Category Archives: Mindfulness in Action

How to Manage Anxiety about Public Speaking

Cover image for blog post How to Manage Anxiety about Public Speaking

Last week, I shared a Ted-style talk that I had to give in front of a pretty large crowd of my fellow lawyers. I love public speaking in general and was passionate about the subject. Even so, the novelty of my approach–especially my decision to memorize the talk–created some last minute nervousness for me.

Due to my years of mindfulness training and experience speaking, I was able to be pretty systematic in response to my fears. I talked myself through the anxiety the night before, was able to prepare and then relax enough to sleep well, and the talk was a big success. The most important indicator of this success was the fact that I had a blast giving the talk.

I know public speaking induces anxiety for many people, including lawyers, so I decided to write down the 5 steps that helped me the most. Here they are:

1. Stop Spiraling Thoughts

If you have anxiety, you are probably no stranger to spiraling thoughts. This can be really painful because thoughts are hard to control. The thoughts may feel like truths, they may be overwhelming in amount, and they can induce powerful emotional reactions. The thinking process itself can also lock you in because you may feel like you have to answer all of the questions before you can move on or calm down.

One thing that mindfulness helped me realize, however, was to recognize that spiraling thoughts were just a symptom of anxiety. In practice, this means letting go of answering each individual thought and focusing instead on the pattern of thinking. What is all the thinking trying to say? It’s saying “I am scared and I want control to make me feel more safe.”

With something like public speaking, it’s human to want a guarantee all will go well. But it’s just not in the cards. Accepting the risk involved and the vulnerability that goes with it is a basic but essential step to stopping the thought spiral.

An image about anxiety and racing thoughts

2. Quantify the Suck.

Once you are able to accept that risk is involved and you have calmed down enough to be logical, you can tap into curiosity and pragmatism. As I said, public speaking is inherently risky. We have to speak, look intelligent, not fall down, keep breathing, and look like we are relaxed while other people just watch us.

But let’s get real. What is the risk exactly? Assuming things go badly, can you quantify how bad? How many minutes is the speech? What percentage of the time will actually be truly awful? What are the tangible and likely risks involved?

Most of the time, the odds are that these things are not as bad as our fear minds would make it seem. Most of us are rational people. We wouldn’t agree to speak if it was all risk and pain. When it comes to public speaking, the worst risk many of us face is a few minutes of awkwardness and some temporary embarrassment after.

If you are calm enough that you can avoid creating a horror fantasy for yourself, getting clear about what you fear in concrete terms can help you face and manage it.

3. Plan for the Worst.

This tip is not about pessimism or cynically setting low expectations in the hope that you will be pleasantly surprised. What I really mean with this one is making a preemptive commitment to self-compassion. Lawyers are expected so frequently to be tough and brave and show up in defense of others that this step can easily be overlooked.

The truth is that we are people too and so caring for ourselves like we are human beings can make a big difference. Anxiety can sometimes create the illusion that the thing we fear is a “game over” situation. We get so focused on the fear that we forget it’s not the end of the story. We forget we have endured painful and awkward things before and lived to tell the tale.

How did we do this? Most likely with kindness towards ourselves, time, and help from our friends and family. So, when I have big anxiety about something, I always ask “well, what will I do if things go wrong?”

Usually the answer is that I will take some time to myself. I will wallow for a bit, I will feel sad or angry or whatever. I will talk with my friends. And then eventually I will move on and other people will probably forget even sooner. Given this, make a plan for self-care and self-compassion for after your talk. This plan will help you engage in needed self-care no matter how well the talk goes and it may make you feel a bit more confident too.

An image with 5 tips to manage public speaking anxiety

4. Connect with Your Values

If you are speaking publicly about something, you probably care about it. Even if it is a “boring” legal topic, it’s probably something that matters to you and others for important reasons. One of the things that can help us the most in times of stress is connecting to our values.

The good thing about preparing to speak is that you ideally should be reviewing and thinking about the content of your talk. This is not just a chance to place facts neatly at the front of your mind; it’s also a chance to remember why they matter.

When you connect with the values underlying your talk, it is easier to be brave. It helps to remember that you aren’t just speaking to fill time or harass yourself. Instead, the point of the effort is to convey an important message to the audience.

5. Get Out of Your Head

Of course, anxiety is not just thoughts and that’s the problem. Anxiety can also create a whole lot of bodily issues that can be problematic for public speaking. There may be jitters, a shaky voice, or insomnia the night before. How do you deal with this? Learn how to tend to your body.

Body scan meditation can be a great practice for relaxing the body. For this reason, it may help with relaxation before the talk or getting to sleep the night before. Exercise or some form of movement, including a short walk, can help you ditch the last minute jitters. Grounding practices, where you notice the sensation of weight and stability, may help you maintain composure during the talk itself.

Conclusion

The common thread running through all of these practices is to accept and allow the bodily experiences that arise rather than judging yourself for them. These practices may not guarantee that you won’t have any nervousness when you talk, but they can help you avoid compounding the nervousness with self-judgment.

Anxiety is a real and painful experience. These five tips aren’t intended to present the illusion that anxiety is easy to manage. They are offered, however, to show that learning to take aspects of anxiety piece by piece can make it more manageable. These strategies have helped me many times and I hope they help find success and fun in your next speaking engagement.

Want to try a meditation practice that can help with performance anxiety? Check it out here.

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Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

How to Become a Thought Leader When You Have No Followers

A cover image for a blog post entitled How to Become a Thought Leader When You Have No Followers

I have had a very busy couple of weeks. Fortunately, that business has been almost all good. I have had several talks and presentations over the last few weeks, which included all of my favorite things: mindfulness, writing, stress management, and leadership. I have also had some articles publish which I have not yet had an opportunity to share, but will soon. The bad news, however, is that I didn’t have time to write a blog post for the week.

Then I realized that I was maybe being too restrictive. It finally donned on me that one of the talks I am scheduled to give would make a pretty good blog post. I was asked to give a Ted-style talk on the topic of “leadership” for the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel. Given how much I love writing, I decided I would write about “thought leadership” and specifically how I came to it.

