Business Innovators Radio - The Inspired Impact Podcast with Judy Carlson-Interview with Beth Mitchell, Partner, Ambler | Keenan | Mitchell | Johnson

Episode Date: August 12, 2025

Beth Mitchell is a partner in the law firm of Ambler | Keenan | Mitchell | Johnson. Beth devotes her practice to estate planning, special needs planning, and probate and trust administration. She is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Denver Bar Association, and the Colorado Bar Association, where she is a member of the Trust and Estates Section and the Elder Law Section.Beth sincerely enjoys working with families to make sure that estate matters are handled correctly and efficiently. She is a frequent speaker for professionals and the public on educational topics involving estate planning, probate, and trust administration.Beth received her B.A. in English and Speech Communications from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She was awarded her J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law, where she was an editor for the Preventive Law Reporter and an active member of the University of Denver Student Law Office’s Battered Women’s Clemency Project.Beth is admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, and the 10th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.Prior to joining Ambler | Keenan | Mitchell | Johnson, Beth’s diverse background included working for the Colorado Bar Association, with the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence as an AmeriCorps member and interning with South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson on Capitol Hill. She is a South Dakota native who loves to travel and has enjoyed living in Iowa, New York, Washington D.C., and Colorado.https://ambler-keenan.com/https://ambler-keenan.com/staff-profile/elizabeth-d-mitchell/https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-d-mitchell-23b984/*************************************************************Judy Carlson is the CEO and Founder of the Judy Carlson Financial Group, where she helps couples create personalized, coordinated financial plans that support the life they want to live – now and in the future.As an Independent Fiduciary and Comprehensive Financial Planner, Judy specializes in retirement income and wealth decumulation strategies. She is a CPA, Investment Advisor Representative, licensed in life and health insurance, and certified in long-term care planning.Judy’s mission is to help guide clients with clarity and care, building financial plans that focus on real planning built around real lives. Learn More: https://judycarlson.com/Investment Adviser Representative of and advisory services offered through Royal Fund Management, LLC, a SEC Registered Adviser.The Inspired Impact Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/the-inspired-impact-podcast-with-judy-carlson-interview-with-beth-mitchell-partner-ambler-keenan-mitchell-johnson

Welcome to the Inspired Impact Podcast, where dedicated female professionals share how they inspire impact every day. Authentic stories, passionate commitment, lives transformed. I'm your host, Judy Carlson. Welcome to today's episode of the Inspired Impact Podcast. Today's guest is a partner in a law firm. She devotes her practice to estate planning, special needs planning, and probate and trust administration. Big words there. I've known Beth for 12 years and I have a deep respect for her and her practice.

I'm excited to introduce you to Beth Mitchell. Welcome to the podcast, Beth. Thanks for having me. I'm excited. Yeah. So you've been an estate planning attorney and in the state planning attorney. and in the law fields for years. So that has to be a passion of yours.

How did you get started? Yeah, it's crazy when I look at it. I've been doing this for 24 plus years now, almost 25. And I do think about how I got here. And I guess where it all starts was I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I was a little kid. Wow. I was a weird little kid. I was an old soul.

I remember watching the 1980 election returns. I was in kindergarten. And I was watching the election returns. And I had this conversation with my parents about who they voted for. I knew it was a big deal. I knew they didn't have to tell me. I knew it was private. But I wanted to know who they voted for.

And they told me. And I believe I called them racists because they didn't vote for Jesse Jackson because I thought it was time for the first black president. I was very idealistic. Sure. Little kindergartner. Right. And so we had a conversation about, you know, why they voted for who they voted for and all of that. But that was always just part of my like nature, right, was I always fought for the underdog.

I always had that, like this, you know, right to fight for justice was who I am, even as a little kid. And so I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer and just started pursuing that, whether that was in my activities in high school. In high school, I was a debater, which I know sounds like lots of fun. but it actually was. Watertown, South Dakota actually had the number two debate program in the nation. And so we spent a lot of time doing policy debate and oratory. And I was, you know, I spent four years doing that. Was the state champion.

