Separating Your Identity From Your Legal Career
The Former Lawyer Podcast
In today’s podcast episode, Sarah chats with one of her one-on-one clients, Ann Marie Cowdrey. She has had a lot of experience working for regional and international law firms throughout her career. She hit a rough patch and thought it was time for a chance, so she started working with Sarah. Today, she’s sharing her experience in law and how she flipped things around. See show notes at
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Understanding Burnout Versus Depression In Lawyers And How To Get Support
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Many lawyers find themselves asking, “Am I depressed, or am I burnt out?” This comes up when they are thinking about leaving the law, and it’s not a new topic on the podcast. In the episode where Sarah spoke to Ilona Salmons, they did a deep dive into burnout and what it is. Mental health is a common topic brought up in the Former Lawyer community, and many lawyers deal with misery by intellectualizing things. Today, Sarah is revisiting this topic and sharing a few important thoughts. Sarah often talks about therapy on the podcast. It is extremely helpful if you feel burned out or...
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Finding an Empowering Path Back to Creative Work from Law with Lynley Ogilvie
The Former Lawyer Podcast
On today’s podcast episode, Sarah chats with Lynley Ogilvie about her career pivot. She left her job as a lawyer to become a landscape designer. The conversation was exciting, and her path was unique compared to other guests on the podcast. Lynley lives just outside of Washington, DC, and she has her own landscape design firm. See show notes at
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Why You Shouldn't Feel Guilty if You Hate Being a Lawyer
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Today’s podcast topic was sparked by a recent call for the Guided Track Sarah is facilitating this spring. This program is designed to assist lawyers in navigating their career paths and offers a safe space for self-reflection. It helps individuals determine if leaving the law is the right choice for them and guides them toward their next steps. The program fosters a close-knit community where participants can share their experiences, exchange ideas, and support each other through the process, providing a sense of camaraderie and accountability. The discussion centered around a common yet...
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Navigating Lawyering and New Career Paths with Chronic Health Conditions with Emily Whelden
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Today’s podcast episode focuses on what it’s like to work in law with chronic illnesses. Emily Whelden is a former lawyer who now works at Dixon Life Coaching, mostly with clients have ADHD and other chronic illnesses. Many podcast listeners have requested this conversation, and today it's happening. She is chatting with Sarah about her experience leaving the law and the subject of chronic illnesses. See show notes at
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An Existential Crisis When Leaving the Law Isn't a Sign of Failure
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Lawyers expect to follow a perfectly laid-out path. It’s natural. When the next step in any journey isn’t clear, it feels like something is wrong. In today’s podcast episode, Sarah talks about moments when you feel like you’re having an existential crisis, but that doesn’t mean you are doing anything wrong. When you feel like you’re having an existential crisis, it might feel like you’re in a vacuum. If you want to join a group of like-minded individuals, . Sarah created this group to make it easier to navigate the process and find community. It doesn’t mean you won’t...
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From Lawyer to Professional Development and Legal Recruiting with Adriana Paris
The Former Lawyer Podcast
On today’s podcast, Sarah is chatting with Adriana Paris. Adriana stopped practicing law after ten years and moved into a new role at a law firm. She is the director of professional development and legal recruiting for a regional law firm with about 100 lawyers. In addition, she has a coaching business on the side where she helps lawyers with personal productivity, which helps them create time and space for themselves. See show notes at
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Empowering Change: Updates from the Legal Accountability Project with Aliza Shatzman
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Today’s podcast episode brings back a previous guest to update listeners. . She co-founded this project based on a nightmare clerkship scenario she faced and wanted to help lawyers find recourse if they find themselves in this situation. She is sharing where things are today and the initiatives they’ve made progress on in the last year. See show notes at
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How to Shift Professionally From Lawyer to Chief Marketing Officer with Ashley Carlisle
The Former Lawyer Podcast
After leaving law, former lawyers follow many career paths depending on their interests and skills. Today’s podcast episode features a conversation with Ashley Carlisle, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of HyperDraft. If you are considering marketing as an option after leaving the law, this podcast has some great information for you. See show notes at
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Unraveling the Startling Parallels Between Narcissism in Family Units and Law Firms
The Former Lawyer Podcast
Narcissism is a word that is often associated with lawyers for many reasons. On today’s podcast episode, Sarah is chatting with about the fact that many lawyers have relationships with narcissists. Narcissism is a topic that more people are discussing now, and part of the reason is that there is more awareness and understanding of what it is. This episode includes a conversation about those who have grown up in a narcissistic daily or had a romantic or platonic relationship with a narcissist and how that might set them up for a later experience of functioning in a narcissistic system, like...
info_outlineIn episode 041 of the podcast, I'm sharing why I think Biglaw is inhospitable to human life (spicy!), and why I think it's particularly important for women in Biglaw to figure out what they want from their careers.
If you want to be the first to hear all the spicy takes I have about legal practice, join my email list by downloading the First Steps To Leaving The Law guide at formerlawyer.com/guide.