The Sovereign Professional's Podcast

Managing Sickle Cell Anemia With Lawyer Jeanelle Fernandes

I am sure you’ve heard of sickle-cell anemia, but maybe a few of you might know what it’s like to have it and what exactly it involves. I learned about that today chatting with Jeanelle Fernandes, who is an immigration attorney in Florida and talks about what it is like to live with this condition. The incredible part about her story is how, when she describes the condition, it seems unbearable. You have to be careful about the temperature of your surroundings, what you eat, what you do, ho...

What diversity & self care has to do with professional health with Alexis Robertson

Diversity is a word that we throw out there a lot but not something we really delve into. Luckily, there has been a big rise in diversity initiatives, and with that, positions like Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers. This week I chat with Alexis Robertson, diversity and inclusion officer at Baker & McKenzie, and I ask her some of the hard questions about the real challenges in diversity and how we really combat diversity, and more importantly, how that completely changes the health of n...

How To Run A Healthy Solo Practice + Lifestyle With Regina Edwards

I chat with solo divorce lawyer Regina Edwards, who lays down the law about how to run an effective practice so she can live the life of her dreams. She travels between two states and has a thriving practice, and in this episode you get to learn all about how she gets only her ideal clients and how she manages conflicts with opposing counsel so she can maintain solid mental and professional health. Inspired by the book the 4-hour workweek by Tim Ferris, she shares all the steps she took, in...

Forgiving Yourself on your Health Journey with Jordan Means

Jordan Parker Means took time out from her busy schedule to chat with Angela for this week's show. Jordan is a General Counsel and HR Manager in the marketing industry, but together with her husband she also runs a health and fitness business in Louisville, Kentucky. She talks about nutrition (a specialty), working with coaches, working independently, and how she engages her health clients with empathy and support, and encourages them to forgive themselves when they slip from a health regim...

Working through life's challenges with Erin Solomon

This week, I chat with Erin Solomon, who works with lawyers and other professionals as a talent manager and life coach. Her perspective is unique because she used to be a big law attorney for several years before transitioning, so she knows what we are talking about here. What we’re going through. In this episode we talk about how to get unstuck. Are you doing pretty well on paper but you know you feel like something is missing or something is off? This might be the episode for you. We talk...

Overcoming lack of information and self-doubt with Shannon Montgomery

This week, I chat with Shannon Montgomery, who runs her own firm, Montgomery PLLC. I am a huge fan of her work and you’ll see why in this episode, but this also a really great reminder for those of us feeling like a healthy lifestyle is such a huge mountain to climb.    Shannon tells us why it isn't. I also felt like so myself in this episode because she went through pretty much exactly what I went through with the struggles in college, lack of information, some serious self-doubting in...

Starting and running your own business with Melanie Leonard

Hi everyone, in this episode with Melanie Leonard, the owner of Streamlined Legal, we talk about streamlining everything from scheduling to writing engagement letters in your own firm, so you can focus on what matters most: serving your clients. If you run a small firm, you may want to pay attention to the three super simple ways to start running your business more efficiently. In this episode we focus a lot on our professional health, which I firmly believe impacts our physical and mental ...

On Vulnerabilty and Thriving With Autism, with Haley Moss

Every week I am so humbled and touched by the vulnerability with which my guests express their journeys. This week is no different. I speak with Haley Moss, who takes vulnerability and strength to a whole new level. We talk about working out for five seconds, and the rest is all about doing all the things you want and embracing all the things you are, and turning what others think are weaknesses into strength. Doing this as a first year associate is not easy. When you feel like you are not ...

Managing eating disorders and depression through law school with Lilli Balik

This week, I chat with Lilli Balik, a first year associate in Florida who struggled from eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. In our conversation she is so open about why she struggled with them, how she managed them, and how they shape her into the strong woman she is today. I am especially impressed with Lilli’s courage as a first year associate at a law firm because mental health and physical health challenges are still pretty taboo in the legal world especially if you are ju...

Zumba, Running, and Making Health Fun with Rebecca Amster

  This week, I chat with Rebecca Amster, who is a family law attorney in Miami, Florida. She is also a marriage and family therapist, a Zumba instructor and a runner. Today we chat about how both Zumba, which is an interactive, lively, and fun exercise, and running, a more solitary experience, complement one another and have brought her to her healthiest place so far. One of my favorite things she said in this episode is that the clearest path to mental health is working on your physical he...

The Exact Steps to Resilience with Renee Branson

This week, I chat with Renee Branson, who is a therapist that specializes in working with lawyers. We talk about the common concerns among lawyers that not a lot of us talk about openly (hint- hint: long hours and feeling stuck and the need to be perfect). And she walks us through the six elements of resilience, and they’re not just six words. We talk through tangible, clear, and simple steps you can take to help you walk through the storms and the fires in your daily work. I did some of th...

Life as a Horseback Rider, and a Lawyer: with Marissa Fish

This week, I chat with Marissa Fish, who is a personal injury and workers comp attorney in South Carolina. Not only is she a horseback rider,  but also a lawyer who is studying for her second bar exam. In this episode, we talk about what it means to pursue and maintain your passion on a daily basis even when you have a million things to juggle, like having a clear plan, having a partner to work with, and just knowing the logistics of it all. Marissa is clearly knowledgeable about what it ta...

