WILL - Women Interested in Leaving Law

Imagine you’re stuck in your current situation because you worry what other people will think. Imagine thinking, “I don’t want to let other people down,” and yet some part of your soul feels a thud.  Because you’re letting yourself down. Imagine deciding to care-less (not not care!) what other people think, but you don’t know where to begin. Leaving long-held relationships at law firms or roles is...

Imagine going from big law to an in-house role, that’s just as pressured and demanding. Imagine that you long for more connection and meaning in your work.  Imagine discovering your passion for Human Design and astrology.  You think this is the direction you want to pivot towards, but you’re scared as heck!  What will other people think? Imagine finding the support of others and summoning the cour...

Imagine hitting burnout not once, but twice. The second time, you crash so hard, despite making many positive changes, you can’t walk! Imagine being an A+ perfectionist and battling daily with your inner critic and people-pleasing tendencies. Imagine meeting a therapist that finally switched you on to your values (and how everything you were doing was not in alignment with them). Now imagine turni...

What is the nature of human existence? What are challenges?   What if challenges are opportunities to help you grow past your conditioning and habitual responses?   These very light questions 🤣 and how you can use challenges to expand and grow are the topic of this solo episode!  What if challenges are a chance for you to CLARIFY your VALUES and DESIRES? Listen in to shift the way you think so yo...

Imagine being a little kid and building your daily outfits around giant hair bows!  Imagine having part of your soul die while in law school, putting your head down and grinding it out. Imagine, being told by your future husband, that you always wear black. Estelle Winsett takes us on a journey from her childhood exuberant self, to a staid lawyer until she rediscovered her love of style and what i...

Imagine you’re in a workplace where you know you’re not capitalizing on the best of what you have to offer. You're a creative relationship-builder and feel stymied by the billable hour.  Your current workplace isn't cutting it. You’re working in law, but not doing work that’s aligned with your values and making a difference in the lives of others.   Sound familiar? Rachel Clar's journey out of law...

Imagine a lifetime of pressure, conditioning and the internal critic saying: “work harder” “be perfect” and “you’re not good enough.”   This is on top of having a brain tumor and near death experience at 17, then losing your father at age 26.   Add in a lawyer practice in big law and the pressure to perform which ultimately leads to a breaking point. In desperation, you search  “Career coaches for...

Imagine practicing law and realizing that as your supposedly indestructible office plant is dying, part of you is too.  You fear making a change because of all you’ve invested in your education, financially and time-wise. Imagine having exploratory conversations that lead you full circle from your dying plant to your career as a Death Doula and End-of-Life Planner ⚰️. Listen in as Marni Blank desc...

Imagine being pregnant, parenting a toddler and working full time, while knowing your legal job was NOT one you could continue in.  Even with everything else going on in her life, Leah Frankel joined WILL, and treated it like another top priority. Leah tackled her experience with curiosity, openness and candor. Listen in as she talks through: Her time in WILL Transform and how she treated it as a...

Is falling asleep with your phone in your hand happening all too often? Do you find yourself doomscrolling or numbing out for hours on socials? You’re not alone.  Cell phone addiction is a challenge that we’re all dealing with.  In this short episode, I share my struggles and offer: An honest understanding of phone addiction The effect it has on our brains A framework for how to manage it, called...

Imagine you're a litigation #lawyer at a #biglaw firm, progressing towards partner.   You get married, become pregnant with your first, then second child, and take your maternity leaves.   When you return to work, you find most of your files given away, and you are faced with building up your caseload all over again.   But before you can do that, your firm merges with another firm and you are let...

Imagine you have a nascent dream of being a writer instead of an associate drowning in M&A deals.   Imagine you whisper your dream out loud to your coach, and have it met with delight and full belief in your ability to make it happen. Imagine a few short years later, you hold your first published book in your hands, and marvel at how much your life has changed. You went from despair in big law...

Listen here to see you’re not alone if you’ve got a nasty inner critic.  Women lawyers can speak harshly to themselves, honed by years of perfectionism and working in “mistakes aren’t allowed” cultures.  If this rings true, in this podcast you'll learn how to mitigate your nasty inner dialogue.    🎧 How to notice and recognize your inner critic, as separate from YOU.  🎧 The legal culture can fos...

Imagine you’re happy as a lawyer, yet feel that your creativity is stifled. Or that you can’t be creative as a lawyer as it doesn’t ‘fit’ what a lawyer should be. Kyla Denanyoh showcased her efficiency and project management skills so well that while on maternity leave, she rendered her role obsolete.  Instead of fear, Kyla was excited about moving forward in her side hustle - Podcasting and YouTu...

How does one go from being a stuck and unhappy long time lawyer to practicing astrologer?  Well if you’re Jenny McKee of Sky Whispers Astrology, you lean into your strengths, surround yourself with community and take it one slow step at a time. In this episode Jenny details her journey through WILL programs as she expanded her self-knowledge and trust. As a listener of the WILL podcast you cannot...

Everyone has to set boundaries, but for lawyers, especially women or people socialized as female, working in a “always be available” culture makes it even more challenging and important.  Add in the hierarchy and not so subtle power-dynamics at law firms, and you have a recipe for being expected to give nearly everything to your job.   Do you say YES to tasks that you desire to say NO to, because...

Imagine winning a rapid defense verdict for your client with only 6 weeks to prepare for trial, only to not be thanked, AND get reprimanded by the managing partner for speaking in a frustrated tone to the junior and paralegal, who you trained up from scratch.  Imagine not being able to get out of bed for two weeks, and knowing you HAD to do something different.  (Which led you to Google “career co...

Imagine you’re a mid-level IP associate at a big firm.  You’ve just had your first child.  As the end of your mat leave rapidly approaches, you consider going back to work 50% time for 50% pay.  But after looking at your family finances, you see that you and your medical resident spouse are $670K in debt!  That would have sent me back to bed, but not our next guest on the WILL Podcast, Rho Thomas....

Does your heart stop when you get an email from a certain partner or client? Have you experienced health concerns that doctors have been unable to diagnose - like stomach pain, rashes or hair loss? You didn’t used to “be an anxious person” but now you wonder if this is who you are? If you’re increasingly concerned about the toll anxiety from work is taking on your physical and mental health, this...

Imagine feeling overwhelmed and stressed as a big law litigator, breaking down on the A train to JFK as you head to England for the Christmas holidays. Imagine a weird relief that COVID offers, as you move temporarily to Vermont where you begin to sort out what you’d really like to do next.    Imagine deciding to forgo law, only to discover an ideal job while writing a joke for your burgeoning sta...