Went to nationals, nationally ranked. You know, I knew I had to learn how to speak in public. which is a difficult thing to do, to persuade, to make your case, to have evidence. And so, you know, that kind of set me on the path. And I was, as I was thinking about coming to talk to you today, I was thinking, I think I was very lucky in that I never felt, I never felt like anybody told me I couldn't do something because I was a girl. I just barreled through. I think with my passion and my naivity, just said, well, I'm just going to do this.

The only time I think I ever really felt that I was told I couldn't do something, I was a freshman in college. I decided I wanted to be a political science major. and my advisor when I went to go meet with him and I said, I want to get an internship in Washington, D.C. I want to work on the Hill because I was very interested in politics. And he said to me, this 18-year-old, bright-eyed sorority girl, a pretty young thing like you, no, that's not for you. you should look at something else. Maybe you should be a teacher. Now, I mean, I was sitting there thinking,

well, I've kind of accomplished some things. I'm a state debate champion. I've been on the dean's list every semester. I have a 4.0 average. I'm not an idiot. And so I walked out of his office across campus to my English professor who I knew thought that I was talented and special. And I said, will you be my advisor? And he was a great advisor, you know, great teachers. I'm getting emotional because it's, it brings up a lot. But I think it's important for young women to find people who believe in them, who, you know, will back them and help them find their way.

Because it would have been very easy to say, oh, well, my advisor says that I should, that I should just be average. At any rate. So I switched my major and finished out school, applied for law school, knew that I wanted to be in Colorado, although I did get that internship in D.C. And I lived in New York for a while too. And decided to live in Colorado and came out here for law school.

And I always thought that I would be in public interest law or politics because my passion was helping people. My passion was fighting for the underdog. And then after law school, I very quickly realized it's really hard to live indoors and have heat and eat food on $18,000 a year if you want to be in public interest law. So I needed to find something that I could do where I could make a difference, but I could also make a decent living, right, especially as a woman. And I was a single woman at that point, right? I need to be able to support myself. Sure. I think initially, especially as young women, and if you're idealistic, you're taught that it's bad to think about earning money, shouldn't

be about that. It should be about the cause. But the reality is that you need to be able to support yourself as well. Right. And so I had worked for Ambler and Keenan when I was in law school. And then after I graduated, I went and worked for the Bar Association for a little bit. I was waiting for a position to open up with the legislature, which never opened up. And then one day, Phil Keenan called me and said, hey, do you want to come back? And I thought to myself, you know, state planning could be the right place for me. Wow. You know, it could be the right place. It's a place where you get to talk to people every day.

You get to help them. You get to be there to take the burden off of people when they're really breathing, dealing with illnesses. you can be kind. You can use all of the knowledge that you've learned to help them through really difficult times and do what you can to keep their family intact so that they don't kill each other over miniscual things. And that is how I wound up in estate planning. Wow.

the journey from kindergarten to law school. Wow. I love your circuitous route, Beth. And as you look back, having had all those different ideas in your earlier years, now as an estate planning attorney, do you see all of those fulfilled, all those dreams? I do. You know, there's, I had one of my professors who I've stayed in touch with, and he called me a couple years ago, and he said, you're still tilting at windmills, aren't you? Yeah, there's always a cause, you know? Yeah. There's always people, you know, who need,

we're trying to protect their family and their loved ones and what I can do to help them, whether it's gay and lesbian families, whether it's, you know, any kind of non-traditional family, whether it's someone with mental illness, whether it's, there are so many people that this simple protection of doing estate planning changes their lives. It does. So the special needs planning, tell me a little bit more about that. well so as you can tell i've always worn my heart on my sleeve and so in the world of estate planning right it it just it hit me like this is it's so needed families with um special needs loved ones

