Show Notes
Our episode today features Mindfulness and Well-Being in Law Committee members Robye Margolius (director of wellbeing at Arnold & Porter) and Jordana Confino (founder and CEO of JC Coaching and Consulting). They discuss social wellbeing as a powerful but overlooked dimension of lawyer wellbeing, defined as having meaningful, supportive relationships and a sense of connection and contribution. Robye and Jordana outline research linking social support to happiness, life satisfaction, reduced depression and anxiety, and improved physical health, and cite workplace findings that belonging boosts performance and retention. The conversation explores barriers in legal culture such as time pressure, transactional interactions, invulnerability norms, autonomy needs, and perfectionism, plus the effects of billable-hour incentives, hybrid work, phones, and AI on connection and mentorship.
Robye and Jordana offer practical individual strategies (micro-connections, recurring touchpoints, presence, boundaries) and organizational actions (leadership modeling, rituals, mentorship, monitoring workload, recognition), and highlight City Bar committees, events, and the Lawyers Assistance Program as connection resources.
Want to take a first step to improving your sense of social well-being? Join the Mindfulness and Well-Being in Law Committee on October 1 for a Japanese Tea Gathering. Go to nycbar.org/events to learn more and to register.
02:02 Defining Connection 04:30 Science of Flourishing 08:45 Why Connection Feels Hard 09:14 Sandcastle Trust Building 14:29 Billable Hour Reality 19:10 Culture and Perfectionism 25:30 Support Changes Perception 28:46 AI and Human Skills 32:47 Practical Connection Habits 35:27 Micro Moments and Weak Ties 38:14 Match Your Social Battery 39:10 Small Discomfort Wins 43:00 Low Hanging Outreach 44:25 Phone Free Presence 51:27 Boundaries and Capacity 54:06 Culture Change Levers 01:02:02 Managers Shape Safety 01:06:09 Bar Associations as Third Places 01:10:43 One Small Action
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