In this solo episode, I share my journey as I prepare for maternity leave and the upcoming transition into motherhood. As I embrace this new chapter, I discuss how I've balanced my legal career, business, and self-care, while also preparing for labour and postpartum life.

You'll hear about my tips for a seamless work handover, the importance of embracing rest, and the steps I'm taking to prepare both mentally and physically for childbirth. I also dive into my thoughts on navigating the unknowns of motherhood, the support systems I've put in place, and how I'm embracing the dual roles of being a driven professional and a first-time mom.

This episode is packed with insights on surrendering control, the power of community, and the importance of taking things one step at a time. Whether you're a soon-to-be mum, thinking about starting a family, or just interested in how I'm navigating this exciting time, there's something here for you.

Resources Mentioned:

• Move With Mama Physio app for prenatal and postpartum exercises
• Insight Timer app for daily meditation

Tune into this episode today.

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Email: [email protected]

In this episode, I chat to Lazz Tomic, an expert in employee well-being and safety, to transform your understanding of burnout and workplace wellness. 

Lazz shares his journey from physical therapy to corporate injury management and his advocacy for a holistic approach to employee health. 

We discuss root causes of poor well-being and provide actionable strategies for companies to prioritise their staff’s health.

We also tackle the epidemic of loneliness and disconnection in today’s corporate world, emphasising the importance of balancing financial KPIs with fostering genuine human connections. 

Lazz and I share personal anecdotes on the role of trust and vulnerability in creating a supportive work environment. We explore the generational shift in workplace values and how leaders can bridge the gap between older and younger employees' priorities.

Lastly, we delve into the importance of maintaining a business's founding purpose and the balance between profit-driven motives and nurturing leadership qualities. 

Join us for an episode filled with valuable advice on creating a healthier and more connected workplace.

Connect with our Guest

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lazztomic/

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Feeling stuck at a career crossroads? You're not alone. Whether you're overwhelmed by too many options or unsure of your next move, decision-making can be tough. 

In this episode, I share the decision-making process I use with my clients to help them find clarity and make the best choices for their careers.

Key points from this episode:

• Not making a decision is a decision that keeps you stuck.
• Delaying decisions delays your career progress.
• Take control and make informed choices to move forward.
• Assess your options and find the common thread between your interests. 

Tune in for practical tips to navigate your career path with confidence!

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Email: [email protected]

Hey hey! I’m back with a special workshop-style episode where we delve into the topic of goal resetting. 

It's hard to believe it's already July, and now is the perfect time to revisit the goals you set at the beginning of the year. Whether you're feeling unmotivated or just need a refresh, this episode is designed to help you reassess, tweak, and reset your goals for the remainder of the year. 

Before guiding you through questions to help reflect, plan, and achieve your goals for the year, I share a personal update on my own goals and preparations for motherhood.

If you're ready to reset your goals and need personalised support, book a career mapping session HERE. This is the only way you can work with me until the end of August before I head into mat leave. 

Now, let's dive into this episode!

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Email: [email protected]

You’ve always felt like you didn’t quite fit in—your entrepreneurial mindset craved innovation and autonomy. 

But now, you feel stuck. It’s like your workplace is holding you back, clipping your wings when you know you’re meant for bigger things.

This was the story of one of my clients - an entrepreneurial spirit eager to make an impact. 

Staying in a fixed role felt stifling, so she decided to design her own career path. 

My guest Chloe Taylor diversified her experience by working across different practice groups, even starting a fashion law practice group to bring in new clients and expand her expertise in fashion law.

But that’s not all, she’s just launched her own fashion label, IamZeiya. Chloe embodies the essence of the unbound lawyer—breaking free from the constraints of her title and creating her own path to success.

Tune into this episode to hear Chloe’s career story, how she went from fashion lawyer to entrepreneur and the growth she experienced working with me in The Unbound Lawyer program. 

Connect with our Guest:
Website: https://zeiya.com.au/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctaylorr/
Instagram: @iamzeiya_
TikTok:  @iamzeiya

Connect with the host:
Website: https://marijaduka.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/
Instagram: @marija.duka

This episode is a unique one—a client spotlight—because I know how much my community loves hearing inspiring career journeys.

I've noticed that the episodes featuring career stories are the most popular, so I thought, why not invite my clients to share their transformation stories? You’ll love hearing my client’s story as we discuss how she navigated challenges and how we collaborated to design their careers. 

Today’s guest is Helena Page, the sole legal counsel at Callaghan Innovation, a New Zealand government agency dedicated to accelerating innovation and helping businesses grow. Helena works with over 400 staff, including some of New Zealand’s top scientists, to support businesses on their innovation journeys. Before this role, she was a corporate commercial solicitor at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. In her spare time, Helena enjoys sewing and gardening.

Before joining my Unbound Lawyer Coaching Program, Helena experienced a significant business restructure that transitioned her from being part of a legal team to becoming the sole legal counsel. This brought numerous challenges, both in mindset and practicality. 

In this episode, Helena shares how she navigated these challenges, the mindset shifts she needed to step into her leadership role, and how she dealt with imposter syndrome in her daily work.

Without further ado, let's dive into this episode and meet Helena Page.

Connect with our guest:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helena-page-a3236213b/

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Workplace bullying all too often gets swept under the corporate rug. 

It's a sad truth that workplace bullying is a daily reality for many individuals. But what makes it particularly disheartening is the normalisation of bullying within certain environments, like law firms.

