{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People","title":"Why Most Lawyers Struggle After Parental Leave: What a ‘Mindful Return’ Looks Like (with Lori Mihalich-Levin)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2207,"description":"NOTE: This episode contains language around infant loss and miscarriage. Take care while you listen.\n\nMost law firms treat returning from parental leave as a routine transition. For many lawyers, it’s one of the most destabilizing periods of their careers.\nIn this episode of So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People, Megan Senese and Jennifer Ramsey are joined by Lori Mihalich-Levin, CEO and Founder of Mindful Return, author of Back to Work After Baby, co-host of the Parents at Work podcast, and a healthcare lawyer at The GME Group. Lori shares why returning to work after having a child is one of the most professionally disruptive transitions lawyers face—and what a more sustainable, intentional transition can look like.\nWhat began as a moment of desperation, crying while washing bottles and caring for two young children, led to a critical realization: most workplaces treat return-to-work as a logistical event, not a human transition. In response, she built Mindful Return, a national platform supporting working parents through this exact inflection point. Lori shares what’s often left unspoken: postpartum anxiety, identity disruption, the invisible labor of reentry, and the pressure to perform as if nothing has changed. She also breaks down what a “mindful return” requires from both individuals and organizations and why community plays a central role in recovery and retention.\nThis episode is essential for anyone navigating parenthood and career and for leaders responsible for whether working parents thrive, struggle, or leave.\nYou’ll hear about:Why Lori created Mindful Return after her own painful return-to-work experienceThe personal and professional identity crisis that can come after parental leaveWhat working parents actually need during the transition back to workHow Mindful Return’s cohort model helps moms AND dads feel less aloneWhy parenthood builds leadership skills we still don’t talk about enoughThe case for better workplace support around...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xX4mv8ABkxdZYlNqyYMtgty7eVFkp64CDgWzGR1qEOg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85MWU1/ODk3ZDY4NjYwY2Fh/OTE1NzYyZjdlMThl/YzFhNy5qcGVn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}