x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing

Emily Logan Stedman

A podcast for lawyers that explores the realities of big law, provides tips for better practice management, and shines a light on lawyer wellbeing.

business careers

All Episodes

5:54

Bonus Episode: Legal Operations, Explained

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/04/10

Send us Fan Mail Legal operations is transforming how legal work gets done, and in this episode, I break down what it is and why it matters for private practice, not just in-house teams. I share why I’m leaning into legal ops principles like project management and intentional systems to build a more sustainable, scalable practice. And more: • defining legal operations as business and operational principles applied to law • why lawyers are not typically trained in process design, v...

en-us

0:48

Bonus Episode: Why.

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/04/07

Send us Fan Mail In this bonus episode, I share one of my voice memos--a reminder to myself to stay curious and on the importance of why. I hope you enjoy. Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/.

en-us

6:10

Episode 60: Ambition Thrives Where Boundaries Begin

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/03/17

Send a text Burnout isn’t a badge of honor, and “always available” isn’t a strategy. In this season finale, we get honest about the pressure to say yes to everything in Big Law and why that habit quietly undermines the very excellence we’re chasing. I share how I learned—sometimes the hard way—that you can do everything, but not everything well, and how clear boundaries turned my work from reactive sprints into focused, reliable results. We start with the culture that trains lawyers to never...

en-us

5:24

Episode 59: Micro Breaks That Save Your Day

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/03/03

Send a text What if the smallest pause could change the way you practice law? We go straight at the hustle myth and show why short, intentional breaks can sharpen focus, cut mistakes, and help you feel in control of your day again—without losing momentum on client work or career goals. We start with the case for micro breaks—one to ten minutes that you place throughout your day—to reset attention and protect judgment in high-pressure environments. You’ll hear practical, zero-fluff tactics: s...

en-us

6:36

Episode 58: Take The Break

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/02/24

Send a text Ever feel like stepping away for even a day will make everything crash? We’ve been there. This conversation tackles the tension between high-stakes legal work and real rest, and lays out a repeatable plan to take a vacation you actually enjoy—without sabotaging your matters or your peace of mind. We start with the cultural script that keeps lawyers always on: the grind, the guilt, and the fear that time off equals lost control. Then we get tactical. You’ll hear how to plant vacat...

en-us

5:52

Episode 57: Quieting The Inner Critic

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/02/17

Send a text The sharpest cross-examination often happens in our own heads. We tackle the inner critic that thrives in high-pressure legal environments and unpack why training that rewards skepticism, speed, and flaw-spotting can turn into relentless self-judgment—especially after a win. When an award or successful outcome still feels suspect, it’s not weakness; it’s wiring shaped by a system that prizes certainty over curiosity. We share a practical, humane way to recalibrate that voice with...

en-us

5:35

Episode 56: Owning Your Seat At The Table (Revisiting...

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/02/10

Send a text Sharp suits, sharper minds, and that gnawing thought: “They’ll figure me out.” We’re pulling back the curtain on imposter syndrome in Big Law and talking honestly about why smart, accomplished lawyers still feel like they’re faking it. Emily shares the story of leading a trial team for the first time—the curveballs, the comparisons to heavyweight opposing counsel, and the surprising truth that the work was better than the fear suggested. We break down the mechanics of self-doubt ...

en-us

7:01

Episode 55: Perfectionism Isn’t Excellence

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/02/03

Send us a text Perfectionism loves to pretend it’s a virtue. In high-stakes environments like big law, it can feel like the price of entry: catch every error, anticipate every angle, never miss a beat. But that mindset often turns into a trap—one that feeds anxiety, encourages procrastination, and slows the very progress our clients and careers demand. I’m pulling back the curtain on how perfectionism shows up in daily work, why it harms both individuals and teams, and what to do instead to p...

en-us

7:09

Episode 54: Small Daily Habits Beat Burnout

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/01/27

Send us a text Ambition shouldn’t require a meltdown tax. We’re pulling back the curtain on how high performers—especially in big law—can stop treating self-care like a fire extinguisher and start building small, repeatable habits that actually hold up under pressure. Instead of waiting for burnout to force a reset, we walk through practical ways to make mental health part of the workday: two-minute pauses that recalibrate your focus, white-space blocks that shield deep work, and simple routi...

en-us

7:19

Episode 53: Asking for Help Is A Professional Skill

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/01/20

Send us a text What if the strongest move you make this week is the simplest: ask for help. Emily Logan Stedman, a commercial litigator and big law partner, unpacks the high-achiever myth that independence equals competence and shows how it silently drains time, energy, and confidence. She reveals how refusing to speak up turns small roadblocks into late nights, rework, and missed growth—while a five-minute gut check could have unlocked momentum. We dig into the practical side of collaborati...

