The Lawyer's Escape Pod

By Megan Smiley

Megan Smiley interviews recovering lawyers, career advisors, and other professionals for advice and inspiration on transitioning out of law practice.... more

4.9

2828 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about The Lawyer's Escape Pod:

How many episodes does The Lawyer's Escape Pod have?

The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.

The Lawyer's Escape Pod episodes:

May 21, 2021 Illegal Design: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
In today's episode, I talk about how can take an overwhelming project (like eating an elephant or finding a new, fulfilling career) and break it into bite-sized, executable steps.
You can do hard things. It's just about getting started, strategizing, and taking one step after the other.

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
...more
18min
May 18, 2021Jen Berson leaves litigation to start her own PR agency
Jen Berson left civil litigation after she “saw the light”, decided to pursue more creative endeavors, and founded her own business. She is now the President & Founder of Jeneration PR and the creator of the Agency Accelerator, where she teaches entrepreneurs how to launch, grow & scale a profitable PR & marketing agency. Jen talks about listening to and following her inner voice to a career she finds incredibly fulfilling and which allows her to also prioritize being a present parent.
In this episode, we discuss:
Jen had a vague intention to get into entertainment law, and ended up in general litigation
Went to a smaller firm, which allowed her more time to explore other interests
Jen somewhat randomly reached out to help market a small fragrance business she liked
Jen realized she enjoyed work with a tangible result, that had an immediate positive impact on a business
She started exploring the various routes within PR, starting by working with a solo firm and then going out on her own
She did battle with this idea that she left law because she couldn’t hack it, but she realized it was just a complete personality mismatch
Jen wanted to build a life where she loved her work, made good money, and had time for family
Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

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

Jeneration PR: https://www.jenerationpr.com/

Agency Accelerator: https://www.jenerationacademy.com/agency-accelerator
...more
43min
May 14, 2021 The Top 2 Mistakes Lawyers Make When Trying To Change Careers
I'm letting you in on the top 2 mistakes I see people make when trying to change careers.
First, they start by asking what job they think they can get, rather than asking what they want.
Second, they don't prioritize themselves and the process of figuring out the next best career step.

Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
...more
13min
May 11, 2021Robert Ingalls leaves litigation to start a podcast production company)
Robert Ingalls is a former litigator turned founder of Lawpods, a podcast production company for lawyers. Robert tells us how he tried a variety of practice areas before realizing that law just wasn’t the right fit for him. While he still had a full-time job, Robert experimented with a number of business ideas and followed the path of his interests. That ultimately led Robert to starting the company he runs today. Robert reminds us of the importance of expanding your circle of influence beyond lawyers who will tell you that your ideas aren’t realistic and this path they don’t understand won’t work out.
In this episode, we discuss:
Robert went to law school to practice criminal law, which he then actually did
But, after realizing it wasn’t the right fit, Robert transitioned to civil litigation
He enjoyed trial, but the rest of the package was unappealing
The stress of the environment started really weighing on him
Robert then moved into estate planning. It was less stressful, but also more boring
Listening to a podcast made it click that he could actually do anything he wanted
Robert realized he needed to leave law, but wasn’t sure what the next thing would be
Played around with a few different business ideas, and started his own podcast
Robert then started helping other lawyers launch podcasts
He battled with the thought “who am I to do this random thing?” and found it hard to tell his network he was taking such a different path
Robert went to a podcast conference, where he was surrounded by people making a living in this field
It can be transformative to be around people who believe in the possibilities rather than only seeing the pitfalls
When you enjoy what you do, you don’t mind working hard
Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/

Lawpods: https://lawpods.com/
...more
52min
May 07, 2021Illegal Design: 4 Habits Of Lucky People
You know those people who seem to just always have things work out? From career to relationships? They're just "lucky."
Turns out it's not magic. There are some habits these people have that put them in the path of luck more frequently:
Putting themselves out there
Listening to their gut
Having a positive attitude and believing that good things are coming
Resilience
Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
...more
13min
May 04, 2021Rob Bertman shows us that our lives don't have to be dictated by student loans
Rob Bertman is a senior consultant at Student Loan Planner, and a CFA and CFP. Rob talks to us about how it’s possible to manage your student loans around your life, rather than have them dictate what your options are. We get into how it’s even possible to have a runway for starting your own business while carrying loans. If there’s one message I hope people get from this is that you aren’t as trapped as you may think, and you do have options. You just have to tackle the issue head-on.
In this episode we discuss:
Loan repayment options
The opportunity cost of your money
The importance of looking at real numbers; you might actually end up better by going the loan forgiveness route
Setting a budget can be uncomfortable, but it allows you to execute a plan (something you probably want and are naturally good at)
The risks and potential upsides of legislative changes
Get on the VIP Waitlist for The Lawyer’s Escape Plan program: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/609057c10c791e4ece1d9104

