If doctors working 80-hour weeks can significantly reduce burnout through coaching, what might happen if lawyers could too?
In this episode, Heather shares the scientific proof that coaching works and what medicine’s research reveals about how lawyers can heal moral injury, rebuild agency, and practice law sustainably.
When caring starts to hurt, many lawyers feel powerless. But evidence from medicine offers hope. Two large JAMA-published studies led by Drs. Tyra Fainstad, Adrienne Mann, and Sunny Smith found that structured coaching programs produced measurable decreases in burnout and imposter syndrome, along with higher self-compassion, lower moral injury, and greater overall wellbeing among women physicians.
If the most overworked professionals in the world can change their relationship to stress, so can lawyers.
We’ll explore:
You’ll also hear real-life parallels from women attorneys who have shifted from overwork and self-criticism to grounded self-leadership using these same evidence-based tools.
After heartbreak and hopelessness, sometimes the most healing thing is proof that change is truly possible.
Want more support?
Ready to move from heartbreak to healing? Book a free Stress Reset Call with Heather at heathermillscoaching.com/call. Together you’ll look at what’s weighing on you and explore your next small step toward moral repair and self-trust.
Follow Heather on LinkedIn
and Instagram for weekly tools, insights, and stories that help you recover from burnout and lead sustainably in law.
Full Show Notes, References, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
026 What Medicine Taught Us About Lawyer Wellbeing: Scientific Proof This Coaching Works
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/026-lawyer-wellbeing-coaching-proof
Related Episodes:
025 When the System Feels Broken (Part 2): From Powerlessness to Possibility for Lawyers
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/025-learned-helplessness-lawyers
024 When the System Feels Broken (Part 1): Moral Injury in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/024-moral-injury-lawyers
After moral injury, many lawyers feel numb. Learn how to move from helplessness to hope and rebuild agency inside a broken system.
When caring starts to hurt, many lawyers slip into quiet hopelessness. You’re still performing on paper, but inside, it feels like nothing you do matters.
This is Part 2 of our “When the System Feels Broken” series. If you missed Part 1, we explored moral injury:the heartbreak that happens when your values no longer align with the system you serve. This episode looks at what happens next: how to move from helplessness to possibility.
We’ll talk about learned helplessness: the moment when repeated frustration teaches your brain it’s safer not to try. You’ll learn how to reconnect with small acts of choice and influence, even when the system around you still feels stuck.
You’ll learn:
We’ll also look at research showing that even brief coaching programs helped professionals reduce burnout, increase values alignment, and reconnect with their purpose.
If you’ve felt stuck, detached, or unsure whether your work still matters, this episode will help you find your footing again.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, References, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
025 When the System Feels Broken (Part 2): From Powerlessness to Possibility for Lawyers
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/025-learned-helplessness-lawyers
024 When the System Feels Broken (Part 1): Moral Injury in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/024-moral-injury-lawyers
When the system you serve violates your values, it’s not burnout. It’s moral injury. Learn what that means and how to start healing it.
You can follow every rule and still feel like the system you serve isn’t serving you (or your clients) back. You’re not burned out. You’re heartbroken. This episode names the quiet, collective grief so many lawyers are carrying when the work they believed in no longer aligns with the system they serve.
In Part 1 of our two-part series “When the System Feels Broken,” we explore moral injury: the internal conflict that happens when your professional duties collide with your deepest values. You’ll hear real stories from immigration, government, and corporate lawyers navigating impossible systems that test their integrity every day.
You’ll learn:
We’ll also talk about why many women lawyers feel this rupture more acutely. They came to law to serve, advocate, and uphold fairness, then found themselves asked to compromise the very principles that drew them in.
By the end of the episode, you’ll understand:
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I can’t keep doing this, but I don’t know how to stop,” this episode will help you put words to that pain and remind you that nothing’s wrong with you. You’re having a human response to an impossible system.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, References, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
024 When the System Feels Broken (Part 1): Moral Injury in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/024-moral-injury-lawyers
025 When the System Feels Broken (Part 2): From Powerlessness to Possibility for Lawyers
(upcoming)
If people-pleasing really worked, why does it leave lawyers so depleted? Learn how people-pleasing shows up in law and what it looks like to replace it with self-trust.
