 Have you ever said the phrase “I just can’t imagine” when someone tells you about a situation that sounds so painful? I certainly have. But in this conversation with Joanne, I realized that when we say “I can’t imagine,” what we are really saying is “I don’t want to imagine.” When we resist imagining what other people are going through, we are resisting empathy. I always felt weird saying that, and in this conversation with Joanne, I finally understand. She is a former partner and now a coach and consultant and talks about her own journey in depression and her daughter’s journey with addiction and how that affected her. Also, I want to provide a trigger warning for this episode because there are parts of our conversation that discuss suicide. Please reach out to 800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Hotline if you need support. Let’s get started. Visit Joanne’s website here: http://jschaefercoaching.com/ Email Joanne here: joanne@jschaefercoaching.com Here is the number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Fit to Practice with Angela Han

Managing personal and family mental health with Joanne Clarfield Schaefer

 I’ve always been curious about creating your own firm, but so far I have only met those who went directly from a larger firm to creating their own and doing so intentionally. In Wendy’s case, it was almost accidental as she was taking a break to figure things out because she had her whole network in place already, So in this episode, Wendy Neal, a firm lawyer turned chief legal counsel to private practice owner, talks about how she transitioned smoothly and how she creates lasting relationships with her clients even without a website.  Show notes: Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-neal-00a6954 Email Wendy here: wendy@neallawpllc.com

How to transition from in house to owning your own firm with Wendy Neal

 The more I learn about the legal industry, the more I feel like I need to learn. One of those things is navigating the partnership track and how it works. So today I spoke with Gloria Sandrino, Global Chair of Partner and Group Recruiting at Lateral Link. In our conversation today we talk about some of the deep heavy stuff on how diversity plays a role in navigating the partnership track, what that means to the entire legal industry, and how we can contribute to a more equitable and inclusive legal world to serve our clients better. Here is to hoping that one day, conversations around DEI is not so deep and heavy anymore. That one day, we are able to talk about it as a matter of fact. Let’s get started. Connect with Gloria on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gloriasandrino/ Visit Gloria’s page on Lateral Link here: https://laterallink.com/team/gloria-sandrino/

Navigating partnership and DEI in big law with Gloria Sandrino

 I think I am on a roll with talking about the life of an in-house counsel. I’ll be honest - it is a LOT of fun. It is really uncomfortable learning and growing in the day to day, but it’s the kind of growth that you get excited about because you feel like you are making a difference in the company. But it’s not just the position itself that makes it great. It takes the environment and your personal responsibility to make it amazing and ultimately make you a great in-house counsel. So today I have Krista Lynn, who is a deputy general counsel who was just promoted earlier this year and has all kinds of amazing wisdom for anyone who is wanting to go in-house and anyone who is already in-house and wants to thrive even more.  Connect with Krista on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallykristalynn Visit Krista’s blog Recovering Superwoman here: https://www.recoveringsuperwoman.com/ Visit Krista’s membership website here: https://generalcounselu.com/  

How to be an exceptional in-house counsel with Krista Lynn

 I never imagined that learning how to contract would come back to learning how to be fit to practice. In law school, I remember putting my health and wellbeing last and really just focusing on getting everything right. It was such an uplifting conversation with Laura Frederick, who runs her own firm and teaches other lawyers how to contract better, sharing how learning how to contract better is about knowing your priorities, your strengths, and your place so that you are able to best serve your client. Because knowing all the specific language and provisions can only get you so far when you are trying to act in the best interest of your client.  Show notes: Connect with Laura on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurafredericklaw Sign up for Laura’s membership here: https://www.howtocontract.com/

How to contract with Laura Frederick

 At some point in our careers, we start thinking about transitions. Many times transitioning in-house, being part of the business decisions, the community of non-legal colleagues, the culture of forward thinking. That is the romantic vision that we have for in house positions. Some people think this is all a dream, but at least I don’t. As in-house counsel, I do believe in the American in-house dream. That is why I am so happy to have Sheila Murphy, a corporate lawyer of 24 years now turned coach for lawyers who want to climb the corporate ladder. Today she is sharing what she shares with her clients on going up the ladder with ease and joy. So many golden nuggets in here.  Connect with Sheila on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilamurphyfocusforward Connect with Sheila on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/sheilamurphy  

Climbing up the corporate legal ladder with Sheila Murphy

 We all have different experiences with yoga and meditation. Some of us might be thinking, yoga and meditation seem to calm and inactive for me. Some of us might be thinking, I tried yoga and meditation but it wasn’t really for me. Some of us might be thinking, yeah yoga and meditation are great but I really gotta get back in the game. If you resonated with any of the above, this episode is for you. I chat with Jen Mohamed, who is a lawyer and a yoga and meditation teacher, and we talk about the thoughts that really hold us back in doing yoga and meditation correctly so we can unlock so many answers for ourselves and how they can really benefit our short term and long term practice as lawyers and as human beings. I, for one, got really motivated to start getting back in the game with yoga after this conversation, and I hope it is the same for you, too.   Connect with Jen on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-mohamed-86880826/ Visit Jen’s website here: https://jentheyogalawyer.com/

How yoga and meditation can REALLY help you with Jennifer Mohamed

 Mental health, in and of itself, is an under discussed topic in the legal profession, and a niche area that is even less discussed is mental health for men in the law. Today I speak with Mark Yacano, who is a director at Major Lindsey and Africa and also hosts the podcast Erasing the Stigma: Conversations about Mental Health in the Legal Profession. In our conversation he talks about his own survival journey in mental health and what he learned when looking into the state of men’s mental health in the law. We talk about the ways toxic masculinity can affect their capacity to ask for help and how managing and surviving mental health is not reserved for any particular group. We all deserve to express who we are and ask for help on our own terms. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markyacano Listen to Mark’s podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/erasing-the-stigma/id1454387519 Follow Mark on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/myacano25/  

