Click here to watch on YouTube.

The Christi Center is a free grief counseling center in Austin, Texas. The Center has groups for Loss to Suicide, Loss to Overdose, Pregnancy and Infant Loss, Crime Victims, Teen Group, as well as a general adult group.

Featured in this episode are Ana-Christina Gonzalez, a fundraising consultant for the Christi Center; Executive and Clinical Director Jocelyn Chamra Barrera; Peer Support Coordinator Christi Neville, and Board President Julio Mendoza-Quiroz.

The Christi Center has its annual fundraiser, Heart Connections, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Norris Conference Center. If you are interested in purchasing tickets, a table, or sponsoring the event, please click here.

If you're interested in learning more about the Christi Center, including joining any of its grief groups, please click here.

The Christi Center offers numerous resources for parents in how to help their children through grief. To access these resources, including the downloadable PDF "Coping with Grief," click here.

The Christi Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. To make a tax-deductible donation, click here.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to with Aaron Moncibaiz, general counsel for Goodwill of Central Texas. For more information on how you can support Goodwill Central Texas, visit https://www.goodwillcentraltexas.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Mark Calaguas, president of the Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE) Chicago and executive councilmember of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP). This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/ National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org To learn more about the organizations we discussed in this episode, visit these links: National Filipino American American Lawyers Association (NFALA) https://nfala.com Filipino American Lawyers Association of Chicago (FALA Chicago) https://falachicago.org Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago (AABA Chicago) https://aabachicago.org Alliance of Filipinos for Immigrant Rights and Empowerment (AFIRE) https://www.afirechicago.org Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO) https://fylpro.org Tayo https://www.tayohelp.com X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) https://xrsi.org

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Pamela Giblin, first woman to win the Austin Bar Association's Distinguished Lawyer Award.

In this week's episode of Council of Firsts, we take you back to our interviews with Gary Schumann, founder of the Austin Bar's LGBTQ+ Law Section; Caroline Hall, immediate past president of Travis County Women Lawyers' Association; and Judge Selena Alvarenga of the 460th Criminal District Court. The full episodes with each of these guests is available on YouTube or wherever you get podcasts.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, AmandaArriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar talks to Robin Wolpert, President of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) and Past President of the Minnesota State Bar. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/ National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.  To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Lulu Flores, State Representative for District 51. For information on the organizations Rep. Flores mentioned, please visit: LULAC https://lulac.org/ National Women’s Political Caucus https://www.nwpc.org/ Mexic-Arte Museum https://mexic-artemuseum.org/ Ballet Folklorico de Texas https://www.balletfolkloricodetexas.com/

Hispanic Bar Association of Austin (HBAA) https://www.hispanicbaraustin.com/

Travis County Women Lawyers Association (TCWLA) https://tcwla.org/

Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discussion-with-state-representative-lulu-flores/id1681607368?i=1000651890634

Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/kV9dLR2av9o

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks with Afsoon Khatiboo-McClellan, Director, Global Associations for LexisNexis. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.

To learn more about the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation, visit https://www.lexisnexisrolfoundation.org/

For more information on the LexisNexis Rule of Law Corporate Page, visit https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/rule-of-law/default.page

For information on Law360 – Access to Justice, visit https://www.law360.com/access-to-justice

To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discussion-with-afsoon-khatiboo-mcclellan-director/id1681607368?i=1000651178508

Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/EtRKi9YfOs8?si=6b34yAnH7j87SDBN

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Kathleen Wilkinson, past president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and past chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She was also the first female president of the Villanova J. Willard O’Brien Inn of Court. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. 

You can find Kathleen in the Philadelphia office of Wilson Esler.  

To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

YouTube https://youtu.be/wuKaCJ-N1EU

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Sarah Eckhardt, state senator and the first female Travis County judge.  To let Senator Eckhardt know what you think is important or to get involved, visit @SarahEckhardtTX on Instagram or X or https://www.saraheckhardt.com/

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3K_mut6eeN8

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to the ladies of the Austin Bar Association. For the first time in history, the top offices of the Austin Bar Foundation, Austin Bar Association, and Austin Young Lawyers Association are held by women: Justice Chari L. Kelly is the president of the Austin Bar; Mary-Ellen King is the Austin Bar's president-elect; Sarah Harp is the president of AYLA; Emily Morris is AYLA's president-elect; and Immediate Past President of the Austin Bar Amanda Arriaga is the chair of the Austin Bar Foundation. For information on how to get involved with the Austin Bar or AYLA, please visit austinbar.org and look for events on the main page and the AYLA page. Get tickets or sponsor AYLA's award-winning Crawfish Boil: https://www.austinbar.org/?pg=aylaevents&evAction=showDetail&eid=279920&evSubAction=listAll Get tickets or sponsor the Austin Bar's annual Bench Bar conference: https://www.austinbar.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=282010&evSubAction=listAll

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar talks to Carl Smallwood, Director of the Divided Community Project at Moritz Law School and the first African American President of the Columbus Bar Association. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.

To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

For more information about the Divided Community Project, visit https://go.osu.edu/dcp.

