lawyer wellness

Season 3 is here thanks to a generous gift from the BC Law Foundation! Thank you BC Law Foundation. Dr. Amar Dhall is back for round 2 to talk about introception, bio-hacking the nervous system, the importance of trauma-informed practice, emotional intelligence and to share details on our upcoming retreat in Whistler BC from April 11-13, 2023. Join us! 

Mala M. Rafik of Rosenfeld & Rafik, PC, in Boston and Susan Letterman White, JD, MS, of Letterman White Consulting in Quincy discuss why visible leadership matters when it comes to creating a more fulfilling law practice in this excerpt from MCLE’s 5/10/2022 live webcast, Finding & Building Meaning in Your Law Practice. The full program is available as an on demand webcast or an MP3 here. Get 24/7 instant access to hundreds of related eLectures like this one—and more—with a subscription to the MCLE OnlinePass. Learn more at www.mcle.org/onlinepass.

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This episode reflects on an earlier episode called, The Duty to Do Better: The Law Student Version. Law professors and instructors offer their perspectives on teaching in a trauma-informed way, lawyer and law student mental health, and modern legal education in Canada and the USA. This conversation includes Claudia Pena (UCLA), Anna Lund (UofA), Sarah Katz (Temple Uni), Andrew Pilliar (TRU), Zara Suleman (UVic), Brittany Goud (UVic), and Jeffrey Meyers (TRU). 

Faith Kohler is a fiercely independent, multi-faceted powerhouse.

Attorney, former federal agent, Fortune 500 company alum, visual artist, and documentary film maker, Faith embodies the term “renaissance woman.”  

With confidence, humility and grace, Faith tells her story (and those of others) – strategically, convincingly, and with the gift of hindsight about making purposeful, courageous choices.  

Find Faith and her multi-faceted strength online at www.faithkohler.us, www.faithkohlerartist.com and in Instagram at #trueglue.

PS.  Still trying to get your Ethics CLE requirements for 2020?  The deadline is fast approaching.  Join us for our fun, and interactive Trial-Ready Client CLE where you will earn 1.5 hours of Ethics CLE all while learning 3 jury-tested strategies to develop a better narrative in less time with fewer client meetings.  Click here to LEARN MORE.  

How can the practice of yoga help us in the practice of law?  Andrea Griego, yoga studio owner and body work specialist shares her perspective.  First, the confidence and the humility gained by getting really good at something really hard cannot be overstated.  Next, 80% of all doctor visits are stress-related.  Your body trying to tell you something.  But most of all?  We are students of our clients and of the law at exactly the same time: the most dangerous student is the one who has stopped listening. Yoga makes you strong – it also makes you listen.  To that voice that may start as a whisper, to that pain that won’t go away, and to that stress that seems to always be there. Yoga helps you find our own response to that voice – the one that is best for you and only you.  

Listen in on a conversation with Andrea Griego, a down-to-earth yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist who has dedicated her practice to helping you listen to your body and your mind, while gently encouraging you to find your own inner guru.  

Learn more about Andrea and how to reach her at https://www.andreahealingarts.com or speak with her directly at 602.625.1948.  She is currently seeing clients for private yoga instruction and massage/body work.  

This episode addresses vicarious trauma in the legal profession and the personal traumas that can sometimes interfere with our ability to connect with each other and live in alignment with our core values. 

Fat is not a feeling.  

You cannot run from your fork.

Embrace the suck.

Hello, friends.  These are just a few words to live by from our guest, Trish Fleischer, an Arizona-based fitness trainer specializing in transforming the bodies and health of professional women. 

So here is the ironic thing:  we are all working from home, in various states of quarantine, to keep ourselves healthy.  At the same time, we are doing whatever it takes to earn our own version of the “Covid-15.”  Many of us are achieving a new level of mastery in stress, anxiety, depression, comfort-eating, and over-drinking during this time of compromised routine.

Trish is here to tell us how to reboot.  A tough love, honest-with-yourself, no-nonsense fitness trainer who believes in eating and showing you how to get started (and figuring out what is holding you back.)  No shakes, no juicing, and no messing around.  

Together we will get this done.

