Best North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program Podcasts (2024)

1
Morning Me Routine 12:55

2M ago12:55

12:55

Beginning the day with an intentional routine that supports well-being is an opportunity to regulate the nervous system and to stay regulated for the rest of the day and enhances our ability to navigate the complexities and stressors of our profession. Read the full article.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
When to Stop Putting on a Show 20:00

2M ago20:00

20:00

Trying to be all things, to all people, at all times, this Type-A perfectionist found that the energy required to maintain that façade lead him into a deep clinical depression back in 2005. He reflects on lessons learned personally and professionally over the years. Originally published in 2014, the podcast builds upon the article. Read the origina…

1
Lovely Nonsense 24:54

2M ago24:54

24:54

This lawyer thought all the talk of “self-care” was lovely nonsense. The measure of her worth was calculated in the amount of tangible work done in a day. Unintentionally stumbling into a hobby, however, where there was no competition or expectation of success brought a sense of lightness to this lawyer’s life not felt in a very long time. Read the…

1
Dismantling Self-Doubt 11:27

4M ago11:27

11:27

Does self-doubt have you hiding professionally? Self-doubt is common among most people, and even more common among high-achieving professionals like attorneys and judges. Read full article.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Bless These Tears 28:36

5M ago28:36

28:36

Party down, rock and roll, snort some coke, lose some soul. 17, running wild, bullet proof, foolish child. Got the grades, got the girl, let's give UNC a whirl. Read the full article.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Frozen Slushies - Not Frozen Tweens 38:41

8M ago38:41

38:41

What began as a quick Practice Perspective about the perils of having an attorney as a legal client evolved into a thoughtful reflection on this lawyer’s childhood trauma and resolution. Read the full article.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Are you inside your window of tolerance? 18:15

8M ago18:15

18:15

"Window of tolerance (WOT)" is a concept that is extremely useful when teaching attorneys and judges stress reduction and emotional regulation tools. It helps conceptualize a zone in which we have the bandwidth to tolerate the stressors and emotions inherent in the legal field. It also helps us identify alternate zones into which we get pulled when…

1
Transform Limiting Beliefs 25:02

11M ago25:02

25:02

Are subconscious beliefs informing your decisions in the legal field? Read full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
The Bona Fides 15:20

11M ago15:20

15:20

This lawyer knew about LAP for years, but she hesitated to reach out because she thought she didn’t have “the bona fides.” She suspected her perfectionism and catastrophic thinking might be an issue, but those issues had been plaguing her since her childhood - long before she ever became a lawyer. Read the full article. Research study mentioned in …

1
Grab an Anchor 23:01

1y ago23:01

23:01

Grabbing an anchor is a simple yet effective tool to release us from our reactive survival strategies and return us to feeling and acting like our best selves. Read the full article.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers 47:37

1y ago47:37

47:37

In this podcast episode, we interview Nora Rivas, co-author of the 50 Lessons book series. The lessons in the book provide a jumping off point for deeper study and each is aligned with our well-being mission at NC LAP. Ms. Rivas is a consultant in the well-being space. She offers coaching, CLE, and law firm consulting.…

1
Mastering Your Mind with Mantra 25:00

1+ y ago25:00

25:00

Have you ever caught yourself thinking something negative over and over again and thought, “Why am I saying that to myself?” What if you could take that same unconscious, unhelpful looping pattern and turn it into a conscious, positive, self-help habit? Welcome to the world of mantra! Read full article here.…

1
David vs Goliath - A Defenders Perspective 36:38

1+ y ago36:38

36:38

Little David, with his pitiful slingshot, vs. the mighty Goliath. In a nutshell, that's how it felt to me for much of my career as a public defender. Now, with years of recovery in Al-Anon, I realize that so much of my perception of my role as a defender was tied up in my codependency, my need to rescue, and my need to prove myself worthy. Not all …

1
Procrastination Buster 21:12

1+ y ago21:12

21:12

Alison practices real estate law during the day, goes to graduate school at night, and raises young twins around the clock. At times she gets so overwhelmed with the many directions in which she’s pulled that she gets stuck deciding what to do first. In those moments, she finds herself procrastinating. Instead of doing something, she ends up doing …

1
Skating Through and Looking Good 23:27

1+ y ago23:27

23:27

This lawyer skated through life and always managed to get out of trouble. Faced with some real legal consequences, this lawyer worked with LAP to “look good” when the reckoning came but instead wound up with an amazing life. Read full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Ground down? Ground down! 18:33

