The Former Lawyer Podcast

In Episode 029 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, I’m sharing the first half of my conversation with Amy DuVall. (We talked about so many important things and I couldn’t bear to cut any of it, so I’ll share the second half next week!)  After starting out in private practice, Amy spent 20 years as a lawyer and lobbyist doing environmental work in Washington D.C. In March 2018, she left that behind to st...

In Episode 028 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Matt Wheat, a single dad who left the law to become a firefighter. Matt spent most of his legal career in various public interest law jobs. While he was still practicing law, Matt started serving as a volunteer firefighter, fell in love with firefighting, and ultimately left legal practice to make it his full-time career. In this conver...

In Episode 027 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Erin Conlon. Erin graduated from law school and landed her dream job with a plaintiff-side class action firm, only to lose her job as a result of the recession in the late 2000s. She worked on a political campaign, started performing comedy, and ultimately landed in biglaw doing electronic discovery work. She spent almost a decade as Di...

In Episode 026 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Toya Gavin. Toya practiced law for over 10 years, eventually opening her own practice, before finding herself struggling with severe depression. After reexamining her life and her career goals, she started her company, Legally Bold, where she coaches and consults with women with J.D.s who are dissatisfied in their careers or who are try...

In Episode 025 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Risa Weaver-Enion. Risa graduated from Duke Law School and worked a handful of jobs in the legal industry while she and her husband moved around the country for his job. Five years ago, Risa started her own event and wedding planning company, Risa James Events, as a side hustle, and in 2017, she transitioned to running her business full...

In Episode 024 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Katie Aldrich. Katie practiced business litigation at a big law firm in Boston for more than five years before transitioning first into professional development for lawyers, and then into career coaching for lawyers and other professionals with Fringe Professional Development.  In this conversation, Katie shares about: Being told by lot...

In Episode 023 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Ami Watkin. Ami is a self-described “recovering corporate attorney,” and the co-founder of Integrated Hustle, a career and business coaching firm. In this conversation, Ami shares about: Deciding to go to law school in the aftermath of the financial crash of 2008; Making the choice to go to law school because at the age of 24 she though...

Sarah talks with Sivani Babu. Sivani worked as a federal public defender before switching careers. She is now an award-winning nature photographer and travel journalist, and the co-founder and Creative Director of the cross-genre travel magazine Hidden Compass. In this conversation, Sivani shares about: Really enjoying being a federal public defender and getting up in court every day; Getting a “r...

Sam left legal practice and has spent the last three years helping women entrepreneurs legally protect and grow their online businesses with her DIY Legal Templates and Fearlessly Legal™ Ultimate Bundle program. In this conversation, Sam shares about: Why she “hated every second” of corporate litigation; How she got sick of her own complaining about being a lawyer; Being told from a young age that...

In Episode 020 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Catherine Zack. Six years ago, Catherine walked away from biglaw to teach yoga and meditation. Through her business, The Daily Vinyasa, Catherine teaches her clients and students how to incorporate yoga, mediation, and self-care into their daily lives.  In this conversation, Catherine shares about: Being as certain she should leave the...

In Episode 019 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Morgan Hall. Morgan left legal practice after 4 1/2 years and is now a sales executive at a tech company. In this conversation, Morgan shares about: Why she’s “happier than ever” working in sales; Being raised to think that her only three career options were doctor, lawyer, or engineer; Being pushed in the direction of becoming a lawyer...

In Episode 018 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Marissa Geannette. Marissa walked away from a successful biglaw career after nearly eight years, and now works as a freelance writer and blogs on her site, The Unbillable Life. In this conversation, Marissa shares about: Why she started blogging after leaving biglaw, but kept the blog anonymous at first; Why she no longer blogs anonymou...

In Episode 017 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Nicole Abboud. Nicole first practiced family law, then fashion law, and along the way started the podcast The Gen Y Lawyer and founded Abboud Media, a modern strategy and consulting agency specializing in social media, podcast, and video marketing for lawyers and law firms. She recently pivoted and is focusing on blogging about sustaina...

