The Wake Up Call for Lawyers

Hosted by Judi Cohen

Business Health Fitness Education

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Episodes

252

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Mindfulness for the Legal Mind: a 10-minute talk plus 10 minutes of guided meditation. A brief refuge. The musings of a long-time lawyer, law professor, and mindfulness geek on lawyering from a mindful perspective. Tools to cultivate more joy, ease, and wellbeing in this crazy profession. Ideas to become even better at what you do, and save the world. A few minutes of peace every week, which you definitely deserve.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 12, 2026Episode 53620 min

We Are All Such Beloved Fools

The fool can beloved or not. Beloved fools are open-hearted and cultivate “don’t know” mind. Not-so-beloved fools think they know something, or know better, or are better. What I can see, so far, is that takes courage and fortitude to watch closely enough, over a long enough period of time (maybe a lifetime?), to see when foolishness is taking a beloved form, and when not. And to be humble when “not.” Which in my own investigation is *not* as infrequently as I’d like. Have you done this yet? If not, that’s today’s invitation. Take a look, now and for as long as you can. Playfully and joyfully, but also with diligence. See what you see. See when your own fool is beloved and when not. Decide what to shift. Have fun with it. See how it goes.

June 4, 2026Episode 53519 min

Acting Accordingly, and Other Good Ideas

It’s one thing to practice and study mindfulness. It’s a great thing. It’s another to act accordingly. What happens when you’re in the courtroom or conference room or family room? Does your heart stay open, or clamp shut? Is your mind filled with hate, or love?When my heart is shut or my mind is filled (or even tinged) with hate, sadly, I act accordingly. When my heart is open and my mind is filled with love, or even tipped in that direction, I tend to act according to that. In the end, and in these times especially, it’s why I study and practice: to be able to see, as clearly as possible, which way this heart and mind are leaning. And to have the tools, and the fortitude, and the courage, to course-correct to love.

May 29, 202620 min

Overlooking the Faults of Others

It’s not like we don’t know we’re supposed to do that. It’s not like I don’t know. But it so much easier, maybe even reflexive, to notice the faults of others. To be fair, it’s also part of legal training: to look for the faults, or the fault lines. To always be on the lookout for what could go wrong, what could blow up, and who could be blamed. What a training.But only a training. Another training is to look at myself – for all of us to look at ourselves, and see what we’ve done or left undone. And then to care enough to reverse any harm. And then ask how we can help. I’m thinking about leadership and what’s needed now. Overlooking the faults of others and asking how we can help, feels like a starting point.

May 22, 2026Episode 53320 min

Don’t Let Your Heart Run Scared

I notice that far too often, I let my mind run wild. I don’t mean I’m completely undisciplined – I have a meditation practice and you probably do, too. So we’re not completely undisciplined. But I don’t know about you: when I look at the news, my mind tends to run wild.Looking more closely, though, I realize it’s not so much mind running wild, as heart running scared. I see or hear something, and my heart automatically runs. Or contracts. And the mind follows, and the wildness starts. But wildness isn’t a forgone conclusion. When I can stay with my scared, contracted heart, and gently invite it to open, I see what’s really happening: I’m so sad, because of how much I care. And then, everything can change: the heart can soften, the mind has more choices, and wisdom might even arise. And sometimes not only wisdom, but love.

May 15, 2026Episode 53219 min

Taking Joy in a Knock on the Nose

My general reaction to those little life lessons, the AFOGs, has not been delight. Instead, I’ve often felt affronted or like I’ve messed up or failed. I’m starting to see how to meet those lessons a little differently, though: with joy. Which means I have to laugh at myself, and at the ancient, cement-like, internal structures that feel like they kept me safe…and are no longer useful. Which isn’t easy, but is at least more and more possible. Because no matter how hard the lesson – no matter how painful those knocks on the nose – when there’s joy instead of offense and ease instead of despair, it feels like the opposite of failure. It feels like freedom.

May 8, 2026Episode 53120 min

Mindfulness on the Ground

It feels supportive to share about what we’ve read or come to understand about kindness and connection. I’m as guilty as the next person of doing that – probably more guilty. Just ask me – I’m happy to share. But the real wisdom is in walking the walk. If I’m talking about how we belong to one another but in my next move, I’m in a “we/they” conversation, how is that helpful? If I’m not only acknowledging but embracing everyone, things can shift. This kind of mindfulness “on the ground” feels aspirational. It also might be our only way out of the mess we’ve created.

May 1, 2026Episode 53020 min

Creating Happiness

Creating happiness when so much seems to be crumbling before our very eyes – sometimes that feels like a challenge. But what works for me is the moment-to-moment feedback loop. When I speak and act with goodness, even in conflictual or adversarial moments, the goodness makes me feel happier. Not happier because I’ve given something up – I’m not doing that – I’m standing my ground – but happier because I’m standing my ground with generosity or curiosity. When I forget to do that – when hatred or greed gets the better of me, which is definitely not never – it feels pretty terrible. When I remember, there really is happiness. It’s something to check out, this personal feedback loop. And see if it works for you, too. See if it brings you a little moment-to-moment happiness in this crazy world.

April 24, 2026Episode 52919 min

Truth and the Heart: Seeing is Healing

Here I am, again, my heart all bound up in some petty dispute. For the millionth time, I see, and feel, tightness, closed-up-ness: this old heart trying to protect itself. It takes so much effort. It feels like I’m shoving an old bureau in front of its door. But seeing is understanding. Only when I summon the courage to see that the door is closed, the mouth is set, the eyes are no longer soft or loving – only then can I let go. So, in a way, seeing is not only understanding. Seeing is also healing.

April 17, 2026Episode 52820 min

Worthiness

Sometimes I feel like we take for granted the privilege we have as lawyers, law professors, judges, and mediators. Or that we’re not worthy of our power. Or that I’m not.Because what is privilege if we forget that we’re all in this together, and that everything we say and do, matters? And what is power unless we use it to clarify our minds? Or access, if we don’t remember to first, access our own hearts?

April 13, 2026Episode 52719 min

How Attention Creates Stability

The more attentive I am, especially to this mind running amuck, the more stable I feel. If I’m off on my latest adventure, surfing for that pair of shoes I just have to have or baking those cookies I just have to eat, there’s so much tug and pull. If I can catch those impulses before they take over, I still might buy the shoes. But at least I don’t feel so consumed. The mindfulness metaphor is that of a mountain. The invitation is to stop chasing our tails – the gentlest possible way of naming what we’re seeing on the world stage – and instead, sit still, in silence, like a mountain.When I remember to do that for even a few minutes, I feel the difference. The agitation settles. I feel grounded. There’s a measure of peace. Even though peace might feel like a rare commodity these days, it’s actually right here, under our noses, if only we can remember.