A podcast covering all things court reporting, hosted by Stephanie Leslie And Isaiah Leslie. Each episode explores the latest news, technology, best practices, and personal experiences from experts in the field. Tune in to stay informed and inspired!
In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Denee Vadell, the force behind the viral social media brand StenoFluencer and a Senior Court Reporter at New York County Civil Supreme Court. Denee’s path to the profession was anything but straight. She grew up near what is now MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, played basketball all her life, and was actually recruited to play in college before trading the court for a steno machine.
What followed was a wild ride: court reporting school while pregnant, overnight shifts at Walmart, CART at Rutgers where her students surprised her with an honorary master’s degree, live broadcast captioning for CNN, MSNBC and QVC (where she admits she was shopping at the same time), and yes, captioning the Royal Wedding from her couch in her pajamas.
But what Denee is perhaps most known for is what she did with a phone and a steno machine during the pandemic. She helped launch the Don’t Rush Challenge for the court reporting community, went viral, made $23,000 in captioning work because of it, and eventually built a partnership with Plaza College that now drives sixty percent of their incoming students from social media alone. She also wrote a children’s book called Melody’s Magical Steno Machine, because she believes the best time to plant the seed is long before college.
This episode is for the students who are stuck, the reporters sitting on the fence about posting their first video, and anyone who needs a reminder that magic does not just live in fairy tales.
7 Oct 2026
Why Your Attitude Is Your Greatest Asset w/ Debbie Dibble
In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Debbie Dibble, FAPR, RDR, CRR, a nearly 40-year veteran of the court reporting profession, former NCRA president, and certified in 14 states. Debbie's journey into court reporting started with a moment of self-awareness on a college campus, and she's been making her presence known ever since.
Debbie shares how she unknowingly practiced steno every single day without realizing it, writing in her head during movies, church, and even on dates, much to her husband's confusion. She opens up about taking on the speed competition cold and passing all three legs, a month-long medical malpractice trial where she went from being told she wasn't welcome to the judge refusing to start without her, and the very real moment she captioned "pennies by the inch" for her church... incorrectly.
But the heart of this conversation is Debbie's passion for protecting the profession she loves. As a founding member of the Jeopardizing Justice group, the watchdog coalition fighting against AI and digital recording replacing court reporters, Debbie breaks down the real risks attorneys and courts aren't paying attention to and why every single one of us has a role to play.
---Learn More:https://jeopardizingjustice.com/Phone: (866) 459-3376 Email: info@jeopardizingjustice.com
23 Sept 2026
Get Up, Show Up, Show Out — Candace Jones on Court Reporting & Fighting for the Profession
Forty years in the profession and Candace O'Barr Jones is more fired up than ever. In this episode of Court Reporter Confidential, Isaiah sits down with the Mississippi agency owner, past president of the Mississippi Court Reporters Association, and NCRA PAC board member for one of the most inspiring conversations we've had on the show.
Candace takes us all the way back to the beginning — a bar convention, her attorney father, and a chance meeting that turned into 25 years of asbestos litigation work. She talks about building her agency from the ground up in her early twenties, selling to a national company, watching everything she built get slowly chipped away, and starting all over again in 2015 with e-deposition.
But that's only half the story. Candace has become one of the most effective grassroots advocates in the profession — successfully passing two separate bills through the Mississippi legislature, getting a federal bill filed with Senator Roger Wicker's sponsorship, and doing it all without a lobbyist or a political playbook. Just grit, relationships, and showing up.
This one is packed with real, actionable advice — whether you want to grow an agency, understand how to work with your legislature, or just need a reminder of why this profession is worth fighting for.
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Connect with Candace:
Website: edeposition.com (https://edeposition.com)
LinkedIn: Candace O'Barr Jones (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/candace-o-barr-jones-128b77142_mississippi-court-reporters-association-activity-7161952808781500416-RPwr)
Instagram: @candacehollemanjones
Facebook: @candacehollemanjones
---Regal Court Reporting
Socials:https:
//www.instagram.com/regalreporting/
https://www.facebook.com/RegalCourtReporting/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/regal-court-reporting-inc.
Connect with Stephanie:
https://www.instagram.com/stephlesliecsr/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-leslie-50aa63318/
Connect with Isaiah:
https://www.instagram.com/isaiahinsocal/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaiahleslie/
RESOURCEShttps://www.caldra.org/
https://www.ncra.org/https://www.stenoseekers.com/
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To learn more or contact us, please visit our website: https://regalcourtreporting.com/---
Hosted by Stephanie Leslie & Isaiah Leslie, Created by Regal Studios, Stephanie Leslie & Isaiah Leslie, and Produced by Regal Studios, Stephanie Leslie & Isaiah Leslie.
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