Jesse Wilson
Mary Frances Broughman
Anthony Szpak
Jesse Wilson
Mary Frances Broughman
Anthony Szpak
Tell The Winning Story’s Jury Trial Consulting Services are primarily offered in the areas of
WitnessPreparation
Including Expert Witness, Lay Witness
and Adverse Witness Preparation
Story Development & Presentation
Witness Preparation: Preparing clients to communicate effectively under pressure while maintaining credibility and composure
Testimony Strategy: Identifying strengths, potential landmines, and key narrative arcs within witness testimony
Direct Examination Development: Structuring and refining direct examinations to ensure clarity, flow, and emotional impact
Story Development: Shaping case narratives that integrate both factual clarity and emotional resonance to maximize noneconomic damages
Case Review: Assessing case materials to identify narrative strengths, gaps, and opportunities for clearer, more effective delivery at deposition and trial
Witness Positioning (“Casting”): Helping witnesses step into roles that align with their authentic identity and strengthen connection with the jury
Tell The Winning Story’s Jury Trial Consulting Services are primarily offered in the areas of
WitnessPreparation
Including Expert Witness, Lay Witness
and Adverse Witness Preparation
Story Development & Presentation
Witness Preparation: Preparing clients to communicate effectively under pressure while maintaining credibility and composure
Testimony Strategy: Identifying strengths, potential landmines, and key narrative arcs within witness testimony
Direct Examination Development: Structuring and refining direct examinations to ensure clarity, flow, and emotional impact
Story Development: Shaping case narratives that integrate both factual clarity and emotional resonance to maximize noneconomic damages
Case Review: Assessing case materials to identify narrative strengths, gaps, and opportunities for clearer, more effective delivery at deposition and trial
Witness Positioning (“Casting”): Helping witnesses step into roles that align with their authentic identity and strengthen connection with the jury
Witness Preparation
(Virtual and In-Person)
In our consulting work, the primary focus areas are being able to shift your Client/Witness from the Role of The Victim to the Role of The Victor.
This is the foundation for Jesse’s books Witness Preparation: How To Tell The Winning Story and The Most Important Juror: Embrace the Winning Story in Jury Selection, Opening Statement & Rebuttal (Trial Guides) and the KEY to our approach with every trial team, not just in witness preparation but in helping frame and present your entire case to judge and jury. (The origins of the Victim to Victor approach came from Jesse Wilson working with inmates and addicts in prisons across Colorado- a powerful and game-changing experience.)
Most clients painfully cast themselves in the wrong role- the role they believe the jurors need to see them as. Our message to the client is simple, transformational, and it’s within the first five minutes of meeting with your client.
You are not your pain.
You are the strength of trying
(key word) to overcome your pain.
This is who you are.
This is what we need to show the jury.
We are here to show the story of strength.
In our experience, once the witness deeply and emotionally understands what it will take to help them win their case (although it is never their case to win when they are on the stand; that is the lawyer’s job) we find that the rest of the objectives needed to cover in our prep sessions with the client become infinitely easier.
Amazing what happens
when you know your role!
Once the Witness is warmed up to their role as The Victor, not The Victim, more specifically, witness preparation entails:
Direct/Cross
Wordsmithing
and Rehearsal
Flipping the script
on the Killshots/Danger
points of defense
Nonverbal
communication
Listening
(Less is more… unless
more is more with joy)
Don’t guess/
don’t volunteer
Sticking with the 3 C’s
(Cool, Calm, Considerate)
Staying in your lane –
not your case to win
Witness Preparation
(Virtual and In-Person)
In our consulting work, the primary focus areas are being able to shift your Client/Witness from the Role of The Victim to the Role of The Victor.
