Aligned

What if the answers we're seeking aren't found through more thinking, analyzing, or working harder, but by slowing down and listening to our own inner wisdom?In this episode of Aligned, I sit down with Kim Chestney, bestselling author of Radical Intuition and The Illumination Code, founder of The Illuminated Way, and a leading voice in intuitive development.For lawyers and other high-achieving professionals, our intellectual minds are often one of our greatest strengths. But what happens when logic and analysis alone can't provide the guidance we're seeking?Kim shares why intuition is a powerful complement to our intellect, how we can learn to recognize and trust our inner guidance, and why creating space for stillness may be one of the most important things we can do.We explore:Intellect vs. intuition: Why our analytical minds can only take us so far, and how intuition can open us to creativity, insight, and new possibilities.The power of doing nothing: Why slowing down and creating quiet space allows us to access our inner wisdom.Recognizing true intuition: How to distinguish intuitive guidance from fear, emotions, and other thoughts.The four intuitive archetypes: The Healer, Sage, Visionary, and Mystic—and how intuition speaks to each of us in different ways.Trusting ourselves: How to honor intuitive guidance when others may not understand our experiences or decisions.Finding your community: The importance of surrounding ourselves with people who support our personal growth and authentic path.I also share a personal experience that profoundly influenced my own journey of reconnecting with my intuition and ultimately making changes in my life and career.Whether you're navigating a career transition, searching for greater purpose, or simply curious about developing your intuition, this conversation offers insights and practical ways to begin reconnecting with yourself.Connect with Kim Chestney:Website: https://www.kimchestney.comBooks: Radical Intuition and The Illumination CodeLearn more about Kim's courses, intuition training, and community through her website.Connect with Jessie Brown:Website: https://www.jessiebrown.orgIf you enjoyed this episode, please follow Aligned, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who might benefit from this conversation.May we live in alignment with who we truly are.

What if you could be a successful law firm partner without sacrificing your health, relationships, and happiness along the way?For many lawyers, success comes with a steep price: long hours, high stress, missed family moments, lack of sleep and exercise, and little time for many of the things that make life meaningful. But does it have to be this way?In this episode of Aligned, I sit down with Jennifer Gillman, former practicing attorney, founder of Gilman Strategic Group, and the "Law Firm Matchmaker," to explore how law firm partners can build successful, sustainable careers that align with their values, strengths, and personal priorities.Jennifer shares her own journey from practicing labor and employment law to becoming a legal recruiter, and why she ultimately created a different approach to helping partners find the right firm for them.We explore why so many accomplished lawyers feel trapped in careers that no longer fulfill them and how perfectionism and the relentless pursuit of achievement can undermine our well-being.Jennifer also introduces her Six Pillars to Becoming a Happy Rainmaker, a practical framework for creating a fulfilling legal career without sacrificing everything else that matters.In this conversation, we explore:Why professional success doesn't always translate into personal fulfillment.How to recognize when your law firm is no longer the right fit for your values, strengths, and goals.Why lawyers often sacrifice their health and relationships in pursuit of an elusive A+.How small, intentional actions—even six minutes at a time—can create meaningful changes in our well-being and careers.The six pillars of a happy rainmaker.Why developing your own clients can create greater autonomy and freedom in your law career.How to evaluate both the tangible and intangible aspects of career satisfaction, including compensation, resources, trust, respect, and belonging.Why creating a meaningful life outside of work is essential to successful succession planning and retirement.Jennifer also shares a powerful personal story about a routine medical appointment that revealed an early-stage cancer diagnosis—a reminder of why our health cannot always wait until work slows down.Whether you're a law firm partner, an aspiring rainmaker, or a lawyer questioning whether there's a more fulfilling way to practice law, this conversation offers practical insights and a hopeful reminder that a different kind of success is possible.Connect with Jennifer Gillman:Website: https://gilmanstrategicgroup.comLinkedIn: Search for Jennifer Gillman, Law Firm MatchmakerJennifer's book, The Six Pillars to Becoming a Happy Rainmaker, is available on Amazon in print, Kindle, and audiobook formats. Additional resources include a companion workbook and a Six Pillars assessment.About AlignedHosted by Jessie Brown, JD, PCC, former Big Law attorney turned career coach, Aligned explores how lawyers can create careers and lives that reflect who they truly are and what matters most to them.If this episode resonates with you, please follow Aligned, leave a rating, and share it with another lawyer who might benefit from this conversation.

