Lawyer Life Experiment

With COP27 underway, we are reflecting on how climate change (and other world issues for this matter) affect lawyers personally. We have multiple elements in our life that want balance. Giving back affects us deeply. What we do might feel in dissonance with what we believe in. Or causes that matter to us might feel too big for us to change.  In this episode, we explore how we can express what matt...

If you've had enough of mental health training, this episode is for you! We have heard so much about mental health in the wake of Covid, we became immune to the word. In this episode, Frieda and Anya share personal stories to give you an insight into feelings, thoughts and other signs of when things are not going right and it's time to take action or ask for help. In fact, we'd enco...

Many people in the legal world changed jobs or quit their careers altogether during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, we explore the reasons WHY people are choosing to shake up their livelihoods and investigate new opportunities and different ways of working - both inside and outside the law.  We also discuss what HR teams and Managers can do to retain key talent in this post-COVID world. We...

What beliefs do you hold about yourself around mistakes? Have you ever failed and what impact has it had on you? Join us as we talk about the psychology of failure and the impact of self-talk. Learn about association-disassociation from failure. And try the practical exercise on managing negative self-talk to build resilience, improve confidence and free up your potential. If you would like to do...

Join us as we talk about effective communication. What it is, how to understand the impact your communication style has in your personal and professional life and how to improve your communication skills. If you would like to work on your impact further, please get in touch with Frieda at <frieda@bravingboundaries.com> and Anya at <anya@anyasmirnova.com>.   Please rate, review and subs...

Time management is a highly valued skill in the corporate world. When professionals want to improve, they are told to keep track of their projects, prioritise, delegate, use time management tools to be your most efficient self with a dream to get to the bottom of your to do list (aka Pomodoro method).   In this episode, Frieda and Anya argue that this approach to time management as being more effi...

More than two-thirds of lawyers (69%) have experienced mental ill health in 2021, according to the survey of around 1,700 legal professionals by legal charity LawCare. In this episode, Frieda and Anya explore how much the billable hour mindset has to contribute to this and what individuals, corporates and authorities can do about it.  We challenge YOU to do this episode's mindset experiment -...

We can be so driven to move on to the next task, the next stage, the next project, that we want to skip the celebration of our accomplishments and miss the chance to discover more about ourselves and the keys to our success. The end of the year is the perfect time to talk about how to close the year to support your growth and success. Happy holidays to everyone! If it resonates with you and you wo...

For working parents and their colleagues and managers. Tune in as Frieda (no kids) and Anya (mum of two) have an open conversation on how working parents are perceived in the workplace. Expect practical tips for working parents, their colleagues, managers and organisations. And listen to a view from the non-parent side too. Let's get a shared understanding of both sides of the coin. As always...

As we face the September blues, get back into work/school routine and start hybrid working, we talk about building the motivation that lasts to make the last quarter of the year count! Tune in as we share our tips for individuals and teams on creating healthy motivational habits and provide you with an experiment to try out to see if this helps you progress your goals and live a balanced and fulfi...

As we approach the holiday season, we talk about the power of play and fun in having a balanced and fulfilling life. Tune in as we share our best and worst of holidays and  provide you with an experiment to try out to see if this helps you to bring a mindful approach to holidays. If it resonates with you and you would like to explore your professional and personal growth further, please get in tou...

As hybrid working becomes the societal norm - we take a look into what strategies of hybrid working firms and corporates are adopting around the world. In this episode, we discuss the challenges and the opportunities of making hybrid working a success. Our experiment for this week introduces you to the leadership coaching tool: "Yes... And". Ready to get innovative in your approach to hy...

In this episode, we dare to go into the money and status topic. How much these define you, trap you and benefit you? How much they add or take away from your happiness?  If it resonates with you and you would like to explore your professional and personal growth further, please get in touch: Frieda at <frieda@bravingboundaries.com> and Anya at <anya@anyasmirnova.com>.   Please rate, re...

The annual performance review / appraisal causes much stress for many a lawyer. How am I viewed? What should I say? How do I get that promotion? What is my value? In this episode, we share our own experiences with the appraisal process (the good, the bad and the ugly), discuss how to remove the stress from the annual performance review, and identify steps which you can take to make a real differen...

What a fantastic episode that was! All of us experience the fear of business development. From junior to senior to partner level. This week Frieda and Anya tackle the key challenges to lawyers acing business development, the reasons why it's important for a lawyer's career and how to become a natural at it (hint - it takes practice). Download the PDF to help with your experiment . Please...

How would you describe a good leader? What traits do they have? What characteristics spring to mind? What examples of good leaders do you have in your life?  This week Frieda and Anya take a look at leadership in the legal profession and discuss what makes a good leader during Covid-19 and beyond. Join them in this week's experiment which seeks to help identify and develop good leadership hab...

In this last of three episodes on relationships, we talk about the relationship with our Self, how the legal profession influences our identity and how to show up authentically. Download the values experiment form here (or copy-paste this in your browser: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10cNrVaciNRqTJfmxhiKtUIkMY_1tNEUw/view?usp=sharing). We would love to have your thoughts on our podcast, we are...

Continuing February's theme of relationships, today, Frieda and Anya take a look at the impact our personal relationships (with our friends, our family and our loved ones) have on our lives. Relationships are powerful things: Good and healthy relationships (our assets) support us and gift us with renewed energy. Toxic relationships (our liabilities) empty our energy tank and drain us. Today w...

With Valentine's Day around the corner, we thought February would be a good month to explore relationships: the good, the bad and the ugly! So, of course, we decided to start with the toxic ones! 00.25 - what we've learnt from the last experiment on maintaining motivation and taking action with our New Year resolutions  04.35 - what constitutes a toxic work environment and our experience...

In the last episode we mused on how to create New Year Resolutions that actually work! In this episode we take it one step further and discuss how to maintain the motivation throughout the year.  00.25 - what we've learnt from the last experiment on creating the vision for the year ahead  08.50 - what are the obstacles to sticking to the new year vision  12.50 - how to manage those obstacles ...

In this episode, Frieda and Anya reflect on how we usually make NY resolutions and let's be honest most of the time give them up by Feb, and how to make sustainable NY resolutions that really work and make our boat go faster towards happiness and success. 00.25 - results of the previous experiment 05.20 - NY resolutions discussion 18.30 - hypothesis 21.30 - NY resolutions experiment EXPERIMEN...

<p>This week’s topic is <b>Routine</p>! Do you have a strict daily routine or do you take each day as it comes? Does your current routine make room for everything you want to do? Is your current routine a conscious choice or merely a habit you’ve fallen into? Join us as we explore the pros and cons of routines, Rafael Nadal’s routine and how to use routine to build in more of wha...

Frieda and Anya talk about stress in lawyers' life, especially in these Covid-19 times. We discuss: how stress works, what's a normal stress response and what isn't one, striving for control, top tip for building resilience, the study on the power of positivity.  We finish off with an EXPERIMENT to try at home. All listeners are invited to take part in the experiment and click here...