Mental health for men in the law with Mark Yacano

 In this episode with Winter Wheeler, a former litigator turned mediator now in very high demand, we talk about the four cornerstones of Winter’s mediation strategy: emotional intelligence, cultural knowledge, cultural immersion, and genuine empathy. We talk about how it can be easy to believe that culture, feelings, and empathy don’t have anything to do with resolving legal problems, but legal problems are also problems. And by applying these four cornerstones to not just mediation but also all other conflicts we see out there, we can see results, save time, money, and energy quickly.  Show notes: Visit Winter’s website here: https://www.winterwheeler.com/ Connect with Winter on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/winterwheeler/ Listen to Winter’s podcast here: https://www.themediatenow.com/  

Mediating like a Pro with Winter Wheeler

 Money is still a taboo topic. We are afraid to talk about it because we might feel like we have more debt than other people, make less than other people, and are not making the right decisions the way other people might be making. When it comes to money, because it is such an objective unit of measurement, it is easy to use it to play the comparison game. But what if it doesn’t have to be? What if it can be easy? In this episode with Kristin Printon, who is a financial advisor who has worked with lawyers and working parents, talks about the most common issues people go through when it comes to money and how it doesn’t have to be hard overcoming them. She shares some actionable pointers on how you can start managing your money with confidence even before asking for help. Let’s get started. Show notes: Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinbrandliprinton Visit Kristin’s website here: http://www.moxiewealthmanagement.com/  

Getting your money game on with confidence with Kristin Printon

 In moments of utter confusion or just blankness, it’s hard to find the answers you’re looking for. But how can you find answers if you don’t know what questions to ask? In this episode with Anya Smirnova, a former lawyer and now coach in the UK, talks about some of the most unexpected changes in her life that led her to ask the right questions for her answers. All the twists and turns that you had to go through in your life, all the feelings and the thoughts that keep jumping out at you, they give you important clues on your next steps. Tune in to find to out how.   Show notes:   Connect with Anya on LinkedIn here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/anya-smirnova-coach Visit Anya’s website here: https://www.anyasmirnova.com/ Listen to Anya’s podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lawyer-life-experiment/id1542458007 Find more information on the Mindful Return here: https://www.mindfulreturn.com/  

Knowing when you’re ready with Anya Smirnova

 The title of the podcast episode sounds common and maybe even easy. As if that is something that we are supposed to do. Turn difficult experiences into good things. But the reality is, it isn’t. It often feels nearly impossible to turn something traumatic into something good. And today, I talk about this with Shinhong Byun, a California litigator who made this tough decision to talk about some of her deepest stories and use them as a starting point to help others tell theirs. She does this in her everyday life and through her new podcast, the Curious Ahjuma. So you may notice that's a Korean word, so you’ll learn a thing or two about Korean culture in this episode, too. A bonus.  Connect with Shinhong on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shinhong-byun-59680a13 Visit The Curious Ahjuma podcast website: https://curiousahjuma.libsyn.com/

Turning trauma into a source of empowerment with Shinhong Byun

 Some of you may be thinking about becoming a coach or doing something that is impactful. And that is not the only decision you’re making - you might also be considering quitting your job as a lawyer or as a legal professional. So many crazy decisions to make. Only if you knew someone who went through exactly the same thing. That is why my conversation with Meghan Smith today is so powerful: she did the work. She is doing the work. All the scary hairy goals that we only dream of, like quitting the glorious title of being a lawyer and becoming a coach, she has done all of it. So tune in to find out how she did it, how she managed her thoughts and emotions through it, and how she coaches her clients through those transformations as well. Show notes: Connect with Meghan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-smith-coaching/ Visit Meghan’s website here: https://www.meghansmithcoaching.com/

What it means to be a former lawyer and a coach with Meghan Smith

 It’s been a while since we talked strictly about physical health, and I am so excited to dive into it today. Dr. Monique Ruberu is a doctor based in Pennsylvania but seeing clients and patients all over the world to help them manage and support their hormonal balance and fertility. In this episode, she talks about how to optimize your nutrition without necessarily getting extra help, how hormonal imbalances can result from certain stress and sleep patterns, and why it is important to step into new patterns now.  Visit Dr. Ruberu’s website here: https://www.naturalwomenshealth.com/  

Addressing stress and infertility for overworked lawyers with Dr. Monique Ruberu

 Okay let me tell you before we begin, I know some people - people who are close to me - who get very offended and upset about the idea of spirituality, mediumship, and psychics. If you are one of them, this episode is not for you. That’s why I even debated whether I should air this conversation but the one non-negotiable in my life is that I have to be who I am, and part of who I am is that I am fascinated by things that I don’t know. Things that can educate me. Things that can help me understand the world better, even if it uses methods that others disagree with. So today I have Kristen Swinehart, a former lawyer and now a medium, who unpacks what mediumship really is and how that relates to taking care of yourself and being fit to practice. And, bonus, she does a reading for me as it relates to some of the personal questions that have surfaced over the past few months. If this hasn’t scared you away yet, I hope you enjoy. Connect with Kristen on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-swinehart Book a spot with Kristen here: https://bookme.name/kristenswinehart

Being a lawyer and a medium with Kristen Swinehart

Fit to Practice is a show about all things Health and Wellness for hard-working lawyers. Each week, lawyer Angela Han talks to lawyers about their health struggles and survival. And as a plant-based personal trainer, health coach and yoga instructor, she shares her ideas on how to take back your health. Angela's goal is to help reframe nutrition, sleep, and exercise as a form of medicine and therapy to cope with the daily challenges of being a lawyer.

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Fit to Practice with Angela Han

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