en-us

8:39

Episode 52: Anxious Achiever To Sustainable Lawyer

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/01/13

Send us a text What happens when the story you were born into collides with the life you can actually sustain? We open up about growing up on a law-bound track, stepping into Big Law with sky-high expectations, and hitting a wall that looked a lot like burnout. This is a conversation about anxiety that masquerades as drive, pressure that never lets up, and the quiet shame of thinking you’re the only one who can’t keep pace. Together we trace the moments that mattered: the subtle signs of exh...

en-us

10:41

Episode 51: Wellbeing is Your Edge

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2026/01/06

Send us a text The pressure to “power through” is strong in big law, but it’s also expensive. We open the year by reframing well-being as the core of competent, ethical practice—not a perk, not an afterthought, and definitely more than a snack table in the break room. Drawing on research-backed definitions and the ABA’s landmark perspective, we connect the dots between clarity, stamina, judgment, and your duty to clients. When attention thins and sleep slips, error rates climb. When bou...

en-us

6:20

Episode 50: The Selective Yes

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/11/11

Send us a text Are you saying yes out of ambition or fear? After nine years in big law, I've come to a powerful realization: every "yes" is simultaneously a "no" to something else. Whether you're a new associate afraid to decline assignments or a seasoned attorney drowning in commitments, this episode unveils the hidden equation that governs our professional choices. The pressure to constantly say yes is baked into legal culture. We're taught that availability equals dedication, that boundar...

en-us

6:40

Episode 49: Finding Joy Between Pages

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/11/04

Send us a text Have you ever surprised yourself by falling in love with something you never thought was "for you"? That's exactly what happened when I discovered reading for pleasure as an adult and a busy attorney. Growing up, I was never a "reader" - books were homework, assignments, necessary evils of education. Law school only reinforced this with endless casebooks and legal texts that felt like work rather than enjoyment. For relaxation, I turned to TV shows and mindless scrolling, crea...

en-us

8:03

Episode 48: Burnout

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/10/28

Send us a text Ever caught yourself daydreaming about a minor car accident just to get a legitimate break from work? That startling thought was my personal wake-up call that I wasn't just stressed – I was experiencing full-blown burnout. Burnout isn't simply feeling tired after a demanding week. It's a chronic state of physical and emotional exhaustion that the World Health Organization recognizes as a syndrome resulting from unmanaged workplace stress. What makes burnout particularly danger...

en-us

5:43

Episode 47: Weekly Reset

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/10/21

Send us a text Every attorney knows the feeling: Sunday evening anxiety creeping in as you mentally brace for another overwhelming week. The never-ending deadlines, the constant fires to put out, and that persistent feeling you're always one step behind. But what if a simple ritual could transform how you experience your work week? In this episode, I share the weekly review practice that's become my professional anchor. This "Sunday Reset" combines reflection, planning, and self-care in a fl...

en-us

5:23

Episode 46: Emotional Whiplash: Navigating...

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/10/14

Send us a text The legal profession's emotional rollercoaster doesn't come with warning signs. One moment you're celebrating a career milestone, and the next you're scrambling to manage a devastating setback. This episode dives into the phenomenon of "emotional whiplash" – when professional highs and lows collide with little time to process either. Drawing from personal experience, Emily shares the disorienting reality of making partner after years of dedication, only to receive a crushing c...

en-us

7:17

Episode 45: Perfectionism, Good Enough, and Breaking...

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/10/07

Send us a text Perfectionism casts a long shadow over the legal profession, creating a persistent undercurrent of self-doubt that affects everyone from first-year associates to seasoned partners. Drawing from personal experience, I pull back the curtain on what it truly feels like to constantly question whether you're good enough, smart enough, or simply belong in Big Law at all. The myth of perfection isn't just unrealistic—it's actively harmful to attorney well-being. Despite outward succe...

en-us

5:23

Episode 44: Effective Delegation

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/09/30

Send us a text Struggling to let go of control in your legal practice? You're not alone. This candid exploration of delegation dives into the counterintuitive truth that doing everything yourself is actually holding back your career. As attorneys, we're trained to be perfectionists, detail-oriented, and self-reliant. These qualities serve us well when drafting briefs or reviewing contracts, but they can become serious liabilities when we need to transition from doers to leaders. Through pers...

en-us

5:23

Episode 43: Managing Up and Down

The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing ·

2025/09/23

Send us a text Leadership isn't reserved for those with fancy titles—it's a skill that starts the moment you enter the professional world. In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked art of "managing up and managing down," revealing how these complementary skills can transform your career trajectory regardless of where you currently stand on the organizational chart. What exactly does it mean to manage up? It's about making your supervisor's job easier while strengthening the entire t...

en-us

71 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...