blog: behind the scenes.
Leaving Big Law: How I Rethought Business Development, Burnout, and Building Something Sustainable
For a long time, I followed the path that was supposed to make sense. I built a successful career in Big Law, worked my way up, and checked the boxes. From the outside, it looked like everything was working.
But at a certain point, it stopped feeling sustainable.
The pressure wasn’t new, but it became harder to ignore, especially during COVID, when workloads intensified and the lines between work and life disappeared. I found myself doing more, carrying more, and questioning how long I could realistically keep going at that pace. It wasn’t just about working hard. I’ve always worked hard. It was about whether the structure itself still worked for me.
That’s when I started thinking differently. Not just about my next role, but about whether I wanted to stay on the same path at all.
Leaving wasn’t a clean or easy decision. It meant walking away from financial stability and a career I had spent years building. But it also gave me the opportunity to rethink how I wanted to work, and what I actually valued in the process.
When we launched Stage, I knew I didn’t want to replicate the same business development strategies I had seen for years. So much of it felt transactional or built around environments that didn’t resonate with me. I don’t golf. I didn’t want to rely on traditional networking channels that felt forced or outdated.
Instead, I focused on something simpler: building real relationships.
I started writing on LinkedIn. I reached out to people directly. I shared perspectives that felt honest and relevant to the legal industry. At the time, I didn’t have a big network or a built-in client base. I was starting from scratch, which meant I had to figure out what actually worked, not just what we had always been told worked.
What I found is that authenticity scales in a way traditional tactics don’t. When you show up consistently, when you’re thoughtful in how you connect with people, and when you focus on relationships over transactions, opportunities start to build over time.
One of the biggest shifts for me was understanding the importance of building a book of business. In professional services, that’s where so much of your leverage comes from. Without it, you’re often supporting someone else’s clients, someone else’s revenue, someone else’s priorities. When you build your own, you create more control over your career, your time, and your future.
And there isn’t one right way to do that.
For some people, it might still be traditional networking. For others, it’s creating content, connecting one-on-one, or finding shared interests outside of work. The key is finding an approach that feels natural enough that you’ll actually stick with it.
Because that’s the other part people don’t always talk about, this is a long game. Relationships take time. Trust takes time. There’s no shortcut to that. But when you invest in it consistently, it becomes a much more sustainable way to grow.
Looking back, leaving Big Law felt like a huge risk. And it was. But it also created the space to build something that aligns much more closely with how I want to work and live.
If you want to hear more about my experience and how I approached that transition, you can listen to me on the The Femme Factor Podcast: Leaving Big Law to Start Something New
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan SeneseWhy Most Lawyers Struggle After Parental Leave: What a ‘Mindful Return’ Looks Like (with Lori Mihalich-Levin)
Listen Now:
NOTE: This episode contains language around infant loss and miscarriage. Take care while you listen.
Most 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.
In 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.
What 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.
This episode is essential for anyone navigating parenthood and career and for leaders responsible for whether working parents thrive, struggle, or leave.
You’ll hear about:
Why Lori created Mindful Return after her own painful return-to-work experience
The personal and professional identity crisis that can come after parental leave
What working parents actually need during the transition back to work
How Mindful Return’s cohort model helps moms AND dads feel less alone
Why parenthood builds leadership skills we still don’t talk about enough
The case for better workplace support around miscarriage, infant loss, and mental health
How mindfulness, yoga, and community have helped Lori navigate both work and family life
About Lori Mihalich-Levin:
Lori Mihalich-Levin is the CEO & Founder of Mindful Return, a nationally recognized platform supporting working parents through parental leave and the transition back to work. She is the author of Back to Work After Baby, co-host (with her husband) of the Parents at Work podcast, and a healthcare lawyer at The GME Group. Her work has been featured in Forbes, The Washington Post, The New York Times Parenting, and more.
This episode is brought to you by: Latitude Legal
In partnership with Latitude Legal, stage offers four free business development sessions for any lawyer returning from parental leave. We call it Corduroy. It is open to any lawyer. We know how challenging it can be to be a working parent, and this is our way of giving back to the legal community through business development support. If you are interested in learning more about Corduroy for yourself or your team, you can email us at info@stage.guide.
Thank you to Latitude Legal and Kyle Robisch for being the sole partner supporting our Corduroy initiative. They recognize the importance of supporting working parents in the legal industry and are generously underwriting this program. To learn more, visit www.latitudelegal.com or contact Kyle directly.
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan SeneseWhat Constant Responsiveness Is Doing to Legal Professionals (Minis with Megan)
Listen Now:
If your workday keeps you mentally “on” long after you close your laptop, this mini episode offers a moment to reset.
Most lawyers or legal marketers never allow themselves to come out of “on mode.” They’ve only been trained how to push through it.
This episode of So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast For People, Minis with Megan is intentionally different. It creates space to step out of constant responsiveness and notice what is happening in your body while you work.
Many lawyers and legal marketing professionals move through their days holding everything. Shoulders stay tight. Breathing becomes shallow. The nervous system remains quietly activated and mistakes increase.