Ever find yourself saying “yes” when your whole body is screaming “no”? Staying late, smoothing things over, volunteering when you’re already stretched thin because you don’t want to risk tension or look unhelpful?
In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the quietest (and most rewarded) causes of burnout in law: people-pleasing. We’ll look at how this reflex starts long before law school, why it feels like safety to your brain, and how it slowly erodes your self-trust and energy.
You’ll learn:
We also talk about how this pattern shows up in early life, how easily it carries into law, and what begins to shift when you stop managing other people’s perceptions and start rebuilding trust in yourself.
If you’ve ever been called “the reliable one” at work but secretly feel like you’re running on empty, this episode will help you step out of the approval loop and start practicing law in a way that includes you in the equation.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
023 Lawyer Burnout Is Real: My Story and Why This Podcast Exists
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/023-why-people-pleasing-drains-lawyers
Lawyer burnout is real. I share my story as a former litigator and why women lawyers don’t have to keep surviving this way.
On paper, I had it all. I was a plaintiffs-side civil rights litigator handling complex class actions. I looked driven, competent, and successful. But behind the curtain, I was exhausted, cynical, and constantly second-guessing myself. I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Looking back, I know that wasn’t true.
In this episode of The Lawyer Burnout Solution, I share my story and why I started this podcast. You will hear what I wish I had known earlier: the problem wasn’t that I was weak or not cut out for law. It was that I had been trained into a system that rewards lawyers for overriding their own limits and punishes them for slowing down.
Here’s what we cover:
💡 Takeaway: You are not broken. The system is. Every time you set a boundary, reclaim rest without guilt, or choose presence over perfectionism, you are not just healing yourself. You are also helping to shift the culture of law.
If you have ever wondered whether you are the only one struggling, I want you to know you're not alone. This podcast is here to give you honest stories, practical tools, and a vision of what's possible when women lawyers stop surviving and start building careers that actually feel good.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
022 Lawyer Burnout Is Real: My Story and Why This Podcast Exists
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/022-lawyer-burnout-my-story-podcast
Your inner critic isn’t truth. It’s training. If you’re a woman lawyer stuck in self-doubt, overwork, or perfectionism, here’s how to stop letting that voice run your career and start leading with confidence.
Most lawyers know this voice:
It feels urgent because your brain registers it as survival code. But it’s not truth. It’s conditioning from law school, culture, and years of over-functioning. And fighting it doesn’t make it go away. It usually makes it louder.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
You’ll hear practical examples for litigators, in-house counsel, public defenders, and more. Across roles, the critic uses the same playbook.
And when you interrupt it, you protect your health, sharpen your judgment, and build a career that actually sustains you.
Why this matters
Chronic stress isn’t just about deadlines or clients. It’s fueled by inner rules like “don’t rest,” “don’t ask for help,” and “don’t mess up.”
Those rules keep your nervous system on high alert. Over time, that state tips into burnout. Integration helps you break the cycle by bringing your reasoning brain back online so you can respond with clarity instead of fear.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
021 Rethinking the Voice in Your Head: A Lawyer’s Guide to the Inner Critic
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/021-a-lawyers-guide-to-the-inner-critic
Sunday night dread isn’t proof you’re not committed. It’s your nervous system preparing you for overwhelm, judgment, and self-doubt; and with the right tools, you can retrain it.
Do you ever feel that pit in your stomach on Sunday nights? You’ve spent the weekend with family, maybe caught up on errands, maybe even tried to rest. But as the sun sets, your chest tightens and your brain starts whispering: “I should’ve billed more. I should’ve drafted more. I should’ve gotten ahead.”
Most lawyers explain this away as lack of commitment or discipline. “If I’d worked harder, I wouldn’t feel this way.” But Sunday night dread isn’t about not doing enough. It’s your nervous system anticipating the overwhelm, the fear of letting people down, the perfectionism, and the self-doubt you expect to face on Monday. Psychologists call this anticipatory anxiety.