2y ago18:33

18:33

Grounding is a practice that moves your attention out of your thinking mind and into the sensations in your body. Grounding interrupts rumination and is helpful because it dissipates feelings of anxiousness. Read full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Dear Pops 31:22

2y ago31:22

31:22

After his father left, this lawyer substituted Hip-Hop artists for father figures. After an arrest in his 1L year, he was referred to LAP. Through spoken word, an open letter to his pops, and a podcast interview, he opens up with profound insight and vulnerability about his inner transformation. Read the full article here.…

1
Top of His Game 26:16

2y ago26:16

26:16

Robynn and attorney Derek Dittmar explore the limitations of language for words like “disabled” and “impaired” and what it means to work in a profession not designed for you, as Derek shares his experiences as a blind attorney. Read full transcript here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Befriend Yourself 24:26

2+ y ago24:26

24:26

Where self-criticism erodes self-esteem and impairs our ability to think clearly, befriending ourselves does the opposite while also building self-confidence. Read full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Eyes on the Prize 52:24

2+ y ago52:24

52:24

I’m ten years old and just won enough money performing in a group at a talent show to buy the toy I’d had my eye on for months. This is how the story of my first regret begins. Read full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Season 1 Close 1:41

2+ y ago1:41

1:41

Thanks for joining us. Tune in next season.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Everything I Know About Suicide 28:42

2+ y ago28:42

28:42

“Inspiration” is an odd word to see written in the same sentence as “suicide.” Nevertheless, I was inspired to write this paper by a speaker at a recent webinar on well-being in law. Asked for her proudest accomplishment since joining a big law firm as its wellness officer, the speaker pointed unequivocally to the normalization of words such as “de…

1
Imposter Syndrome 24:10

2+ y ago24:10

24:10

Think everybody else has figured out a special something that you have yet to discover? They haven’t. Worried secretly that you are, at best, deficient, at worst, a fraud that has no business practicing law, sitting on the bench, or holding your current position? You aren’t. And you are not alone. In fact, if I had to identify the most consistent c…

1
Getting By With a Little Help From Our Friends 19:08

2+ y ago19:08

19:08

Join us for an interview with Warren Savage, senior claims attorney at Lawyers Mutual, as he reflects on what he has seen with lawyer mental health over the years. In this episode Robynn and Warren reference 2013 FEO 8.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Humility and the Recovering Lawyer 23:26

2+ y ago23:26

23:26

Humility is not a word commonly associated with lawyers, but it is something I learned in recovery, and found essential in the study and practice of law. When I got sober, the “old timers” taught me that humility was the process of being teachable. One old timer said “humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” Read f…

1
Being a Lawyer Saved My Life 23:41

2+ y ago23:41

23:41

I am a lawyer and an alcoholic, but not necessarily in that order. I was an alcoholic long before I even considered becoming a lawyer. I don’t believe that the inherently stressful nature of the practice of law caused or even exacerbated my alcoholic drinking. I do believe that because I am a lawyer I was offered the care and assistance of the Lawy…

1
Not a Happy Valentines Day 18:03

2+ y ago18:03

18:03

Valentine’s Day—handcuffed and removed from my home at 10:38 am. “Success” had been attained—married, healthy, gifted children, financially secure, a steady stream of new clients coming through the firm doors. I had “made it”—a thriving, 65-hour-a-week litigation practice that consumed most of my waking energy, leaving little for everything else. R…

1
Glimmers of Goodness 15:15

2+ y ago15:15

15:15

Despite the many challenges in today’s world–particularly practicing law during the pandemic–there are likely at least a few moments in your day when something good happens. Life-affirming moments that spark joy, bring a smile to your face, or make you laugh are what nervous system expert and author Deb Dana calls a “glimmer.” Read full article her…

1
True Surrender 20:05

2+ y ago20:05

20:05

The wheels came off the day the bar results arrived. I have no idea how long I had been an alcoholic drinker by then, but I have a few guesses where it started. Years prior, I was in a serious accident, hitting the pavement at more than 55 miles per hour. A couple of surgeries and more than a decade of rehab later and I still feel discomfort every …

1
Anonymity 21:40

2+ y ago21:40

21:40

People take the anonymity thing very seriously. I personally believe that it is not because of some high-minded adherence to the principle of anonymity, but because of a deep-seated internal sense of shame and fear of lost opportunity. Read the full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Validation 28:41

2+ y ago28:41

28:41

Something interesting happened when the world screeched to a halt and the courts closed in mid-March. The lawyers we work with as volunteers and clients did not respond as everyone predicted lawyers would. A feeling arose in many of our volunteers and clients that had them scratching their heads. For many of our LAP participants, inexplicably, this…

