WILL - Women Interested in Leaving Law

11h ago

Imagine realizing your vision of practicing law doesn't fit in someone else's structure. Imagine trusting yourself enough to bring that vision to life. Building a firm grounded in your values, your instincts, and the impact you want to make. Imagine choosing to create something meaningful. Not because the path is certain, but because staying aligned with your purpose matters more than staying comfortable. In this episode, Princess Uchekwe, talks through how she made the leap into founding The Chief Counsel; her fractional general counsel firm that provides legal expertise to start-ups. She shares her journey of cultivating “quiet courage,” trusting her inner vision, and building a business rooted in clarity, collaboration, and competence. Listen is as Princess covers: Why courage isn’t just a series of bold moves, and more a quiet, daily self-trust that sustains you when external validation is missing. How legal advice can be reframed from “no” to “how,” so you can move forward with compliance, clarity, and confidence. How to make the leap into entrepreneurship even if you don’t feel 100% ready and why that leap might be exactly what helps you grow. She offers heartfelt advice to other women lawyers “Trust yourself, start where you are, and take the leap!” About Princess Princess, the Founder and Managing Attorney at The Chief Counsel, is a fractional general counsel firm for start-ups and emerging companies. Before starting The Chief Counsel, Princess spent seven years at Eldridge, a leading investment firm, where she served as Director and Legal Counsel. During her time there, she played a key role in advising on private equity and credit transactions across entertainment, technology, and real estate. Connect with Princess Website: www.thechiefcounsel.com IG: www.instagram.comthe.chiefcounsel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-chief-counsel-law-firm/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/princessuchekwe/ WILL The WILL (Women Interested in Leaving Law) Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. This podcast is more than a good listen; it’s an invitation to explore new possibilities and shed limiting beliefs. As WILL Alumni and guests share their journeys beyond traditional legal practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible, it’s within your reach. Feel stuck, unhappy, or ready to explore your own WILL journey? Book a consult: https://bit.ly/4oq9l2d LI: https://bit.ly/4oskvDH Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com

Dec 5

In this special one year anniversary celebration episode of the WILL Podcast , I reflect on key moments in the podcast. I share about the top themes from interviews with women lawyers - especially pivotal moments that helped them make their career changes. I also focus (okay, rant!) on the importance of getting okay with discomfort as we grow and make bold new moves. I highlight: The “straw that broke the camel's back” moments.. How “aha moments” lead to perspective shifts. How discomfort is good for us. This episode encourages you to tune into your own 'straw that broke the camel's back' and/or “aha-ha” moments and how they can help galvanize you. The WILL- Women Interested in Leaving Law Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. Book a consult: https://bit.ly/4oq9l2d Follow: LI: https://bit.ly/4oskvDH Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com Show Notes Samorn Selim https://bit.ly/4pGzJG5 Yael Eiserike https://bit.ly/445sfEs Sarah Burke https://bit.ly/3KlAUfl Erin Cowling https://bit.ly/4iTEcDv Courtney Schulnick (unpublished) Consultants: Christina Gilibert, Marketing Strategist https://bit.ly/4ry7RFR Holly Cope, Global Legal Tech Creator https://bit.ly/44254ei Pivot: The Nontraditional J.D. Careers Handbook by Alexandra Davis http://bit.ly/44yH02I

May 23

What is the nature of human existence? What are challenges? What if challenges are opportunities to help you grow past your conditioning and habitual responses? These very light questions 🤣 and how you can use challenges to expand and grow are the topic of this solo episode! What if challenges are a chance for you to CLARIFY your VALUES and DESIRES? Listen in to shift the way you think so you can move through the hard stuff more easily and expand your capacity for more joy, alignment and pleasure. See how your challenges can become opportunities to become the person who has moved through the difficulties, into a new identity. This mini thought-provoking episode can help you deep-dive your own challenges and how they can transport you towards a greater YOU. The WILL Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. This podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. As WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Feel stuck, unhappy and ready to explore a WILL journey of your own? Book your consultation with Elena: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/book-a-call Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-deutsch/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw

Jun 6

Imagine hitting burnout not once, but twice. The second time, you crash so hard, despite making many positive changes, you can’t walk! Imagine being an A+ perfectionist and battling daily with your inner critic and people-pleasing tendencies. Imagine meeting a therapist that finally switched you on to your values (and how everything you were doing was not in alignment with them). Now imagine turning your crash and burn into becoming a “compassionate coach”. You now help women lawyers get out of their own way, learn how to be self-compassionate and create fulfilling mindsets. You’ll love hearing how Jordana Confino went from lawyer to recovering-perfectionist and positive psychology coach. She shares how her personal experiences with burnout and physical pain helped her become the compassionate and successful coach she is today. Jordana - profile and where to find her Jordana is a certified professional coach, Positive Lawyering professor, and founder of JC Coaching & Consulting, a company devoted to helping lawyers and other high-achieving professionals get out of their own way so they can enjoy greater satisfaction and sustainable success in their lives and work. As a self-described “recovering Type A+ perfectionist” herself, Jordana knows that many high-achieving, successful people hold limiting beliefs that prevent them from truly flourishing. Until fairly recently, she was one of them. But Jordana transformed her life leveraging the science of positive psychology and human motivation theory, and she is passionate about helping others do the same. Website: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/ Self-Compassion Guide: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/self-compassion-guide Values Discovery Guide: https://www.jordanaconfino.com/values The WILL Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated guide for women lawyers. This podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, and you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Feel stuck, unhappy and ready to explore a WILL journey of your own? Book your consultation with Elena: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/book-a-call Summer SOULstice Wooshop Join our SUMMER SOULstice Wooshop on June 22nd (Early bird price until June 15th). Register here: https://elenadeutsch931.lpages.co/soulstice-wooshop-june-2025/ Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-deutsch/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com References Kristin Neff, Self-compassion

Jul 18

What happens when your dream job becomes a nightmare that puts you in survival mode? In this episode, you will learn how to recognize burnout warning signs, choose yourself over prestige, and align your career with your values. This is exactly what happened to Samorn Selim. As the daughter of illiterate Lao refugees and the first in her family to go to college, she thought landing a big law job meant she'd made it. Instead, she found herself in survival mode and struggling with health issues. Samorn Selim shares how she worked through her fears to make big career changes and bet on herself: from big law to Berkeley Law Career Counselor, and finally a bold leap to build Career Unicorns® – Spark Your Joy®. Now a Forbes-featured career coach, Samorn has helped over 1,000 women, BIPOC, and first-generation professionals escape similar traps and find careers that actually energize them and align with their values. We dive deep into what it takes to walk away from the expectations, the prestige, the paycheck and how to listen to your inner wisdom, including: The early warning signs your body gives you before burnout hits. How to walk away from prestige without regret. A practical framework for making values-based career decisions. If you're exhausted from performing for others and ready to build a career that energizes rather than drains you, this conversation will show you exactly how to start. Connect with Samorn Samorn Selim is the Founder of Career Unicorns and the host of Career Unicorns – Spark Your Joy podcast. As the daughter of illiterate Laotian refugees, the first to go to college in her family, and the former Director of Employer Outreach at Berkeley Law, Samorn has used her experiences to support over 1,000 first-generation professionals, women, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color in law, tech, and legal tech to land their dream jobs, get promoted to leadership, and overcome burnout to build sustainable and thriving careers. Her work has been featured in: Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and the BBC among others. Web: www.careerunicorns.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samornselim/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/career-unicorns-spark-your-joy/id1596874054 New book (#1 new release in Legal Self Help): Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy . Show notes/references Samorn Selim’s Website: www.careerunicorns.com Book: Belonging: Self-Love Lessons from a Workaholic, Depressed, Insomniac Lawyer – Amazon Link LinkedIn: Samorn Selim on LinkedIn Check out her new book: https://www.amazon.com/Belonging-Lessons-Workaholic-Depressed-Insomniac ⭐️ Exclusive offer! ⭐️ The first 10 people to listen to this episode and submit a review will win a complimentary copy of Samorn's new book: Career Unicorns™ 90-Day 5-Minute Gratitude Journal: An Easy & Proven Way To Cultivate Mindfulness, Beat Burnout & Find Career Joy . Terms: Review the podcast. Submit a screen shot of your review via email to support[at]womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com with your mailing address. If you’ve already submitted a review, please send a screenshot of sharing the podcast with a friend. The WILL Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. This podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. As WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Feel stuck, unhappy and ready to explore a WILL journey of your own? Book your consultation with Elena: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/book-a-call Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-deutsch/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com