it's just it's so much they're just so overwhelmed there's just so much there's just so much going on and trying to coordinate benefits and get their kids what they need it and make sure them that they're taken care of when when they're gone. It's overwhelming. Yeah, it is. And it became something that, you know, that I could talk to people about. It's nice to be able to be the person who just puts it out there, whether it's talking about death or illness or how hard it is to have somebody with special needs in your family and all the additional concerns that come along with that. What I've found in my career is that people, when you pussyfoot around it, when you tiptoe around it, you're not doing anybody any favors. And everybody

does that. And so to be the person who can just let's address this issue. It is something that makes me feel very good to help people with. I have a godson who is autistic. And my best friend, his mother, one of the most organized professional people that I know. And yet just to even think about what would happen if she wasn't there is just too much. So it's nice to be able to coordinate that for people and say, let's make sure that your family is taken care of, that these specific special needs are covered,

that your son will be able to continue in the program that he's in, to get the support he needs, to find the living environment he needs, to have your family to be able to be there to help him, and that to be a vision that actually, works. It's just very touching. Yeah. When you've experienced like being the godson of an autistic child or like recently the passing of your father when you've gone through that, it brings about something

different inside of you. It does. It's, you know, when it's your own personal stuff. And you have to find the humor as well. I will just say that, you know, as much as it is touching and it, you know, warms your heart. As Dolly Parton said, laughter through tears is my favorite emotion. Oh, yeah, I love that. Laughter through tears, yeah. You have to find the humor, you know, whether it's when my dad was in the hospital and my mom would turn off her cell phone because she didn't want to waste the battery.

when we're desperately trying to get a hold of her or, you know, I mean, there's just so many funny things. You have to find the humor even in times of tragedy. Yeah. And it gets us all through. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So in terms of who comes to your practice, you're pretty open with all ages and stages of of people in life

and what would your recommendations be? I know in my practice, I'll say if you've got kids going to college, there's probably some documents you might want to sign and get notarized and file. I mean, all the way up to the gentleman recently who was probably in his 80s and just now starting to put it all together with you.

Yeah, yeah. up. My youngest clients are usually age 18. Okay. Going away to school. God, those are fun. Those are fun meetings to see somebody just, you know, going out into the world. It brings us all back to that, you know, wide-eyed sense of adventure, setting off on your path and just, you know, but at the same time, they're adults. And so if there's an accident, the parents need to be able to talk to the doctors and help them pay the bills, right? So it's nice to just be able to make that happen in a way that's lighthearted for them. My oldest client, she did pass away several years ago.

She was 105. Bath. And I adored her. I would take her out to lunch. She would, and she would always show up. She was always very done up. She would show up and she'd look at the hostess and say, how old do you think I am?

And they would guess in their 70s. She was like 103 at the time. She always was done up and wearing heels. I stopped wearing heels after the pandemic, but wearing heels and was just a beautiful woman and so much fun. Yeah. So all across the spectrum. And I, it's about the people. It's about sitting down and talking to someone, learning who they are.

No two estate plans are ever the same. And that sounds really trite. But it really isn't because I get to know the family and what their concerns are and make sure that they have peace of mind and it actually works. You know, because it's one thing to make somebody feel better, but it's another thing to say, I know that this estate plan will actually take care of what you need if you're sick and they'll take care of your family after your death. We talk a lot about the planning process, say from 18 to 103. as far as what it is that's going to be best for you, and there's a plethora of options. And you get into the trusts

and how many different trusts are there and all of the planning that goes into it and the work that you accomplish with your clients on their behalf to make it fit the very best for when that end times in their lives comes. I don't really know what happens when one of them or the couple or the husband or the wife passes away, then what is your role?