This episode is permission for a brief pause. A chance to slow down, take a breath, and experience what even a few intentional minutes of reset can feel like so you can go back to your work refreshed and recharged and with a moment to catch your breath.
If this moment resonates, a longer guided session is available on 4/16 for those who want to go deeper. Details for registration are below.
Who this episode is for:
Lawyers and professionals who feel constantly “on” during the workday
Anyone overwhelmed by email, notifications, and nonstop screen time
People noticing physical stress (tight shoulders, shallow breathing, fatigue)
High performers who struggle to give themselves permission to take a break
Episode takeaways:
“Email apnea” and “screen apnea” are real: Holding your breath while working is more common than you think
Constant screen time and stress can physically impact your breathing, focus, and energy
You cannot do your best work (legal, strategic, or creative) if your body is in a state of tension
Taking a break isn’t indulgent; it’s necessary for sustainable performance
Even small, intentional pauses (like breathing) can reset your entire system
Small steps you can take to invite awareness:
Notice your body: Are you holding your breath, clenching, or bracing?
Pause and take a breath: Even one intentional inhale and exhale can interrupt the stress cycle
Give yourself permission to step away: You don’t need to “earn” a break. You deserve a break.
Create space for reset: Short, structured breaks can help you return more focused
Prioritize sustainability: Your performance depends on your ability to regulate, not just push through
Join us for Off the Mat:
A 30-minute guided breathing session led by a certified yoga instructor, our very own Jen Ramsey!
*No camera required
*No experience needed
*Join directly from your desk
* April 16 @ 1pm ET / 10 am PT
Email us at info@stage.guide or register here
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan SeneseHow to Reset
Breathe In. Breathe Out.
Long hours of analysis. Constant decision-making.
Little space to recalibrate, reset, and breathe.
30 minutes. Cameras off. No preparation needed.
Over time, the nervous system stays in quiet overdrive.
Breathwork is one of the simplest ways to reset it.
Join Jennifer Ramsey, stage co-founder and certified yoga teacher, for Off the Mat on (4/16/26) — a 30-minute guided virtual breathing session designed for lawyers and legal marketing professionals to reset their nervous system and refocus their energy.
No yoga experience required. No preparation. No cameras. Join quietly from your desk.
Why Business Development Feels So Hard (And What to Do Instead)
If the idea of “doing marketing” makes you cringe, you are not alone.
Over the years, I have worked with countless lawyers who feel like business development is awkward, performative, or disconnected from the work they actually enjoy. It often feels like you are being asked to step into a version of yourself that does not quite fit. Someone more sales focused, more polished, more “on.”
That is usually where things start to break down.
Because the most effective business development does not look like selling at all. It looks like connection.
The Problem with Traditional Advice
A lot of the advice lawyers receive about networking and marketing is rooted in outdated assumptions. Go to the big event. Work the room. Follow the same playbook everyone else is using.
The problem is that one size does not fit all.
Not everyone wants to build relationships on the golf course or over cocktails. And more importantly, not everyone should. When you force yourself into strategies that do not align with who you are, it shows. It also makes the entire process feel harder than it needs to be.
What Actually Works
Sustainable business development starts with a simple shift.
From selling to serving.
That means focusing less on how to get work from someone and more on how to build a real relationship.
Sometimes that looks like:
Asking thoughtful questions and actually listening
Following up with something relevant and specific
Remembering what matters to someone and acknowledging it later
It is often the smallest gestures that have the biggest impact. A handwritten note. A quick check in. Sending something that shows you were paying attention.
These are not grand strategies. They are human ones.
Why Relationships Take Time
One of the biggest misconceptions is how quickly results should happen.
In reality, building a strong professional relationship takes time. It is not one meeting or one email. It is consistency. It is showing up and being thoughtful over time without becoming transactional.
That is where many people fall off. Not because they cannot do it, but because they expect it to move faster.
Staying Top of Mind Without Feeling Sales Focused
You do not need a large budget or an elaborate system to stay in touch.
You need intention.
Instead of sending generic updates, think about why something made you think of a specific person. That context is what makes the outreach meaningful.
And when it comes time to talk about work, the best approach is often the simplest one. Ask what they need.
Not what you think they need. Not what your firm offers.
Just ask and listen.
From there, you can respond in a way that is actually helpful, which is what builds trust.
A Different Way to Think About Growth
You do not have to become someone else to be effective at business development.
You do not need to follow every trend or copy what other firms are doing.
You need an approach that aligns with how you naturally build relationships and the discipline to stay consistent.
In a crowded legal market, authenticity is what makes people remember you.
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan SenseCold Calls, Courage, and the Big Law Pivot Redefining Lawyer Growth
In this episode of Lawyers Who Learn (#111), Megan Senese reflects on her journey from Big Law business development to co-founding stage, and how that transition reshaped her understanding of what attorneys actually need to grow.