In this episode of The Lawyer Burnout Solution, I’ll unpack why Sunday night dread shows up even if you technically rested all weekend, the beliefs fueling the guilt and panic, and a few simple ways to calm your body so you can reclaim your Sunday evenings.
In this episode you’ll learn:
This isn’t about pushing harder or being more disciplined. It’s about understanding how your body responds to the pressures of legal life, and learning to shift those responses so you can feel grounded, clear, and in control.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
Law demands all of you. Parenting does too. Why the lawyer-parent double bind makes you feel like you’re failing everywhere.
This episode unpacks why the double bind hits women lawyers who are parents especially hard, how it quietly drains your energy and joy, and why feeling stretched and guilty in every direction isn’t a personal failing. It’s the product of competing cultural scripts.
From day one, lawyers are trained to prove their worth through hours, perfection, and relentless availability. Parents (especially moms) are taught that love equals self-sacrifice. When those rules collide, the math never adds up. And for women of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and first-gen professionals, the bind can feel even tighter.
But here’s the truth: you’re not failing these scripts. These scripts are failing you. And because they were taught, they can be questioned and rewritten.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
🌱 Key takeaway: It makes sense if you're struggling with the lawyer-parent double bind. The rules were impossible from the start. Every small act of reclaiming your time, your needs, or your limits is proof that the old scripts don’t define you.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
019 The Lawyer-Parent Double Bind: Why It Feels Like You’re Failing at Work and at Home
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/019-lawyer-parent-double-bind
Related Podcast Episodes:
018 The Hidden Curriculum of Law: How We Were Trained to Ignore Ourselves
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/018-hidden-curriculum-of-law
017 Why Exhaustion Became a Badge of Honor in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/017-exhaustion-as-a-badge-of-honor-in-law
In law, no one hands you a guide to the hidden curriculum, but every lawyer absorbs it. Rules about hours, availability, mistakes, and even what “professional” looks like. This episode unpacks how those unspoken rules distort women lawyers’ sense of worth, loyalty, and belonging, and why it is time to rewrite them.
This is part two of a two-part series. In Episode 17, we explored the badges of honor in law. In Episode 18, we go deeper into the hidden curriculum.
From day one, the legal profession trains lawyers to measure themselves by invisible standards: billable hours, 24/7 responsiveness, perfection at all costs. These are not written anywhere, but they quietly dictate whether you feel like you belong. And for women, especially women of color, LGBTQ+, first-gen, and others holding more than one marginalized identity, the stakes can feel even higher.
But here’s the truth: these rules were never neutral. They were not truths at all. They were training. And because they were taught, they can be questioned and unlearned.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
🌱 Key takeaway: You’re not weak or broken for following these rules. They kept you safe and helped you belong. But they never determined your worth. Every time you reclaim an hour, set down your phone, or let yourself feel, it is proof you can choose differently.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
018 The Hidden Curriculum of Law: How We Were Trained to Ignore Ourselves
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/018-hidden-curriculum-of-law
Related Podcast Episodes:
017 Why Exhaustion Became a Badge of Honor in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/017-exhaustion-as-a badge-of-honor-in-law
In law, long hours are treated as the measure of success. But that doesn’t mean they reflect your true value. This episode unpacks how exhaustion became a badge of honor in legal culture — and what it’s costing women lawyers.
From day one, lawyers are trained to see exhaustion as excellence. Billing the most hours, being always available, saying yes to everything; these aren’t just habits. They’re the unspoken markers of belonging in a profession that rewards sacrifice over sustainability.
But what happens when those badges stop feeling like markers of achievement and start weighing you down?
This episode looks at:
🌱 One key takeaway: Hours are the system’s yardstick, not your worth. Exhaustion doesn’t prove commitment. It just shows how deeply you’ve been playing by rules that were never designed with your well-being in mind.
By the end of this episode, you’ll see how these “badges” were never neutral. They shape how you show up, what you believe you’re worth, and how you define success. And once you spot them, you can start setting them down.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
017 Why Exhaustion Became a Badge of Honor in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/017-exhaustion-as-a badge-of-honor-in-law
Your job is just one canvas. Learn how to expand who you are beyond law and lead from your whole self.