Let’s get our Athena back—

Joy Bertrand

PS.  You can connect with Trish by email at trishfit.fitness@gmail.com for a chat, a zoom workout, or a brainstorm about nutrition and fitness.  She is looking forward to hearing from you.  

“Warrior” – a description that has become almost cartoon-ish.  

And hyper-masculine.  

The women warriors we see in popular entertainment often are also fetishized for their sexiness, at the cost of their intelligence and true strength.  

Lawyers are no different.  And we all know a lawyer (or two or three or a dozen), who go to battle for the sake of the argument: for bloodlust.  

That was Aries – Athena’s brother.  Mindless.  Jumping into any fight, with no respect for the risk of harm and the potential cost to others. 

Athenas are warriors, let’s be clear.  But Athenas fight with purpose and smarts – not for the sake of the fight.  And here is how we do it, whether we are aware of it or not: with discernment, with adaptability, and with physicality.  

Today’s podcast examines Athena’s Warrior traits, so you can focus on your strengths and areas for growth as you go to battle each day.

It will help you immeasurably to be able to follow along with the visual for the first few moments.  You can find it here – and while you are at it, join our tribe. 

I want to hear from you!  Like our Facebook page and join your fellow Athenas.  

We offer an understanding ear, no nonsense advice, and a soft place to land.  I hope you to see you soon.  

Sincerely,

Joy Bertrand

This episode discusses trauma shock and wellness in judges, lawyers and law students as well as the benefits of developing a trauma-informed legal practice particularly in the context of Family Law. 

Eight years ago I made a fundamental shift around how I get unstuck when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge or circumstance in both my professional life and in my personal life.  I got out of my head and turned an intellectual exercise into a physical one and it made all the difference.  Shockingly, it also ushered in transformative change.  Allow me to introduce, Mike Traynor, one of my mentors and the secret weapon of trial lawyers throughout the US.  He is a self-professed simple man and a straightforward genius who guides you to breakthroughs through activity (don't worry, no marathons here).  Part therapist and all lawyer, Mike proves that sometimes the solutions to the biggest challenges have been with you all along.
 
 Get ready, you are about to get unstuck,
 Joy
 
 PS.  Mike Traynor is a referral-only practitioner helping attorneys across the country get out of their own way and move forward.  Literally.  If you are interested in learning more and joining our tribe, sign up here and I will share with you his unpublished contact information.  

What differentiates the trial lawyer who appears to effortlessly go to battle with a clear head and a sharp wit?  A woman who says what she means in the moment and not two days too late when she is alone in her car? 

The key to finding courage when it seems elusive - for your clients and for yourself is firmly rooted in your value-system.  Clarity around your Non-Negotiable North Star is crucial to finding the bravery you need - exactly when you need it.  Getting there is more straightforward than you think.  And that is what we talk about today on the Athena in the Well Podcast. 

Follow along with the visual (helpful but not required) and join our tribe here.

For many people, a "Tarot card reading" means a woman in flowing robes, leaning over a small table in a candlelit room, foretelling impending doom (or pure unadulterated bliss, one of the two...)

But that's not really what Tarot cards are about. In fact, they're not even really meant to tell your fortune or future. It has been said that the most powerful sources of information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one's Higher Self. Woowoo Wednesday is for real.  As is our guest: Theresa Reed, aka The Tarot Lady, who believes that nothing is fated, that everything is fluid — and that the cards have the power to inspire courageous, life-affirming action. But only if you honor your emotional & intuitive reactions for what they really are — a quiet, guiding intelligence.

Join us as we get you the inside scoop on the Tarot and a no-nonsense roadmap to use it as a guiding force for your personal and professional lives.

PS.  Love Woowoo Wednesday?  We love you, too. Join our tribe and never miss an episode or precious nugget of "outside the box" wisdom.  

Today's episode is a little outside the box.  But, let's face it, sometimes the box is a jerk.  Listen to the alternative wisdom of Deborah Garland - Ayurvedic Practitioner, Author, Yogi and Healer. Her profession is the knowledge and science of life and longevity.  Her specialty is assessing your current imbalance to help you make small, easy adjustments to achieve positive shifts in overall wellness. And you will never guess where to look first to find what is keeping you stuck and incapable of being your most balanced self. 

