Rhonda Coleman Wandel is a commercial attorney, podcast host, and founder of RCW Strategies LLC, a legal consulting firm serving visionary companies and legal teams. In this episode, she shares her bold transition from education to law, her path through in-house legal roles, and why she recently stepped into entrepreneurship after years at companies like Accenture and Google. From Memphis to Chicago, single motherhood to legal leadership, Rhonda’s story is about clarity, courage, and walking your own path.
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Before becoming a lawyer, Rhonda Coleman Wandel spent ten years as a high school English teacher. She pursued creative ventures during summer breaks and launched an entrepreneurial project inspired by her kids, but eventually realized she wanted more: more learning, more autonomy, and more growth. Law felt like a path that could expand her options and help her build a fulfilling life, so she moved to Chicago, with her two young daughters, to attend law school as a newly single mom.
“I want to do something different, and law I felt like would provide me with more opportunities to be me. And it has," shares Rhonda Coleman Wandel on You Are A Lawyer.
Rhonda’s legal career has spanned in-house roles at the Big Ten Network, Accenture, and Google, where she led complex commercial deals and internal initiatives with strategic insight. Most recently, she launched her own consulting firm, RCW Strategies LLC, offering fractional and project-based legal services to high-growth teams and women-led companies. Her journey is a masterclass in reinvention, integrity, and creating space for your full self.
Rhonda chose law school as a reinvention tool. She had achieved success as a teacher, but the work no longer fulfilled her, and she wanted a career that allowed her to learn, grow, and fully express who she was becoming. Law represented opportunity and possibility. So she packed up her life in Memphis, enrolled in law school in Chicago, and embraced a brand new chapter.
“Although law school is challenging, the challenge didn’t feel bad to me. It felt liberating," reflects Rhonda Coleman Wandel on Episode 203 of You Are a Lawyer.
Rather than being daunted by starting over, Rhonda found joy in the rigor of law school. She was energized by the intellectual challenge, the fresh start, and the sense of direction. Her daughters were with her every step of the way, and law school became a shared journey in resilience and determination.
Rhonda’s advice to law students and early-career lawyers is simple: you can do whatever you want, but you have to get clear on what that is. Her law degree has enabled her to work across industries and titles, from legal-adjacent roles to leading commercial transactions at top-tier companies. Now, as the founder of her own legal consulting firm, she’s bringing her skills and values together in a way that’s fully aligned.
“You can do whatever you want, but the key is really knowing what that is," shared Rhonda Coleman Wandel on Episode 203 of You Are a Lawyer.
With RCW Strategies LLC, Rhonda offers fractional general counsel services, commercial deal support, and strategic legal advising to businesses who need senior-level insight without adding to headcount. She also prioritizes working with women-led companies, blending legal acumen with visionary partnership. Her law degree opened the door—but her clarity and courage are what helped her build the room.
Rhonda is the host of the Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast, a platform she created to amplify women's career stories and celebrate nontraditional professional journeys. The podcast was born from her own pivot into law and a desire to show women that they can chart their own course—regardless of what the status quo says.
“I wanted to create a space for women to come and talk about their unique career paths... and validate for other women like, look, you can walk your own path,” Rhonda Coleman Wandel shares in Episode 203 of You Are a Lawyer.
Through her show, Rhonda has interviewed remarkable women who’ve reinvented themselves, pivoted industries, and built lives of purpose and alignment. The podcast, like her legal career, is about service, voice, and visibility. It’s also an extension of her belief that success doesn’t look one way—and that storytelling can help us find freedom in our professional lives.
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Rhonda is licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois.
Learn more about Rhonda | RCW Strategies, LLC | Rhonda Coleman Wandel Podcast
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