The last two years have been rough for all of us.
None of us, myself included, has been spared from the emotional, physical, and mental, rollercoaster that the last two years have been because of the pandemic.
I don’t know that we’ll ever really get back to our pre-COVID sense of normalcy, but I will tell you I have grown accustomed to and have really appreciated some of the changes brought about by the pandemic.
I think some of you may agree with me in terms of the silver linings that a lot of us have been able to see. The thing that I’ve most heard back from clients and friends is the silver lining of time.
Over the last couple of years, the pandemic has allowed many of us to slow things down in a lot of ways. It has certainly allowed me more time with my children and my husband.
No one knew how working remotely was going to work. How were lawyers supposed to have cases and trials and hearings and mediations and meet with clients if we were all stuck at home? It has been a little tough, but now it’s the new normal. I’ve had many trials, hearings, mediations without ever setting foot in a courthouse. I haven’t been in the office or spending an hour and a half each way commuting nearly as much as I used to.
And as far as meeting with clients, we have all really learned to utilize technology at its highest level and it’s really been working. And I’ve got to tell you, I really enjoyed it.
I am a really big believer that change is a good thing. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it’s such a necessary component for growth and moving toward our goals, whatever those may be, in all aspects of our lives.
One of the biggest and most recent changes for me professionally has been joining a new firm after being at the same for the last ten and a half years. I loved my old firm, it was my home away from home, and it was worth the commute, but I also think sometimes that you have to take a leap of faith and pursue new opportunities.
And I did that by joining a larger firm as a partner, co-chairing the DC, Maryland, and Virginia family law practice group at Cipriani and Werner.
That has been a huge change for me over the last couple of months. I often say that I’m like an old dog trying to be taught a whole lot of new tricks. There’s always a learning curve, but it has certainly been worth it.
Listen to the full episode to hear:
- How we’re faring going into year three of the pandemic
- Exciting professional changes
- Why I became a certified life coach
- A shameless plug
One of the other big changes that I’m really excited about is that I have recently become a Certified Life Coach.
Some of you may be asking, what in the world is a life coach? I like to describe it as someone who helps you bridge the gap from where you are currently to where you want to be. That could be in your career, your relationships, as a parent, as a friend, in your business, or any other aspect of your life. A life coach helps you figure out what your goals are, what the end goal and result you’re trying to get to are, and what strategies and tools you need to implement that change.
As a busy lawyer, wife, and mom, I know how difficult it can be to try to juggle all of the demands of a successful career and balance it with the demands of your personal life and your relationships. Often caring for your own mental and physical health comes last.
I found myself craving a way to look at my life and all of the crazy and figure out how to be less resentful, less stressed, and focus less on the badge of being busy and more on being fulfilled in the life that I have and begin focusing on where I wanted to see growth and change and how I wanted to show up, what thoughts and actions would lead me to those various goals. And life coaching really gave me the tools to do that.
And because I believe so deeply in coaching, I decided to get certified and begin coaching professional women. My clients are people who I like to say are kicking butt in their professional life, but feel like a hot mess everywhere else.
On paper, they’re amazing, but they feel like there’s something missing or they’re overwhelmed or this version of success hasn’t been what they envisioned for themselves or their lives, and now it’s time to do something to change that.
Coaching has had such an impact on my personal and professional life and I’m excited to share that.
Finally, a shameless plug for my sister, Laura Coates, and her new book Just Pursuit. Laura is a legal analyst for CNN and she has a show on Sirius XM on POTUS. Just Pursuit is an intimate look at the legal system through the eyes of my sister, who is a former prosecutor, as she explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, exposing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful.
It’s an incredible book and I’m very proud of my little sister.
I can’t wait to share all of our upcoming podcasts, all about relationships, separation, divorce, from the beginning to the end.
Learn more about Tracey:
- Coaching with Tracey Coates
- Instagram: @iamtraceycoates