In Episode 016 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Goli Kalkhoran, who quit law and started a portable photo booth company, Usie Booth. Goli also hosts the podcast Lessons from a Quitter, where she interviews inspiring people who have left traditional careers to start over and create a life they love. In this conversation, Goli shares about: Deciding that she was going to become a lawye...

In Episode 015 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Simi Botic, who worked as a corporate healthcare associate at a law firm for almost four years before leaving to run her own business. Simi is a certified holistic health coach, Intuitive Eating counselor, and the author of Letting Go Of Leo: How I Broke Up With Perfection , a memoir about overcoming her decades long struggle with feeli...

In Episode 014 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Jennifer Alvey. Jennifer left the law for a career in legal publishing, and now works as a career coach for lawyers and others looking to make a career change.  In this conversation, Jennifer shares about: Her progression from thinking she just didn’t like her particular legal job to realizing she didn’t want to be a lawyer at all; How...

Today, you’ll read about Sarah’s conversation with Tasha Cochran of One Big Happy Life . Tasha went from working as a lawyer to being a six-figure entrepreneur and running her own online business.  When her episode first aired, Tasha was only 6 weeks out from being a lawyer. She originally started on Youtube. But, she expanded her business and has become a six-figure entrepreneur.  One Big Happy L...

In Episode 012 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Tiffany Duong. Tiffany practiced renewable energy project finance law for five years after law school, until she had an epiphany about her life on a dive boat in the Galapagos Islands. She now works as a climate and environmental advocate and conservation journalist and founded the media advocacy group Ocean Rebels.   In this conversati...

In Episode 011 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Shinah Chang. Shinah practiced corporate law for six years before leaving to start her own calligraphy business, Crooked Calligraphy.  In this conversation, Shinah shares about: How she spent her entire childhood working to get into Harvard, but felt lost when she arrived; Why she ended up going to law school after undergrad even though...

In Episode 010 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Francesca Chang. While in law school, Francesca realized that she didn’t want to practice law, and instead travels and works as a freelance travel writer and marketing consultant. In this conversation, Francesca shares about: How she chose to go to law school because she thought it would be a way to contribute to social change; How she...

In Episode 009 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah talks with Jen Berson. Jen is a former lawyer who owns and run her own PR Agency, Jeneration PR, and teaches others how to start and grow their own successful agency. In this conversation, Jen shares: How she originally got on the path to law school because she was looking for a reason to stay in the city where she went to college for the summer;...

In Episode 008 of The Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah has a conversation with Alex Davis. Alex is a former lawyer who is now a writer, content expert, and consultant. Alex’s company, Davis Legal Media, helps attorneys and firms create content strategies to attract their ideal clients. In this conversation, Alex shares: How she decided she was going to be a lawyer at a very young age; Why “you’re so g...

On today’s show, Sarah talks with Stacy Mikulik. Stacy is a former lawyer who is now a jewelry designer and the owner of grace + hudson jewelry .   In this conversation, Stacy shares: The danger of paying too much attention to what other people are saying about your career without listening to yourself as well; Why law school was a bad fit for her from the start; The confusion she felt about why a...

On today’s show, Sarah talks with Matt Maxwell. Matt is a former lawyer who is now a Leadership Coach and Facilitator.   In this conversation, Sarah and Matt talk about: How he found himself asking during the first month of law school, “When did I actually choose to do this?”; How he raised the idea of leaving law school early on with his then-wife, but ultimately was held back by a sunk costs fal...

On today’s show, Sarah talks with Heidi Mueller. Heidi is a former lawyer who is now the Director of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.   In this conversation, Heidi shares about: Why she had an inkling that she might want to leave law firm life even before she started; How she struggled with guilt over the fact that she didn’t like working as a big firm lawyer; The article she read that...