Bouncing Back

From her early days as a competitive collegiate athlete to becoming a leading figure in the legal industry, Effie Silva, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Fresh Del Monte Produce, has faced numerous challenges and setbacks. One pivotal moment in her career was when she was on track to make partner at a law firm but ultimately did not. This experience, though initially disheartening, became a turning point for Effie. Listen in as she shares with host Rebecca Glatzer how she adopted a mindset that things do not happen to you, they happen for you, which propelled her to reassess her goals and strategies and led to a highly successful in-house career.

In our latest episode, Rebecca Glatzer sits down with Andrew Chinsky, assistant general counsel at Aaron's, Inc. Andrew's story begins with his family's battles with serious illnesses and the invaluable lessons he learned about prioritizing well-being and seeking support. He also discusses the journey of moving from a law firm to an in-house counsel position, focusing throughout on the importance of self-care, community, and thoughtful career planning.

The hardest trial to lose is your first one.  Law firm partner Marla Butler, current Thompson Hine Executive Committee member and former Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Atlanta Office, shares her journey through the highs and lows of her legal career, including the impact of losing her first major case and how it ultimately became a turning point for her professional growth. In this episode of Bouncing Back, she and Rebecca Glatzer explore the importance of resilience, the power of maintaining a positive outlook, and the lessons learned from overcoming setbacks.

Praju Tuladhar’s story begins during his undergraduate years at Vassar College, where he faced a significant setback—failing a math class. This was a pivotal moment for Praju, who had always excelled academically. Then while pursuing his master’s degree in telecommunications engineering and management, he encountered imposter syndrome for the first time. Praju Tuladhar sits down with Rebecca Glatzer to share the pivotal moments that have made him the leader he is today. He even shares valuable advice for newly minted attorneys, highlighting the need to strive for excellence, understand the practicalities of legal work, and finding joy in one’s career.

Travis Torrence, US Head of Legal for Shell, shares his inspiring journey from facing the internal turmoil of accepting his sexual orientation to becoming a beacon of hope and resilience in the legal and LGBTQ communities. In chatting with host Rebecca Glatzer, he delves into the power of vulnerability, the importance of allyship, and the transformative moment with Dr. Maya Angelou that encouraged him to “stand tall.”

From political aspirations and working with Senator Hillary Clinton, to navigating the intricacies of the finance and sports worlds, Fitz Reed, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Hunterbrook, recounts her dynamic career trajectory and the resilience required to thrive in places where there are few professionals with her intersecting identities. Her candid conversation reveals the importance of community, persistence, and self-belief for anyone looking to make their mark in the legal profession.

The Great Recession hit graduating law school students hard even if they already had an offer on the table. The firm that Dan Huynh was set to start with ended up deferring his (and many others) start to March 2010—six months later than expected. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Dan chats with Rebecca Glatzer about how he found odd jobs to fill the gap and how he then refocused his original practice plans to work his way into the practice of law.

For Aida Wondwessen Babalola, the death of her cousin in 2014 rocked her world. She, unfortunately, experienced three more consecutive deaths of friends and family over the next year and a half. These terrible losses forced her to take stock of her life and reconsider her career. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Aida recounts this time in her life with Rebecca Glatzer. Together, they discuss the reality of loss and how to bounce back from it.

Craig Stone, Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property & Data Protection at Phillips 66 Company, decided to explore an in-house move at the suggestion of a client, but on his fourth day in his new corporate role, he found out the company was being split-up. He used this unexpected challenge as an opportunity to learn everything he could about the business and propel himself forward in his career. Listen as Craig and host Rebecca Glatzer chat about setbacks and the importance of mentors and others to help you navigate these unexpected moments.

Lateraling to a new firm usually presents opportunities, but sometimes those opportunities come with challenges. Shanye O’Reilly lateralled in the hopes of a better practice but ended up working with a very difficult partner. In this episode of Bouncing Back, he talks to Rebecca Glatzer about how that experience shaped him and eventually led him to a secondment opportunity, which led him to a fulfilling in-house role.