“I don’t even know who I am outside of this job.”
If you’ve ever had that thought, nothing has gone wrong. You are evolving. This episode explores why so many women lawyers tie their identity to their career, why it fuels stress and burnout, and how to reclaim a sense of self that actually sustains you.
When your entire worth gets filtered through billable hours, reputation, or case results, setbacks feel like personal failures. That cycle fuels exhaustion, perfectionism, and disconnection. But here’s the truth: your career is just one canvas. You are the painter. The values, creativity, and wisdom all live in you, not in your job description.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
This is the third episode in the What If It Gets to Be Good? series:
Whether you want to stay in law or shift directions, this conversation is about freedom: the freedom to be more than your job, to choose what aligns with your values, and to stop proving your worth through performance.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Your Identity
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/016-reclaim-your-identity
Episodes in this Series: What if it Gets to Be Good?
Episode 014
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Desire
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/014-a-lawyers-path-back-to-feeling-fully-alive
Episode 015
What If It Gets to Be Good: Redefine Success
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/015-redefining-success-in-law-making-it fit-who-you-are
Episode 016
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Your Identity
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/016-reclaim-your-identity
Stop proving your worth through achievement and discover what success in law feels like on your own terms.
If your legal career looks impressive but feels misaligned, it’s time to redefine success. Learn how to align your work with your values, reclaim fulfillment, and build a sustainable legal career, without walking away from law. Perfect for mid-career lawyers and women attorneys ready to create a path that actually fits who they are now.
Discover how to redefine success in your legal career so it reflects the person you’ve become, not just the one who started your journey in law. Explore why high achievement doesn’t always feel good, and how to create a fulfilling legal career that’s grounded in your values, energy, and long-term well-being.
Whether you’re questioning your next move or seeking more alignment in your current role, you’ll find practical strategies to create a sustainable legal career you can truly enjoy.
You’ll learn:
If you’ve been asking yourself:
...this episode gives you tools to start answering those questions now.
What It means for your career:
When success becomes something you perform instead of something you embody, disconnection creeps in. This conversation will help you reconnect to the part of you that knows what you want, and give you permission to design your career accordingly.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
Episode 015 What If It Gets to Be Good: Redefine Success
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/015-redefining-success-in-law-making-it fit-who-you-are
Episodes in this Series: What if it Gets to Be Good?
Episode 014
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Desire
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/014-a-lawyers-path-back-to-feeling-fully-alive
Episode 015
What If It Gets to Be Good: Redefine Success
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/015-redefining-success-in-law-making-it fit-who-you-are
Episode 016
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Your Identity
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/016-reclaim-your-identity
When checking all the boxes still feels empty, this episode helps you reconnect with what you truly want most.
This episode kicks off a new series, What If It Gets to Be Good?, a 3-part invitation for women lawyers who are ready to stop performing and start feeling fully alive again.
You’ve built a successful legal career. You’re respected, capable, and still getting things done. But inside, something’s missing.
You’ve lost the clarity that used to drive you. You’re exhausted from holding everything together.
And when someone asks what you actually want, your mind goes blank.
If that sounds familiar, this conversation is for you.
We’re starting the series with one of the most common experiences for high-achieving women in stress: a disconnection from desire.
Not because you’re apathetic. Not because you lack ambition.
But because you’ve spent years scanning for what others need from you—while tuning out your own voice.
In this episode, we’ll explore:
This series isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming more yourself.
It’s for the part of you that wants something quieter. Truer. More alive.
The version of you . . .
This is your reminder that more is possible. You don’t have to settle for surviving.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Desire
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/014-a-lawyers-path-back-to-feeling-fully-alive
Episodes in this Series: What if it Gets to Be Good?
Episode 014
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Desire
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/014-a-lawyers-path-back-to-feeling-fully-alive
Episode 015
What If It Gets to Be Good: Redefine Success
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/015-redefining-success-in-law-making-it fit-who-you-are
Episode 016
What If It Gets to Be Good: Reclaim Your Identity
👉 https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/016-reclaim-your-identity
Still getting everything done, but feeling off, numb, or on edge? You may be moving through one of the 5 lawyer stress zones. Here's how to tell.
