The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
Preview No. 3, Season 2 -- What's to Come this Season
What does it truly mean to sustain wellbeing in the high-pressure environment of big law? Join me, Emily Logan Stedman, as we challenge the conventional wisdom and stereotypical solutions this season on the Grace Period.
From redefining wellbeing to sharing my own battle with burnout, I promise you'll gain insights into proactively managing your mental health.
This season isn't just a series of feel-good tips; it's about actionable, time-efficient strategies that can transform your career and personal life.
Learn the business case for wellbeing, understand the ethical implications, and discover powerful techniques like meditation, gratitude, and routine that don't just help you survive, but thrive.
Whether you're a seasoned attorney or new to the field, these conversations are designed to help you craft a sustainable, fulfilling career while being the best version of yourself. Mark your calendars for September 24th and catch up on season one for foundational advice on managing your time and practice in big law.
Find out more at https://thegraceperiod.substack.com/.
Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, emily Logan Steadman. In this demanding profession, it is crucial that we don't lose ourselves in the hustle for billable hours. On the Grace Period, we have honest conversations about finding consistency, minimizing chaos, developing coping strategies and de-stigmatizing mental health. It is time to prioritize our shared humanity, to find our grace period. Welcome to the third and final trailer for season two of my podcast, the Grace Period. With this final trailer, I want to finally share what is to come on season two of the Grace Period. This season will focus on lawyer well-being.
Speaker 1:This is a critically important topic, but it is one that is often misunderstood and stigmatized. It's often discussed in a stereotypical or not genuine matter. It's often discussed in a stereotypical or not genuine matter. We get sort of doom and gloom about the statistics and high level things we can try to implement without much recognition of all the things competing for our time. I aim to do it differently. That's my goal. Whether I succeed or not is up to you. This is not going to be another yoga and work-life balance talk. I will talk about things like meditation, but I really want to redefine what well-being means for attorneys and explain why it is crucial for our individual and corporate success. The numbers are what they are. Attorneys self-report as having higher incidences of depression, anxiety and substance abuse than the general public. We cannot move on from that if we don't address it head-on and acknowledge the facts. From there we can focus on professional excellence and peak performance. Taking care of yourself, your whole human being, self, is about being at the top of your game. It is about making sound decisions. It is about delivering not just for your clients, but also your friends, family and yourself. It is about creating a sustainable career and avoiding burnout or recovering from it. If you're already there, so much of Lawyer Wellbeing and the discussions around it is reactionary. It is about recovering from burnout around it is reactionary. It is about recovering from burnout. I've been there and I will share about my experience with burnout this season. My goal, though, is to help myself and others be proactive to avoid burnout, to create space for breaks and rest and whatever else that brings you joy and fulfillment, alongside building a sustainable and fulfilling career.
Speaker 1:Improving well-being improves productivity. It improves job and client satisfaction. It increases retention. Now you might be thinking that sounds great, but who has the time? Well, in season one I provided real-world tips and tricks to improve time and practice management. I'll continue that this season, sharing practical and time-efficient strategies you can fit into your hectic life.
Speaker 1:I'll also address the ethics of lawyer well-being. We are required ethically to be competent and diligent. Being competent and diligent is not just about checking the boxes of a case or transaction. Can you be competent or diligent if you are not well, if you are not taking care of yourself? I don't think so and I'll address that ethical consideration head on in season two.
Speaker 1:This podcast aims to provide bite-sized episodes digestible in 15 minutes or less. Within that framework, on season two, I'll cover the definition of well-being and lawyer well-being why well-being matters for attorneys, my Own Story of Burnout and Recovery, the Ethics of Lawyer Wellbeing, techniques for Improving and Sustaining Mental Health, such as meditation, gratitude, a routine and more, and I'll talk about the business case for lawyer well-being. Remember, this is not about adding another thing to your plate. It is about working smarter and investing in yourself so that you can be a great lawyer but also a better human spouse, parent, sibling, friend, child and more.
Speaker 1:Season two of the Grace Period will premiere on September 24th. Until then, I encourage you, if you haven't already, to check out season one, where I define big law in the billable hour and also provided concrete tips and tricks to managing your time and your practice so that you can succeed in big law and create a more sustainable path. Thank you for listening to this final trailer to season two of the Grace Period premiering on September 24th. Remember you don't have to sacrifice your well-being for career success. By prioritizing self-care, setting boundaries and seeking support, you can survive and even thrive in the law and in big law. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our grace period. Disclaimer this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind, including legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by listening to this podcast.