In the legal industry, where pressure and competition run high, bullying has tragically become an accepted norm for far too many. 

But today, we speak to Stefanie Costi who unapologetically calls out this dehumanising behaviour. 

Stef is a speaker, writer and lawyer. However, deep down, her true passion lies in advocating for a safer and more inclusive future of work.

Her journey started with workplace bullying that shattered her confidence and left her with workplace PTSD. Instead of staying silent, Stef decided to share her story and make a real difference!

She has delivered keynotes on workplace bullying, psychological safety at work and mental health at the National Press Club of Australia, the University of Technology, Sydney and Canva.

Stef’s words have found a home in The Australian Financial Review, The Australian Women's Weekly, news.com.au, Lawyers Weekly, The Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, NZ Herald, The Greek Herald, and Women's Agenda. She also recently appeared on the Project sharing her campaign Bonafide workplaces. 

In 2023, Stef received the award of Highly Commended in the Wellbeing Champion of the Year category at the Annual Law Society of NSW Awards. She also was a finalist at the 2023 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards in the categories of Wellness Advocate of the Year and Thought Leader of the Year.

Connect with our Guest:

Campaign: www.bonafideworkplaces.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-costi-82bb4b8b/
Instagram: @stefanie_costi
TikTok:  @stefaniecosti

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/
Instagram: @marija.duka

It's no secret that the legal profession is changing rapidly, especially with the introduction of AI. 

This is giving us exciting opportunities to expand our knowledge and careers beyond the traditional legal roles that have been available. Our guest today will give us lots of insights about the future of the legal profession and how you can future proof your career.

Our guest is Helen Doukas who is a lawyer that has spent most of her career in-house in the fast paced tech industry, working with companies like Uber and Yahoo!.

Helen is all about empowering people to create a career that they love through understanding their own points of satisfaction and the future of the jobs they are interested in. 

And she is also currently undergoing her own career transition that she will share more about in this episode.

In this episode, Helen and I chat about:

• How to move through the challenges that come with career transitions
• How to gain a deeper understanding of your points of satisfaction so you can create a career you love
• How to create the career you desire through the power of your thoughts and intention

We talk about this and so much more. Now let's dive into this episode with Helen. 

Connect with our Guest:

Instagram: @nuvo.work 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-doukas-a45896157/

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka

Hey hey! It's been a hot minute since I last hopped on the mic to chat with you all, but trust me, there's a very good reason for being MIA. Today, I'm diving into something a little different from our usual career chats. I'm getting personal and sharing a story that's incredibly close to my heart... I'm pregnant!

Yep, if you've been keeping up with me on social media, you probably already know the news. In this episode, I'm taking you behind the scenes on my pregnancy journey so far. From the initial conception rollercoaster to navigating through the first trimester and beginning of my second trimester, I'm giving you the full scoop.

But it's not just about the physical journey. I'm delving into the emotional side too. I'll be sharing my thoughts on stepping into motherhood and some of the worries that have been swirling around in my mind, especially when it comes to balancing it all with my career.

Now, I know not all of you tuning in are on the baby train, and that's totally cool. But for those who are or may be thinking about it in the future, I wanted to open up and share my experiences. Because let's face it, navigating the world of motherhood and career paths can feel like a lonely road sometimes. 

By sharing my journey, I hope to shed some light on the realities and maybe even offer a little bit of comfort to those walking a similar path.

So grab your fave beverage, get cozy, and let's chat about the wild ride that is pregnancy!

Have you ever found yourself doing all the right things but you just can't seem to move forward and achieve that goal? 

Externally you're checking all the right boxes and doing what is required. 

BUT on a subconscious level, you might have blindspots or fears holding you back. 

Our guest in this week's episode of The Career Confidence Podcast, shares how you can be an exceptional leader by uncovering your blindspots. 

Karim Boktor is a hypnotherapist for leadership and businesses. In his TEDx talk  titled ‘Overcoming Your Inner Stutter’, Karim shares a compelling journey of overcoming his stutter which held him back as a child to now helping businesses and community leaders to address their "Inner Stutter." His story of transformation is inspiring, from “that boy [in the schoolyard] with the Stutter” to now coaching entrepreneurs and business leaders, and speaking on stages around the world.

Karim holds an MBA and after years of coaching entrepreneurs and small business owners, he recognised the biggest problem in business was not ‘the bus’ (i.e. the business systems and processes) but the ‘bus driver.’ He then undertook further study and formal training in Neuro Linguistic Programming as well as Hypnotherapy. From this expertise, he developed ‘The Boktor Method™’ which combines hypnotherapy with business coaching to help each client move forward and to new levels of success.

In this episode Karim and I talk about:

• How accessing your subconscious can uncover your blindspots and fears so you can move forward and achieve your goals
• How to navigate through change in your life 
• Tackling information bias as a leader by having a different perspective in your decision making

We talk about this and so much more. 

This episode will challenge you to go within and ask yourself the important questions so you can uncover your blindspots and create the life you want. 

Let's dive into this episode!

Connect with our Guest:

Website: https://www.karimboktor.com/ 

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/businesshypnotherapist?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karim.boktor?mibextid=tPfjzR

Instagram: @karimboktor

Book a 30 min free call with Karim HERE. 

Grab your free e-book (10 things) HERE. 

Connect with the host:

Website: https://marijaduka.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marija-duka/ 

Instagram: @marija.duka