Bouncing Back: Recent Episodes
Bouncing Back
In Bouncing Back: Resilience for Lawyers, Rebecca Glatzer, managing director with Major, Lindsey & Africa, chats with lawyers and other professionals about how they have overcome personal and professional challenges and have “bounced back” to thrive.
From her early days as a competitive collegiate athlete to becoming a leading figure in the legal industry, Effie Silva, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Fresh Del Monte Produce, has faced numerous challenges and setbacks. One pivotal moment in her career was when she was on track to make partner at a law firm but ultimately did not. This experience, though initially disheartening, became a turning point for Effie. Listen in as she shares with host Rebecca Glatzer how she adopted a mindset that things do not happen to you, they happen for you, which propelled her to reassess her goals and strategies and led to a highly successful in-house career.
In our latest episode, Rebecca Glatzer sits down with Andrew Chinsky, assistant general counsel at Aaron's, Inc. Andrew's story begins with his family's battles with serious illnesses and the invaluable lessons he learned about prioritizing well-being and seeking support. He also discusses the journey of moving from a law firm to an in-house counsel position, focusing throughout on the importance of self-care, community, and thoughtful career planning.
The hardest trial to lose is your first one. Law firm partner Marla Butler, current Thompson Hine Executive Committee member and former Partner-in-Charge of the firm’s Atlanta Office, shares her journey through the highs and lows of her legal career, including the impact of losing her first major case and how it ultimately became a turning point for her professional growth. In this episode of Bouncing Back, she and Rebecca Glatzer explore the importance of resilience, the power of maintaining a positive outlook, and the lessons learned from overcoming setbacks.
Praju Tuladhar’s story begins during his undergraduate years at Vassar College, where he faced a significant setback—failing a math class. This was a pivotal moment for Praju, who had always excelled academically. Then while pursuing his master’s degree in telecommunications engineering and management, he encountered imposter syndrome for the first time. Praju Tuladhar sits down with Rebecca Glatzer to share the pivotal moments that have made him the leader he is today. He even shares valuable advice for newly minted attorneys, highlighting the need to strive for excellence, understand the practicalities of legal work, and finding joy in one’s career.
Travis Torrence, US Head of Legal for Shell, shares his inspiring journey from facing the internal turmoil of accepting his sexual orientation to becoming a beacon of hope and resilience in the legal and LGBTQ communities. In chatting with host Rebecca Glatzer, he delves into the power of vulnerability, the importance of allyship, and the transformative moment with Dr. Maya Angelou that encouraged him to “stand tall.”
From political aspirations and working with Senator Hillary Clinton, to navigating the intricacies of the finance and sports worlds, Fitz Reed, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Hunterbrook, recounts her dynamic career trajectory and the resilience required to thrive in places where there are few professionals with her intersecting identities. Her candid conversation reveals the importance of community, persistence, and self-belief for anyone looking to make their mark in the legal profession.
The Great Recession hit graduating law school students hard even if they already had an offer on the table. The firm that Dan Huynh was set to start with ended up deferring his (and many others) start to March 2010—six months later than expected. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Dan chats with Rebecca Glatzer about how he found odd jobs to fill the gap and how he then refocused his original practice plans to work his way into the practice of law.
For Aida Wondwessen Babalola, the death of her cousin in 2014 rocked her world. She, unfortunately, experienced three more consecutive deaths of friends and family over the next year and a half. These terrible losses forced her to take stock of her life and reconsider her career. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Aida recounts this time in her life with Rebecca Glatzer. Together, they discuss the reality of loss and how to bounce back from it.
Craig Stone, Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property & Data Protection at Phillips 66 Company, decided to explore an in-house move at the suggestion of a client, but on his fourth day in his new corporate role, he found out the company was being split-up. He used this unexpected challenge as an opportunity to learn everything he could about the business and propel himself forward in his career. Listen as Craig and host Rebecca Glatzer chat about setbacks and the importance of mentors and others to help you navigate these unexpected moments.
