The Lawyer's Escape Pod Megan Smiley

My guest this week is Anne-Marie Rabago, the founder and principal of Modern Juris, which provides tools, training, and support to help lawyers build financially sustainable businesses designed to serve the latent legal market. Anne-Marie started her legal career at Pricewaterhousecoopers, then launched a solo tax law practice before transitioning into law school and non-profit legal incubator programming.    
I wanted to have Anne-Marie on because I, admittedly, wasn’t familiar with legal incubators when she first mentioned it to me and I thought it was a great resource to share with all of you. 
In this episode, we discuss:
- Anne-Marie’s personal journey from traditional practice to a solo tax law practice to mentoring & coaching
- Legal incubators and how they might help you   
- Strategies to start and scale solo law firms  
- The potential in the untapped legal market 
- The rewards and hurdles of unconventional legal practice
- The power of intentional decision-making for your career trajectory
- Navigating career changes so you don’t let yourself get stuck
 
Connect with Megan!
 
2024 Focus Session: https://megansmiley.com/2024-focus-session
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
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Connect with Anne-Marie!
 
Website: https://www.modernjuris.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemarierabago/

My guest today is Kate Bridal, a former lawyer turned legal tech marketer turned co-host of The Legal Burnouts podcast.
We explore her professional journey, from drama school to working with primates (yes, seriously - she got to sign with chimps), to law and beyond.
Kate shares with us how she's navigated the pressures of the legal profession, her adventures in legal tech marketing, and the ongoing career transition she’s navigating.
It’s an open and honest conversation that highlights that the road is rarely linear, and getting comfortable with change and uncertainty is the name of the game.
In this episode, we discuss:
Kate's unorthodox leap from primate studies to law.  
Kate’s path through various legal jobs, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
Challenging the norms and status quo of the legal industry. 
The crisis of identity that can come with career evolution.
The tension between personal ambition and family and financial realities.
Kate's success in landing and acclimatizing to a legal tech marketing role through humor and honesty.
Tips on networking and seeking career advice, even if reaching out feels out of your comfort zone.
Learning to trust your gut over outside opinions.   
Kate's current thoughts around starting her own business and doing contracting work.
The importance of taking conscious breaks and finding hobbies that reinvigorate you.
The liberating yet anxiety-ridden process of forging a path without a clear career roadmap.
Insider baseball discussion of keeping up with our podcasts
Connect with Megan!
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call
 
Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/
 
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Connect with Kate!
 
Legal Burnouts Website: https://www.thelegalburnouts.com/
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-bridal/

Our guest today is Sejal Thakkar, a former employment law attorney, a 2X TEDx speaker, and the Founder and Chief Civility Officer at TrainXtra, a woman/minority- owned training consulting firm, where she helps leaders create positive, safe, and respectful workplaces through customized training and coaching. 
 
In this episode, we discuss:
Sejal realizing that litigation was a bad fit; she wanted to build workplace culture, not clean up messes
Following your interests to build skills and open doors
Leveraging your legal background in a business 
Leaning into a growth mindset to move through imposter syndrome 
Balancing purpose-driven work, family and finances 
Navigating a non-linear path from employment to entrepreneurship
Relying on your resourcefulness and self-trust rather than avoiding all risks
The importance of networking and planting seeds for your long-term career growth
 
Connect with Megan!
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call
 
Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/
 
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Connect with Sejal!
 
Website: http://www.trainxtra.com
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sejalthakkar/

April Roberts is a former attorney turned financial advisor who now coaches Gen X women to achieve more abundance, love, spirituality and alignment by connecting with their femininity.
She also hosts the podcast Vixen Voice where she shares stories of Gen X women that have shed the traditional definition of success to pursue their life’s true passion.
April shares with us all of the twists, turns, and lessons she learned in her personal and professional journey.
Key Takeaways from April's Journey:
(1) Being open and flexible: Be open to your career path taking different turns, for both personal and professional reasons. As a person, you become more self-aware and you evolve. And life happens. So, be flexible and resourceful and continue to check in with what is right for you in each season.
(2) Overcoming setbacks and embracing growth: April opens up about her divorce and the challenges she faced during that time. Through self-reflection and connecting with other female entrepreneurs, she learned to embrace failure and rebuild an abundance mentality. Sometimes, the most difficult moments can inspire us to grow and find new paths to success.
(3) Balancing your feminine and masculine energies: April highlights the importance of understanding and embracing both feminine and masculine energies in work and life. It isn’t about gender, but instead about archetypal energy - like yin and yang. She invites us to balance the logical, action-oriented side of ourselves with our more intuitive, flowing intelligence.
In this episode, we discuss:
The influence of parents on April’s career choice
The pros and cons of being a young lawyer 
April’s realization that the substance of work and lifestyle were not aligned with her values
Leaving law practice and the country with April’s Italian husband
Returning from abroad and to practice
Navigating a career amidst personal upheaval 
Recognizing your unique superpowers 
Managing fear and embracing abundance 
April’s transition to financial advisor
Balancing masculine and feminine energies
Connect with Megan!
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call
 
Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/
 
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Connect with April!
 
Website: https://www.vixengathering.com/
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilrroberts/
Vixen Voice Podcast: https://www.vixengathering.com/podcast

Today’s guest is Laura Terrell, an executive coach with over twenty-five years of experience as a legal and business leader.
Prior to coaching, she was a Special Assistant to the President at the White House, a senior level appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice, an equity partner in two large, global law firms, and in-house counsel at a publicly traded company. 
In this episode, we discuss:
How to be brave in your career moves
That taking a risk to do something different teaches you that there’s not one “right” path
Laura’s moves between private and public sector work 
Laura’s advice on moving into government 
How Laura enjoys the business side of practice and sees that it’s an area lawyers need support navigating 
Understanding what the long game at big firm actually looks like 
How to make informed decisions and not be an ostrich with your head in the sand
Connect with Megan!
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call
 
Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/
 
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Connect with Laura!
 
Website: https://www.lauraterrell.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralterrell

Emily Witt is a legal recruiter with almost twenty years of industry experience (on both the firm side at one of the world's preeminent law firms and also on the agency side). She tells us about her own career evolution, as well as how she helps lawyers find their next best job.
We talk about the importance of keeping your personal true north in mind as you pivot. For Emily, that has meant centering freedom, flexibility and her interest in health & wellness in each stage of her career. 
She also reminds us that you don’t have to make one huge jump and stay there forever. Think about taking steps closer and closer to what you really want to do and/or finding jobs that give you space to explore different possibilities on the side.  
Finally, she gives us an insider view into the pluses and minuses of being a legal recruiter, for anyone who might be thinking about that as a possible career move.
 
Connect with Megan!
 
Sign-Up for the Newsletter: https://dogged-painter-2837.ck.page/f4e1721839
 
Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call
 
Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/
 
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Connect with Emily!
 
Website:  https://www.whistlerpartners.com/team/emily-witt
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywittslegalpath/
 
Podcast: https://beyondthelegallens.libsyn.com/
The Advocate’s Mic: www.advocatesmic.com