It can be whatever they need. You know, so for some people, it's, I have an emergency question. And some questions are very simple and some are very complex. You know, who do I call? Do I have to talk to Social Security? Where do I get the death certificate? You know, I mean, some of those are really basic. basic and some are you know I got this bill in the mail where do I pay it from does it have to be

paid now what you know what does does that obligate me to any paying anything else do I should I roll over the IRA right now should I cash in the life insurance you know it's and so usually I want to answer some immediate questions okay give some peace of mind tell people not to do anything right away, not to do anything rash. You've just lost a loved one. It's okay to just breathe and the sky is not going to fall and you don't have to do all these financial things. And then we do a meeting and we talk through what's going on and what's going out with the assets and what are the bills and what needs to happen. And sometimes people walk out of that meeting and they say, got it. Right? And they walk off to take care of it. Check, check.

check off the list. Other times people need more. And sometimes we have to do more legal things, probates or more involved trust administration. So we're there for whatever they need. So for instance, if someone did an estate plan with an estate planning attorney and a loved one passed away, they could come to you with, their binder and you would then navigate them through the next steps. It doesn't have to be someone for whom you did their estate plan. Is that right? Correct. Correct. Yep, we do, we do the planning beforehand and we do the administration afterwards. And that's true, you know, I think it's very important to approach us, approach life and business from a position of abundance rather than scarcity.

So what I would say to everyone is, I'm not everybody's cup of tea. That's fine. This is a delicate thing. You should find somebody that you trust. You know, whether that's, if that's not me, that's fine. I know lots of great estate planning attorneys. I'm more than happy to introduce you to them. Find somebody that you like that you can work with during this time, right?

And so for people who I've done their planning, absolutely I'm here. If I'm not the right person to help the family, I'll send you to somebody else. If you're working with somebody else and you need somebody different, I might be the right person or I might not. Right. It's, it's a, this is a personal thing. It is. And so you need to find the person that you work well with. Yeah.

It causes you to dig deep into your heart and soul. and you're very patient with your clients. I know that as far as helping them take the time to answer the difficult questions. And like you said, everybody's plan is different. And sometimes there's almost too many people who are going to be impacted after you pass away. And sometimes there may be nobody. And that's hard to. I see people in all walks of life.

And definitely some stick with you. I'm sure. You know, more than others. I had a client a couple years ago. And she was the sweetest little old lady, and she was all alone. She didn't have any family. And I just wanted to take care of her. Yeah.

I'm sure you want to step into her life. And it's hard when you have a big heart. That's not my role. So what can I do to help, right? I can't adopt her. So what can I do to help? How can I? What skills can I use that are helpful to her?

Right. And she passed away not long after she did her planning, and it was nice to know that it happened the way it was supposed to. Yeah. I think that's got to be one of the biggest comforts of someone who finds themselves, either over a period of time or suddenly in that position knowing they're probably going to die. and having that comfort to know that all of that is seamlessly planned and that exactly what they want to have happen, they've been living their whole life a hundred years maybe, and what happens with what you leave behind has got to bring comfort when there's a plan. Yeah.

Well, and what most people think about is what habit wasn't after you die, but. What if you're sick? Yeah. You know, you want to make sure that somebody's there to help you, and it's the right somebody. Okay, well, that's good. You know, so it's heavy stuff. It is. Back in the day, my daughter had a girlfriend who, when they graduate, she graduated from high school, wanted to work with horses.

So she went to, I guess, a school. And her dad is an attorney. And one day he got a call that she had been thrown from a horse and was in the hospital in a coma, which lasted six months. And it was out of state from Minnesota to Kentucky. And he hadn't signed the documents. She hadn't signed the documents. He could do nothing.

They couldn't even move her. Yeah. I mean, I'll never forget that when I talk to people. Yeah. It's hard. It's really hard to feel powerless and scared. You know, it's interesting as we're talking through this heavy stuff. When people have what it is they need in place with someone like you, it's like gleeful.

It's like, oh, my gosh. And it can be. changed, right? It's like if you think that someone is going to be the right person to take care of your estate when you pass away and suddenly that person or child or someone in your life is turning the wrong direction, simple to change. It's... Yeah, it is. And, you know, you think that going to see your estate planning attorney, like, it's going to be very somber and morbid. I'm going to make you face your mortality. That's not... Believe me, that's not what I want.

