Behind the suit is a soul. In this honest kickoff episode, host Winnie Jean-Pierre opens up about her journey from Haiti to the U.S., surviving high-school bullying, becoming a single mom, commuting 4 hours a day through law school, and wrestling with the bar exam during COVID—all while carrying the weight of mom guilt and the myth that “lawyers have it easy.”

You’ll hear the moments that almost broke her, the village that helped her stand back up, and why this show is about more than lawyers—it’s about humans doing hard things with heart.

In this episode: Stereotypes vs. real lives of lawyers (00:00:00)

Growing up in Haiti & the “only bad news gets told” problem (00:01:00)

Culture shock, ESL, and being bullied by peers and dismissed by teachers (00:05:00–00:08:00)

Graduating early just to escape high school (00:09:28)

Single motherhood + law school + a two-hour commute each way (00:13:58–00:14:10)

The ache of mom guilt and a daughter’s honesty (00:15:06; 00:25:12)

Burnout, loneliness, and why many lawyers struggle privately (00:28:00–00:29:00)

The mission of Lawyers Have Souls Too: radical honesty, shared healing, and grace (00:30:00–00:32:00)

If you’ve ever been told to “tough it out,” this episode is your permission to tell the truth—and find your people.

Listen, share, and subscribe to join us weekly as we peel back the curtain on the human side of the legal world.