In this episode of Great Practice, Great Life®, Steve Riley breaks down one of the toughest challenges in law firm leadership: the feeling that you're failing when life and work start to pile up. Using the story of Kay, a team leader pushed to her limits, Steve explains why overwhelm is rarely a personal flaw and more often a sign that your systems, habits, or support structures need to evolve.

Steve reframes failure as feedback, the kind that helps attorneys recognize when they've outgrown the strategies that once worked. For anyone juggling client demands, running a practice, or navigating the pressures of law firm management, this perspective shift is a breath of fresh air.

To help legal professionals regain clarity, Steve shares the CPR approach: Cut, Protect, and Refocus. By cutting unnecessary commitments, protecting essentials like sleep and focus, and reviving the priorities that matter most, attorneys can reduce stress and strengthen time management for lawyers without sacrificing performance.

Drawing on insights often found in law firm business coaching, Steve illustrates how even a thriving attorney can outgrow their current "container," much like a Bonsai pushing past the limits of its pot. When that happens, the discomfort is a sign of growth, not failure.

This episode offers simple, actionable steps that help lawyers reclaim control, reset expectations, and build momentum toward a healthier practice and a more grounded life.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Transforming failure into a tool for growth and success

• Reframing failure as feedback, not personal inadequacy

• The CPR technique: Cut, Protect, and Refocus

• Kay's story, a team leader overwhelmed by life's demands

• Importance of pruning unnecessary commitments for personal growth

• Emphasizing sleep and focus to manage life's challenges

• Encouragement to make intentional choices for a balanced life

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Supporting Resources:

• Steve Riley
• Worksheet: The CPR Weekly Refocus™
• Bonsai Tree Photos
• Sleep Research: Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society
• Sleep Research: Effects of sleep deprivation on cognition
• 11 Minutes a Day Study
• [email protected] - If you'd like to personally connect with Steve.
• My Great Life Focus

Curious about growing your own practice? Contact Atticus to see whether our law firm coaching can help you strengthen attorney success, refine your law firm business strategy, and build a practice that actually supports your life. You can also sign up for our newsletter to get practical insights on how to grow a law firm: from law firm leadership and management to marketing, hiring, operations, culture, and profitability, so you can build a Great Practice and a Great Life.