You don’t have to be falling apart to be burning out.
For high-achieving women in law, burnout rarely looks like collapse. It looks like competence. Responsiveness. Excellence—on the outside. While inside, your nervous system is quietly sounding the alarm.
If you've ever thought, “I’m still functioning, so I must be fine," this episode will change how you see stress. You’ll learn how to spot the deeper signals your body is sending, long before everything breaks down.
What you'll hear inside:
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
Episode 013 You’re Still Performing, But You’re Not Okay: The 5 Stress Zones Women Lawyers Live In
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/013-The-5-Stress-Zones-Women-Lawyers-Live-In
That sense of flatness, even around things you used to love? It’s not you - it’s your nervous system in survival mode. Let’s talk about how to find joy again.
When you're stuck in burnout, it’s not just your energy that disappears—it’s your emotional range. You might look like you're holding it together, but inside? You're numb. Exhausted. Disconnected from the spark that used to light you up.
In this episode of The Lawyer Burnout Solution, we dig into why that happens—especially for women in law—and how you can start to reclaim joy without forcing fake positivity or overhauling your life.
You'll learn:
No matter your title or practice area, burnout can make joy feel impossible.
If you've found yourself wondering, “Why doesn’t anything excite me anymore?”—this is your episode.
Whether you’re early in your career or decades in, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of:
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
Episode 012 When Burnout Steals Your Joy: How Women Lawyers Can Start Feeling Good Again
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/012-when-burnout-steals-your-joy-how-women-lawyers-can-start-feeling-good-again
When fear, anxiety, and self-criticism are the fuel for your success, burnout isn’t far behind. In this episode, we unpack why fear-based motivation feels so familiar to high-achieving women lawyers—and why it slowly wears you down.
Fear might’ve helped you survive law school, meet deadlines, and prove yourself. But what happens when those same strategies start to cost you more than they help you?
In this episode, we’re exploring the hidden toll of fear-based success: the emotional, physical, and psychological costs that creep in when you keep pushing from panic instead of purpose. You’ll learn how fear-based drive gets reinforced in the legal profession, why it feels normal (even necessary), and how it keeps high-performing women stuck in cycles of burnout, shame, and over-responsibility.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Who This Episode Is For:
This episode is especially for:
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
Episode 011 Is Fear Driving Your Success? It Might Be Burning You Out
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/011-is-fear-driving-your-success-it-might-be-burning-you-out
Why do so many high-achieving women in law feel guilty the moment they try to rest? In this episode, we unpack the deep conditioning behind rest guilt—and how to start breaking free from it.
Rest isn’t just about what you do—it’s about how safe your body feels when you slow down. And for many lawyers, rest doesn’t feel safe at all.
We’ll explore:
Whether you’re constantly checking Slack, canceling joyful plans, or telling yourself you’ll rest “once everything’s done,” this episode will help you name the internalized pressure—and start to soften it.
You’ll learn how to:
Because here’s the truth: You don’t have to earn rest. You get to rest because you’re human—not because you crossed off every item on your to-do list.
Want more support?
🔹 Try the Free Burnout Recovery AI Assistant: Pinpoint which phase of burnout you’re in—and get a personalized next step to start feeling better (without blowing up your life). www.heathermillscoaching.com/AIAssistant
🔹 Book a free 20-minute call: Talk through your burnout challenges and get support on what to do next. https://www.heathermillscoaching.com
🔹 Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn: Get weekly tips, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes support for your burnout recovery.
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
🔹 Episode 010 The Guilt of Rest: Why It Feels Impossible for Women in Law to Take a Break (Even When You Know You Need It)
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/010-the-guilt-of-rest-why-it-feels-impossible-for-women-in-law-to-take-a-break
Burnout isn’t just exhaustion—it’s what happens when you stop trusting yourself. This episode explores why that happens, how it keeps women lawyers stuck, and what it really takes to rebuild self-trust from the inside out.
If you’re constantly second-guessing yourself, deferring to others’ opinions, or over-functioning just to feel “safe,” you may be missing the very foundation of burnout recovery: self-trust.
