prepare you for what's coming. I get you ready for your attorney so every meeting counts and no money is wasted. (3 min)
5
CTA — free 1-hour consult. Tell them what to expect. Make it easy to say yes. (2 min)
Free consult offer Simple takeaway card
30-Minute Talk
Build trust
Divorce Support Collective feature, women's group, community workshop
1
Lead with client result — paint the picture of grounded, prepared, and clear-headed through one of the hardest seasons of their life. Hold that image for the whole talk. (4 min)
2
The spiral they're living — too many rabbit holes, attorney meetings costing money, nobody holding the emotional piece. Name what's actually happening in their daily life. (5 min)
3
Mid-talk story moment — one specific moment. "I will never forget sitting across from my attorney and realizing nobody had prepared me for what was about to happen." Just enough. (6 min)
4
SAGE approach — simplified as roadmap — four steps in plain language. Make it feel like a map they can hold, not a methodology. (8 min)
5
The hope piece — "Even when it doesn't go how you planned — and sometimes it won't — there is always a next step. You are not stuck." (4 min)
6
CTA — free consult, community, next step. (3 min)
Roadmap one-pager Free consult card DSC connection
45-Minute Talk
Transform the room
Consumer workshop, support group keynote, community event
1
Lead with result + audience connection — who is in this room, what they're carrying, what's possible on the other side. Set the image of peace early. Hold it. (5 min)
2
The system is not built for your family — mediation, court, discovery — none of it was designed for the complexity of the life they built together. Name this truth. The room relaxes. (6 min)
3
Full credentials + mid-talk story — education strip first. Then the story: fought 10 years, through the worst of the worst, still here, still helping. "I'm not going to tell you it will all be fine. I'm going to tell you I've been through what you're most afraid of — and I made it through." (10 min)
4
Full SAGE walkthrough — each step with audience-matching examples. Normalize every feeling. Give them a map they can hold. (12 min)
5
The mediation piece — practical power — you have more power than you think. What can be decided in mediation vs. what goes to a judge who doesn't know your family. Empowering and concrete. (7 min)
6
Hope close + CTA — "Rose-colored glasses aren't the goal. But hope is always available. This is where you start." Q&A, free consult, handout. (5 min)
SAGE roadmap handout Mediation prep checklist Free consult
90-Minute Talk
Full workshop / keynote
Signature workshop, continuing education session, summit keynote
1
Open with the full vision — who is in this room, what they're carrying, what's possible. Set working-session energy from the start, not a lecture. (8 min)
2
Full credentials + full story — everything. The degrees, the certifications, the marriage, the 10-year fight, losing her daughter in the process. "I'm sharing this because you deserve to know exactly who is standing in front of you." (15 min)
3
Legal system deep-dive — what mediation can do, what court actually does, why the first attorney consult matters more than most people know. Practical legal literacy for emotional humans. (15 min)
4
Full SAGE workshop — interactive — each step with live audience questions. Real scenarios from the room. Erica answers from lived experience and expertise. (25 min)
5
The rabbit hole exercise — "Name your three biggest what-ifs right now." Walk through which ones are worth addressing now and which ones are rabbit holes. Close the spiral in real time. (10 min)
6
Hope close + extended Q&A — "It doesn't always go the way you planned. There is always a next step. This is where you start." CTA, coaching offer intro, referral to attorney network. (17 min)
Full SAGE workbook Mediation prep guide Attorney referral network card Coaching offer intro CEU credit potential
Leave-Behind Tool

The SAGE Trigger Checklist

Two versions — one for each audience. The attorney version gets laminated and clipped to their intake folder or pinned to their monitor. The client version is a simple decision card. Both are CTA-ready.

Attorney / Paralegal Version
Words worth listening for on your next intake call. When you hear these, bring in the coach.
✓
"We have kids" + both parents are employed
Emotional complexity guaranteed. Coach intake recommended.
✓
"This is high conflict" or client mentions anger, restraining orders
Emotional management is essential before legal work can move cleanly.
✓
Client is the stay-at-home parent or recently re-entered workforce
Financial identity crisis is layered on top of divorce. Coach handles that piece.
✓
Significant shared assets (business, real estate, retirement accounts)
More decisions = more emotional spiraling. Coach keeps them grounded and decision-ready.
✓
"My spouse blindsided me" — they didn't see it coming
Trauma response is active. Attorney meetings will be less effective without support.
✓
Client sending more than 3 emails/week before hearings
The inbox is filling with emotion, not legal direction. Coach intervention saves billable hours.
✓
"I want everything" in initial consult
Unrealistic expectations need a coach to calibrate — not an attorney billing to do it.
✓
Client mentions fear of mediation or wants to skip straight to litigation
Coach can help them understand the power they have in mediation before they give it up.
Client / Consumer Version
Are you in the middle of this right now? These are signs a divorce coach could change your entire experience.
✓
You're waking up at 3am running through scenarios that haven't happened yet
That's the spiral. A coach stops it.
✓
Every conversation with your attorney turns emotional and you feel behind
You're spending money to process feelings. There's a better way.
✓
You don't know what mediation actually means for your situation
You have more power here than anyone told you.
✓
You feel blindsided by what's happening and don't know what to prepare for
Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. Start here.
✓
You have kids and you're making decisions from fear, not strategy
Fear-based decisions in divorce are the ones people regret. A coach changes that.
✓
You wish someone would just tell you what's normal to expect
I have been through some of the worst of the worst. I can tell you.
✓
You feel like you're losing yourself in the process
There is a version of you on the other side of this. A coach helps you find her.
✓
You've been told "just trust your attorney" but something still feels missing
Attorneys are for legal. Coaches are for the rest. You need both.
How She Introduces Herself

Speaker Bio — 3 Versions

Short, medium, and long. Each version leads with what Erica does for the audience before it lists credentials. Built to be copied directly into speaker applications, event programs, and email outreach.