Be sure to join our tribe here - we want to know how you are doing - we will also send you the balancing and immune boosting tea recipe mentioned in this episode. 

Thinking of you,
Joy

PS. Discover more about how Deborah can help here - and check out our Facebook page for the promised recipe.

Has anyone ever told you to "just be yourself?"  Did you fight the impulse to find a vase and hurl it at said person?  Did you think to yourself: why does it all of a sudden seem impossible to "just be myself?"

I admit that I have. I admit that I know my clients and my witnesses have, too. So...what are 3 things we can do -in real time- to re-train our brains to say what we know and not get distracted by the noise and need to be perfect?  Today we are talking about that with Dr. Kathleen Donaghy - a licensed psychologist and expert witness.  Kathleen is known for her ability to combine conventional and contemporary methods to help you co-create your life all while providing you tools you can use right now to overcome anxiety, overwhelm, and self-doubt.  There are little (and not so little) nuggets of wisdom that I have found myself thinking about and using since Kathleen and I had this conversation.  One in particular, was pretty life-changing.  I am curious and excited to see if you think so, too.

PS.  Want to connect with Dr. Donaghy?    You can reach her here  by phone, email, or to set up a skype call.  

Welcome to Woowoo Wednesday!  Have you ever heard of the saying, "She is her own worst enemy?” When you think about it for a second, there is nothing more self-defeating.  Because as I am sure you are aware, wherever you go, you are there.  What would happen if you could make one adjustment to overpower this soul-crushing tendency? Like most things worth doing, it is straight-forward and makes all the sense of the world.  Easy, no.  Simple, yes, yes, yes.  This is something that I learned quite some time ago and I want to share it with you through an interview with my thought-mentor.  I hope you enjoy it and share with me what you think. 

To Your Inner Athena,
Joy
PS.  Please accept my invitation to join our tribe here - objectively the strongest group of trial lawyers on Facebook.  And I am not biased in the least....

This is an introduction to the Podcast Episode:  The Transformative Strategist: 3 Mindsets of Stand-Out Legal Strategy.  In order to help you follow along, I have created a quick reference tool to the first cornerstone to evolving into an Athena Master Strategist.  I know that you will find looking at this visual aid for just a few seconds will be a good use of your time as you move through the episode that is to follow.  I will ask you for your name and email to prove that you are not a robot and then you will immediately directed to the tool.  Sometimes the simplest strategies are the best, don't you think?

Access this helpful visual here and I will be right here waiting for you.  

This episode is the cornerstone of mastering the art and science of strategy.  Follow Joy Bertrand as she guides you through the theory behind her hard won success as an internationally recognized trial architect and reveals the 3 mindsets that can help you evolve into a commanding trial strategist. 

Want to make it easier to up your strategy game?  Employ this helpful illustration that bottom-lines the thought process and helps ensure your success with clients, opposing counsel, judges, and juries.

Join us each and every Wednesday, when we feature forward thinkers courageous enough to embrace a little woowoo to command the courtroom. 

Today, we will discover 3 strategies (that you can do in less than 3 minutes) to combat the newest form of Trial Lawyer Anxiety:  Practicing in the Pandemic.

Joy's very special guest is, Lexlee Overton. Lexlee is the founder of the legal consulting firm, Mind Over Law. 

Mind Over Law helps lawyers use scientifically proven techniques to train their minds to release stress, reduce anxiety, combat fear and become power-performers; and love what they do all at the same time...

You will be inspired!

PS.  Subscribe to the Athena in the Well Podcast and we will email you 3 - 3 minute strategies to combat the newest form of Trial Lawyer Anxiety:  Practicing in the Pandemic. 

This podcast is designed to embolden the inner Athena of women trial lawyers through the mastery of the goddess' timeless teachings. Together we will empower your master strategist, fierce independence, creative genius, and ferocious warrior.  And together we will help you find your voice, take your space, and command the courtroom.


PS. Be sure to subscribe to the Athena in the Well Podcast - your inner goddess will thank you for it.....