Legal Off the Leash

Episode 13: An Ode To Finding Joy with Bridget McNulty

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Welcome to Legal Off The Leash, the podcast where we take the legal profession out of the box and into a happier, more fulfilling future!

In this beautifully tender and surprisingly funny episode, Elizabeth and Scott sit down with writer and diabetes advocate Bridget McNulty, author of Daily Glimmers. Bridget unpacks the transformative practice of noticing “tiny joys” and how this simple act became a lifeline through profound grief. From the neuroscience of micro-joys to the brutal honesty of living (and working) while heartbroken, Bridget shows why every lawyer needs glimmers: not as toxic positivity, but as a grounded, evidence-backed mental health tool for surviving modern life.

🔑 Key Themes
  • Glimmers vs. Happiness: Why micro-moments of joy matter more than chasing big highs.

  • Grief & Joy Intertwined: How profound loss reshapes attention, perspective and emotional capacity.

  • Nervous System Science: What glimmers do physiologically and why lawyers need this reset.

  • Attention as a Daily Choice: How news, screens and overstimulation steal our inner quiet.

  • Humanity at Work: Why breaks, nature, silliness and softness make us better professionals.

    • 💬 Memorable Quotes

    “It was so all consuming. It was like a fire that blazed through my life and it just burned everything to the ground.”

    “Even in those awful days… there were still these tiny little moments… the only chinks of light that I could find.”

    “Joy comes from inside. Happiness is dependent on outside factors.”

    “Glimmers calm your nervous system… even if it’s only for a couple of seconds.”

    “We’ve stepped away from being human to such an extent that we do need to remind ourselves.”

    “Everyone deserves a life that’s full of the beautiful ordinary.”

     

    📌 Important Insights & Actionable Takeaways
    • Grief destroys your emotional scaffolding, but micro-joys rebuild it. Glimmers act as tiny anchors when everything else feels unrecognisable.

    • Joy is internal, gentle, and sustainable. It stabilises the nervous system in ways happiness can’t.

    • Attention is the real battleground. Without intentional practices, the modern world defaults us into stress, reactivity and emotional depletion.

    • Glimmers aren’t a project; they’re a lens. They don’t add to your to-do list, they shift how you see what’s already there.

    • Lawyers need humanity breaks. High-pressure cultures, billable hours and perfectionism numb us to the very moments that support wellbeing and resilience.

    • Meaningful careers require meandering. The linear “achievement timeline” is a myth; fulfilment comes from permission to explore.

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      You can find Bridget on Linkedin and Instagram.

       

      And you can buy 'Daily Glimmers: The Art of Finding Tiny Joys Every Day of the Year' here.

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      Legal Off the LeashBy Legal off The Leash