What happens when we follow the path we were taught would lead to success, only to discover that the life we've worked so hard to create isn't the life we actually want?For many lawyers, we've spent years chasing the next achievement: getting into a great law school, landing the prestigious job, making partner, earning more money. But what happens when our priorities change? When the career that once made sense no longer fits who we've become?In this episode of Aligned, I'm joined by attorney, entrepreneur, coach, and founder of Powerhouse Lawyers, Erin Gerner, for an honest, heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious conversation about redefining success, navigating life's transitions, and finding the courage to create a career and life that truly align with who we are.Erin shares her journey from Big Law to an in-house legal role, stepping away from practicing law after becoming a mother, building businesses, coaching lawyers, and eventually finding her way back to legal work on her own terms.We explore what happens when our identity becomes wrapped up in being a lawyer, why it's so difficult to let go of the expectations we've internalized, and how we can begin trusting ourselves enough to pursue what we truly want.We also talk about the unique challenges of midlife, including changing priorities, perimenopause, and the realization that what worked in one season of life may no longer work in another.In this conversation, we explore:Why a successful legal career doesn't always translate into a fulfilling life.The difference between what we've been conditioned to want and what we authentically desire.How becoming a mother or entering a new season of life can fundamentally shift our priorities and capacity.Why career paths don't have to be linear, and how we can give ourselves permission to pivot, experiment, and evolve.The power of community and surrounding ourselves with people who remind us of what's possible.How small acts of courage, including simply saying no, help us develop self-trust.Why fear, perfectionism, and the pressure to always get things right can keep lawyers stuck.How taking imperfect action builds confidence and helps us move toward meaningful change.One of my favorite reminders from our conversation is that we don't need to have the entire path figured out. We can simply take the next best step.And sometimes, the greatest growth comes not from achieving another goal, but from who we become when we're willing to feel the fear and move forward anyway.Whether you're questioning your career, navigating a transition, or simply feeling called toward something different, I hope this conversation reminds you that you're not alone, that there are many ways to define success, and that it's never too late to create a life that feels authentic to you.Connect with Erin Gerner:Website: ErinGerner.comPodcast: Powerhouse LawyersFind Erin on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.If this episode resonates with you, I'd love for you to share it with another lawyer who might need to hear this conversation. And please follow Aligned for more honest conversations about creating meaningful careers and lives.

What does it take to make a successful career pivot, job change, or turn a passion project into something more?In this solo episode of Aligned, Jessie shares the mindset shifts and mental habits that helped her gradually transition from practicing law into building her coaching, consulting, and retreat business.One of the biggest challenges for lawyers considering a change is the desire to have the entire path figured out before taking the first step. But career transitions rarely work that way. They require experimentation, a willingness to change direction and try new things, and the ability to let go of time or money you've already invested in a path that no longer feels right.Jessie shares some of the practices that helped her navigate that uncertainty, including:• Creating a compelling vision for what you want—not simply focusing on what you want to escape• Committing to that vision while staying flexible about exactly how you get there• Recognizing sunk cost bias and giving yourself permission to change course• Letting go of other people's opinions and focusing your energy on what you can control• Protecting your attention and eliminating distractions• Surrounding yourself with people and stories that expand your sense of what's possible• Taking consistent action, even when the steps feel smallJessie also shares how, while she was still practicing law, she created a vision board filled with women who had once been lawyers and had gone on to create entirely different careers. Those women became evidence for her brain that another path was possible.You don't need to know exactly where the path will lead before you begin walking it.Clarity often follows action. If you're contemplating a career change, building a side business, or wondering what your own "Act Two" might look like, this episode offers practical encouragement for navigating the uncertainty that comes with creating something new.Connect with Jessie on LinkedIn or through jessiebrown.org

What happens when we spend so much of our lives thinking, producing, achieving, and caring for others that we lose touch with ourselves?In this solo episode of Aligned, Jessie explores the transformative power of retreat—especially for women lawyers whose demanding careers and full lives can leave little room for creativity, embodiment, play, or feeling fully alive.Drawing from her own experience as a Big Law attorney, working mother, and now retreat facilitator, Jessie shares how stepping away from ordinary life helped her reconnect with parts of herself that had gone dormant. Retreat wasn't about becoming someone new. It was about remembering who she had always been.Jessie explores how nature-based and mind-body practices can help us move beyond the analytical, productivity-focused mode that dominates so much of legal life and reconnect with our bodies, creativity, intuition, joy, and the "wild woman" within.In this episode, Jessie discusses:• Why high-achieving women can become disconnected from themselves while caring for everyone else• The difference between simply being outdoors and mindfully immersing yourself in nature• Forest bathing and the restorative power of slowing down in the natural world• Why movement, music, breathwork, sound healing, and other embodied practices can offer something thinking alone cannot• Jessie's own experience of rediscovering parts of herself through transformational retreats• The "wild woman" archetype and reconnecting with our instinctual, creative, embodied selves• Why taking time for yourself can ultimately benefit your family, colleagues, clients, and community• Simple practices you can try at home to cultivate more presence, freedom, joy, and alivenessJessie also recommends The Wild Woman's Way by Michaela Boehm for women interested in simple practices for reconnecting with their bodies, sensuality, freedom, and aliveness.If you've ever felt that life has become more of a grind than an adventure—or wondered whether some essential part of you has gotten buried beneath your responsibilities—this episode is an invitation to reconnect.Connect with Jessie:Jessie Brown, JD, PCC, is a former Big Law attorney and coach for lawyers. She also facilitates transformational retreats for women lawyers and workshops for law firms and legal organizations.If you're interested in Jessie's coaching, workshops, or future retreats, visit jessiebrown.orgIf this episode resonated with you, please follow Aligned, leave a rating or review, and share the episode with someone who might benefit.