And that's not what my clients want, right? It's more, it's more just planning. And the number of people who walk out of my office and hug me and say, thank you. And like, hey, that was actually pretty interesting. Right. I really enjoyed that. Right. You know, you wouldn't think that.

Right. But there is, it's one of life's big to-does. Yes. There you go. You got it. And so, big box that means to be checked. It's, you know, there's the, there's the big ones. And this is one of.

them and you go, okay, all right, I did that. I'm taken care of there. It's a big deal. And people should be proud of themselves for doing it. Right. You know, and I do my best to at least make it as interesting as we can. You know, my job is to educate as much as the clients want. Most of my clients, they don't want me to recite tax code. I mean, that's not fun for anybody. So, you know, but let's talk about the parts that really matter. And if they want the tax code, sure, by all means. I love to show off and cite tax code. But let's talk about the things that really matter and make it interesting for them and make them feel educated, like they understand their plan. I get to learn about their family and learn the nuances, you know, that they need to make sure that, you know,

this happens for their son or that happens for their daughter or for their cousin or their sister or their niece or nephew, whatever it is. And at the same time, it fills up, fills me up, you know, to know that I'm a part of doing that, a part of making sure that their loved ones be taken care of. So I know you offer like a complimentary consultation. So tell me a little bit more about how someone, approaches that opportunity with you and what that meeting looks like. And is it such that at the end, you guys decide if it's a good fit or a good working relationship?

Or how does that piece work? You know, it's not that hard. And I try to remember, I always try to remember, if you're not in the legal world, it seems scary to go see a lawyer, right? Like, would most people think, oh, my God, I have to go see a lawyer. That seems terrifying. And so I try to remember that, even though this is not criminal law or civil lawsuit. It's still, it's still scary to go see a lawyer.

So we make it as easy as you can, right? Just call the office, schedule an appointment. It's a free initial consultation. We'll sit down. I sit down with you. It's me, right? I'm not scary. I sit down with you in the meeting.

I talk with you about what we're trying to do. I educate. I quote you a fee. if you want to go forward, you do. And if not, you know, it's as easy as that. And they don't have to decide right then. In fact, sometimes I kind of laugh. If I ever went to like sales training, they would say like, you're literally talking people out of it.

You know, all the people say, let's do it. Let's get it done right now. I'm like, go home. Think about it. It's okay. You'll get back to me. And they're like, no, no, let's get it done. That's okay.

Go talk to your family. You decide what you want because I want people to feel right. about this. You know, it's a big deal to me that they say, oh, okay, I know exactly what I'm doing and why and I feel good about it. And this is a good match for me. It's the right lawyer. I feel comfortable. And there are people who aren't the right match for me. That's fine. That's fine. They should find somebody who is a better match for them. Right. Out in public and in my world, when I hear conversations, I'd love for you to address this topic because it's like, oh, all I need is a will because it's so much deeper. My attorney said something about a trust, but no, I know I don't need a trust.

You know, I think it's so funny. It's part of just the vernacular that people say will. There have been, so just, I heard it two times in the last week. Coach Prime was sick. He did a video. He said, I had to do a will. I'm thinking, Coach Prime, I certainly hope you did a trust. Hulk Hogan just passed away. His family's talking and daughters on did a radio interview.

She said, I took myself out of the will. I'm thinking, I certainly hope that he had a trust, right? It's just what people say. It's so common to say the will. It's what people see in movies. They see that, which by the way is horrible estate planning, that scene in the movie where they gather the family together and the lawyer reads the will. And it's this, you know, dramatic organ music and he's wearing veils and, you know, then it says something like, and I leave everything to my daughter because my son was never there for me. And it's, you know, this horrible, horrible way to destroy a family.

It's not like that, you know. And trusts are just, it's just a different kind of planning. I do wills. I do lots of wills. I've never done a reading of the will. Thank goodness. But, you know, we do wills. We do trusts.