The talk traces my story from starting with little writing experience and only a couple hundred followers on LinkedIn to becoming a speaker, author, and blogger. And, of course, it shares how meditation was at the origins of it all. If you are interested in writing, business development, or the power of mindfulness, check out a print version of it here:

­­What is thought leadership?

I’m here to talk to you this morning about thought leadership. This sounds really impressive. Forbes defines a thought leader as “a person who is specialized in a given area and whom others in that industry turn to for guidance.” Wow. Kind of a big deal.

Am I a thought Leader? Here’s why.

Am I a thought leader? Did they get it right when he asked me to give this talk?

“Thought leader” is not a word I generally use, but if you twisted my arm I would admit that this definition fits me for certain topics. I’m practicing at a great firm and have demonstrated expertise in my field. I have an established blog and thousands of followers on LinkedIn. I teach mindfulness and compassion in addition to practicing law and raising a family. I give talks and present seminars on mental health, stress management, and more on a regular basis. And I have written two books with more on the way.

Started out a nobody.

When I started, though about 6 years ago, I was a nobody. I was the most junior partner at a small firm in Kentucky. My practice was focused, so I didn’t work with a ton of people. I’m an introvert and assumed for a long time I would never be a rainmaker. And I was the mom of two young girls and didn’t have a lot of expendable time and energy to invest to change this.

An image with a quote about how meditation can help lawyers generate ideas and create content to support thought leadership

Hidden advantage.

But I had one hidden advantage. I thought way too much. You may be wondering how on earth this could be an advantage. For years, it was a huge liability. Overthinking kept me anxious, stuck, and at times spiked into intense depression. Eventually, though, I learned how to harness this power.

My mental health needs forced me to try meditation. When I did, I got distance from and clarity about my thoughts. Many of them, to be sure, were garbage to discard and ignore. But some were ideas for writing. So I started writing to get the thoughts out of my head.

Writing progression.

I wrote articles for trade magazines, then blog posts, and then LinkedIn posts. In doing this, I learned that publishing my thoughts was the only way to let them go. The thoughts always kept coming, so I kept going. I kept writing and eventually realized I needed my own place to write whenever I chose. So I founded my own blog where I publish one post a week. By the end of the first year, I was ready to write my first book. After 3 years, I have written nearly 200 posts in addition to many other resources.

Early doubts and why I got started.

All the while, I had doubts. I was afraid that nobody would care. I was afraid all my efforts would be for nothing. The urge to write, though, was powerful and usually won out over these doubts. But more importantly, I had something to say.

I knew that there was a need for a change in the legal profession. Too many lawyers struggle with mental health and feel like they can’t get any relief or support. Even when mental health challenges are absent, I knew all too well how perfectionism, self-doubt, and overreliance on control could impede lawyers from happiness and doing our best work.

So I started writing about leadership, writing, networking as an introvert, being a working mom, mindfulness, and mental health. I just started offering ideas about what might help others and what had helped me.

Early impediments.

Of course, I was afraid of what people might think. At the beginning, I was not an experienced writer and had not developed my voice. I was a still young lawyer and wasn’t sure it was my place to put my ideas out there. And nobody else in my firm or even my local community was sharing content like mine on social media.

Humility and struggles.

One thing that helped me move forward, though, was to lean into my humility. Rather than act like I had it all figured out, I often shared my struggles. Sometimes I shared things that at a certain time in my life had made me feel ashamed. I wrote about my anxiety, I shared stories about struggling with loneliness and managing anger, and I have been pretty open about my experiments with Dry January to help me manage alcohol.

Afraid but the “why” pushed me along.

Every time I shared something like this, I was afraid of what people might think but I did it anyway because I knew I wasn’t alone and thought it might help. I knew what it was like to feel anxious all the time, out of control of one’s thoughts, and always stressed out or depressed. What I wanted more than anything was for others, not to feel how I had felt. I especially wanted this for my fellow lawyers who make it our life’s mission to serve other people. So if something I wrote could reach someone, resonate with someone, or give them a good resource, then it was worth it to me.

Despite all the fears on the front end, I felt nothing but pride and validation after sharing these stories. Any shame I had felt about my experience melted away when I could acknowledge it simply as a human experience. To my surprise, people reached out to say that they appreciated what I had shared. People told me that they thought I was brave.

Setbacks.

Now, this isn’t every time. Sometimes my posts would bomb. Sometimes nobody cared. But by then I had developed enough self-compassion to not take these things personally. I knew how to take care of any feelings of disappointment, and I remembered that I didn’t start writing for anyone’s approval. Instead, I had started writing because I loved it and had something to say. So I took breaks when needed but then got back to it.

A quote about leadership and being a thought leader for lawyers

Payoff.

As it turns out, it was worth it for many other reasons I could never have expected. When I started sharing content, at first nobody cared. After a while though, people started following me. Then people started reaching out to tell me they liked what I had to say. Then people started inviting me to speak and write more.

Over time, I made some real friends and connections. People referred me work. They looked to me as a resource and sought my input. They invited me to join and become active in networks, like this one, and most recently one friend I gained through with my writing even invited me to join her law firm.

Not a nobody anymore.

Now, I’m not a nobody anymore. Now, I see that I never was. I was a quiet and thoughtful lawyer who sometimes saw things differently from others around me. For years, I thought this was what was wrong with me. I was convinced that this trait is what would hold me back. And it did until I started using it. By putting my copious thoughts to use, I learned my overthinking was the gift I could offer to the world and the profession.

Can you lead without followers?

So, how do you become a thought leader when you have no followers? First, stop thinking about followers. Start instead with the thoughts. What thoughts are you going to offer? What can you say that nobody else can? Or said differently, what is something so important to say that you are willing to take a risk?

That’s the thing. Leadership is not about followers. Leadership is about accountability. It’s about a vision for something better and the willingness to take responsibility to make it happen.

Final advice.

