We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendra Strong-Tehrani. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendra below.
Hi Kendra, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I learned my work ethic and loyalty from my mother. Growing up, I watched how hard she worked to provide for her family and to meet ends meet. She had the same full-time job for the majority of my childhood but also took on part-time jobs on the weekends and weeknights to earn extra. This meant that she often had to sacrifice time with us kids and could not attend school events or activities often but we always knew she was working hard for us – to pay for groceries, to pay rent, to pay for college.
Having that experience helped to me recognize that the type of career I wanted to pursue would need to involve flexibility around my family and the ability to earn money that didn’t require me to take on additional work.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m Kendra, a lawyer and a mother, here to empower families through legal life planning. I launched my own law firm in 2022 after leaving litigation behind to spend more time with my 4-month old son, Ariyan. I wanted to create a law firm that helped families and professionals protect their loved ones and the future they are building through comprehensive estate planning but I didn’t want to follow the traditional model of just creating documents and treating my clients like a one off transaction.
When most professionals talk about Wills, Trusts, Guardians for Children and the like, they talk about “estate planning”. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “estate plan” I envision something grandiose, a large castle like building. Quite frankly, most of the people I know don’t have estates like that. Most of my clients are busy professionals with young kids (like me!) and this is important because many people don’t think they are old enough or rich enough to have an estate plan and I like to debunk those misconceptions. I believe everyone should have an estate plan because it not just about your money and net value. An estate plan is about your loved ones, everything you have worked hard for, and the legacy you want to create. It isn’t just for the wealthy, it’s for you, me, and just about everyone.
At Strong Law, I have created a safe place for families to express their wishes and desires when it comes to their children, their assets, and their end-of-life decisions. We focus first on education and relationship building so that each client is informed and empowered to make tough and important decisions. There are several aspects of my firm that sets us apart from other estate planning law firms, including Kids Protection Plans, Legacy Interviews, and unlimited guidance and support. My mission is to ensure their plan works for their family when they need it to, that is why I call it Life and Legacy Planning. I also know what it is like to be a busy parent. I know what it is like to worry. That’s why I have made the process simple, straight forward.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I have always followed my dreams and I believe that if someone has it on their heart to do something or be something, they should pursue that. I always followed the vision of becoming an attorney, I didn’t always know what that would look like or that I would have my own law firm but knowing that going to law school and passing the bar exam was my dream allowed me to stay focused even in moments of hardship, difficulty, and doubt. I kept pursing the bigger picture. It takes a strong work ethic, integrity, and authenticity to yourself and others to follow your dreams.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Early in my career, another professional gifted me the book, The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon and years later I still reflect on the positive impact that book on me. It is all about having positive energy and using that to carry you through hard times in your life, relationships, and career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stronglawco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stronglawco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stronglawco
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-strong-esq-50471986/