Lateraling to a new firm usually presents opportunities, but sometimes those opportunities come with challenges. Shanye O’Reilly lateralled in the hopes of a better practice but ended up working with a very difficult partner. In this episode of Bouncing Back, he talks to Rebecca Glatzer about how that experience shaped him and eventually led him to a secondment opportunity, which led him to a fulfilling in-house role.
Tanya Taylor made the tough decision to move her family to a new state for a great opportunity. Unfortunately, after she had only been there a short time, she learned the company was being acquired and she would be working herself out of a job. In this episode of Bouncing Back, she talks to Rebecca Glatzer about how she processed this sudden news and managed to bounce back from this setback.
Throughout Josh Smith’s career—even from the moment he selected a college—his path has been filled with decision points. In this episode of Bouncing Back, he talks to Rebecca Glatzer about those crossroads and how he had to push past his comfort zone and take a leap of faith multiple times to get to where he is today.
No one can prepare well for one setback in their career, much less two, but James Han directed his energy into becoming a lawyer, which has ultimately paid off in a fulfilling position at Whole Foods. In this episode of Bouncing Back, James talks to Rebecca Glatzer about getting laid off during the Great Recession, finding a profession he was passionate about in sports broadcasting, and then contracting a rate autoimmune disease that forever changed his life again and led him to the law.
Despite her father’s success as a litigator, Roshal Marshall quickly found that litigation was not for her. When unsure of what to do next, she turned to her mentor who helped launch her in-house career. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Roshal shares with Rebecca Glatzer why she went to law school and how the power of networking helped her build a career despite an inauspicious start.
Colin Wright is no stranger to setbacks. He was first laid off from his in-house legal role not long after his company spun off from its parent company; more recently he experienced another setback during companywide layoffs. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Colin talks to Rebecca Glatzer about navigating a job loss and how taking little steps to reconnect with old colleagues, work with recruiters, and meet new people can open career doors.
Mike Sosso’s brother lost his long-time struggle with addiction and mental health last year. This life-changing experience led Mike to take a long hard look at how he and his bp colleagues address mental health. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Mike talks to Rebecca Glatzer about how his brother’s battle changed his perception of mental health and how he chooses to find balance in his life.
Shaun Sethna used to see work as a means to an end. His move in-house, however, changed his perspective. In this episode of Bouncing Back, he talks to Rebecca Glatzer about his career journey and explains how he went from feeling like work was simply about making money to finding joy.
As the first member of the 2SLGBT+ community and only the third woman ever confirmed to the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court, Justice Shawna Baker met her share of bumps in the road to earning her seat on the bench. She shares her story in this episode of Bouncing Back with Rebecca Glatzer, discussing ending discrimination against Cherokee Freedman descendants and her decision to live her life as an openly 2SLGBT+woman.
As one of the few openly LGBTQ, Black female judges on the bench, Judge Shannon Frison believes in setting the standard rather than living by others’ expectations. In this episode of Bouncing Back, she talks to Rebecca Glatzer about her career and the bold decisions she has made to be her authentic self in her personal AND professional life.
Ailis Burpee was five years out of law school and practicing as a litigator when she decided she wanted to move in-house. The uphill challenge to retool came with its fair share of rejection. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Ailis talks to Rebecca Glatzer about getting past the rejection and pushing past her comfort zone.
Nona Lee headed down the law firm litigator path like many lawyers do—until the creation of the WNBA showed Nona that sports was where her heart was calling her. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Nona shares with Rebecca Glatzer what gave her the drive and motivation to change her legal career path and even venture beyond legal into D&I work.
Alexia Korberg never imagined they would be a big law firm lawyer. However, Paul Weiss has given them a platform to tackle cases that impact society—just what they always intended to do. Alexia shares with Rebecca Glatzer stories of their resilience working on matters that directly impact them as a trans, queer, nonbinary person and as the first openly trans equity partner at an AmLaw firm.