I don’t care how many followers you have or how impressive you are. If you say something authentic, helpful, honest, and kind, you are not a nobody. Instead, you may have a gift that the world and our profession really need.

Get started. Trust yourself. Trust other people (at least some of the time). Use your gifts, whatever they are and even if you never saw them as gifts before. And then see what happens.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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How to Train Your Mind While Training Your Heart

Cover image for blog post How to Train Your Mind While Training Your Heart about incorporating mindfulness into your exercise routine

I talk a lot about meditation practice on this blog, but meditation is not the only way that you can cultivate mindfulness and compassion. Research is now beginning to emerge that is showing benefits from shorter and shorter increments of meditation. We are also starting to see some evidence of benefits from “informal” mindfulness or compassion practices.

For lawyers short on time, this is good news. As I well know, we don’t always have a 20 or 10 minute block of time to sit and meditate. But, if we are creative, we may find a few spare minutes here and there to sneak in a little bit of deep breathing. Even when this is hard to come by, we may learn some in the moment practices that can help us stay calm and collected or remember to be kind to ourselves.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to incorporate mindfulness and compassion practices into my workout routine. This may sound a little cumbersome, but I already shared a post from a lawyer who built a meditation practice this way. In addition, a recent review of more than 35 studies indicated that mindfulness and exercise might offer unique mental health benefits.

So how can you do this? Here are a few options.

1. Try Yoga or Somatic Workouts.

If you feel totally lost with the idea of integrating mindfulness and cardiovascular exercise, you might be pleased to know that some workouts are specifically designed to do this. Most yoga classes cue participants to notice their breath and pay attention to how their body feels. In general, the best yoga teachers also encourage modifications and self-compassion throughout practice. This is one reason people sometimes call yoga “moving mindfulness”.

Not all yoga is calm and restorative either. Some classes, including power yoga, will include cardio, interval, or even strength training. Along the same lines, somatic workouts like The Class will push your physical limits while cuing you to notice (and if possible release) thoughts and emotions that arise as you move.

An image with summary of a study showing benefits from incorporating mindfulness into exercse

2. Watch Your Breath.

I have enjoyed group fitness in the past, but right now I am all about my Peloton especially Power Zone training on my bike. These rides often call for me to hold a moderate to difficult effort for a period of time. As a meditation teacher, it didn’t take me long to realize that this was a great time to notice my breath.

Doing so often helped me modulate my breath so that I could stay steady during tough intervals or quickly recover when I had a respite. This helps me stay present for the difficulty rather than mentally retreating into anxiety or stress. In many cases, I have found that this makes the experience more enjoyable because it helps me remember that hard work much of the time can be fun and feel good.

3. Listen to Your Body.

I have an Apple watch which monitors my heart rate as I work out. From lots of experience, I have a good idea of my typical range for easy, moderate, and challenging cardio work. One thing I like to do, though, is to remind myself not to panic as my heart rate increases.

Instead of just watching the numbers, I also note how I feel as I am working. I am regularly surprised at how good I feel even when my heart rate is high. I am also regularly surprised to watch my heart rate stabilize or even come down even when my effort doesn’t slow down.

Another way I have done this is to pay attention to my posture. It is very easy to begin slumping or hunching over when you begin to breathe hard. I have trained myself to watch for this so that I can ensure a clear airway for my breath. When I remember to sit up and soften my belly so I can breathe again, things get a little bit easier.

Clearly, I can’t entirely control my heart rate or how I tolerate any given workout. Paying close attention to what my body does during a workout can help me manage my experience better and prevent my anxious mind from taking over.

An image with a quote about the value of incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion into exercise and fitness

4. Monitor that Inner Attitude.

Lots of people exercise because it helps quiet their minds. I am no exception and I certainly think that exercise can help when your mind is getting chatty. Even so, if there’s anything that can get my inner critic going, it’s feeling physically uncomfortable.

A good cardio workout is designed to make me feel physically uncomfortable. If I am having a hard time, it’s not uncommon for my mind to turn negative with complaints about the situation or criticisms of my performance. Guess what? This is not helpful at all.

Over the years, I have started to monitor for the early warning signs of this creeping negativity. If it starts to show up, I first try to be kind to myself by managing my situation by taking a drink of water or adjusting my position or rate of exertion. This often is enough to keep the nasty inner voice from distracting me from my mission.

5. Practice Courage and Compassion.

Even when managing my experience isn’t enough and the workout just sucks, I still have found a way to make the best of the situation. This is because the workouts where I am on the struggle bus are the best ones to practice courage and compassion.

On one particularly challenging ride with tough long intervals, I used every self-compassion strategy I could. I acknowledged my feelings of discomfort by saying “this is hard” but followed it up with “but I can do it.” I considered the meaning of the work and remembered why physical fitness mattered to my life. I even did tonglen practice, where I breathed in the hard feelings and breathed out relief and sent to the other people doing the ride.

Does this seem a little silly or overwrought? Maybe. I certainly laughed at myself afterwards but I also celebrated because I made it. But, if you think about it, sometimes physical sensations (our emotions) can be the biggest impediments to showing courage and compassion when they are needed most. Practicing these skills when the stakes only feel intense may actually be an ideal way to practice them so they are ready when you really need them.

An image showing 5 ways to incorporate mindfulness into your exercise or fitness routine

Conclusion

In an ideal world, all of us would have the time to meditate and work out regularly if not daily. Though most of us don’t live in an ideal world, we may be able to get the best of both worlds in our workouts. With a few small adjustments, you can incorporate informal mindfulness and compassion practices in your exercise routines. With these tips, you can train your mind and heart at the same time.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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1 Simple Thing You Can Do to Promote Mental Health

Cover image for blog post 1 Simple Thing You Can Do to Promote Mental Health

A lot of people on the internet are talking about mental health these days. Like most things on the internet, not all of this talk is productive. Content on the internet is usually going for clicks, shares, and likes. As a result, it is targeted at producing visceral emotional reactions instead of deep introspection. Outrage at “society” or an unspecified “they” is so much more satisfying to experience than thoughtful self-reflection.

