Can a simple shift in mindset turn 2025 into your most successful year yet?

In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Steve invites you on a transformative journey to redefine success in both your personal and professional life. He highlights the crucial difference between ideas and actionable goals, drawing on personal experiences like his “Great Life Adventure” cruise from Sydney to Fiji. Discover how lessons from the past can shape future strategies and how to build a thriving law practice that increases income and client satisfaction.

Steve explains how setting professional goals is intertwined with personal growth, challenging you to envision your life across five key areas: health, relationships, personal growth, time off, and professional practice. This episode provides practical strategies for improving your physical health, deepening relationships, and advancing your professional practice through ambitious yet achievable goals. With actionable guidance on boosting client referrals and income, this episode serves as a motivational call to action to create a balanced, rewarding life and law practice.

Embrace this opportunity to make 2025 your greatest year yet by transforming your dreams into reality through strategic goal setting.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Transforming dreams into actionable goals for a successful 2025

• Strategic planning and goal setting with Steve

• The upcoming “Level Up Your Billable Practice” workshop for lawyers

• Balancing personal growth, health, and professional success

• Exercises to harvest emotional capital from past successes

• Distinguishing between ideas and concrete goals through strategic thinking

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

If there’s a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com.

Supporting Resources:

• Workshop: Level Up Your Billable Practice: Unlock Hidden Revenue and Maximize Your Time atticusadvantage.mykajabi.com/level-up-your-billable-practice (Use discount code PODCAST100 for $100 off your registration!)

• Sydney Park Hyatt: www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/australia/park-hyatt-sydney/sydph

• Our Great Life Couples Workshop: atticusadvantage.mykajabi.com/our-great-life-couples-workshop

• Workshop Series: Grow Your Law Practice with AI: atticusadvantage.mykajabi.com/the-power-of-AI-workshop (Use discount code AIPODCAST300 for $300 off your registration!)

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

On this episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Sue Ann Van Dermyden, a trailblazer in employment law, shares her remarkable journey from a defense attorney to the founder of a firm dedicated to workplace investigations.

Sue Ann’s insights reveal shifts in the field, such as the recognition of sexual harassment as discrimination and the influence of the Me Too movement. She illustrates the art of seizing opportunities, niching, and marketing in a constantly evolving legal landscape. Her story encourages legal professionals to learn from the best, study cultural and legal currents, and innovate ahead of the curve.

Steve and Sue Ann’s conversation explores the intricacies of workplace investigations, from defining scopes and gathering evidence to presenting findings. Sue Ann candidly discusses the challenges and successes of scaling a business within this niche, emphasizing the importance of succession planning and sustainability. With strategic support from leaders like Atticus, her firm has mapped out a future-focused growth strategy, underscoring the power of planning and adaptability in business development.

As we venture into the integration of AI in legal practice, Sue Ann champions moving past traditional billable hours and embracing a forward-thinking mindset. Her pioneering efforts include founding the Association of Workplace Investigators and launching T9 Mastered for Title IX training, showcasing how passion and innovation lead to new professional pathways. By sharing personal anecdotes and experiences, she highlights the importance of community, collaboration, and aligning work with personal passions, inspiring lawyers to forge fulfilling careers beyond conventional limits.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Sue Ann Van Dermyden's journey from defense attorney to founder of a workplace investigations firm
• Impact of the Me Too movement and shifts in recognizing sexual harassment as discrimination
• Challenges and strategies in scaling a niche legal business
• Integration of AI in legal practice and moving beyond traditional billable hours
• Founding the Association of Workplace Investigators and launching T9 Mastered for Title IX training
• Importance of succession planning, sustainability, and strategic growth
• Emphasis on community, collaboration, and aligning work with personal passions

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

If there’s a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com.

Supporting Resources:

• Sue Ann Van Dermyden: www.vmlawcorp.com/sue-ann-van-dermyden-senior-partner

• Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation: www.vmlawcorp.com

• Association of Workplace Investigators: www.awi.org

• T9 Mastered: t9mastered.com

• Law Firm Coaching: atticusadvantage.com/what-we-do/law-firm-coaching

• Glenn Gutek, Practice Advisor: atticusadvantage.com/our-team/glenn-gutek

• The Summit: nsslfc.com

• Grow Your Law Practice with AI: atticusadvantage.mykajabi.com/the-power-of-AI-workshop

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

Have you ever been envious of someone like Harry Connick, Jr., who seems to have it all?

On this episode of Great Practice, Great Life, Brother Curtis, a seasoned monk, joins Steve to explore the tangled web of envy and jealousy that can often trap us. With humor and wisdom, we unpack how these emotions, while natural, can undermine our personal and professional growth. Through engaging stories and reflections, we learn to identify envy as a signal of deeper issues like self-acceptance and how cultivating empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence can open new doors.

Through this conversation, we examine the roots of our envious feelings, often tracing back to childhood and family dynamics. Brother Curtis provides guidance on understanding these emotions through the lens of our personal life practice and the concept of vocation. By focusing on who we are called to be rather than what we do, we can find balance and resilience amidst life's changes. We also highlight the importance of nurturing present moments, shifting from a mindset of fear and scarcity to one focused on contribution and fulfillment.

Finally, we invite you to reflect on your true calling and essence in life. Consider moving beyond mere occupations to embrace a life that heals past wounds and cherishes what is mortal. Foundational practices like gratitude and relationship-building are essential for daily living and professional growth.

Join us in wrapping up with a meditation to release envy and embrace gratitude, paving the way for greater purpose and clarity.

In this episode, you will hear:

• An exploration of envy and jealousy, including their roots and impact on personal and professional growth
• Insights from Brother Curtis on identifying envy as a signal for deeper issues like self-acceptance
• Strategies for transforming envy into empathy, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence
• Examining childhood and family dynamics as origins of envious feelings
• The concept of vocation and finding balance by focusing on who we are called to be
• The importance of nurturing present moments and shifting from scarcity to a mindset of contribution
• Foundational practices like gratitude and relationship-building as anchors for a fulfilling life

Follow and Review:

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

If there’s a topic you would like us to cover on an upcoming episode, please email us at steve.riley@atticusadvantage.com.

Supporting Resources:

• Brother Curtis Almquist, SSJE: www.ssje.org/br-curtis-almquist

• Society of Saint John the Evangelist, Massachusetts: www.ssje.org

• 101: A Monk, a Lawyer and a President Walk into a Podcast: A Conversation Featuring Brother Curtis: atticusadvantage.com/episode101

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.