One-Paragraph Bio (event programs + social)
~75 words

Erica Carlson is a Certified Divorce Coach, certified mediator, and licensed counseling psychologist who bridges the gap between the legal process and the emotional experience of divorce. With advanced degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of St. Thomas, and Abbott Northwestern, she brings both deep expertise and lived experience to every stage. Erica helps clients prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and stop the spiral — so they arrive at every attorney meeting clear, grounded, and decision-ready.

Full Speaker Bio (speaker applications + websites)
~175 words

Erica Carlson knows what it feels like to sit across from your attorney and realize nobody prepared you for what was coming. After navigating more than a decade of her own contentious divorce — one of the most complex and painful she has ever witnessed — she turned that experience into a practice built on the belief that people deserve both a great attorney and someone in their corner for everything else.

As a Certified Divorce Coach, certified mediator, and licensed counseling psychologist — with graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of St. Thomas, and Abbott Northwestern — Erica brings the rare combination of professional training and personal truth to her clients and her stages.

Through her SAGE Approach, she helps divorcing individuals stabilize, gain awareness, lay the legal groundwork, and step into empowerment — so attorneys can focus on the law, clients can make clear decisions, and everyone walks away with a better outcome than they thought possible.

Attorney-Specific Bio (law firm outreach + legal event applications)
~130 words · attorney audience

Erica Carlson is a Certified Divorce Coach, certified mediator, and licensed counseling psychologist who specializes in bridging the emotional and legal sides of divorce — so attorneys can do the work they went to law school to do.

With advanced degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of St. Thomas, and Abbott Northwestern, Erica works alongside attorneys and paralegals to reduce emotional inbox volume, prepare clients for mediation and court proceedings, and help families make sound decisions under pressure. She has built her practice on a simple truth: when clients have a coach, attorneys get clean directives, lower conflict, and more grateful clients.

Erica speaks at attorney associations, family law institutes, and paralegal networks on the ROI of the attorney-coach relationship.

What the Event Host Reads From the Stage

Our next speaker has spent more than a decade navigating one of the most complex personal and legal journeys a person can face — and she turned that experience into a practice that is changing the way divorce gets done in this country. She is a Certified Divorce Coach, a certified mediator, and holds graduate degrees in psychology and counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of St. Thomas, and Abbott Northwestern. She bridges the legal world with the emotional world so that attorneys can be the hero they went to law school to be — and clients can come out the other side with more of themselves intact. Please welcome Erica Carlson.

Note for event hosts: Erica is a Manifester — she will walk you through exactly how she wants to be introduced before the event. This is part of her process and it works. Let her do it.
Getting on Stages

Speaker Outreach Emails

Two versions — one for attorney/legal events, one for consumer/support events. Each leads with their audience's problem, not Erica's credentials. Copy, personalize, send.

Speaking as a Business

ROI Framework + Pricing Ladder

Built from Erica's Splenic first hit in the session. The $4,800 base came from trusting the gut, then doubling twice. This is the framework — start here and build up.

First 3 Talks
Free
ROI = photography, video B-roll, testimonials, and learning what the room needs. No iPhone footage — professional photographer minimum.
Next 3 Talks
$1,200
Getting comfortable. Building the post-talk system. Refining the CTA. This is the "I know what I'm doing" stage.
Growing Stage
$2,400
Before it feels comfortable — that's the point. Splenic authority says the discomfort isn't a signal to stop. It's a signal to trust.
Base Rate
$4,800
The number. Attorneys respect higher fees. This is the baseline before negotiating, not the number to apologize for.
ROI Tracking — What Erica Gets From Every Talk
Photography
Professional only. Website, speaker page, social proof.
Video B-Roll
Speaking clips for website. Speaker reel foundation. Cam as first choice.
Testimonials
From event organizer AND one attendee. Collect same day.
Referrals
Who is in the room. Who do they know. Always a next door from a stage.
CEU Credit Potential
Get certified. Unlocks premium fees from legal and professional networks.
Coaching Clients
Every talk is a door to coaching. CTA always. Every room has the right person in it.
From Here

Erica's Next 10 Moves

In order. Suz handles the Claude magic. Erica handles the gut decisions and the phone calls. Together this thing gets built.

01
Pick the SAGE option
Read all three out loud. First hit. Done. Text Suz the letter.
02
Pick the title for each audience
One for attorneys, one for clients. Gut check. These go on everything.
03
Answer Angie's questions
Record voice notes from this doc. Claude turns them into polished application answers.
04
Print + laminate the trigger checklist
Attorney version first. Bring to Katie meeting and Amanda meeting as a leave-behind.
05
Practice the Zoom talk (Angie's)
15-minute attorney version. Use slides. Look into the camera. Three engaged faces on screen. You've got this.
06
Send outreach email to first attorney event
Attorney version above. Personalize 2 sentences. Send within 48 hours of reading this.
07
Find the Pink Bear Paralegal Network
Attend one meeting. Bring the trigger checklist. Introduce the SAGE approach. Do not speak for free — offer a consult instead.
08
Research CEU certification
Ask Angie for the eWomen speaker contact (Kristen). One call. This unlocks premium pricing from legal and professional networks.
09
Book professional photos + video
Cam first. Next speaking opportunity, not the one after. Speaker page cannot be built without this.
10
Build the speaker website page
One page. Bio + talk titles + CTA. After photos and video exist. That's the signal it's time.
Built by Designed for This · Erica Carlson Signature Talk Blueprint · June 2026 · All content derived from session transcript