This blog, I’m sorry to say, is about promoting mindfulness. Therefore, I apologize in advance for refusing to follow the paradigm of pointing the finger elsewhere when it comes to mental health.

Yes, Culture and Workplaces Need to Change

There is no doubt that our culture and our workplaces need cultural and organizational shifts to address the mental health crises prevalent in so many industries and sectors. I have endeavored to write about those needs here in various ways and to share resources intended to help.

I do this, though, because I know that organizations and cultures don’t changes without individuals leading the effort. So, busy as I know you all are, I’m writing this post as a reminder that each of us individuals has a part to play to promote and support the mental health in our communities.

Now, maybe you are thinking, “I’m not trained to deal with mental health issues. How on earth can I help?” That’s exactly what this post is suggesting. Getting trained is one thing you can do to help. If your next question is “but what training, though?” all you have to do is keep reading.

An image with a quote about the need for change around mental health in workplaces and the need for individual accountability

1. QPR Gatekeeper Training

Did you know that the risk of suicide is higher for those in the legal profession than other professions? This may mean that the people reading this blog are more likely to encounter those at risk for suicidal ideations. Despite this and the fact that lawyers deal with people in crisis frequently, most of us never got training for how to respond to someone at risk for suicide.

QPR Gatekeeper Training does just that. In a 60-minute webinar, you can learn to identify the risk factors for suicide, how to detect if someone is expressing a risk to you, and strategies for how to respond.

Though many of us may feel that these situations are unlikely to happen, many of us may know people who have attempted or died by suicide. While this is an intense topic, I can speak from first hand experience that it is reassuring to at least know the right steps to take and things to say if someone close to you is in need of support.

2. Mental Health First Aid

If you are in a position to make a bigger investment of time and money, another worthwhile program is Mental Health First Aid Training. This program includes a few hours of self-paced work, a day-long seminar, available live or online, and a written examination.

Mental Health First Aid truly is about learning to handle and offer first line support to individuals who may be dealing with a variety of mental health conditions. The purpose of this training is to help lay individuals support and stabilize individuals so that they can locate and seek support from trained professionals.

An image with 3 options for mental health training

With the training, you will learn how to approach, listen, and respond to individuals who may have a variety of mental health challenges. You will learn how to assess the varying levels of risk and respond appropriately to promote the safety and well-being of everyone involved.

The Mental Health First Aid website has a searchable directory with teachers who offer the course live and online at various rates and locations. If you have a day to offer, the program is well worth your time.

3. SHRM Mental Health Ally Certificate

Since I practice in, among other things, employment law, I got SHRM (“Society for Human Resources Management”) certified last year and am active with my local SHRM chapter. This means that I am now responsible for completing my annual CLE requirements as well as professional development credits (“PDCs”) for SHRM.

The good news is that SHRM’s Workplace Mental Health Ally Certificate program earns PDCs and is otherwise an excellent use of time. SHRM’s Mental Health Ally program is similar in scope to Mental Health First Aid, but it is applied directly to workplace situations.

Unlike Mental Health First Aid, however, the Mental Health Ally Certificate program is entirely self-paced. It is a series of seven interactive online programs that address mental health conditions which may arise in the workplace as well as strategies for appropriate responses. One thing I especially liked about the program was that the final program included instruction in motivational interviewing, a research-backed intervention aimed at facilitating others to make health choices.

An image with a quote about the need for mental health support

Conclusion

If you are too busy to consider any of these options, don’t take this blog post as a homework assignment. As a lawyer, I know that many of us are too busy to seek additional training just to get a gold star for citizenship. As someone who has both given and received support in the midst of a mental health crisis, I can say for sure that the time and money is worthwhile because it literally could save a life.

Along the same lines, if you are in a position of leadership in your bar association, company, or other organization, you could consider offering or providing these program to your members or employees. Years ago, my state bar association made QPR Gatekeeper training available for free and for CLE credit and it was well-attended and well-received.

Our culture and workplaces are in need of a shift to become more supportive of individuals facing mental health challenges. Part of that shift, though, can and must include greater awareness and understanding of individual actors. Getting trained is one simple thing you can do to promote mental health in your workplace, family, and community.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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Reading for Reflection on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Cover image for blog post entitled reading for reflection on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today, you are going to see a lot of quotes shared on social media from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. You may see a few people urging you to read his prior “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” I urge you to go and read both of them in full.

In all the discussion of dreams and ideals today, it’s important to remember that real work, effort, risk, and hardship is necessary to make real change. One of the biggest criticisms leveled against mindfulness practices (and maybe the mindfulness community) is that it advocates “doing nothing” when so much work needs to be done.

In truth, though, meditation and other mindfulness practices aren’t just about doing nothing. Sure, formal practice calls on you to do nothing for a period of time, but that inactivity is (or should be) serving a purpose. In my life, I have seen how meditation has made me more courageous, more circumspect and ethical in dealing with others, and more engaged with my life and community.

Over the last three years, I have shared several posts from others in the mindfulness community that tell me I am not alone in this. In case you need any help reflecting today about how mindfulness can lead to change and brave action in the world, these posts may help.

Cover image from review of The Inner Work of Racial Justice by Rhonda Magee

I read and reviewed The Inner Work of Racial Justice by Rhonda V. Magee last year. It is ideal for those interested in exploring racial justice or curious about how mindfulness and compassion practices can help us build a better world.

Cover image from past blog post about mindfulness and social change

If you aren’t sure how mindfulness and social change are connected, check out this interview with Chris Punangbayan yoga teacher and the Executive Director of California Changelawyers.

Cover image from book review of Happiness by mindfulness and meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh

Happiness may not be the first thing that comes to mind today, but the author, famed meditation teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, had a direct link to Martin Luther King Jr. He educated him about the realities of the Vietnam War and is attributed with helping King change his advocacy on that topic. You can read about Hanh’s simple, elegant, and wise book, Happiness, here.

Image from profile of mindfulness and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg

Meditation teachers, Sharon Salzberg, (pictured to the left) and Tara Brach have each authored books about mindfulness, courage, and social change. Check out the posts for each to learn more.