1
A Parent's Roller Coaster Ride into Recovery 22:31

3y ago22:31

22:31

My son is an addict. His addiction has had a profound impact on my life. Addiction—which includes alcoholism—is a disease, and it wreaks havoc on family members as well as the addict. In this 2-part article a LAP Volunteer shares about recovery on the family side....Read Part 1. Read Part 2.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Self Care vs Car Wrecks - A Compassion Fatigue Story 25:58

3y ago25:58

25:58

I am smart. I really enjoy using my smarts to solve problems: logic problems, crossword puzzles, strangers needing directions, my clients’ problems, my friends’ problems, and my family’s problems. But, fixing problems has a sinister side, just like any addiction, and one can develop compassion fatigue. The best way to explain “compassion fatigue” c…

1
Someone Dimed Me Out 14:40

3y ago14:40

14:40

I’m here because somebody, maybe somebody reading this, dimed me out. Threw me under the bus. Lied about me to the authorities. Said I was drunk in court. The truth is, I have never been drunk in court: yet. Never been drunk at the office…yet. Never lost my driver’s license because I’d been driving drunk…yet. Never been disciplined by the bar for a…

1
Seven Ways to Integrate Change 22:18

3y ago22:18

22:18

One of the most-used words during the pandemic has been the word “change.” Each of our personal and professional worlds has undergone countless micro and macro changes; some for better, others for worse. The amount of adjustments we have been forced to make during the pandemic is almost incomprehensible to our brains and nervous systems. While we m…

1
Hidden In Plain Sight 16:16

3y ago16:16

16:16

When I think back and remember the latter part of my active alcoholism and its impact on my family, more than anything else, I think of the extraordinary amount of time I spent trying to hide my drinking. It felt like I spent almost all my time either hiding the purchase of alcohol, hiding the use of it (and then lying about the use of it), and att…

1
What Do You Think I Should Do 20:38

3y ago20:38

20:38

Alcohol is not my problem. It never was. My problem is me. Always has been and always will be. And the problem follows me wherever I go. I struggle to accept my imperfections or acknowledge that I make mistakes. I have trouble admitting that I am not the best at everything. When I was in the first grade, my optimist league basketball team made the …

1
Admitting Fear as a First Step to Overcoming It 18:59

3y ago18:59

18:59

While driving to the coast recently, I was listening to Tara Brach’s book Radical Acceptance. Brach is known for encouraging her readers and listeners to face and walk through their fears and problems. It made me think of that night of my first AA meeting where I uttered the magic words for the first time. There was something powerful in stating pu…

1
No One is Coming 25:41

3y ago25:41

25:41

At the start, it was a starburst of luminous warmth. It was fun, it was freeing, it was sophisticated. It was summer beers, sunset champagne toasts, French martinis and obscure Italian wines. I started drinking because it made me relaxed and connected and in love. I felt closer to people around me, to myself, to the buzzing hum of energy I called G…

1
World Feels Not OK 13:07

3y ago13:07

13:07

21 months into the pandemic, many lawyers are on the verge of collapse. In this latest edition of the Mindful Moment with Laura Mahr of Conscious Legal Minds, Laura takes us through a short exercise we can use to rewire our brains when the world does not feel OK. Link to the full article here.By North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program

1
Get Off The Couch 17:11

3y ago17:11

17:11

Mid-November 2000 I was lying on a couch in my office with the lights out, hoping the room would stop spinning. It was around 8:30 am and I found myself in the same situation again: hung over at work and desperate. I was desperate not to have to go to court and act like everything was okay. I felt empty and fearful. I was disgusted with myself and …

1
Wings to Fly 20:39

3y ago20:39

20:39

The judge said he hoped to see me on the other side of the bar in 5 years. I thought to myself: There’s no reason it should take me five years to pass the bar. After all, I had already been sober for about a year, and it had been almost 2 years since my third DUI. It’s an unfortunate story, but definitely not unique. I had graduated law school, but…

1
Welcome to Sidebar with the North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program 2:08

3y ago2:08

2:08

Welcome to Sidebar, brought to you by North Carolina’s Lawyer Assistance Program, where lawyers help lawyers by sharing their experience, strength, and hope as they delve into their personal journeys of recovery. We’ll initiate and guide the conversation with lawyers and judges, who will share stories, insights, lessons, and tools discovered along …

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North Carolina Lawyer Assistance Program Podcasts

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