The Joyful Practice for Women Lawyers

Criticism or negative feedback is a topic to which we can all relate. For most of us, experiencing criticism automatically brings up a sense of embarrassment, shame, or discouragement. However, the good news is that you can use it in a productive way rather than letting it slow you down.   Discover how you can use criticism to foster trust, authority, and move forward in your endeavors. I'm highli...

Delegation is a topic that I frequently address with my coaching clients. It's a subject to which I've been invited to teach at law firms, and I've also spoken about this topic from the perspective of a junior lawyer or student who receives instructions from more senior lawyers.   Hear my tried-and-tested formula for delegating effectively. I'm sharing a seven-step outline for successful delegatio...

Are you experiencing any of the classic time management problems in your practice? Do you dread what's on your calendar and how it makes you feel? Is procrastination a prevalent issue for you? Do you feel doubtful about your ability to make aligned decisions when it comes to your schedule?   Discover how confidence and time management relate to each other, and learn five strategies you can apply t...

If you're noticing a recurring sense of restlessness, anxiety, and discomfort around tasks in your work and personal life, it may be time to explore how to manage your experience of impatience.    Discover why impatience often feels so uncomfortable and five strategies you can implement to address your feeling of impatience. Hear how we often don't address the root cause of our impatience, what th...

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you've worked extremely hard to get where you thought you wanted to be, only to feel like you've somehow ended up on the wrong path? Maybe you know your position is a coveted one, and other people would line up to be presented with that opportunity, but you can't help but question it.   The truth is, you have more agency than you're giving yourself cre...

Life is full of setbacks and comebacks. Whether it's losing a case, making a mistake on a file, or a deal going sideways, there are all sorts of ways your practice will present setbacks that feel devastating. However, the great news is that every setback is an opportunity for an epic comeback, and this week, I'm walking you through all the necessary ingredients for a comeback that has you thriving...

There are various internal and environmental factors that can make it challenging for us to envision ourselves in a leadership role. Whether you have had models of leadership that you don't relate to or you simply can't see the value you could contribute as a leader, the essence of this episode is about why questioning this assumption matters.   Discover why it's important to see leadership as som...

You might find yourself in a position where, overall, things are good in your professional life. You enjoy the people you work with, are well-compensated, feel your work is interesting, and there are a number of features about your career that you love. At the same time, you might feel troubled about something not seeming quite right, and if this resonates, you're in the right place.   Learn a cre...

Perfectionism tends to be a recurring theme among high-achieving professionals. In a culture that highly esteems perfection, there are often standards and expectations that go beyond what is realistically achievable or practical within the legal framework.   I explore the relationship between perfectionism and self-confidence. I'm outlining the hallmarks of perfectionism, why perfectionism erodes...

We often unconsciously engage in and become reliant on sources of motivation that simply aren't sustainable. Maybe you think you need passion to sustain you through a task, depend on fear to fuel you, or perhaps you're hooked on feeling busy to stay motivated. These go-to strategies might provide short spurts of motivation, but the reality is they aren't long-lasting.   I explore concrete tools an...

How can you find work you love? What kind of career would ignite your passion? Whether you've reached a plateau in your career, lost engagement with your current work, or are searching for something to reignite your passion in your professional life, this experience is particularly common among lawyers. If you're unsure why you're grappling with this question or how to transform your passions into...

What kind of reset, recalibration, or revamping can you do midyear to set yourself up for success in the next six months?   I show you the power of conducting a mid-year reset to get refocused on your goals for 2023. You'll hear the downfalls of not checking in with the resolutions you set at the start of the year, some of the most common reasons we don't achieve our goals, and an exercise for fin...

Many lawyers, at some point or another, fall into a stage of feeling stuck. This is an extremely tricky place to be because, on the one hand, you might know that you're unhappy where you are, and on the other, there's often a lot of resistance against moving forward.   Tune in this week to hear five signs that you may be stuck and how to overcome them. I'm sharing some of the common areas where I...

Whether you have recently experienced a series of stressful weeks or find yourself in the midst of one right now, my goal this week is to share tips and tricks to help you navigate these challenging periods with greater peace, purpose, and ease.   Learn five techniques you can begin implementing to navigate a stressful week effectively. Additionally, discover five unexpected tips that will help yo...

What comes to mind when you think about networking? Do you see it as an exciting opportunity to connect with others and share your skills and aspirations about your career? Or is it something you find so cringy that you could never imagine doing it?   Discover why networking is not only a critical part of finding a new job but also essential for your overall professional development. If networking...

Erin O'Rourke is a solo practitioner who started her own firm in the midst of the pandemic, and Piper Riley Thompson recently retired her license to practice law and is currently working as a senior career advisor at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. They're here to share their expertise with us from going in-house, niching down, and transitioning to diversity and wellness.   Erin and Pipe...

I'm inviting you to examine the areas of your life and practice where you're playing small when you would rather play bigger. Where are your confidence levels? Do you have the capacity to grow? And what could increased confidence translate into? These are some of the tough questions I'm offering you so you can find a way to create greater flow in your life and practice.   I give you four strategie...

Procrastination is a very common challenge for all of us with human brains and executive functioning skills. We simply don't leap into tasks we don't want to do. Whether it's drafting an argument, doing your billable hours, or making a doctor's appointment, there are tasks that feature regularly in your life and practice that you chronically push off, and it might be a sign there's something going...

In celebration of this huge milestone episode, I've invited the most spectacular guest to the show this week. I'm sitting down with Montessori school teacher turned screenwriter, songwriter, and animator, Pamela Price, who also happens to be my mother.   Pam and I discuss the role of conflict in storytelling, and how obstacles are integral to the story arc of your life. We're exploring how we can...

Confidence looks and feels different relative to individuals. Whether you want to present with greater confidence in interview situations, when you're negotiating the terms of your position, or as you navigate increased leadership, today, I'm inviting you to reflect on what confident communication might look like in these instances.   Discover how to start cultivating confident communication no ma...

What are the goals that you aren't making progress towards and why? Is it a lack of time or resources? Maybe it's a difficult relationship in your life, not getting the level of support you want and need, or simply feeling exhausted. We usually think of obstacles as problems that get in the way of where we want to go.   Discover how you can use obstacles as opportunities for learning and growth. I...

Whether anxiety is part of your personal experience as a lawyer, you have friends and colleagues who struggle with it, or it's something that you understand anecdotally, there's been an increased awareness of anxiety in the field of law, especially during the pandemic.   Hear three healthy and intentional strategies for managing your anxiety. I show you how to develop coping skills that will allow...

Do you feel like you've constantly got a full plate? Perhaps there's so much on your calendar that you're often left feeling snowed under with no clue where to start making headway.   I'm offering four questions you can begin exploring as it relates to your current relationship with time management, and my favorite calendaring strategies that you can borrow in those moments when everything feels c...

During the height of the pandemic, transitions were top of mind for many people. It was a theme we all dealt with in some form and it continues to come up in my practice.   I'm taking a deep dive into what typically holds us back from making a transition, what will move you forward in the transition process, and a framework that will help you situate yourself in any transition you're making so you...

The question of alternative career options for lawyers comes up a lot in my work. Maybe you feel like there's a lack of information about what else is out there, or find it hard to access those resources and you start looking for alternatives.   I'm offering a resource to help you understand what else is out there if you know it's time for a change in your career. From private practice, in-house,...