Cover image from blog post about stress management for lawyers from attorney who works to promote diversity in the legal profession

Joseline Jean-Louise Hardrick offered a guest post for us last year. Outside of writing about wellness, Hardrick also works to encourage diversity in the legal profession. She shows how our own wellness is related to our work to improve the world.

Image from post about yoga teacher Chelsea Jackson Roberts

We have shared posts from two teachers who aim to make yoga more open and inclusive to all. Peloton instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts has worked for years to make yoga accessible to black communities. Teacher and social media icon, Jessamyn Stanley, has focused on making yoga accessible to all body types.

If you want a meditation to motivate continued work even amidst difficulty, check out our Look for the Helpers Guided Meditation inspired by Mr. Rogers. It’s a self-compassion practice to help you recognize the common humanity of facing adversity.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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How Mindfulness Helped Me Discover My Word of the Year

Cover image for blog post about how mindfulness can help you identify a word for the new year

Last week, I wrote about how much I enjoy reflection around the turn of the year. This year, I am especially reflective because I am also about to start a role at a new firm. When identity is shifting, it is normal to consider the past and reevaluate goals for the future.

Many of my friends have been sharing their “words of the year” or “in and out lists” on social media. Though I enjoyed seeing my friends’ thoughts , I felt a bit at a loss about what to make of this for myself. How do I pick a word or theme of the year when I am heading into something new and have no idea what the future would hold?

Step 1: Start Where You Are.

As I do in many other things, I decided to start exactly where I was. Over the last few weeks, I have been struggling a bit. Though I am ecstatic about the new opportunity, I was struggling to feel excited. Of course, any new role is bound to inspire nerves, but that wasn’t my problem.

My struggle was letting go of the past. I kept thinking of the past year, the ways in which it was hard, and the mistakes I had made. As a perfectionist overthinker, it occurred to me that this struggle often resulted from my patterned thinking.

I attended an event this week where I finally gave voice to this feeling. The group was sharing our word or theme of the year and I announced during my turn that I needed help selecting a word. I said “what’s the word for getting rid of the good girl voice in your head? That’s my word.”

Image with quote about picking a word for the new year and the value of reflection through mindfulness

Step 2: Look for Clues about What You Need.

Condolences and commiseration was offered and ideas where shared, but a single word did not reveal itself to me. I then posed the same question in a post on LinkedIn. Some people offered funny comments that made me smile. A few offered words like “liberation”, “fearless” and “empowerment.”

Those are good words but they felt too heavy and could lead back into the striving and perfectionism with which I had been struggling. But a few people suggested that being a good girl isn’t a bad thing and wondered about a less aggressive way of approaching the problem.

That is a fair point. Sure, I get frustrated with my “good girl” voice a lot because she judges and pushes me hard. But she has led me to some good things, like founding this blog and writing two books for instance. Moreover, I have learned that sitting with some “undesirable” tendencies, like anger, is actually the best way to prevent them from causing harm.

Asking for Help Is Good but Stay Focused on What You Need

Is there a middle way when it comes to the “good girl” voice that causes me so much suffering? To answer this question, I put on my “mom” hat. I am the mom of two little girls. I know for a fact that they want to be good but they sometimes get ornery, fight, argue, and get mean and nasty. As a mom, I have learned that this often happens because they have a need that’s not being met.

What if I applied this idea to my “good girl” voice who had been very ornery as of late? What could it be that my “good girl” in my head needs but isn’t getting?

Another thing I have seen some of my friends do around the New Year is go to vision board classes. They clip out pictures from magazines and arrange the ones that speak to them on a big board to reveal their longings and aspirations.

I have done these with friends but the exercise didn’t mean a lot to me. Why? Well, I am not a visual thinker. Images don’t do it for me in general. I am, however, a very auditory thinker. Applying the vision board concept to sound, I considered the “Year in Review” playlist on my music app.

Image with tips from mindfulness for picking a word for the new year

Step 3: Nonjudgmentally Evaluate Your Clues

It included songs like “Float” by Janelle Monae, “Chvrch Girl” and “Cuff It” by Beyonce, “Bejeweled” by Taylor Swift, “Trustfall” by Pink, and all of the Barbie soundtrack. Does this sound like the playlist of a “good girl”? Or does it sound like the playlist of a girl who wants to have fun?

Bingo. And there we have it. The word of the year for 2024 is “fun.” I don’t need to get rid of the “good girl” at all. Instead, I need to let her have some fun.

Why did it take me so long to get there? It seems obvious in retrospect. Lawyers, including me, don’t always trust fun. We trust hard work, clarity, and discipline a lot more. For this reason, proclaiming “fun” the word of the year is like announcing you are taking an indefinite vacation.

Keep Things in Perspective

But let’s remember the context here. Picking a word of the year doesn’t mean you’ll only get the word you picked. Life is not that simple. Instead, I see it more as a guidepost. I know life will not only be fun in 2024. Even so, I can be on the lookout for life getting too tense and I can be creative about bringing in more fun.

In addition, recall that the thing that prompted me to think about this was the “good girl voice” who is so hardworking, highly motivated, and relentless that she drives me nuts. Given that she has taken up residence inside my brain, will a little bit of fun really cause me to shirk all effort and discipline?

Doubtful. What it might do, however, is help me remember the ways in which discipline, work, and pursuing goals can also be fun. It might also remind me how to look for fun even when things seem bleak and how to bring more fun into my community.

Conclusion

That’s how I figured out my word of the year. First, I took stock of where I was. Then I looked for clues about what I needed, including from my community. Finally, I nonjudgmentally evaluated to identify the single word that could help me rebalance in the new year.

Do you pick a word of the year or do any other kind of new year’s reflection? If you want to think about this more, check out the video from our past event “A Vision for the New Year and Guided Meditation”. Whether you do or not, I hope that you have a “good” and “fun” year in 2024.

