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 Milwaukee airport and discovering that meditation isn’t about silencing the mind—it’s about learning not to grab every thought that yanks for attention.

We dig into the two core lessons that keep this practice practical: you will never turn off your thoughts, and you do not have to engage with each one. 
This conversation is a guide for attorneys, legal professionals, and anyone chasing big goals without wanting to lose themselves. Expect practical entry points for starting a meditation habit, smart ways to choose guides who won’t annoy or sedate you, and real talk about boundaries, client communication, and staying authentic in high-stakes environments. If you’ve written off meditation as woo-woo, consider this your field-tested brief: it’s a clear, usable tool for better focus, calmer choices, and durable confidence.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who needs a breather, and leave a quick review—what’s one thought you’re ready to stop picking up today?

Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilystedman/.

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Grace Period, where we get real about attorney mental health and well-being and pull back the veil on the high-stakes world of big law. I'm your host, Emily Logan Sudman, a commercial litigator, partner, and someone who believes there's always room for a little more grace, even in a high-stakes profession. Here, I share real stories from my own journey in big law and invite you behind the scenes, past the billable hour, to talk about what it means to stay human in a demanding field. Whether you're a lawyer, a legal professional, or someone trying to find your footing, this space is for you. Let's pull back the curtain, start the conversation, and find our grace period together. Disclaimer, the views and opinions shared on this podcast are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. Welcome to the Grace Period. Today I want to revisit a topic that I talked about at least in season two and maybe a couple other times, and that's meditation. In 2017, in a desperate moment in the Milwaukee airport, I found meditation. I was stressed about work. I don't remember what I was stressed out about. It's funny how that happens. And I was headed to Vegas for a bachelorette party. I was also struggling with what I later learned was an allergic reaction to my contacts. Really fun times. So I was panicked. I turned to the app store on my iPhone and found headspace. Since then, coming up on nine years, I've been a near daily meditator. Meditation has taught me at least two things. First, we are not ever going to turn off our thoughts. Meditation is not a tool to turn off your thoughts. It is a tool for awareness and presence and sometimes stress relief. Two, meditation is about recognizing that we are all humans. We share a condition. We have a shared human condition, and that is our humanity. This last bit has been particularly helpful to me as I've climbed the ranks of Midwest Big Law. Attorneys, despite what we often believe and project about ourselves, are not special. We're not above other humans because of our degrees and bar passages. And we're not immune to common, basic, normal human experiences. With this lesson and a deep desire to be wholly and authentically myself, if I was going to stay in big law, and at one point I thought about leaving the law altogether. But if I was going to say, I set out to do my career differently and more sustainably, yes, I work hard. I work a lot. Yes, I enjoy the prestige of the job. Yes, I very much still struggle with stress, anxiety, worry, and doubts. But with meditation, I am empowered to do all of that genuinely and to bring that humanity into every aspect of my life, including my client and firm work. And as always, I must acknowledge that my firm, Hush Blackwell, has been remarkably, even miraculously supportive, as have been many, many of my colleagues. And I will forever be grateful for that. If you listen to this and you're interested in meditation, I have one piece of advice. That is experiment with apps or YouTube videos or podcast episodes on meditation and with sample meditations and find someone whose voice does not annoy you and probably doesn't put you to sleep. If their voice annoys you, you won't be able to meditate. I liked the Headspace app because before releasing me into the broad and expansive meditation library, it made me go through a series of lessons, a series of foundational lessons and meditations that taught me exactly this. I'm never going to turn off my thoughts. But I don't have to engage with every single thought I have. As a camp counselor, a child psychologist trained us with this analogy. Oftentimes, with a youth, they'll want to get you in a tug of war. They'll want you to pick up that rope and pull back and forth with them. But guess what? You don't have to pick up the rope. The same can be said of our thoughts. For me, I struggle with rumination. I struggle with having a mistake or something I deem bad happening and not being able to get over it. And the more you focus on it, the bigger and bigger it gets and it builds and builds and builds. What meditation has taught me is to recognize when that is happening. I can say, stop. I can acknowledge those thoughts and feelings and I can let them go. I do not have to pick up the rope. A lot of well-being is about the woo-woo, spa days, yoga, stretching, mental health, and well-being are so much more than that. And meditation is not woo-woo. It is a practical tool that you can use to engage more productively and proactively with your thoughts. And I strongly, strongly encourage you to give it a try. Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Grace Period. Remember, you don't have to choose between your well-being and your ambition. By setting boundaries, building supportive habits, and giving yourself permission to pause, you can thrive in law and in life. Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other. That is the path to our Grace Period. Disclaimer The views expressed here are solely my own and do not represent the official policy or position of my firm or any organization. This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not professional or legal advice, and listening does not create an attorney client relationship.