Some are more appropriate for other people. It's really about does somebody want to avoid probate? And do they want to control how assets go to beneficiaries? Yeah. Those are really your major distinctions. Sure. Yeah. And it's not, yeah, it's, it's not.

not, it's your knowledge and expertise that bring about the right answer, in my opinion. But yeah. And I mean, it doesn't, as long as the plan is the right for that person, whether it's a will or a trust, right? The goal is to get the assets to the right people. There you go. And hopefully keep the family intact as part of the process. Right. You know, I don't want to, I don't want to mediate an argument about a toaster. No. I or a ring or a criminal. Christmas tree or anything like that. I would like this to go as smoothly as possible so that people can actually concentrate on what's important, which is getting through the grieving process, remembering the

good times, being with their family. Right. You know? Yeah, it's kind of like what's the best tool? And that's true with, you know, constructing a home. You know, you need to go to the home with both the screwdriver and the hammer because there's going to be nails and screws that need to go in. So if you go with one or the other, it's not going to work so well. Okay, I just have one other question because I know that you love to look at crazy people who've died with crazy estate plans or no estate plans and the stories that surround that you've already watched Tolkogen and Coach Primes videos. I'm like, okay, this gal really knows what's going on out there. But those stories, just a little synopsis of what's going on.

Oh, you know, it's, so I always pay attention in the news when somebody passes away. And here's the thing, when you don't hear the stories, that means that they did their planning. Oh. When you hear the stories, that's when, you know, people are fighting and they, you know, all of that. That's when the planning wasn't done. And so I was like it when I, when I don't really hear the stories, then you get to celebrate their lives instead of, instead of think like, okay, well, these three children of this celebrity or whoever it is are going to fight and never talk to each other again over whether it's money or tangible items or whatever it is. You know, it's, so yeah, I do pay attention to it just like anybody else, you know, and

in their area of industry, I see these things that happen. In my own practice, I would say, thankfully, I'm very boring because I don't handle contested matters. I don't want to handle contestant matters. I don't like conflict. I don't like it when people are fighting. I don't like it when, you know, especially when they're fighting over things that, that I think are not the big picture.

You know, I don't enjoy that. And so, luckily, most of my plans are plans where we've done the planning and everybody understands what's supposed to happen and they get along and everything goes smoothly. And for the people that want to fight, we send them someplace else. I knew you were going to say that. I love that. That's a great thing. I'm not the right lawyer for them.

I like to sleep at night. I, you know. So everybody's process is different. That's just fine. Well, I could go on and talk to you forever because this is so much fun and I love your profession. And all my people need you. So, yeah, you said very easy. Look at the website.

Is it Ambler-Kinan? It's www. W.ambler-kinen.com. Yeah. Look it up. Call the office, schedule a meeting with Beth. That's it. And you get the real deal. Yeah.

It's nice feeling like I enjoy what I do and that my clients feel that. Yeah. That's the best thing. It's all about the relationship. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Do you have anything else in closing or?

No, not really. I just, you know, for the other thing I guess I would just say is for those young people out there who are trying to find their way, you know, whether that's to be a lawyer or something else, find people that that believe in you. And just keep pushing forward. You might not wind up in the place that you thought you would. But if you stay true to your central belief. beliefs, you'll end up in the right place. And I think the more that we all do to encourage everyone young, but especially young, for me, young women, right? We do this for our daughters, for the next generation. Right. It's important. Yeah. It's important for all of us to, to be there,

to see that everybody gets their dreams met. Right. Yeah. Thanks for sharing that profound truth. Yeah. Helping them map out. Having me, Judy. Yeah? Huh? Thank you for having me. You're welcome. This has been so much fun, and I really appreciate your time today, Beth.

Thank you. Thank you, Judy. Thanks so much for joining us for the Inspired Impact Podcast. To listen to past episodes, please visit theinspiredimpactpodcast.com.