Image asking what is your word of the year to prompt mindfulness and reflection

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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I’m Skeptical of Resolutions but Love New Year’s Reflections

Cover image for blog post about new year's resolutions v. reflections

This is the time of year when lots of people start New Year’s resolutions. At the same time, you are also bound to see a plethora of folks taking to social media to proclaim that resolutions are a scam.

I’m not big on resolutions, so I can understand the skepticism. You can’t just decide one day to be different. Instead, as we all know, it takes consistent action over time to make real change. But this realism, accurate though it may be, isn’t entirely complete.

As I have written about several times, Dry January is a part of my annual traditions. In years past, I have also successfully started or refreshed habits relating to nutrition, meditation, fitness, and personal hobbies in January.

January Is Arbitrary but Not Capricious.

Of course, January is an arbitrary time to start a habit. Anyone who watched their January resolve fade to oblivion by February knows this. Even so, other arbitrary deadlines have helped to motivate me too. As I shared last year, I set a goal to write my first book before my 40th birthday. I knew there was no reason that this had to happen but I got it done.

So I have to ask: is the impetus to set a resolution in January really so arbitrary? I don’t believe it is. Obviously, I’m aware that time is a construct and the calendar is a human creation. Though the month January and the concept of the new year may be somewhat made up, they signify something that is 100% real: the passage of time.

Resolutions are popular in January because the start of a new year is bound to prompt reflection on the past one. In that reflection, you may notice patterns in your behavior and consider ways of doing things better. And you may think about how quickly time passes and habits form, sometimes without our awareness, if we don’t take action to disrupt them.

A quote about the significance of the new year and why reflections are important

Reflections and Resolutions Aren’t the Same.

This is what has always been so motivating to me. As a lawyer who wears too many hats, it is certainly good advice to “pick your battles” in life and to consider your energy and appetite for change. At the same time, though, the question “if not now, when?” can be a hard to answer to yourself year after year about something that matters to you.

Over time, some of the healthy habits I started in new years past have lapsed, so I don’t claim to be a magician. But the fact that January helped me find motivation to return to good practices in the past gives me greater confidence that I can do it again.

So what does all of this mean for you? Am I telling you that resolutions are good or bad? Am I speaking out of both sides of my mouth?

New Year’s Reflections Can Help Us See Our Patterns.

My point here is that resolutions don’t work for many people for the simple reason that habit change can’t come from willpower and momentary motivation alone. New Year’s reflections, though, can help us see our habits and patterns and consider whether those patterns is helping us create the life we want.

As I have written before, I don’t believe in resolutions. Instead, I believe in small changes, gradual growth, consistent effort, and ample supports and self-compassion. With this approach, you don’t rely on early energy to carry you through to a goal. Instead, you count on that energy lapsing and create a plan for supporting yourself when that time comes.

While I appreciate the anti-perfectionist spirit inspiring many to castigate the pull to resolutions at the New Year, I think much of the rhetoric goes too far. Sure, as I have experienced, putting pressure on yourself in January to “improve” can be incredibly damaging, misguided, and ineffective.

An image with a quote about resolutions and reflections at the new year

Seeing Your Patterns Is Empowering.

On the other hand, reflecting on your past experience and seeing insights about how you can take better care of yourself in the new year is different. Reflecting is merely seeing the truth. When it comes to habits and personal patterns, the truth can be hard to see. The new year offers an opportunity to consider those habits and patterns over time and therefore provides a chance to think about where we are heading in the future.

When we get a glimpse of the truth about our patterns, we get a chance to choose something different. This can allow us greater agency in life and, in my experience, more happiness and peace.

For all of these reasons, I’m skeptical of New Year’s resolutions as much as anyone else. But I proudly say that I love New Year’s reflections. They have served me well in the past and have helped me create a better future for myself. Whether you are resolving, reflecting, or just being this January, I hope you have a wonderful 2024.

Want Some Help for Your Reflections?

If you are interested in doing some New Year’s reflection, check out our Resources page. The Meditation Habit Worksheet and the Pause and Begin Again e-book may help you start or refresh your meditation practice. The Personal Well-Being Worksheet is designed to help you consider personal practices to support your well-being. If you need some community to support yourself in 2024, check out our Events page with new (and free) guided meditation events.

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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If You Are Thinking about Dry January, You’ll Love This

I know New Years Even hasn’t happened yet and you may still be enjoying the holidays. If so, don’t let this post stop you. Here’s the thing, though, the hits on the blog tell me that many people out there are thinking about Dry January.

As I have done in years past, I am doing a retreat this year for New Years and so I won’t have the ability to post this closer to the big day. If you read the blog, you may know that Dry January is now an annual tradition for me. I have done it since January 2021. It has made a big difference for me.

Here is a collection of posts I and other contributors have written about Dry January and related topics to help you consider or prepare for the challenge.

Image with a quote that says "Shame can steal your power and keep you in a box. Mindfulness and compassion can help you move out of shame."

1. Ditch the shame.

Feeling shame about alcohol? Yeah, I’ve been there. In this post, I share how shame kept me from examining my alcohol habits for months. Trying Dry January helped me experiment and see that I wasn’t hopelessly out of control. Instead, I just needed a reason to say no.

As I have come to realize, there was nothing to be ashamed about at all. In fact, writing about my struggles, including with alcohol, is now a source of pride. Funny how life works sometimes.

2. The More You Know.

One way to motivate yourself during Dry January is to understand the impact of alcohol on the body. You can learn about this in the book Quit Like a Woman which my friend Loren reviewed here.

Some of our other past posts which are not directly related to alcohol may also be helpful too. To understand how cravings work and why mindfulness can help manage them, check out our review of The Craving Mind by Judson Brewer.

Similarly, you may see that Dry January is a new way to disrupt habits. To learn more about habit formation, check out our review of Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Image with quote that says "Our minds are wired to always look for a reward and that is what leads to addiction."

3. Hacks and Tricks.

So what if you decide to try Dry January? Are there any tips or strategies that can help you cope or make the experience easier? Yes there are. Here is my original post sharing those tips and here is a revised version just for lawyers I recently published for the Ohio State Bar Association Wellness Advisory Board.

