What does it mean to lead with a champion mindset? As lawyers, we often focus on our own development and success, but true leadership extends beyond personal achievement. It’s about lifting others up, advocating for them, and creating opportunities that help them thrive.

In this episode, I explore what it means to champion others as part of your leadership philosophy. Whether you’re a junior lawyer who thinks you have nothing to offer or a seasoned practitioner looking to expand your impact, developing a champion mindset can transform your practice and the legal profession as a whole.

Have you ever noticed that the more you try to control everything in your life and practice, the less certain you actually feel? This paradox of chasing certainty is something I see regularly in my coaching practice with lawyers. When we desperately try to create predictability by controlling external factors, we often end up feeling more uncertain and exhausted than when we started.

As lawyers, we’re naturally drawn to certainty. Our profession is built on structures, precedents, and rules designed to create predictability. Yet once we cross the threshold from law school into practice, we find ourselves constantly navigating gray areas where clear answers are rare. The very nature of legal practice places us in zones of uncertainty.

Should you go part-time after maternity leave? It’s a question that many women lawyers grapple with as they prepare to return to work after having a baby. On one hand, you want to be there for your child and soak up all those precious early moments. But on the other hand, you’ve worked hard to build your career and don’t want to lose momentum.

In this episode, I share my own experience of going back to work after mat leave, both full-time with my first child and part-time with my second. I also draw upon the experiences of friends and clients to offer a well-rounded perspective on the pros and cons of each approach.

As I celebrate the 200th episode of The Joyful Practice for Women Lawyers podcast, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the question a former colleague posed to me way back in 2018, just months after I completed my coaching certification: “What do you wish you had known when you practiced law that you’ve learned since becoming a coach?”

Over the past seven years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching hundreds of lawyers one-on-one, in group settings, and through this podcast. I’ve gained invaluable insights that have not only transformed my coaching practice but also would have profoundly impacted my experience as a practicing lawyer.

Do you ever put off tasks, thinking your future self will handle them? If so, you’re not alone. As humans, we tend to prioritize the present over the future, even when we know there may be negative consequences down the line.

In this episode, I dive into the concept of procrastination and how it relates to our “future selves.” Learn three common myths about putting things off and strategies to overcome the temptation to delay important tasks.

You know you’re smart and capable, yet emotionally you find yourself standing in your own way. Your days feel stressful, you feel overwhelmed and paralyzed from taking action. You avoid tasks and conversations you know you need to have. Distracted thoughts consume your mind at work.

As a lawyer, you’ve been trained to think logically and focus on facts. But what about the emotional side of practicing law? The pressures, the high stakes, the difficult relationships – they all take a toll. Studies show that anxiety, stress, depression and substance abuse are very real problems for many lawyers.