026 What Medicine Taught Us About Lawyer Wellbeing: Scientific Proof This Coaching Works

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The Lawyer Burnout Solution

Heather Mills

27 episodes

3 days ago

You might think burnout is just part of the deal in law, but it’s really about what we’ve been socialized to believe we “should” be doing to prove ourselves, especially as women. The good news is that you can change those thought patterns and create a career that doesn’t burn you out. Hosted by Heather Mills, a coach and former class action attorney, this show offers practical tools to help you escape burnout culture without sacrificing your career or income. You’ll learn how to restore your energy, build a sustainable legal career, and stay in control of your success. Press play and take the first step toward feeling good in your career again. Heather understands the unique pressures for women in law – the urge to prove yourself, the drive to overwork and be perfect, the expectation to put in endless hours, and all the ways we’re taught to measure our worth by how much we achieve and do for others. That's why she's on a mission to end burnout culture for women in law. This show is all about giving you the concrete tools, strategies, and mindset shifts you need to reclaim your energy, confidence, and career. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by long hours, wondering how long you can go on like this, or questioning if success has to come at such a high personal cost, this podcast provides the support you need. Tune in every week to break free from burnout and discover how to create a legal career that actually feels good to live in, not just impressive on paper.

All content for The Lawyer Burnout Solution is the property of Heather Mills and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

026 What Medicine Taught Us About Lawyer Wellbeing: Scientific Proof This Coaching Works

The Lawyer Burnout Solution

15 minutes

4 days ago

026 What Medicine Taught Us About Lawyer Wellbeing: Scientific Proof This Coaching Works

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:

The groundbreaking studies that proved coaching can improve wellbeing for high-stress professionals
How medicine’s culture mirrors law, where perfectionism is rewarded, emotion is dismissed, and worth is tied to output
The neuroscience behind recovery, and why pausing to name thoughts and emotions re-engages your brain’s sense of agency
What this means for lawyers navigating moral injury and learned helplessness in systems that often feel broken
Why coaching is not “resilience training,” but a cognitive and emotional retraining process for people whose work demands moral courage

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