For some more general ideas relating to this, check out my friend’s discussion of the value of patience when it comes to habit change. And I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you to consider self-compassion as the most powerful tool you can use during Dry January.

4. Beyond Dry January.

Can Dry January turn into a more long-term lifestyle change? Absolutely. As my friend and fellow lawyer, Christina, shared in this post last year, it can turn into a sober lifestyle. Christina is now well over 1000 days sober and still going strong.

I have not gone for full sobriety but Dry January and its counterpart 300/65 has helped me significantly reduce alcohol intake overall. Even better, it also helped me significantly increase creative output. To learn more about that, check out my post here.

Image with quote that says "Dry January is a lot less scary when you treat it as an experiment instead of a referendum on your character."

5. If You Need Some Guidance.

Reading is great, but a blog post may not help you with a craving. Good news. I have a brand new guided meditation just for that. This meditation is broad enough to cover any kind of craving, including one for a drink during Dry January. Check it out on Insight Timer or here:

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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Don’t Let a Crappy Year Ruin Your Happy Holidays

Image of stressed out Santa with title of blog post "Don't Let a Crappy Year Ruin Your Happy Holidays"

Now is the time of year when I, a mindfulness teacher, am supposed to write a poetical and heartwarming post about the power of mindfulness. I’m supposed to tell you it can calm holiday stress and help you complete all work in a timely manner, leaving extra energy for creating holiday magic.

Sorry to disappoint you but that is not happening this year. You want to know why? Well, my 2023 was not the best. I am grateful to say no true calamities happened in my family or work life, but the year was not at all what I expected it to be. As a result, I haven’t been thinking about holiday magic. Instead, I’ve been pondering how to bring in some warm holiday spirit when the rest of the year left me cold.

I figure I am not alone in pondering this topic. Here are the things that have helped me avoid being too Grinchy this year, even though I can’t promise that they will turn you into Cindy Lou Who.

1. Redefine What It Means to Be Happy

I bet you have said “happy holidays” or something like it approximately 15 million times in the last few weeks. When have you ever asked yourself what that phrase means?

If you are a normal person, you probably never have. We all have visions and ideas and assumptions about what this means. “Happy holidays” is shorthand for that concept. It’s a vague wish of well-being to people we don’t really know.

The truth is, though, that happiness is not one-size-fits-all. There are certain essential ingredients for a base level of happiness, but that leaves a lot of control for you to decide what really matters to you. As you consider how to make happy holidays out of a less than ideal year, part of your control may be letting go of expectations about happiness that aren’t true for you.

2. Accentuate the Positive Parts of the Holidays

One reason mindfulness helps us is that it can balance out our experience. The default setting in most of our minds is negative, so we may have to consciously remember positivity. If you want to move past negativity in the last year, a way to start is to consciously refocus on the positive.

One important way to do this in year end reflection is to stop focusing on what you didn’t do, what you failed at, and what you got wrong. Instead, you can intentionally shift to what you did, what you learned, what successes you had, and the resilience you showed in the process.

This may feel like faking it at first, but I’m not telling you to pretend the bad things aren’t there. I am saying that perspective can shift how we view our lives. Taking a chance to shift perspective may be one way to open your mind up to the good that may still be there for you even after a hard year.

3. Show gratitude for those who helped you this year.

Giving gifts is a big part of the holidays. You know what makes gift-giving feel the best? In my experience, giving a gift means the most when there’s real emotion behind it.

In a hard year, it may be tough to get into the spirit of giving, so I usually have to first consider the gifts that I have received. I may not feel super bountiful so I usually have to lean into my negative mood. Sometimes I ask how things might have been worse or harder without the help or support of someone specific.

My mind is really good at coming with ways that things could get worse, so this is an easy task. This reflection helps me remember that even if my year was not ideal, it was not one I faced alone. When I have identified the people who made a difference for me, I show it with my holiday gift giving and make an effort to tell the person what their actions meant to me.

4. Notice your capacity to feel more than one thing at a time.

As you may have noticed, the strategies so far have been about adding context and balance to your negative moods. You can’t truly wish away personal pain or negative reactions about a hard year and I don’t encourage you to try.

At the same time, though, you may find that happiness may just show up when you least expect it. Perhaps you are in a terrible mood about your own life and then you see something kind or decent or joyful and you may feel something warm, light, and good creeping into your heart.

Does this sound like the closing lines of a Hallmark Christmas movie? Maybe so but people love those movies for a reason. And one reason is that our feelings don’t make sense. They are not logical. You can be in a negative state and still have positive feelings. It happens all the time.

After a hard year, this can be a godsend. When it happens, don’t block it; allow it. Let the kindness, warmth, and happiness float there right along with your negativity, resentment, anger, or hurt. Your brain may try to tell you this doesn’t make sense but learning to hold both at once is how we can make sense out of life.

5. Celebrate the year ending.

If all of these strategies fail, there is still one more thing that may help. This one is the most fundamental and essential of all lessons you may learn from mindfulness practice: change. Things are temporary. Time marches on.

After a hard year, the best thing about the holiday season may be that it is at the end of the year. A new year is coming. There’s a new day. You can let go of 2023 and may even forget some of it soon.

Change is a hard fact of life when things are sweet. When they are not so great, it can be a relief. If you are celebrating the end of 2023 this holiday season, at least you have something to celebrate. And you aren’t alone because I, for one, am right there with you.

Conclusion: A Hard Year Can Leave Space for Happy Holidays

If 2023 was a struggle for you, I hope these tips will help you feel at least a little bit merry and bright. If they don’t, here’s one final closing thought. I have had a few occasions in life where my worst years were followed promptly by some of my best. This is not a promise but it is a wish that I have for all of you. Happy holidays to all and well wishes for a wonderful 2024.

