Why Most Lawyers Struggle After Parental Leave: What a ‘Mindful Return’ Looks Like (with Lori Mihalich-Levin)
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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 Senese