On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah took a break from interviewing former lawyers to share something important for anyone in a toxic workplace. She talked about how being in a toxic workplace makes it harder to figure out what you want to do when you eventually move on.  Toxic workplaces trigger all sorts of responses from the nervous systems that make it almost impossible to do the inner work needed to gain clarity, whether it’s on a post-legal career or just another sector of law.  Keep reading to learn how your toxic work environment makes it harder for you to figure out what you want to do after leaving the law. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/160

Laura Evans went to law school wanting to be an environmental lawyer. She focused on that all the way to actually practicing environmental law, which is pretty uncommon in the legal world.  When she eventually left, she didn’t have a plan, but she did still have the passion to make a change for the environment. Now, she works as an environmental planner, still in the environmental space but doing slightly different types of work than before she left the law.  In their conversation, Sarah and Laura talked a lot about how that happened, she had a panic attack on a Friday, and by Monday, handed in her notice. And, they talked about why that worked out so well for her. Let’s get into the conversation. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/159

Are you crying because of your job as a lawyer? Hang tight for some advice! This is by far the most popular episode that has been released on The Former Lawyer Podcast. The title is ‘Your Job Should Not Make You Cry’.  In this article, you’ll talk a little bit more about why that is true and what it means for you if this is your experience working in the law. So, let’s get started! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/042

Sarah shares something she has observed in her clients who have worked in the law for a long time. Many of these lawyers fear being the only one with that level of tenure who has ever left the law.  Today, you’re going to learn why that couldn’t be further from the truth and how the Former Lawyer Collaborative can help any lawyers who are struggling with that fear.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/158

For this episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah chatted with Heather Moulder. Heather worked in Biglaw and even made partners. But in the end, she left to inspire and impact people as a success coach for lawyers.  In this conversation, you’ll learn about Heather’s career in Biglaw and how she discovered coaching. You’ll also get to read how a huge life event and her values helped her make the career shift.  This is an amazing read for anyone constantly battling with their values and career in the law.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/157

Today, we’re going to talk about something that comes up for almost anyone who decides to leave the law to do something else, especially those who started in Biglaw. That is the experience of grieving your legal career. Now, that may sound sad, but don't worry. This article won’t be super heavy. But it’s something we need to speak about because grieving your career is something that isn’t that’s taught or really even discussed.  Career grief is unfortunately extremely stigmatized because it’s not how grief is typically known. But career grief can rear its ugly head, even if you want to leave the law and are happy about it. You can learn more about recovering from grief by checking out Stigma Free Grief For Lawyers With Heather Horton. But for now, keep reading to learn more about grieving your legal career. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/156

Mary Adkins followed her dream of becoming an author after leaving the law. And she knew the law wasn’t for her by the second day. Today she's joining Sarah Cottrell to share her story of leaving Biglaw to become an author and writing coach. There are so many lawyers out there with dreams of being a writer, but they don’t know how or where to begin. If that’s you, you’ll want to stay tuned to learn how you can get help leaving the law and becoming an author too.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/154

This particular piece of advice is generally garbage advice for lawyers. The advice in question is, “do what you love.” or “When you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.”  There are so many things that are problematic about this advice, especially for lawyers. Keep reading to learn more about why “do what you love” is garbage advice for lawyers. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/154

Are you sick of your job as a lawyer and want to find an alternative career? Have you been searching for a coaching program for lawyers that can support you in that process? If you've been thinking about investing in a coaching program for lawyers or even working with a career coach, then today’s blog post will be helpful.  Today I am talking about what to expect in the Guided Track, my upcoming group coaching program for lawyers who want to leave the legal profession and pursue an alternative career. Learn more about The Guided Track at formerlawyer.com/guidedtrack See show notes at formerlawyer.com/153

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer, Sarah takes a break from interviewing former lawyers to talk about a realization that many clients have when trying to find the right post-legal career.   Something can be simple and still not be easy. While these two words are often used synonymously, they aren’t the same. Not in the case of the process of leaving the law. Figuring out what you really want to do is quite difficult. And while there are things that can help make the process easier for you, that doesn’t mean that it’s any easier to find the best post-legal career option.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/152

This week, we’re sharing the second part of Sarah’s conversation with her husband and former lawyer, Ed Cottrell.  Last week, Ed and Sarah talked about the beginning of his journey into law and some of the events earlier in his legal career. This week, you’ll read about the later half of Ed’s legal career, when he left, and where he is now.  They also talked about what Ed has seen and experienced being a part of the whole Former Lawyer journey. So, let’s get to the second part of how Ed Cotrell left a “fine” legal career for a much better and actually enjoyable hybrid role.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/151

