Compos Mentis

What does career success look like to you? Is it measured by your resume, or something more? In the final episode of Season 2, Nat and Jenn explore the difference between a CV and legacy driven life, external and internal motivators and the dangers of Linkedin stalking! They discuss balancing living in the moment with healthy striving and the importance of celebrating your successes. Nat speaks with The Hon Associate Justice Ierodiaconou of the Supreme Court of Victoria, in an inspiring conversation about defining your version of success and “sustainable lawyering”. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

The law is full of uncertainty and challenges. So how do you cope when things don’t really go to plan? Resilience is a particularly important, but difficult, skill to cultivate. Nat and Jenn chat about feeling low, how to turn your thoughts around, maintaining perspective and bouncing back. They discuss support networks inside and outside the law, and how maintaining connection with others can help you find light at the end of the tunnel. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

Are you passionate about the law? Is it a harmonious or obsessive passion? Are there other passions that might nourish you, and how can you incorporate them into busy life as a lawyer? Nat and Jenn discuss finding passions outside the law, the relationship between passion and identity and the importance of having multiple interests from a wellbeing perspective. They explore how to make time for side projects based on the ‘nourishing versus depleting’ dichotomy. Nat chats to Aimee Nguyen and Sam Pearce from Bottled Snail Productions about how lawyers can get in touch with their creative passions, despite our busy schedules. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

Have you ever felt a sense of dread when a new file hits your desk? When you hear an email ‘ping’? When tallying your billables for the month? Lawyering can bring many rewarding challenges, but there are risks associated with persistent worry and constantly being on ‘high alert’. Nat and Jenn discuss life as an anxious lawyer, the symptoms of anxiety and strategies for management such ‘sitting with it’, gaining perspective and detachment. Jenn speaks with Stephanie Lau, the Holiday Psychologist, about the definition of anxiety, how to know if you’re experiencing it and the importance of self-care. They discuss the art of holidaying in a relaxing and restorative way, including letting go of FOMO! Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

When it comes to your work and career, are you an optimist or a pessimist? As lawyers are we trained to see risk everywhere, but is this always a healthy mindset? The approach you bring to your work, such as optimism or pessimism, can have concrete impacts including on your wellbeing. Nat and Jenn discuss tips for identifying your outlook and the benefits of catching and flipping negative thoughts. They explore tools for cultivating a more positive mindset such as reframing your weaknesses as strengths, uploading positivity and finding a ‘third space’. Nat interviews the Honourable Shane Marshall, former Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, about how ‘seeing yourself through yourself’ can enhance your confidence. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

While a pretty heavy term, what is vicarious trauma and might you have experienced it in your work as a lawyer? As lawyers, we can be exposed to disturbing content either through evidence gathering processes, court proceedings or when interacting with clients or witnesses who are experiencing first hand trauma. Nat and Jenn discuss the under recognition of vicarious trauma for lawyers, how it can arise in the work of law and their own experiences in practice. Jenn chats to lawyer and psychologist Carly Schrever about the symptoms of vicarious trauma, the relationship between trauma and empathy, and strategies for prevention and management including self-care. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

As Sartre once observed, “we are our choices”. We can face many difficult decisions throughout our career in law, such as whether to enter a new area of practice, undertake further study or change jobs. Nat and Jenn discuss how to make difficult career decisions including the benefits of values-based decision making, differentiating internal and external motivators and addressing cognitive biases. They explore their very different approaches to decision making – evidence based practice versus gut instinct! Jenn chats with Sarah Holloway, former commercial lawyer turned entrepreneur, about the courageous decisions that led her from the law to co-found wellness business Matcha Maiden. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

Welcome back to Season 2 of Compos Mentis, proudly brought to you by Bottled Snail Productions! Nat and Jenn reflect on the podcast so far, and how bold conversations about wellbeing in law have helped them be more authentic in law and life. They consider what it means to me an authentic lawyer and how, and the benefits for your practice, your clients and yourself. Nat and Jenn discuss themes that will underlie Season 2 – emotionally intelligent lawyering, merging your personal and professional selves, being present and connecting with your values. They explore how acting in accordance with your values can help prevent unhappiness and enhance the quality and sustainability of life as a lawyer.