This is the foundation for Jesse’s books Witness Preparation: How To Tell The Winning Story and The Most Important Juror: Embrace the Winning Story in Jury Selection, Opening Statement & Rebuttal (Trial Guides) and the KEY to our approach with every trial team, not just in witness preparation but in helping frame and present your entire case to judge and jury. (The origins of the Victim to Victor approach came from Jesse Wilson working with inmates and addicts in prisons across Colorado- a powerful and game-changing experience.)
Most clients painfully cast themselves in the wrong role- the role they believe the jurors need to see them as. Our message to the client is simple, transformational, and it’s within the first five minutes of meeting with your client.
You are not your pain.
You are the strength of trying
(key word) to overcome your pain.
This is who you are.
This is what we need to show the jury.
We are here to show the story of strength.
In our experience, once the witness deeply and emotionally understands what it will take to help them win their case (although it is never their case to win when they are on the stand; that is the lawyer’s job) we find that the rest of the objectives needed to cover in our prep sessions with the client become infinitely easier.
Amazing what happens when you know
your role!
Once the Witness is warmed up to their role as The Victor, not The Victim, more specifically, witness preparation entails:
Direct/Cross
Wordsmithing
and Rehearsal
Flipping the script
on the Killshots/Danger
points of defense
Nonverbal
communication
Listening
(Less is more… unless
more is more with joy)
Don’t guess/
don’t volunteer
Sticking with the 3 C’s
(Cool, Calm, Considerate)
Staying in your lane –
not your case to win
Story Development & Presentation
(Virtual and In-Person)
Don’t tell the story you want to tell,
tell the story you have to tell!
Tell The Winning Story’s case strategy session is a collaborative process that focuses efforts on the development of the case narrative, themes, and language that will effectively reach the heart of the jury.
Story Development & Presentation
(Virtual and In-Person)
Tell The Winning Story’s case strategy session is a collaborative process that focuses efforts on the development of the case narrative, themes, and language that will effectively reach the heart of the jury.
Don’t tell the story you want to tell, tell the story you have to tell!
We Will Help You:
Develop the Opening/Closing story so the right story powerfully resonates with the jury
Rehearse the Opening/Closing story
Work with you on all verbal and non-verbal communication to create a compelling and congruent message the jury can trust
Create, Integrate, Rehearse, and Choreograph Powerpoint Presentation, Exhibits and Demonstratives with your Opening Statement and/or Closing Argument
Direct/Cross Examination Sequencing, Wordsmithing
and 4 Steps of The Stage Preparation
(Happy to walk you through what our
radically simplified 4 Step Process looks like)
Voir Dire sequencing and rehearsal with jurors
(focus groups)
Identify central case strengths and weaknesses (kill shots of defense), focusing on how to successfully embrace
and integrate them into the case narrative
Before giving us a call to discuss the development and presentation of your case and the preparation with your client/s, please take a moment to reflect upon these questions:
Tell The
Winning
Story Client Checklist
Does your client fall more into the Victim vs Victor category? (99% of most witnesses are stuck in the Victim Trap!)
On a scale of 1-10, how do you rate the client’s ability to tell a credible / winning story?
What do you feel is their “beneath the surface” story (the one that may not ever necessarily need be communicated verbally to the jury)?
What do you feel is your client’s greatest strength?
What do you feel is your client’s greatest weakness?
How confident are you in your client’s direct/cross examination?
Before giving us a call to discuss the development and presentation of your case and the preparation with your client/s, please take a moment to reflect upon these questions:
Tell The
Winning
Story Client Checklist
Does your client fall more into the Victim vs Victor category? (99% of most witnesses are stuck in the Victim Trap!)
On a scale of 1-10, how do you rate the client’s ability to tell a credible / winning story?
What do you feel is their “beneath the surface” story (the one that may not ever necessarily need be communicated verbally to the jury)?
What do you feel is your client’s greatest strength?
What do you feel is your client’s greatest weakness?
How confident are you in your client’s direct/cross examination?
