The Grace Period: Shining A Light on Lawyer Wellbeing
A podcast for lawyers that explores the realities of big law, provides tips for better practice management, and shines a light on lawyer wellbeing.
Episodes
85 episodes
Episode 69: Making it Known + Sustaining Success as Partner
Partnership goals can feel weirdly unspoken in big law, like everyone is supposed to “just know” the rules and quietly hope the right people notice. In this episode of The Grace Period, we get real about what actually helps you move from senior...
Episode 68: Growth Mindset + Relationship Building
Your legal skills can open the door to partnership, but they will not automatically carry you across the line. I’m continuing the path to partnership series with a focus on two forces that quietly shape your career: a growth mindset and the rel...
Episode 67: Time Management + The Path to Partnership
Your calendar can either run your life or give it back to you. In this episode, we get honest about why time management is not about squeezing in more work, but about protecting your energy, your goals, and your attorney mental health as demand...
Episode 66: Owning Files -- You Earn Trust By Thinking Like The Partner
“Take ownership of the file” is common feedback in big law, but it’s rarely defined in a way that actually helps you grow. In this episode, I unpack what ownership looks like day to day for associates who are serious about the partnership track...
Episode 65: Redefining The Path To Partnership
On this episode, I’m sharing my own path to partner, including the privilege I grew up with, the expectations I absorbed early, and the moment I realized my identity had gotten tangled up in being a litigator and a “successful” attorney.
Episode 64: The Partner Question
Partnership can feel like the default finish line, but chasing a title you do not truly want is a fast track to stress, resentment, and burnout. In this episode, I unpack what it looks like when you move through your career on autopilot, a...
Bonus Episode: Legal Ops Is Having A Moment
AI is already reshaping legal work, and the truth is that “waiting to see” is its own decision. I just got back from CLOC's Global Institute, where legal operations leaders, in-house counsel, and firm attorneys focused on this question: how do ...
Episode 63: Second Choices, Lasting Wins
What if the doors that didn’t open were pointing you to the ones you actually need? We share a candid look at how “second choices” shaped a meaningful legal career and a steadier mind. Along the way, we unpack the hard skills and soft wisdom th...
Episode 62: Meditation For Lawyers
A frantic layover, an itchy pair of contacts, and a rising tide of work stress became the unlikely doorway to a nine-year meditation practice that changed how we handle pressure in Big Law. Emily shares the honest story of opening an app in the...
Bonus Episode: Less Hype More Workflows From CLOC CGI 2026
I’m sharing a quick preview of why I’m heading to CLOC Global Institute 2026 in Chicago and what I’ll be watching for through the theme Stronger by Design. I’m focused on practical takeaways that help us build legal systems that are scalable an...
Episode 61: Generations and Their Boundaries
Big Law trains us to say yes first and figure out the rest later. With four generations working side by side—Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—our shared challenge is not whether we work hard, but how we do it without breaking and how we l...
Bonus: Join me at the Rest To Rise Summit
We invite you to join the free Rest To Rise Summit and rethink the belief that rest must be earned after the next milestone. I share why sustainable high performance depends on building recovery into your routines now, plus what I’ll teach abou...
Bonus: Responsible AI For Lawyers -- What I Know + What I Want to Learn
We react to a major law firm AI mistake and use it as a reality check for anyone adopting generative AI in legal work. We lay out what responsible, practical AI use looks like when you prioritize trust, process, and human judgment over hype. In...
Bonus: Vision Work For A Career You Want
Start with a page, not a spreadsheet. That’s the quiet move Emily Logan Stedman uses to shape a career she actually wants: vision work that turns vague goals into clear choices and long-term momentum. As a commercial litigator and partner at an...
Bonus Episode: Legal Operations, Explained
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...
Bonus Episode: Why.
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.
Episode 60: Ambition Thrives Where Boundaries Begin
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 shar...
Episode 59: Micro Breaks That Save Your Day
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 o...
Episode 58: Take The Break
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—w...
Episode 57: Quieting The Inner Critic
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-j...
Episode 56: Owning Your Seat At The Table (Revisiting Imposter Syndrome)
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 sh...
Episode 55: Perfectionism Isn’t Excellence
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 a...
Episode 54: Small Daily Habits Beat Burnout
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 ...
Episode 53: Asking for Help Is A Professional Skill
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 ti...
Episode 52: Anxious Achiever To Sustainable Lawyer
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 burnou...