Lawyers are under constant stress and pressure yet always have a “this is fine” mentality. “Everything will be fine,” we keep telling ourselves. But, is it really fine? And, is “fine” good enough?  This week, you’ll read about Ed Cottrell, a former lawyer and most importantly, Sarah’s husband. Ed had a legal career for 13 years before leaving the law for a job in legal tech. You’ll notice the ever-present theme of “just fine” in Ed’s legal career journey.  During their conversation, Sarah and Ed spoke about the positives and negatives of his legal career, how his experience intersected with Sarah’s, and ultimately, how Former Lawyer came to be.  Sarah and Ed had so much to discuss that this article is divided into two parts. So, without further ado, let’s get into it! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/150

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah sat down with former lawyer Landis Wade to talk about his journey in leaving the law after practicing for a long time. 35 years, to be exact.  In their conversation, Sarah and Landis touched on many common themes on the podcast and in lawyers that are desperate to leave the law.  Whether you’re new or want to leave the legal profession practicing for years, this conversation will get you thinking further about what could be next for you. Let’s get started.  The Guided Track is a live 10-week small-group intensive for lawyers who want to jumpstart their search for an alternative career. You may have already heard of the Former Lawyer Collaborative. The Guided Track builds on the curriculum with Collaborative and adds this experience of a small group plus Sarah for ten weeks. You can also get weekly coaching as you move through the curriculum. The next session of the Guided Track kicks off this fall. The orientation will be on September 13th, running through November 22nd. Calls will be on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 PM Eastern.  There are nine spots available. This is a small-group experience where you're going to be able to get a lot of personal feedback from Sarah. And, included in your enrollment is membership in The Former Lawyer Collaborative. You get support beyond the 10 weeks of the Guided Track. When you enroll in the Guided Track, you get access to the Collaborative immediately. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/149

Today, we’re talking about a piece of trash advice that can really harm some lawyers who want to leave the law.  We really need to talk about a piece of advice that people give to lawyers about their jobs. Personally, I think that it’s just plain trash advice.  The trash advice we’re talking about today is, “Learn to love where you are.” Again, we’ll talk about why this advice is terrible for lawyers who want to leave the law and what you should do if you encounter it. Let’s get into it! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/148

In this episode, you’ll learn about Aliza Shatzman, a former lawyer turned co-founder of a non-profit called Accountability Project.  Aliza shares the circumstances that led her to decide to leave the legal system and start The Legal Accountability Project. The Legal Accountability Project seeks to ensure that as many law clerks as possible have a positive clerkship experience while extending support and resources to those who do not. Sarah and Aliza also discuss some popular topics on the podcast, like the dysfunction in the legal system and what needs to change. This is an extremely important conversation that everyone in the profession should be having, so stay tuned! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/147

On the latest episode of the podcast, Sarah had a conversation with Adam Pascarella about his journey in and out of Biglaw.  Adam is currently the founder and CEO of Second Order Capital Management. But before that, Adam worked in Biglaw as an associate and ended up writing a book while leaving the law.  The process Adam went through to figure out what he wanted to do after leaving the law is so interesting. So, stick around to read all about Adams’s journey in writing a book while leaving the law! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/146

If you’re a regular listener, you know that I practiced law for ten years, and now, I help unhappy lawyers ditch their soul-sucking jobs. On this podcast, I share advice for aspiring former lawyers and interviews to help you through the process of leaving and finding a new career.  Today, I want to talk to you about why I didn’t do career coaching for lawyers when I first started Former Lawyer and what got me started doing 1:1 coaching. I’ll also talk about what it looks like to work with me and how you can get started. Are you ready? Let’s get going! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/145

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, Sarah spoke with Navneet Mann, a former lawyer and listener of the podcast turned professional coach! She has her own practice, helping lawyers and other business professionals with business and mindset coaching.   In this conversation, they talked about many different topics, including law firm abuse, the lawyer identity obstacle, and so much more.  Keep reading to learn all about Navneet’s journey in the legal field and how she turned it around to become a business and mindset coach! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/144

As you know, on the Former Lawyer Podcast, I share advice and strategies for aspiring former lawyers. And, I do interviews with former lawyers who have left the law behind to find careers and lives that they love.  Today, I want to talk about whether or not I think everyone should leave the law. Now, that might sound like a ridiculous question. But it does come up a lot from people that read the blog or listen to the podcast.   So, do I think everyone should leave the law? Keep reading to learn the answer and what my goal really is for Former Lawyer! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/143

Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Karen Spencer. Karen is a former lawyer who responded to my requests for guests who had experience in patent law. Karen has an interesting background, coming to the legal profession from engineering. First, she wanted to work in general commercial law but ended up in patent law. She soared through the legal realm, even making partner at a large law firm before exiting the legal profession for a startup. Like all my guests, Karen realized the law wasn’t for her and decided to explore her options, eventually landing in her position at SearchFunder. Let’s get into my conversation with Karen Spencer. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/142

Today I'm sharing a bit from my conversation with Annie Little, a former lawyer turned coach for lawyers. I had spoken to her before for the podcast. But, I wanted to talk to her again because she has recently been diagnosed with ADHD. This is something that I wanted to talk about but didn’t have my own experience with it. So, I’m happy to share it with you because this is the experience of lawyers having ADHD. After all, so many lawyers have ADHD and feel like it's something they can't talk about. Let’s get into my conversation with Annie Little about ADHD and lawyers, so we can all gain some knowledge and compassion surrounding neurodiversity in the legal progression. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/141

Today, I am sharing my conversation with David Sparks. David practiced law for close to 30 years and he has only recently left his job in the law to focus on his side hustle, MacSparky.  In our conversation, we spoke about many different things including what he has found surprising about leaving the law, some of the responses he's received, and lots of other things.  I'm excited to share this conversation unique story with you. So, let's get right into my conversation with David Sparks. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/140

Today is going to be a little bit of a spicy episode, and we'll be talking today about The No Asshole Rule. I'm guessing that most of you in the legal profession have heard of this “rule”.  It often comes up in interviews where you're interviewing with a legal workplace. This happens most often in large firms, but not always. It happens in other contexts as well. We’re also going to talk a little bit about what this rule really means, and what you can do if you’ve already found out. Let’s get right into the No Asshole Rule. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/139

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, I spoke with Ashley Chi. Ashley worked in Biglaw for seven years in patent litigation. Then, she went in-house and managed outside patent attorneys. Now, she works as a legal recruiter.  The episode was listener-requested, looking for a former lawyer who had experience in Biglaw patent work and has had experience in that field as a woman with the dynamics that exist in Biglaw. So without further ado, let's get to my conversation with Ashley about working as a woman in Biglaw and patents. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/138

As you know, one of the things I do is share advice and strategies for aspiring former lawyers. Today, I'm going to talk about a question that comes up frequently when people are thinking about joining the Collab.  The question I'm talking about is if group programs like the Collab work well for introverts. I am an introvert myself. So. I totally understand feeling drained by interactions with people, even if you enjoy interacting with people. Let's talk a little bit about how group programs can actually be great for introverts. Plus, what you can expect if you are an introvert who’s thinking about joining a group program, like the Collab. Let’s go! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/137

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, I had a wonderful conversation with Kevin Ha. Kevin has a unique story compared to my other guests because he left the law to do side-hustles and blogging full-time.  I'm excited for you to hear this conversation about how he went from Biglaw to the government to non-profit. And, how he ultimately ended up working on his website and doing side hustles full-time. Let's get to my conversation with Kevin. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/136

This week, I want to talk about an issue that I see come up so often for lawyers. What we're going to talk about today is the mindset of "if you're not suffering in the law, you're not working hard enough." It's particularly prevalent in really toxic work environments or workplaces, where being consistently overworked is normalized.  Want to learn more? Let’s get started.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/135

This week, I'm sharing my conversation with Julie Lythcott-Haims. I first heard Julie share her story on a podcast called The Anxious Achiever Podcast. After listening, I immediately asked her to come onto The Former Lawyer Podcast and share her story. Julie started her legal career in Biglaw, then she went in-house. But after falling out of love with the law for various reasons, she became an associate dean at Stanford Law School for student affairs. Now, she is an accomplished author and speaker.  I loved having this conversation with Julie, and I'm really looking forward to sharing it with you.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/134

Do I really want to leave the law? Or is it just my particular job? How do I know whether it's just my particular job or whether it's the law entirely? This is one of the most asked questions by people who want to leave the law. I literally have conversations with people about this every week, so we're going to talk about it today.  I can’t answer this question for you. But today, I'm going to pull this question apart and help you look past the doubt it causes, so you can answer it yourself.  Let’s dive in! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/133

Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Vanessa Kuljis. Vanessa and I overlapped at the same law school, though we didn't meet each other while we were there. I connected with Vanessa while looking for someone to come into the Collab and help my clients specifically with the CliftonStrengths assessment.  CliftonStrengths is an assessment that helps you evaluate your natural talents as you're thinking about what you want to do in life. I learned more of her story; about working in Biglaw, finding the assessment, and how it helps her realize working as a coach was the right fit.  I wanted to share Vanessa’s story with you to give you some insight into how understanding your own strengths can be helpful for you in your process of figuring out what you want to do next. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/132

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer Podcast, I asked Kara Hardin to come back on the podcast to talk about trauma and lawyers. You may remember her previous episode where she talked about leaving the law for a career in mental health.  We've had several therapists on the podcast recently, like Ilona Salmons, who came on the podcast to discuss burnout in lawyers. In all of these conversations, trauma from being a lawyer was a common theme.  Today, we’re going to focus on trauma and lawyers. We’re also going to talk a bit about the big influx of former lawyers seeking a new career in mental health.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/131

Today, I'm sharing my conversation with Andy Cabasso. Andy is a former lawyer and startup founder that began by starting a legal marketing business in law school with a former college roommate.  He ultimately ended up moving into that full-time and selling that business and starting another one. We’re going to be talking about Andy’s transition out of the law and into legal marketing, and startup creation.  And as always, we’ll have some tips for you if you’re thinking about leaving the law. So without further ado, let’s get into my conversation with Andy Cabasso. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/130

One of the most frustrating things in the legal industry is when you aren't happy with your job, you're feeling a ton of pressure and stress. But when you try to communicate with the non-lawyers in your life, they don't understand. So today, I want to talk about one specific factor that makes lawyering so stressful. The crushing expectation of perfection in the legal industry. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/129

Today I'm excited to share my conversation with Stinson Mundy with you. Stinson started as a litigator and eventually, opened her own solo practice. Now, she is a director at a company called Envoy Portfolio.  We talked about her legal career journey and later, her decision to leave the law. And we also touched on many common themes that come up on the Podcast.  I just know that everyone reading will get something of value out of this. So without further ado, let's get to my conversation with Stinson. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/128

This week, I'm really excited to share my conversation with Amber Haggins with you. Amber is a former lawyer who now sits as Prophet's Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  As you’ll hear from her story, she has lots of great advice for people who are thinking about an alternative career in DEI. But, her story is useful to anyone looking to leave their job as a lawyer.  Listen in to learn more about Amber and to hear her advice for finding an alternative career after leaving your job as a lawyer and how you can potentially find your next career in DEI.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/126

Are you looking to leave the law, and find a non-legal career, but something is holding you back? Do you think there’s something wrong because you just can’t do this anymore? Today we need to talk about four myths that lawyers who want to explore post-legal careers are holding on to, which is often keeping them from exploring their options when it comes to a post-legal career.  Listen in because there is a decent chance that at least one of these, if not more, is something that you're dealing with, and I want to talk about what they are and how to think about these myths and recognize them for what they are, which is a myth. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/125

This week on the podcast, I'm excited to share my interview with Rho Thomas. Rho and I originally connected when she was still working as a lawyer in a Biglaw firm, and she had developed an interest in personal finance. More recently, I saw that Rho had left her job in Biglaw and she was now doing this work as a financial coach for lawyers. So, naturally, I asked her to come on the podcast, and here we are. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/124

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer podcast, I had Ilona Salmons back to continue our conversation about burned-out lawyers.  We wanted to have this conversation because we know that burnout in lawyers is extremely prevalent and can be detrimental to your mental health if it’s not dealt with.  In this episode, we’ll cover signs of lawyer burnout, as well as the contributing factors that lead to burnout in lawyers, so you know what to look for and then a little information about how you can prevent it or at least make yourself less susceptible.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/123

This week, I am talking about my interview with Ilona Salmons. She's actually not a lawyer but she works primarily with mental health in lawyers and other high achievers. In fact, in her doctoral research, the subject of it was burnout in lawyers. I wanted to share this interview with her because some of the things that we talk about quite a bit are mental health and lawyers, lawyer burnout, and the normalized toxicity in legal workplaces.   People have a lot of questions about it. Let's be real, burnout in lawyers is rampant. It's a huge problem, which is why I'm so excited to share this conversation with you. So, let's get right to the conversation. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/122