Jesse Wilson
Jesse Wilson is a communications specialist and jury trial lawyer consultant. A Juilliard theater graduate, after twenty-five years of working in the world of theater, he has created Tell the Winning Story to empower trial lawyers to deliver high-impact presentations, as well as rapidly transform their communication and collaboration skills to effectively prepare clients and witnesses to testify.
Jesse was inspired to create Tell the Winning Story after co-developing a theater behind-bars program for inmates. The program helped inmates make powerful changes in their lives.
Tell the Winning Story gives lawyers the tools to get beyond telling a “hidden, safe ‘surface’ story” and powerfully connecting to a story that goes right to the heart of their audience.
Jesse’s hands-on training is featured in his seminars, law-firm retreats, intensives, small-group workshops, and webinars.
Jesse is the author of “Witness Preparation: How To Tell The Winning Story” and “The Most Important Juror: Embrace the Winning Story in Jury Selection, Opening Statement & Rebuttal” from Trial Guides.
Jesse is happy to finally call Colorado Springs his home with his wife, Branda, and his children Autumn and Nicholas.
Jesse Wilson
Jesse Wilson is a communications specialist and jury trial lawyer consultant. A Juilliard theater graduate, after twenty-five years of working in the world of theater, he has created Tell the Winning Story to empower trial lawyers to deliver high-impact presentations, as well as rapidly transform their communication and collaboration skills to effectively prepare clients and witnesses to testify.
Jesse was inspired to create Tell the Winning Story after co-developing a theater behind-bars program for inmates. The program helped inmates make powerful changes in their lives.
Tell the Winning Story gives lawyers the tools to get beyond telling a “hidden, safe ‘surface’ story” and powerfully connecting to a story that goes right to the heart of their audience.
Jesse’s hands-on training is featured in his seminars, law-firm retreats, intensives, small-group workshops, and webinars.
Jesse is the author of “Witness Preparation: How To Tell The Winning Story” and “The Most Important Juror: Embrace the Winning Story in Jury Selection, Opening Statement & Rebuttal” from Trial Guides.
Jesse is happy to finally call Colorado Springs his home with his wife, Branda, and his children Autumn and Nicholas.
Mary Frances Broughman
Mary Frances Broughman is a trial strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the legal field, bringing a rare perspective shaped by work on both sides of the courtroom. She began her career in insurance defense before spending the last 16 years working with plaintiffs, giving her a deep understanding of how cases are built, challenged, and ultimately believed.
She works with attorneys, expert witnesses, plaintiffs, and lay witnesses to help them deliver more credible testimony and form stronger, more authentic connections with juries. What she does is especially powerful with those who feel resistant and emotionally blocked—guiding them into a place of clarity, confidence, and control.
In addition to her legal background, Mary Frances is a former ballerina and ABT-certified ballet instructor for a pre-professional company in the Florida panhandle. This unique foundation informs her approach to trial preparation, where breath, movement, and nonverbal communication play a critical role in how a story is experienced.
She helps clients regulate anxiety, strengthen their presence, and fully embody their story—so that what they say and how they show up are aligned.
Known for her intuitive, warm, and authoritative presence, Mary Frances has contributed to high-stakes, high-value cases resulting in record outcomes. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy and embodiment, ensuring that clients are not only prepared—but deeply believed.
Mary Frances Broughman
Mary Frances Broughman is a trial strategist with more than 20 years of experience in the legal field, bringing a rare perspective shaped by work on both sides of the courtroom. She began her career in insurance defense before spending the last 16 years working with plaintiffs, giving her a deep understanding of how cases are built, challenged, and ultimately believed.
She works with attorneys, expert witnesses, plaintiffs, and lay witnesses to help them deliver more credible testimony and form stronger, more authentic connections with juries. What she does is especially powerful with those who feel resistant and emotionally blocked—guiding them into a place of clarity, confidence, and control.
In addition to her legal background, Mary Frances is a former ballerina and ABT-certified ballet instructor for a pre-professional company in the Florida panhandle. This unique foundation informs her approach to trial preparation, where breath, movement, and nonverbal communication play a critical role in how a story is experienced.