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

Student Loan Planner: https://www.studentloanplanner.com/
...more
42min
April 27, 2021Lisa Rosen leaves litigation to work at an environmental non-profit organization
Lisa Rosen is the Chief Operating Officer at SustainCERT. After starting her career in litigation, Lisa followed her interest in environmental issues to an in-house legal position at a non-profit and ultimately transitioned into an operations role there. Lisa’s story shows how your legal experience is seen as valuable for a non-legal position and that by taking that first step, you put yourself on the path for new, more interesting opportunities to present themselves.
In this episode, we discuss:
Lisa felt that the conflicts of interest inherent in the billable hour system was misaligned with her values and integrity
Lisa followed her interest in environmental issues into carbon credit work
Lisa found work that was intellectually challenging, but wasn’t technically practicing law
Eventually, her position evolved into a general counsel role
Lisa raised her hand when the Chief Operating Officer role opened up and transitioned to that
The importance of resourcefulness
Failure is part of the path to your goal
Lisa has come to realize that what she enjoys is operating a company
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
...more
50min
April 20, 2021Francesca Chang is an ex-lawyer turned travel writer and life coach for lawyers
Francesca Chang is a lawyer turned marketing professional, tech recruiter, published travel writer, and now life coach for lawyers. Francesca tells us about leaving practice to explore various other career opportunities. It’s a great example of what can evolve when you don’t tie yourself to a preconceived notion of what your career might look like.
In this episode, we discuss:
Francesca went to law school because of interest in social justice
Coming out of law school, she worked for solo practitioner which she didn’t love
Francesca started looking for other jobs, and didn’t limit it to legal positions
She was comfortable with change, but was worried about other people’s opinions about leaving practice - particularly lawyers
She ended up in a business development and marketing role for legal services
Francesca then moved to tech recruiting and Ediscovery software marketing
She was on a journey to find the right match, and wasn’t averse to trying different things
Francesca moved to Taiwan when husband was relocated and had to rethink her career yet again
She started travel writing and worked as a tour scout
Francesca has now also begun a life coach business for lawyers
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/
Francesca’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attorney_on_a_journey/
...more
30min
April 16, 2021 Illegal Design: Living By Design Versus By Default
Are you living your life by design or by default? As crazy as the world is right now, it's a great opportunity to move forward more purposefully.
...more
11min
April 13, 2021Dr. Aisha leaves medical practice to coach high achievers on the science and heart of making change in your life
Dr. Aisha is a former practicing physician turned coach specializing in helping high achievers create change in their lives. Her core message is that in order to make meaningful change in our lives, we need to slow down long enough to get off autopilot and connect to our real thoughts and desires. The world can be very loud and distracting and often confuses us with respect to finding our happiest path.
In this episode, we discuss:
A lot of family and social pressure around leaving medicine
Leaving her home and her profession meant letting go of a portion of who she was
Her passion was coaching people informally when she was still practicing
At 30, Dr. Aisha was working part-time minimum wage jobs in Canada to take the time to figure out her new path
Total clarity didn’t come all at once; it came bit by bit
The world is very loud, so it’s hard to know what you really want
We’re running on autopilot most of the time
The problem of feeling misaligned in life is solved by looking inwards, not outwards
One way to start reconnecting with yourself is to disrupt your energy at the start of the day before you’re even fully awake (trampoline, hula hoop, dancing, anything that is a pattern interrupt)
It may take a while to go through this process, but time is going to pass anyway - may as well be making progress
It’s ok to change at any age; we are in constant evolution
“You can only connect the dots looking backwards” - Steve Jobs
Lawyer’s Escape Plan Quiz: http://bit.ly/lawyersescaperoutequiz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megansmileyesq/

Dr. Aisha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/changespecialist-co/
...more
48min

FAQs about The Lawyer's Escape Pod:

How many episodes does The Lawyer's Escape Pod have?

The podcast currently has 110 episodes available.