To contact Carl directly, you can find him at smallwood.21@osu.edu.

For more resources about DCP’s democracy work, visit https://go.osu.edu/dcpdemocracy or Speaking Out to Strengthen the Guardrails of Democracy.

For information about the American Bar Association’s Task Force and Advisory Commission on American Democracy, visit https://ambar.org/democracy.

For additional resources about the rule of law, the World Justice Project can be found at https://worldjusticeproject.org/

TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - 01:00 Introduction 01:01 - 05:30 Why did you want to share your story with us? 05:31 - 10:57 How did you experience depression and what effect did it have on your practice and personal life? 10:58 - 11:42 How did you realize what you were feeling was depression? 11:43 - 13:51 How did you reenter the practice of law? 13:52 - 19:14 How do you prioritize your mental health? 19:15 - 23:22 What do you do when you find yourself in a “messy middle”? 23:23 - 24:33 Tell us about your practice. 24:34 - 26:16 What other self-care techniques do you employ? 26:17 - 34:38 What perceptions of mental health and substance abuse do you want to change? 34:39 - 37:45 What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your mental health journey that you know now? 37:46 - 41:28 What advice would you give to young attorneys? 41:28 - 45:56 How do you balance work and your mental health? 45:57 - 47:48 How do you balance your mental health and being a mom? 47:49 - 51:03 What advice would you give to an attorney who’s struggling silently? 51:04 Closing Statements Eileen Lawrence is an estate-planning lawyer based in Round Rock, Texas. For the past seven years, she has struggled with her mental health - primarily depression, which she calls "a really good liar." This is because depression talks to you in the same voice that you have come to trust. Eileen details her struggles, including "the messy middles," on in her Substack newsletter, to which you can subscribe for free at https://notesfromthemindfield.substack.com/ Her practice's website is https://centraltexaswills.com/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Juan Thomas, past president of the National Bar Association and Secretary for the National Conference of Bar Presidents. (NCBP). This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/ National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Glenda Freeman, past president of the Alabama Lawyers Association and a Diversity Scholar for the National Conference of Bar Presidents. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/ National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Have you ever been part of a group where it feels like iron is sharpening iron? If not, you’re missing out and Glenda will tell you all about it. To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Tekey Wallace, President-Elect of the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) and a National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) Diversity Scholar. This episode was recorded at the American Bar Association/National Conference of Bar Presidents meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Did you know there are lawyers who are Military spouses who need support too? To get more information, sign up, or donate to MSJDN, visit MSJDN.org. To learn more about NOU, visit CONTACT US – NOU (shopluxep.com). To learn more about NCBP, visit https://ncbp.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Toya Bell, first African American president of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Did you know that Toya was also the first Black woman to receive the Volunteer Extraordinaire Award from the Junior League of Austin? She also hosted "Ask an Attorney," a live legal talk show sponsored by the Austin Bar Association, was the vice chair of the Austin Bar Foundation, where she formalized the Foundation's grant process, is a past president of the Association of Rice Alumni, and is part of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Beta Psi Omega Chapter. Listen in and get to know more about Toya!

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Elizabeth Cantu, chair of the Women in the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. To join the Women in the Law Section and get more information on the International Women’s Day event on March 8, visit: https://txwomenlawsection.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Jennifer Ahrens Cawley, first female president and CEO of the Texas Association of Life and Health Insurers (TALHI). Want more information on a career in the insurance industry and their upcoming foundation? Visit https://talhi.memberclicks.net/home

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Kathy Richardson, founder of HR Legal Search and First African American Dean of the Career Services Office at the University of Texas School of Law. Check out her recommended book, Designing Your Life, and some of the organizations that mean a lot to her like Corporate Counsel Women of Color and the Texas Minority Counsel Program. Want to go on a Wellness Wednesday Walk with Kathy? Contact her at kathy@hrlegalsearch.com.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Vasu Behara, president of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas. To volunteer or donate to VLS, visit https://www.vlsoct.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Amber Russell, founder of LOAR and SOAR, which provides scholarships to women who will be the first in their families to achieve higher education. To volunteer to be a Relationship Builder, or to donate to SOAR, visit: https://loartexas.com/soar

This week, Council of Firsts takes you back to some of our first interviews. Featuring Third Court of Appeals Justice Gisela Triana, former Travis County District Court Judge Lora Livingston, and former Travis County District Court Judge Orlinda Naranjo.

This week we revisit our interviews with the Hon. Maria Cantú Hexsel of the 53rd Civil District Court and María Amelia Calaf, partner at Botkin Chiarello Calaf.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Justice Raul A. Gonzalez, the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice in Texas and the first Hispanic statewide elected official in Texas.

This week, Council of Firsts takes you back to some of our first interviews. Featuring Travis County District Clerk Velva Price, former Austin Bar and Texas Bar President Richard Pena, and Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation Betty Balli Torres.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle, judge of the 261st District Court. She is the first Latina and veteran to preside over this court.