For years, Megan worked in business development roles at major firms including Pillsbury, Shearman & Sterling (now A&O Shearman), and McDermott Will & Emery. From the outside, it appeared that lawyers had access to every tool for success. After leaving Big Law and building stage, a different reality became clear. Attorneys began sharing the real challenges they were facing, including persistent pressure, unclear paths for growth, and a lack of individualized support. In many cases, these were the same struggles Megan had experienced herself but had not fully recognized at the time.
That insight became the foundation for stage, a model built to deliver fractional marketing and business development support tailored to how individual lawyers actually work. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, stage adapts strategy to the attorney. This might mean leaning into conferences for a client-facing energy lawyer or building a content strategy for someone who prefers to avoid traditional networking environments.
Megan also shares practical frameworks that have shaped her approach to both business development and communication. One is “the most generous interpretation,” a concept borrowed from Dr. Becky Kennedy, which reframes how attorneys respond to silence, rejection, or unanswered emails. Another comes from Dan Pink’s work on motivation, emphasizing that moving people, helping them see and feel something, is more effective than traditional selling.
Her own outreach stories reinforce this philosophy. A cold message to LinkedIn’s CMO resulted in an immediate yes. A direct pitch led to her conversation with host David Schnurman. Her approach is consistent: slow down, understand what someone actually needs, and connect in a way that serves their interests first.
The episode also highlights Megan’s personal evolution. Once unsure she would ever leave a traditional legal career path, she ultimately stepped into entrepreneurship and co-founded a growing firm. A small but meaningful moment, a calendar reminder from her partner reading “IDEA - don’t be nervous,” became a turning point in that transition.
At its core, Megan’s story is about redefining success in law, building a career that is both sustainable and aligned with how you actually want to work, rather than how you are expected to.
By Jennifer Ramsey & Megan Senese30-Minutes of Reset
Breathe In. Breathe Out.
Long hours of analysis. Constant decision-making.
Little space to recalibrate, reset, and breathe.
30 minutes. Cameras off. No preparation needed.
Over time, the nervous system stays in quiet overdrive.
Breathwork is one of the simplest ways to reset it.
Join Jennifer Ramsey, stage co-founder and certified yoga teacher, for Off the Mat on (4/16/26) — a 30-minute guided virtual breathing session designed for lawyers and legal marketing professionals to reset their nervous system and refocus their energy.
No yoga experience required. No preparation. No cameras. Join quietly from your desk.
The Conversation Big Law Needs: Success, Silence, and Postpartum Depression in the Law
Listen Now:
“The motivation that got me going was thinking about the moms behind me, and not wanting them to have that same experience if we could do something to avoid it.” - Lindsay Aggarwal
What happens when a successful Big Law partner does everything “right” and still finds herself struggling?
In this episode of So Much To Say: A Legal Podcast for People, Megan Senese and Jennifer Ramsey speak with financial services litigator and partner Lindsay Aggarwal about the realities of returning to practice after parental leave, the risks of mental health invisibility in high-performance environments, and how one person’s experience became a catalyst for institutional change.
After returning from her second parental leave, Lindsay found herself facing a reality she hadn’t experienced the first time around. What began as anxiety and overwhelm eventually led to a diagnosis of postpartum depression: a moment that forced her to step back, seek help, and rethink what support for working parents in Big Law could look like.
Instead of navigating the experience quietly, Lindsay helped lead the development of a structured parental leave coaching initiative at her law firm that was designed to support lawyers before, during, and after leave — an effort that reflects evolving expectations around leadership sustainability, talent retention, and modern career trajectories in Big Law.
You’ll hear about:
How to navigate postpartum depression while sustaining the visibility and performance demands of Big Law partnership
The inflection point that led Lindsay to translate personal experience into firm-level support
How she helped launch a structured parental leave coaching initiative within a global law firm
What the BCLP program signals about retention, leadership pipelines, and culture evolution
How peer groups and individualized support models strengthen working parent outcomes in law
How caregiving realities intersect with client relationships, business development, and differentiation
Why the traditional Big Law model may no longer fit modern working families — and what offers hope for the future
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan SeneseWhat Does It Take To Be Successful? (It’s Not What You Think)
Listen Now:
What does it take to be successful?
As stage closes out its third year in business, Megan Senese reflects on what has actually fueled growth, and it might not be what you think. In this mini episode, she shares why showing up consistently, a little bit every day, is what compounds into real business development and sustainable success.
Who this episode is for:
Lawyers building their book of business
Founders navigating early years of entrepreneurship
Professionals frustrated by not being the “strategy” or “influencer” type
Anyone questioning whether steady effort really matters
Episode takeaways:
Why discipline might be your most underrated strength
How consistency compounds over time in business development
The power of oscillating between thinking and doing
Why there is no single “best practice” for building a book of business
How steady, stubborn consistency outlasts quick wins
Business development tips from this episode:
Discipline beats flash: Long-term growth comes from consistent effort, not one viral moment
Thinking alone isn’t enough: Someone still has to do the doing
Small daily actions compound: Business development is built little by little
Consistency builds credibility: Especially when no one is watching
There is no one-size-fits-all formula: The best approach is the one you’ll actually sustain
By Jennifer Ramsey and Megan Senese