27 www.lawyer-monthly.com me for “everything” I do for other people. Strangers have told me that I give them hope and inspire them to want to help others. When I share this with others, it makes me emotional because my efforts come from the purest parts of my soul and are shared with the greatest sincerity for doing good. I still often see myself as a girl from Miramichi who grew up in a working class family. I am the oldest of my three siblings. My dad was the only one who worked the majority of my childhood and supported our family of six on one income. My family lived very modestly and couldn’t afford many things. I didn’t fly on a plane until I was in third year of law school. I had never left Canada until then. I didn’t have a cell phone until I was 27 years old. We had one tv in our home. I took VIA Rail from home to university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a 6 hour commute, for school holidays as my family only had one vehicle and my dad had to work. My entire post-secondary education was funded by government student loans. My parents are hard working and honest people who are well respected in the community for being “good people”. They taught me the responsibility of being good to others; of being a good person! Giving back to the community comes naturally to me. I believe I help other professional women by leading by example; by doing rather than telling. I show them that it can be done. In my world, practicing law is not an old boys’ club. I am surrounded by successful women lawyers, some of whom are mothers too. I emphasize the importance of mentorship and offer that to both my team members and to those who work at other law firms. I still have mentors. I also counsel professional women from other fields who want to discuss success in business generally and marketing one’s brand. Social media is a powerful tool that enables me to reach many people and spread awareness of what I do and who I am. It allows me to showcase my relatability and for people to reach me. I can show both sides of my world – the personal and professional. It also enables me to learn from other professionals. I am still learning and will always be willing to learn more. I have been told that I “humanize” being a lawyer through my social media. I’ll take that as a big compliment! Being a mother while managing a growing legal practice must be demanding. How do you balance your personal and professional responsibilities? Do you have any advice for other women trying to balance similar demands? Being a mother while managing a growing legal practice is extremely demanding. It is very difficult to balance my personal and professional responsibilities. There are many days when there is a huge imbalance in favor of my work. I struggle with mom guilt often daily and strive very hard to compensate for loss of time at home. When I am with my children and in full mom mode, I stay present in the moment. I often turn off my phone completely in an effort to set boundaries and to not be distracted. I plan family events and activities for my sons in an effort to keep me balanced between home and work. Mindset is important too. I frequently affirm to myself that I am an excellent mom who provides well for her children and is doing the best I can. Showing my children strong work ethic is important to me too, so taking them to the office is a big way that I show them what I do and where I am when I am not at home. When they are older, I hope to be able to take them to court where they can watch me in action and more fully appreciate the other side of their hard-working mom. Being a mother and a successful lawyer are my two greatest loves. I am an “all in” person; everything I commit to gets the greatest part of me. It is who I am as a person. Being a working mom requires me to roll with the punches and try not to be too hard on myself. At least that is what I try to instill in other working mothers. Perhaps someday, I will be able to fully take my own advice! Canada
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