World Gratitude Day - a beautiful reminder each year to pause and reflect on the power of appreciation. It is a day meant to highlight how expressing gratitude and receiving it with openness can ripple outward to strengthen relationships and communities.

The timing couldn’t have...

I always enjoy when I can give one of my favorite presentations: “From Self-Doubt to Self-Confidence in the Legal Profession: Imposter Syndrome in the Legal Profession.” I never tire of this topic. No matter the audience—whether new associates at orientation or seasoned partners ...

Every year, at the end of the semester. I reflect on the students (almost all 3L’s) in our upper-level, two-credit “Well-Being and Professional Formation” course at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. It was an honor to co-teach with Professor Jerry Organ and to walk alon...

In the legal profession, we’re taught to show confidence, control, and command of the facts. We research thoroughly. We write persuasively. We present our arguments with authority. That’s what we’re trained to do, and often, what we’re rewarded for.

But what we’re not trained to...

 Valentine’s Day 2019 looked a little different than usual for me. My husband was in Tanzania on a service and learning trip for work, soaking up the sun, connecting with and learning from others, and enjoying a safari before he headed home. 

I was home in Minnesota with the kid...

Let’s be real - lawyers are trained to argue. 

We build cases, poke holes in opposing arguments, and advocate fiercely. But outside of the courtroom? How we disagree matters just as much as whether we’re “right.”

I was scrolling Instagram the other day and I saw this quote by A...

Great mentoring can change everything, and I’ve experienced that firsthand.

When I arrived at the University of Pennsylvania to pursue my master’s in social work, I felt like I had landed on another planet. I wasn’t just out of my comfort zone—I couldn’t even see it in the rearv...

Heidi Brown, author of "The Flourishing Lawyer," was a guest expert on the EsquireWell Academy Monthly Masterclass.

We had such a fabulous discussion about the “Lawyer’s Peak Performance Playbook” - how to unleash your inner champion through mind, mood, and motion.

Something th...

I was thinking of this quote by Malcolm Forbes:

 “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”

Wow - gut punch. How many of us focus much more on the things we “are not” or “can’t do” instead of all of the skills, talents, abilities, achievements, ...

 I know the term “self-love” might sound a little cheesy to you, but we use terms like “self-confidence” all the time. If we can have confidence in ourselves, why can’t we show a little love to ourselves?

And the science backs up why some self-love doesn’t just make us feel good...

One thing that can really brighten someone’s day is a compliment. We’ve all had that experience - when your day isn’t going the best, but then someone takes a moment to say something positive or encouraging to you, and everything changes!

While it may seem like a simple and plea...

True confession: Sometimes I care too much about what other people think. 

There, I said it. I know I teach this stuff, but I’d be lying to you if I said that I have some superhuman power to stand strong in my own confidence and self-worth all the time, not caring a bit what oth...