Are you ready to find a new job after leaving the law? Do you want to find the right post-legal career for you? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Former Lawyer, I work with lawyers to help find the best path after leaving their soul-sucking careers. Today, I’m going to talk about the upcoming Guided Track through the Former Lawyer Framework. We’ll also talk about how it relates to the Collaborative and how it works with lawyers like you in finding a new job after leaving the law. Keep reading to learn more about how the upcoming Guided Track can help you! See show notes at formerlawyer.com/121

On the latest episode of the Former Lawyer podcast, I talked about The Eight Signs of a Toxic Legal Workplace. For this episode, I am going to pull heavily from a great piece by Ilona Salmons, who is a therapist that specializes in working with lawyers. You may have noticed that toxic workplaces often come up a lot on the podcast. The reason that I think this topic is important to talk about is that toxic workplaces are the number one contributor to burnout.  As you’re reading, I want you to think about whether or not this is true for your work environment, and to think about why seeing these signs matters. Keep reading to learn the 8 signs of a toxic workplace and what you can do to avoid burnout.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/120

This week, I want to talk to you about the pernicious cycle that is trapping you in your lawyer job. Obviously, this doesn't apply to everyone but if you are someone who's feeling trapped in your job as a lawyer, then I'm going to guess that this cycle is part of why. By far, when my clients come to me to work with me, this is one of the things that they talk about the most as what ultimately pushed them to find some support and accountability around their process of figuring out what they want to do that isn't practicing law. This is something that I experienced 100% when I was practicing law as well. It comes up all of the time. So, read on to learn what this cycle really looks like and how you can break it to finally get out of your soul-sucking job as a lawyer.  See show notes at formerlawyer.com/119.

Welcome to the very first episode of The Former Lawyer Podcast that's releasing in 2022. Today, I want to talk to you about a question that I'm sure many of you have, which is, “How can I leave the law this year?” It's interesting because when I speak with non-lawyers about the work that I do, this question might seem a little bit odd to them. In their eyes, the solution is to just leave and get out of there. But if you're a lawyer, it can be much more complicated than that. Keep reading to learn how you can leave the law this year. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/118

Today, I’ll be talking about the issue of Biglaw associate burnout. I cannot tell you the number of people who I have heard from in the last year who are months into a career in the Biglaw system, and they are just like, “I can't do this anymore. This is inhumane.” Earlier this summer, I shared a video about Biglaw Associate Burnout. This idea that Biglaw firms acting like they couldn't possibly have anticipated the way that their associates are feeling couldn’t be further from the truth. They know exactly what they’re doing. See show notes at formerlawyer.com/117

Today, we’re going to be talking about a topic I feel very strongly about. It’s also something that I’ve been seeing more and more in the legal profession. There is a school of thought that your thoughts cause your feelings. This idea is derived from a well-established and evidence-based type of therapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy. As you know, I frequently advocate for people in the legal profession to go to therapy. But, in this article, you’ll learn about the reality of CBT for lawyers and how it can be more harmful than helpful. See Show notes at formerlawyer.com/116

This week on the podcast, we re-released one of the most popular episodes of the podcast. I wanted to make sure that if you haven't heard it before, you have a chance to hear it, and if you have listened to it before, you are reminded of it.  This is because this is the episode that I hear about from people the most, hands down of all the episodes that have been released on The Former Lawyer Podcast. The title is ‘Your Job Should Not Make You Cry’. I’ll talk a little bit more about why that is true and what it means for you if this is your experience. See Show notes at formerlawyer.com/042

Kara Hardin is a therapist and used to be a corporate and securities lawyer. In the latest episode of the podcast, I talked to Kara about her journey to becoming a lawyer and how she came to leave the law and choose therapy as a post-legal career.  The path for her to become a therapist is a little bit unique. She’s originally from Canada but moved to the States for a while and was not licensed to practice law in the States.  So, she ended up going back to school for a Clinical Psychology Degree that she thought she would bring back and apply in her legal practice. Instead, today, she is a licensed therapist. See Show notes at formerlawyer.com/115

This week on the Former Lawyer Podcast, we’re re-releasing a previous episode, but this is one that I feel needs to be re-shared because the information is just so important to people thinking about finding a non-legal job. The episode is all about what to do if you are in a position where you're just like, “I just need to leave the law ASAP, and I will basically take anything. I just need to find a non-legal job,” which is something I see a lot of, here at Former Lawyer. In this article, you’ll learn more than just how to leave the law ASAP and take any position you can find. You’ll learn the more thoughtful process that you’ll need to find a non-legal job that is really a match where you can make a fulfilling post-legal career. See Show notes at formerlawyer.com/078