It's the final episode of Season 1! Taking off their lawyer hats, Nat and Jenn chat about life’s changes and how wellbeing tools like mindfulness, acceptance and detachment can help to manage big (starting a family!), medium (new job!) and small (adventure holidays!) challenges in both work and life. Jenn discusses the value of personal and professional challenges, and change, for building resilience. Nat explains the benefits of having ‘an internal benevolent dictator’, and the beauty of self-validation! Heartfelt thanks to our listeners for their support, stay compos mentis and tuned in - Season 2 is in the works. Find out more: www.composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

Uncertainty is a constant of legal practice, for example the impact of legislative reforms on your client or how a judge might rule in your case. Many lawyers might also experience broader uncertainty regarding their practice (do I really love litigation?) or career (is law for me?). Nat and Jenn discuss different tools to manage uncertainty including contingency planning, managing expectations, building adaptation skills and keeping perspective. They explore the ‘doing versus being’ dichotomy and why it’s important to both put goals in place and work towards them, but enjoy your present work in the moment.

Do we all need to be like Harvey Specter – aggressive, unscrupulous and slick –  to be a gun lawyer? Nat and Jenn explore stereotypes in the law, and explain how challenging archetypes of lawyers through diversity can enhance wellbeing. Diversity can include traditional attributes like gender, disability, race, sexuality and parental status, but also different personality types, leadership styles and problem-solving approaches. Nat and Jenn discuss  the many benefits of workplace diversity including improved mental health and happiness, representativeness of the law and legal innovation. They suggest different ways of supporting diversity, most importantly - be yourself! Find out more: https://composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

We all have as many hours in a day as a High Court judge so why does it always feel like there’s never enough? As lawyers, time management is particularly important given that time and skills are our stock in trade. Nat and Jenn talk practical tools for improving time management to enhance wellbeing such as single-tasking, tilting and saying ‘no’ without the word no! They suggest ways to tackle procrastination through unpicking emotional drivers and tips for producing realistic time estimates. Find out more: https://composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

Mindfulness is a hot topic right now, but is it all that it’s cracked up to be? Nat and Jenn discuss what mindfulness is, some cool scientific evidence, and how it can benefit your legal practice (improved concentration and memory), your clients (enhanced empathy and emotional intelligence) and yourself (better mental health). They explore different entry points into mindfulness like meditation and checking-in when doing small daily tasks. Try it for yourself! Find out more: https://composmentis.squarespace.com www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast

For many of us, stress is a constant feature of life in the law. But does it have to be, and can it be managed or used in a positive way? Nat and Jenn explore physiological and emotional stress responses, modern triggers and stress management strategies for lawyers including: knowing your triggers, staying in the moment, checking in throughout the day, seeking support, keeping perspective and identifying immediate and long-term stress relief activities. Find out more at: www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast www.composmentis.squarespace.com

As Voltaire once said: ‘perfect is the enemy of good’. But is perfectionism really such a bad thing when legal work requires high standards of accuracy and technical excellence? Yes, when it is linked unhappiness, reduced productivity and a heightened prospect of mental health issues. Nat and Jenn discuss the detriments of perfectionism to the work of a lawyer, and the surprising upsides of vulnerability. They explore strategies for recovering perfectionists including identifying sources of perfectionism, a growth versus fixed mindset, distinguishing ‘right’ and ‘perfect’ and letting your light shine. Find out more: www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast www.composmentis.squarespace.com

What exactly is wellbeing and what place does it have in the work of a lawyer? Why did Nat and Jenn want to make a podcast about it and are they compos mentis? What can you expect from the podcast? Meet your hosts, find out why they have committed to failing while daring greatly, and learn more about the episodes to come. Find out more at: www.facebook.com/composmentispodcast www.composmentis.squarespace.com