Aug 1

Trigger warning - adolescent suicide. Imagine struggling to leave your firm but you’re "enmeshed" with your group, and don’t want to leave them. Imagine you go to an in-house role, and keep “leaning in” at work, giving and giving, while your recognition flat-lines. Imagine you work in “occupational health and safety” but your own mental health is at the bottom of your priority list. Imagine you’ve been making progress and aren’t able to fully put yourself first, until your 11 year old daughter makes a suicide attempt, and this wakes you up in a whole new way to how you have to resource yourself This is all part of Gwen Nightengale’s journey. Gwen - a longtime occupational health and safety attorney, user of therapy and WILL Member documents her journey from burned out associate and in-house lawyer, to a boundaried and attentive attorney and mental health advocate. Gwen’s WILL journey takes many iterations - from the very first pilot group in 2017 to The Creator’s Circle Mastermind - a year-long journey through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Hear her speak how she found accountability, community and healing in WILL. How it helps her break isolation, see she’s not alone, and continue to expand and grow. Out of the cocoon and into the world! About Gwen Gwen Nightengale is an in-house Environmental, Health, & Safety Lawyer with over 15 years of experience advising clients on workplace health and safety regulatory compliance. Before working in-house, Gwen practiced in the Workplace Health & Safety practice group for over 8 years at a Labor & Employment Law Firm in Washington, DC. Gwen earned both her bachelor’s degree in biology and her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University. Mental health and wellbeing is a passion that is near and dear to Gwen’s heart. Given that the long work hours, customer service focus, and ever evolving legal landscape can make the practice of law challenging and isolating, Gwen has been dedicating a lot of her time outside of work finding new activities that inspire joy, build community, and foster resilience. She is a member of the WILL Creator's Circle, which is a mastermind focused on Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Her work in the Creator's Circle inspired her to create a Substack, A Deeper Well. Here, she speaks candidly about her mental health journey. If Gwen weren’t working as a lawyer, she would likely be an attorney wellness coach to support other minority women attorneys with practicing law resiliently and sustainably. Gwen’s Show Notes Gwen’s Substack: A Deeper Well Above the Law Article - Elena and WILL: https://abovethelaw.com/2017/05/on-escaping-biglaw-an-interview-with-career-coach-elena-deutsch/ Emma Garret Coaching and More Book: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski The Secret of Life The WILL Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. This podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. As WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Feel stuck, unhappy and ready to explore a WILL journey of your own? Book your consultation with Elena: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/book-a-call Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-deutsch/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com

Jun 20

Imagine going from big law to an in-house role, that’s just as pressured and demanding. Imagine that you long for more connection and meaning in your work. Imagine discovering your passion for Human Design and astrology. You think this is the direction you want to pivot towards, but you’re scared as heck! What will other people think? Imagine finding the support of others and summoning the courage to post about starting your astrology business on your socials. (And only hearing positive things back!) This is the story of WILL Alum Marla Tseng. She shares how WILL helped her navigate from a high-pressure in-house role to become a Human Design and Astrology practitioner. Marla left the practice of law in 2023 and set up her own human design and astrology business, and now helps others with what she has given herself - to align with what lights them up! In this episode, she talks through: What led her to leave law and enroll in WILL Transform. Her love of human design and astrology and an introduction into human design 'types'. How she works with clients. Marla Tseng uses human design and astrology to help unhappy professionals figure out the type of work that lights them up. She also uses Human Design to help corporate teams improve their collaboration. With her background as a lawyer in the corporate world for nearly 14 years, Marla now bridges the professional and metaphysical worlds, bringing a grounded, strategic, and heart-centered approach to her work with clients. Connect with Marla IG: @marlajtseng www.manyworldsmanypossibilities.com The WILL Podcast is hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst. This podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. As WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Feel stuck, unhappy and ready to explore a WILL journey of your own? Book your consultation with Elena: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/book-a-call Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elena-deutsch/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/womeninterestedinleavinglaw Web: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com References WILL Transform Meredith chose the Transform VIP program, which included 1:1 coaching with Elena Deutsch. The WILL Transform Program is a comprehensive 6-month program designed specifically for busy women lawyers. It provides the support you need to make a meaningful career change. Learn more here: https://womeninterestedinleavinglaw.com/services/ Jenny McKee, Skywhispers Astrology www.skywhispersastrology.com The Gene Keys https://home.genekeys.com/

Nov 21, 2024

Imagine feeling overwhelmed and stressed as a big law litigator, breaking down on the A train to JFK as you head to England for the Christmas holidays. Imagine a weird relief that COVID offers, as you move temporarily to Vermont where you begin to sort out what you’d really like to do next. Imagine deciding to forgo law, only to discover an ideal job while writing a joke for your burgeoning stand-up comedy routine. In this episode, meet Pamela T, a former big law attorney, who had an epic journey across four countries before landing in Newcastle, England. Now she pursues her dual passions - fighting the patriarchy and comedy, all while raising her son and enjoying the occasional good cup of coffee after Pilates. You can’t make this up! In our conversation, hear how: COVID helped Pamela step off the lock-step path and expand her perception of reality. She freed herself from her firm in stages. ONE phone call with a Greek comedian opened up a world of opportunities. Pamela turned away from law before landing an ideal legal role. Mindset shifts help her in all aspects of life, and especially after a bombed a comedy set. Hosted by Elena Deutsch, a dedicated legal career coach and catalyst, the WILL Podcast is more than a good listen — it may inspire you. As WILL Alumni and Guests break the confines of traditional practice, you’ll see that change is not just possible for them, but for you too. Note: In this episode you’ll hear me refer to a tech fail, but my editing team patched it up - so it should be fairly smooth listening! Please enjoy this inaugural episode of the WILL Podcast!! Trigger warning: miscarriage, sexual assault and cults. References Midnight in Cairo, by Raphael Cormack The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron Follow Pamela on Instagram: @pt_lolz .