Falling asleep at the wheel, David Dixon woke up to a nightmare that forever changed him and his path. David recounts that night where he crashed into another car—killing the 21-year-old passenger—and the aftermath, telling Rebecca Glatzer how this event and the forgiveness he received from the passenger’s mother forever changed his life and gave him purpose.
For Ling-Ling Nie law school never felt like the right fit, but not knowing what was, she saw her degree through and then went looking for what was. After some self-reflection and some career exploration, she discovered her passion for compliance. Listen in as Ling-Ling shares with Rebecca Glatzer how figuring out what you don’t want in life is as valuable as exploring what you do like.
After her divorce, Justice Leah Ward Sears realized that you can’t fix everything in life and that the best you can do is control the controllables. She shares with Rebecca Glatzer how she once saw her divorce as a profound failure and then adjusted her life view to find satisfaction again.
One moment can forever change someone’s life. For Bendita Cynthia Malakia that moment came when she was trapped in a Kenyan mall during a terrorist attack. Bendita recounts the hours spent in the mall and the events that followed. She tells Rebecca Glatzer how that traumatic event fundamentally changed her worldview and made her realize she wanted to impact the legal profession in a different way. Listen to how she bounced back and found her passion and a new path.
Despite recently releasing her fourth book, Dorie Clark faced her share of bumps in the road—three rejected book proposals, inability to get into a doctoral program, and publishers’ silence in response to her blogging ideas—before finding success. In this episode of Bouncing Back, she talks with Rebecca Glatzer about how to she persevered and how you can reinvent yourself and your career.
A Chat with Salomon Laguerre As a 12-year-old immigrant, Salomon Laguerre was unfamiliar with English and American culture. In this episode of Bouncing Back, he shares with Rebecca Glatzer how his resilience and determination took him to college, then law school, and finally to Home Depot’s legal department—despite failing the LSAT the first time.
As the public face of the Atlanta Public School Board of Education, Jason Esteves learned quickly how to navigate public scrutiny when having to deliver the board’s decision to replace a longstanding superintendent. At the same time, Jason had to maintain his professional career—and try to keep the two worlds separate. In this episode of Bouncing Back, Rebecca Glatzer talks to Jason about how he maintained two jobs during a trying time and ultimately grew in his role at Equifax.
An incurable cancer diagnosis would make anyone re-evaluate the time they have left. When told she had only one year to live, Missy Koefod began to check off items on her bucket list. However, when she miraculously recovered, Missy reconsidered her legal career and decided to make a change. In this episode of Bouncing Back: Resilience for Lawyers, Missy shares with Rebecca Glatzer how her terminal cancer diagnosis—paired with an Atlanta snowstorm—led her to utilize her legal skills to follow her passion and start 18.21 Bitters with her wife.
Jason Carter set his sights on the Georgia governor seat because he saw an opportunity to make a difference. Despite his good motivations, this effort resulted in a high-profile loss. Surrounded by a strong support system, which included his grandfather Jimmy Carter, Jason learned a great deal from this experience—including the importance of growing from failure, taking risks, and remaining grounded. He shares his story with Rebecca Glatzer in this episode of Bouncing Back: Resilience for Lawyers.
While law school is a challenge for most, throw in two life-altering events and chances are the way forward will seem like an impossible climb. Jonathan Olinger was already starting the process of coming out during his first year of law school when he learned of his mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis. He shared with Rebecca Glatzer how he found the strength to accept his new reality and solider on—leading to a successful in-house career at Global Payments.
The Great Recession put many associates out of work. Manita Rawat was one of many laid off during those dark days. During a pivotal moment in her career, Manita went through her grieving period and then took action to build her own book of business. In this first episode of Bouncing Back, Manita tells her story of resilience to former law school classmate Rebecca Glatzer, sharing how she went from being laid off at age 30 to now serving as the Silicon Valley office managing partner for Duane Morris LLP, one of the largest law firms in the U.S.