The Raw Truths About Recovery with Brian Cuban

This week I chat with Brian Cuban, who many of you may know as a leader in supporting lawyers’ mental health. He wrote the book "The Addicted Lawyer: Tales of the Bar, Booze, Blow, and Redemption" and was featured in so many places where he is very raw about his recovery journey from addiction to cocaine and alcohol, eating disorder, and depression. In this episode we don’t pressure you to seek help. We talk about how it is okay to fear and feel shame and any other feeling that you may be f...

On Struggling To Get Healthy With Sara Shulevitz Vorhan

This week, I speak with Sara Shulevitz, a criminal defense lawyer who used to be a prosecutor. We reflect on the real challenges we face. There is no big struggle & survival story. It’s just kind of two people talking about how hard things can get. Not the standard inspiration we’re all striving to get and striving to offer to others, but I think it is important to just take a moment and realize that having a healthy lifestyle is not just all sunshine and rainbows. There is no one fix for a...

Navigating Wellness In Our Healthcare System With Jackie Grady

This week, I chat with Jackie Grady, who is a healthcare lawyer in South Florida. This episode is a bit different because it talks more about the healthcare industry as a whole - what is missing, what is going on, what should we know about the healthcare system as current and prospective participants. This topic is very near and dear to me because, as I share in the episode, the whole reason I am in the healthcare industry as both an attorney and a businessperson is the pains I experienced ...

Powerlifting to be Fearless with Kate Aizpuru

Are you a law firm associate wondering how to fit a healthy lifestyle into your daily schedule? This episode is just the thing for you. Kate Aizpuru is an associate in a DC law firm, and she talks about how she fits in powerlifting, meal planning, and mental health care into her life. The best part is, she talks about these as if they add to her lifestyle instead of taking time away from it. I can’t wait for you to listen in.  Show notes: Here are the resources Kate mentioned in this ep...

Doing Everything While Pursuing Your Career with Rachael Ardanuy

This week, I talk with Rachael Ardanuy, a Denver attorney specializing in the cannabis industry. Her resilience and spirit of embracing life as it comes was a true inspiration for me and how I want to balance my priorities. As an attorney during the day and a jazzercise instructor by night and a mother of two, she talks about her love for jazzercise and how she artfully managed two pregnancies into the rhythm of her life. We also had an open dialogue about body image and the pressures place...

Finding Courage From Pain With Hashi Richards

This week, I speak with Hashi Richards, a Florida attorney who shares the story of a life-transforming event arising out of her pregnancy that led to her plant-based lifestyle. If you are a mom or are expecting or wanting to start a family and you feel like you’re going at it alone, you are not alone, and you might want to listen in for a strong dose of courage today. I came out of this conversation feeling like I made a stronger connection with her because she was so vulnerable and taught ...

Angela Han: My Story

In Support of Total Lawyer Health & Wellness with Diane Costigan

This week, I chat with Diane Costigan, who is the director of coaching and well being at Winston & Strawn. We talk about all the anxieties we face as big law attorneys (and just as attorneys in general) because of the workload, the intensity, and the pressure. I mean, the list goes on. I just really appreciated this opportunity to speak with Diane because her work marks such huge progress in the movement towards supporting the health of lawyers, which is essential if we want to serve client...

Surviving A Condition On Your Own Terms

  Are you pulling your hair out suffering from diabetes and other difficult to manage conditions? This may be the episode for you. Dineen Wasylik, who is both an IP attorney and an appellate attorney, talks about her health journey from start to now, where she started with participating in a triathlon, then was diagnosed with diabetes, then diagnosed with another autoimmune thyroid deficiency disorder, and then went on her own journey of figuring out her own long-term solutions to her comp...

Being the Healthiest - Even with a Chronic Condition

Nicole Wipp runs her own law practice, and a consultancy on how to run a business without additional sweat. If you feel you are overworked and under pressure to be perfect, this episode offers insight into specific steps you can take to protect your time, establish boundaries, and feel healthy and happy, even when things may not be perfect.  Don't forget to visit my website!  

Yoga, Meditation and Self Care with Lisa Robinson

  This time, Angela talks with Lisa Robinson, a family lawyer at the Rosen Law Firm in Raleigh, NC. We talk about all things yoga, meditation, and prioritizing yourself even when it is difficult. If you are trying to include a few minutes here and there to make sure you are finding time for yourself in your hectic day, this episode is for you. Give it a listen, and check out Angela's website! 

On Surviving and Thriving with Megan Neel

Megan Neel is transitioning out of a traditional role as a lawyer working at a firm, and building her own practice. In this episode, she is so open and vulnerable about her own journey, and the powerful moments in her life which brought her to the transition. This episode offers a healthy push for courage for those of us who feel we're at a crossroads. She talks about how it's possible to make a change and still take care of yourself, how it's ok to feel uncertain, and that there is power i...

Finding What Works for You

This week, I am chatting with Megan Kelley Howard, who just transitioned out of law and talks about how she prioritized herself and her family for her health. If you're interested in "Cross Fit" , and how you can get stronger in so many different ways, this may be the right episode for you.    And don't forget to visit my website at angela-han.com  

Embracing Every Step on Your Health Journey

Cara Powell is a family law attorney in Tampa, Fl. She tells Angela  about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and being the best she can be for her family, her husband, her clients, and herself. You can follow Cara at http://www.instagram.com/theprettygoodwife or at http://www.facebook.com/theprettygoodwife

Angela Han: My Story

My name is Angela Han, and I am obsessed with all things health. I am a healthcare lawyer, a personal trainer, a wellness coach, and a yoga instructor. I help busy lawyers overcome their physical and mental challenges through wellness training. I found my life’s purpose from my biggest pain point: my own health journey. Check out my website at Angela-Han.com