Interested in any of the organizations she mentioned? Please find more information on them below: 

American Gateway - https://americangateways.org/

St. Louise - https://saintlouisehouse.org/

MAMAs - https://www.mamasaustin.org/

TCWLA- https://tcwla.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Adrianne Waddell, president of the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. To join or support HBAA, visit http://www.hispanicbaraustin.com/. To support Music to Life, visit https://www.musictolife.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Linda Garza, general counsel of Siete Foods. Want information on Siete Foods, the Juntos Fund, or to support the recipients of the Juntos Fund? Visit them at https://sietefoods.com/pages/sietejuntosfund . You can get more information about Vecina at https://vecina.org/.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Nadia Bettac, first Guyanese director of the Austin Young Lawyers Association and Austin Bar Association. Want to connect with Nadia to help improve the experience for folks who are still looking to find their place in the legal community? Contact her at nadia@bamtx.com

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Armin Salek, executive director of the Youth Justice Alliance. To support the YJA, please visit https://youthjusticealliance.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to the co-presidents of the Mother Attorney Mentor Association (MAMAs), Ana Vieira Ayala and Carly Gallagher Murray. For more information on how to join MAMAs and all of their upcoming events, please visit: https://www.mamasaustin.org/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Dominique McLeggan-Brown, founder of the Sisters in Law, LLC. To get more information about upcoming events visit: https://www.thesistersinlaw.com/

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, in the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Paul Carmona, first Hispanic President of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Want to join AYLA? Click here!

Download the Austin Bar app for Apple and Android!

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Gabrielle Smith, president-elect of the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association. To become members of TCWLA or learn more about the organization, visit tcwla.org

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, in the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to the founders of Capital Area Mexican American Lawyers. This organization is now known as the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. Listen to Judge Jim Coronado, Tom Esparza, David Mendez and Richard Pena discuss how they, along with Xavier Medina, created CAMAC and transformed the Austin and Texas State Bar Associations. To join or donate to the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, please click here: http://www.hispanicbaraustin.com/

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, in the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to the founders of Capital Area Mexican American Lawyers. This organization is now known as the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin. Listen to Judge Jim Coronado, Tom Esparza, David Mendez and Richard Pena discuss how they, along with Xavier Medina, created CAMAC and transformed the Austin and Texas State Bar Associations. To join or donate to the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin, please click here: http://www.hispanicbaraustin.com/

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina President of the Austin Bar, talks to Christi Craddick, chair of the Texas Railroad Commission. Chair Craddick was the only female statewide elected official in Texas for over 10 years and is serving her fourth term as chair. 

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Judge Hilda Tagle, who became the first Hispanic female federal judge in Texas upon her appointment in 1998 to the U.S. Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division. Judge Tagle was also the first Latina county court of law judge in Texas. Join the Austin Bar for 2024 and get three months FREE!

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Bill Jones who has celebrated many firsts, including: first African American Texas Young Lawyer Association President, first African American chair of the Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University System, and first general counsel to Gov. Rick Perry.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Susana Alemán, first female and first Hispanic dean of the University of Texas School of Law. To get in touch with Dean Alemán on any of her initiatives, you can contact her at sunflower@austin.rr.com or amanda@austinbar.org

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Dimple Malhotra, first female Asian judge and first elected South Asian judge to serve in Austin and Travis County. If you would like to donate a stuffed animal to Judge Malhotra’s court, please email amanda@austinbar.org.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina President of the Austin Bar talks to Elizabeth Rogers, the first chief privacy officer for the State of Texas and chair of the new Privacy Law Section at the Austin Bar Association. To join the section and learn about upcoming events, please click here.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Ciara Parks, first female and African American general counsel of the Texas Board of Law Examiners and immediate past president of the Austin Black Lawyers Association. To join, donate, or get information about upcoming events, please visit https://www.austinblacklawyers.com/  

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Betty Blackwell, legal legend and first female President of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Do you remember the commercial that asked: Oh, you DO know Betty Blackwell?

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar talks to Philip Arnold and Matt Garcia, chair and chair-elect of the Austin Bar LGBTQ+ Law Section. To donate to the Drag and Justice LGBTQ+ Scholarship Fundraiser, visit  https://givebutter.com/em7Ihu. To join the section, visit https://www.austinbar.org/?pg=lgbtqlaw

The section is also accepting applications for the LGBTQ+ Scholarship. Click here to learn more about the scholarship program and to apply

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar, talks to Sherine Thomas, chair of the South Asian Bar Association of Austin and the visionary behind the Travis County Women Lawyers' Association's (TCWLA) W.E.L.L. Summit. Learn more about SABA. Learn more about TCWLA and donate to their foundation.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina President of the Austin Bar, talks to George Thomas, first Indian American Judge to serve in Austin and Travis County.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina President of the Austin Bar talks to Maria Amelia Calaf, founder of Cafecitos, a group supporting Latina lawyers. You can learn more about Cafecitos at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cafecitosabogadasenaustin/. You can learn more about TCWLA at https://tcwla.org/.

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Austin Bar Association President Amanda Arriaga, first Latina President of the Austin Bar, talks to Maria Cantú Hexsel, Judge of the 53rd District Court and first Latina to preside over that historic Court.