In law, we’re trained to seek the right answer, check all the boxes, and defer to external authority. But when that training seeps into how you relate to yourself? It erodes the internal signals that are supposed to guide your well-being, your values, and your boundaries.
And without self-trust, burnout recovery stalls.
Because no amount of rest or “self-care” can stick if your inner voice is still drowned out by doubt, shame, or perfectionism.
In this episode, we explore:
You’ll also meet two of the most powerful inner roles I teach in my coaching work:
These two roles become internal anchors—helping you shift from anxious overthinking into grounded clarity, even in the face of stress, uncertainty, or pressure to perform.
This episode is especially for you if:
Whether you’re deep in burnout or just starting to realize something’s off, this episode will help you understand what’s been missing—and how to lead yourself with clarity and self-trust.
Want more support?
🔹 Try the Free Burnout Recovery AI Assistant: Pinpoint which phase of burnout you’re in—and get a personalized next step to start feeling better (without blowing up your life). www.heathermillscoaching.com/AIAssistant
🔹 Book a free 20-minute call: Talk through your burnout challenges and get support on what to do next. https://www.heathermillscoaching.com
🔹 Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn: Get weekly tips, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes support for your burnout recovery.
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
🔹 Episode 09 Self-Trust: The Missing Piece in Burnout Recovery for Women Lawyers
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/09-self-trust-burnout-recovery-women-lawyers
You meet every demand, carry the weight no one sees—and still feel like you’re falling short. For many women lawyers, that’s not just stress—it’s perfectionism.
Perfectionism doesn’t always look like obsessively color-coded calendars or flawless execution. Sometimes, it looks like procrastinating because you’re afraid to get it wrong. Or re-reading an email five times before sending it. Or showing up to every meeting overprepared, just to feel “good enough.”
In this episode, we unpack how perfectionism quietly fuels burnout in high-achieving women lawyers—especially those who don’t feel like perfectionists at all. If you’re constantly overworking, second-guessing, or trying to prove your worth, this episode will help you understand why that pressure exists—and how to loosen its grip.
You’ll learn:
You'll also hear real stories from women who began identifying and interrupting these patterns—and the clarity, confidence, and relief they found on the other side.
Whether you're a partner, a law student, or somewhere in between, this episode will help you connect the dots between your inner drive, your exhaustion, and the cultural and professional systems that reinforce them.
Want more support?
🔹 Try the Free Burnout Recovery AI Assistant: Pinpoint which phase of burnout you’re in—and get a personalized next step to start feeling better (without blowing up your life). www.heathermillscoaching.com/AIAssistant
🔹 Book a free 20-minute call: Talk through your burnout challenges and get support on what to do next. www.heathermillscoaching.com
🔹 Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn: Get weekly tips, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes support for your burnout recovery.
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
🔹 Episode 08 - How Perfectionism Fuels Lawyer Burnout—Even If You Don’t Think You’re a Perfectionist
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/08-perfectionism-and-lawyer-burnout
Related Podcast Episode:
🔹 Episode 05 – Is It You or the Job? The Real Internal Causes of Lawyer Burnout
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/05-the-internal-causes-of-lawyer-burnout
You miss one deadline and suddenly wonder if you should even be a lawyer. You pull back from one volunteer role and spiral into guilt.
You either have it together—or you’re falling apart. That’s not just pressure. That’s black-and-white thinking—and it’s one of the most common burnout drivers I see in women attorneys.
In this episode, we break down how all-or-nothing thinking shows up in legal culture—and why it’s so exhausting, even when you’re “doing everything right.” If you’ve ever felt like there’s no middle ground, no grace, and no room to be human in your legal career, this one’s for you.
You’ll learn:
We’ll also explore:
This episode is part of a larger conversation about mindset, burnout recovery, and rewriting the rules of what it means to be “enough” in law. If you’re caught in the swing between “I’ve got this” and “I’m a fraud,” this episode will help you name the pattern—and begin to break it.
Want more support?
Full Show Notes, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:
07 How Black-and-White Thinking Fuels Burnout in Women Lawyers
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/07-how-black-and-white-thinking-fuels-burnout-in-women-lawyers