If you are looking for a meditation to get you more into the holiday spirit, check out our Holiday Stories Guided Meditation here:

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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How Mindfulness Can Help Lawyers Make Social Change

​​Founder’s Note: I had the great pleasure to teach a session during the Mindfulness in Law Society annual online retreat in October. The speaker for this event was Chris Punongbayan, the Executive Director for Changelawyers in California. In his talk, Chris shared how mindfulness practices can help us build a better, more equitable world. I could not believe how much I needed to hear it. I wanted to share some of his insights with you so I asked him to participate in this interview.

1. Tell me about yourself and your work, both as a lawyer and yoga teacher.

I remember my law school admissions essay clear as day, although it was 23 years ago when I wrote it. I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to start a Filipino American Legal Defense Fund. I was living in New York City at the time and saw there was a great need for lawyers for community members on issues like immigration and employment, especially for domestic workers. But there were very few lawyers who looked like me and who came from my background who wanted to serve those who could not afford a lawyer.

So, I went to law school with a strong public interest focus. It was there at UCLA Law School that I also discovered Critical Race Theory. I’ve never looked back. In 2003, I received a scholarship from the California Bar Foundation. I am proud to say that now, 20 years later, I am leading that very same organization as its Executive Director. We are now called California ChangeLawyers. Our mission is to build a better justice system for all Californians. 

I’ve always had an interest in yoga, but it was purely from a physical vantage point. I thought of it more as stretching than anything else. In 2016, I decided to take it to another level. I took a sabbatical from the civil rights nonprofit I was working for at the time, and decided to do an intensive immersion training program. 

I crammed 200 hours into one month. This decision changed the course of my life. I learned so much more about what the true purpose of yoga is, how the physical is a doorway into a much deeper experience of self. I learned how to truly be a student. I love teaching yoga today, as well as mindfulness, because of the inherent benefits of practices that invite us to truly wake up and be fully present.  

2. Politics and policy are challenging now on almost every level and may affect those doing any kind of social change work acutely. How have you been able to stay engaged as a citizen and lawyer? 

What I try to do is be mindful in the everyday sense of being mindful, not just through seated meditation. I am aware of how I consume media and the torrent of bad news, and notice if I am starting to doom scroll. I feel like I have a strong North Star and so I try to keep looking up, rather than getting stuck in the energy of fear, worry, and doubt.

I pay attention to my words and what type of conversations I am having. I am trying more and more to show appreciation and gratitude for things that are easy to take for granted, like not having a toothache, or are neutral, like having a chair to sit on or a bed to lie in. 

When I pay attention to these ways of being in the present moment, I am able to enter into “the real world” with more calm and understanding, and less judgment and feelings of being wronged or overwhelmed. I find that when others are in a fervor, I am, more often than not, level-headed. This allows me to have a clearer vision about the nature of injustices and discover more skillful ways of addressing the suffering caused by discrimination and exclusion. 

3. What helps you manage your emotions, energy, and spirit as you engage in the challenging work of social change? 

Being in nature is a top priority for my well-being. Sometimes I take a walk in a park, sit down, and place my hands on the grass. Feeling the direct contact with the earth through the palms of my hand reminds me of what connection is. Doing social change work, especially as the leader of an organization, can be lonely. I have found that touching the ground works wonders. 

Second, being in a community of mindfulness practitioners who are also advocates for social change helps address not only loneliness, but also the sadness, anger, frustration, and sorrow that is part and parcel of fighting for a change to the status quo. There is power in numbers. 

4. What role can mindfulness practices play in helping lawyers to create positive social change? 

Mindfulness can help lawyers become more kind. Our profession can be brutal and, in fact, being ruthless is often preferred in comparison to being vulnerable. Can you imagine being vulnerable in a legal setting? As lawyers, we are taught to put on our armor and our masks. And yet, vulnerability is an undeniable human experience.

Imagine if we saw each other, even as adversaries, through the lens of kindness. Perhaps it will start to make shifts at the margins in terms of how we interact with each other. And perhaps, even more profound shifts may cascade over time. If the profession were just 10% more kind, this would be a positive social change.

For lawyers who are already dedicated to social change work, mindfulness can help us become aware of how much stress we hold when we work with traumas of our clients who are facing deportation, wage theft, discrimination, or environmental toxins. When we are aware of these vicarious traumas, we can take steps to metabolize and then release these stresses so that we can again be the best advocates we can be. 

5. What resources, practices, or groups have been particularly helpful to you in your work or life? (this can be about mindfulness practices but it doesn’t have to be)

Right now, I am taking the online course, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. It is a global community practicing in the Plum Village tradition of Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh. We are coming together to address the issue that binds us all together, the fate of the planet. The teachings are beautiful and the sangha (community) is equally potent. The book that it is based on is also poignant. 

I also recently joined the ARISE Sangha listserv. ARISE stands for Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity. They regularly examine issues of our day through the dharma (teachings) and offer very relevant practices and skillful insight that aren’t part of the mainstream discourse on race in the United States.

The last resource I would offer is Home is Here: Practicing Anti-Racism with the Engaged Eightfold Path by Lien Shutt. The book offers an important perspective on  racism that exists in the mindfulness community against Asian Americans. It is also an excellent refresher on the Eightfold Path in the context of fighting against racism in its various forms, from the individual level to the institutional level.

Chris’s Bio: Christopher Punongbayan is the Executive Director of California ChangeLawyers, a community foundation that empowers the next generation of legal changemakers through grants and scholarships totaling $1.5M+ annually. A native of Massachusetts and the son of immigrants from the Philippines, Chris graduated cum laude from Brown University with a degree in Asian American Studies and UCLA School of Law where he completed the Critical Race Studies concentration and the Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. Chris is a 500 hour certified yoga teacher and completed the Mindfulness for Lawyers training with Warrior One in 2022. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, 2 adopted sons, and 3 adopted cats. 

Want to learn more about mindfulness and compassion? Check out my new book, A New Year’s Present, to learn about mindfulness from a heartwarming story. For a simple guide to creating a meditation practice of your own in 30 days, try How to Be a Badass Lawyer. And to share mindfulness with your little one, check out my new children’s book, Mommy Needs a Minute.

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