She helps clients regulate anxiety, strengthen their presence, and fully embody their story—so that what they say and how they show up are aligned.
Known for her intuitive, warm, and authoritative presence, Mary Frances has contributed to high-stakes, high-value cases resulting in record outcomes. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy and embodiment, ensuring that clients are not only prepared—but deeply believed.
Anthony Szpak
Anthony Szpak is a jury trial consultant who specializes in witness preparation and testimony strategy. He brings over 15 years of experience helping people navigate trauma, regulate under pressure, and tell their story with clarity and confidence. Through his work with at-risk students in high-pressure academic environments, he developed a practical understanding of how people respond to stress, why communication breaks down, and what it takes to create the conditions for someone to stay present when it matters most.
Anthony brought that understanding to the world of narrative development, working with major studios including 21st Century Fox, Castle Rock Entertainment, FX Network, and Paramount Television Studios. He has appeared on Comedy Central and opened for Penn & Teller. As a producer and screenwriter, he crafted stories that don’t just capture attention, but inspire a genuine connection—building characters with depth and resilience, and shaping narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.
In 2025, Anthony brought this combined background into the courtroom through Tell the Winning Story, under the mentorship of Jesse Wilson.
As a jury trial consultant, Anthony prepares witnesses to communicate credibly and without the defensive patterns that often undermine testimony. He draws on his experience in trauma-based work to help people regulate under pressure, while using his narrative training to shape testimony that is structured, coherent, and emotionally grounded. His approach integrates presence, perspective, and well-timed humor to lower defenses and reconnect witnesses to moments of authenticity and joy—giving juries a clearer understanding of who the witness is and what has been lost.
Anthony understands that most witnesses aren’t struggling with the facts—they’re struggling with the armor they’ve built around them. It shows up as over-explaining, defensiveness, losing composure, or shutting down—behaviors juries recognize immediately.
The result isn’t a rehearsed performance—it’s testimony that feels natural, consistent, and trustworthy.
When a witness drops the armor, the jury doesn’t just hear the story—they believe it.
Anthony Szpak
Anthony Szpak is a jury trial consultant who specializes in witness preparation and testimony strategy. He brings over 15 years of experience helping people navigate trauma, regulate under pressure, and tell their story with clarity and confidence. Through his work with at-risk students in high-pressure academic environments, he developed a practical understanding of how people respond to stress, why communication breaks down, and what it takes to create the conditions for someone to stay present when it matters most.
Anthony brought that understanding to the world of narrative development, working with major studios including 21st Century Fox, Castle Rock Entertainment, FX Network, and Paramount Television Studios. He has appeared on Comedy Central and opened for Penn & Teller. As a producer and screenwriter, he crafted stories that don’t just capture attention, but inspire a genuine connection—building characters with depth and resilience, and shaping narratives that resonate with audiences worldwide.
In 2025, Anthony brought this combined background into the courtroom through Tell the Winning Story, under the mentorship of Jesse Wilson.
As a jury trial consultant, Anthony prepares witnesses to communicate credibly and without the defensive patterns that often undermine testimony. He draws on his experience in trauma-based work to help people regulate under pressure, while using his narrative training to shape testimony that is structured, coherent, and emotionally grounded. His approach integrates presence, perspective, and well-timed humor to lower defenses and reconnect witnesses to moments of authenticity and joy—giving juries a clearer understanding of who the witness is and what has been lost.
Anthony understands that most witnesses aren’t struggling with the facts—they’re struggling with the armor they’ve built around them. It shows up as over-explaining, defensiveness, losing composure, or shutting down—behaviors juries recognize immediately.
The result isn’t a rehearsed performance—it’s testimony that feels natural, consistent, and trustworthy.
When a witness drops the armor, the jury doesn’t just hear the story—they believe it.
