The Lawyer's Escape Pod – Details, episodes & analysis

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/

The truth is that building a business you care about does take time, and there's no way to have a clean, complete map of the process in advance that guarantees success.

And in this episode, I argue that it's still worth.

It has a lot to do with the fact that a heart-centered business is more than a job, it's a life project. And when you look at it like that, the journey is more than worth the cost.

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The Sick of Being Stuck Workshop Series (Starts October 12): https://megansmiley.com/sick-of-being-stuck-workshop

I am so excited to have Janelle Christian as my guest this week. Janelle tells us about her attempts to find her place within different law firm settings, and her ultimate realization that the law was just not for her. She initially launched an interior design firm, which led to people asking her how she started her business, which has ultimately led to her running a hugely successful business and branding strategy company. 

There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this episode for anyone thinking about taking a leap into entrepreneurship. 

Specifically, we discuss:

• How the pandemic brought up some existential questions about how Janelle was spending her life
• Trusting in your ability to figure things out and be resilient 
• Immersing yourself with people doing what you want to do
• How Janelle publicly shared what she was doing, which helped get her business off the ground and grow organically
• Getting coaching support will help catapult you to the next level
• Janelle’s true north is the lifestyle she wants, not a particular business model
• Health insurance does not need to be a deal breaker

Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

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Connect with Janelle!

Janelle’s Website: https://janellenicole.co/

The truth is, the answer to what coaching looks like and who it’s for is much like the answer to most legal questions: it depends. 

It does. It depends on the coach, their approach, the intended outcome, the timeline, etc.

And I know how confusing and unhelpful that can sound. In a world where you’re already lacking clarity and feeling overwhelmed, I’m hoping to help bring some transparency to it - at least with respect to how I work.

So, in an attempt to demystify what it looks like in this episode I discuss:

• What coaching is versus consulting, and how my work is a mix
• What kinds of goals and challenges my coaching is tailored to  
• How to know if you’re a good fit for coaching
• How to identify if coaching isn’t for you, at least yet (just as important!)
• When it is time to explore coaching support
• The right energy and mindset to approach coaching with

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Connect with Megan!

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

Melanie Lippman, a style and image coach, and I co-hosted a webinar last month called Age & Authenticity: Work, Life & Style After 40. It was such a good conversation, I wanted to share it with all of you on the podcast.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• How to embrace, rather than resist, your evolution
• How to connect with your personal values and desires
• How to explore and experiment without judgment 
• How to let go of other peoples' expectations and all the "shoulds" that weigh on you
• How it’s never too late to switch gears and honor your authentic self

Melanie sees this topic through the lens of personal style.

I see it with people who realize the practice of law (or traditional employment generally) isn’t aligned with who they are and how they want to live their next chapter.

It’s a really rich conversation that I know will resonate with so many of you.

Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

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Connect with Melanie!

Melanie’s Website: https://www.melanielippman.com/

Melanie’s Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/showupandbeseennow

Melanie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanielippman/

There's just something about back-to-school energy. There's a sense of hope and possibility. And it's a great opportunity to refocus and recommit to the big career changes you've been wanting to make.

In this episode, I share some ideas for how you can set yourself up for success and make this the year you get off the carousel of doom in your current career, find clarity, and make progress on the path to your new life.

Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

This week I share my thoughts on how we can buck the system and define success on our own terms. I think the new paradigm of success is centered on you being self-actualized and of true service, rather than being the best rule follower out there.

I also shared some wise, if salty, words from my mom. 

It would be her birthday today. 

I recently came across a submission she made to her alumni magazine for her 25th reunion. Parts made me cry. Parts made me smile. And parts made me think I really would have enjoyed her. At 11, she was still just “mom” - not a whole person with interesting world views…

Anyway - here she is wrapping up her entry to the alumni magazine with a mic drop challenge to traditional success:

“I suppose that in conclusion, I should mention how essential my Wellesley experience was in shaping my life. Actually, I don’t think it was. I went through the four years longing to be out, and I’m sure I wasn’t taking advantage of all the intellectual possibilities. But I have learned that there are a lot of smart, achieving people in the world who didn’t go to Wellesley or anyplace like it and I get worn down by the self-congratulating, ‘aren’t we all great, we went to Wellesley’ attitude that comes through so oppressively in the pages of the alumna magazine.”

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Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

Kristen Gyolai is the owner of The Law Office of Kristen Gyolai & Lure of Law. She started her career at a high-volume law firm. She enjoyed the practice of law but 5 years in, she was feeling burnt out and needed a change. After considering her options, she ultimately decided to start her own law firm. That has proven to be exactly the right fit for her. She is now also the founder of Lure of Law, where she helps show other attorneys how possible it is to start their own firm.

In this episode we discuss:

• Kristen realized that traditional law practice wasn’t the lifestyle she wanted to live
• She didn’t hate practice, but hated the system
• How Kristen decided to start her own firm
• Running the business and doing the legal work on her own didn’t worry her, but the fear of not finding clients and failing weighed heavily on her
• She decided she wanted this enough to fail trying
• There are some unknowns, but you can trust yourself to learn and figure things out
• Kristen tells us how she found her first clients
• There’s a growing trend of starting solo practices

Connect with Kristen!

Kristen Gyolai Website: https://kristengyolai.com/

Lure of Law Website: https://lureoflaw.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lureoflaw/

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Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/

Lauren Kay is the host of the Legally Different Podcast, a Human Design expert, and a lawyer practicing on her terms. Lauren tells us about her journey of quitting the law in search of something more fulfilling. She identified freedom as her top value, and with that as a guiding principle, has been able to construct a portfolio career. She consults as a lawyer, which allows her to work the hours she wants from wherever she chooses. And she has been able to lean into her other interests, starting her podcast and Human Design business.

In this episode, we discuss:

• That Lauren followed her intuition to quit and travel
• How Lauren thought there was only one way to practice law, and it wasn’t for her
• The confusion of disconnecting from the label and identity of “lawyer”
• Lauren’s realization that freedom was her top value, and how that helped her create and follow aligned opportunities 
• Finding legal work on a consulting basis
• How Lauren’s personal growth journey led her to understand her interests and purpose more
• Human Design basics

Connect with Lauren!

Legally Different Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/legally-different/id1536355826

Book a Human Design Session: https://calendly.com/legallydifferent/human-design-foundational-1-hour?back=1&month=2022-06

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legallydifferent/

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Connect with Megan!

Daydreams to Designs Private Podcast: https://bit.ly/daydreamstodesigns

Employee to Entrepreneur Quiz: https://bit.ly/employeetoentrepreneurtype

Schedule a Catalyst Call: https://megansmiley.com/schedule-a-call

Website: https://www.megansmiley.com/