Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin share how their family navigated an 18-month period marked by serious mental health challenges, cancer treatment, and deep uncertainty.

Through a candid “top five” list from each host, they explore what helped them survive and recover: mindset, partnership, asking for help, systems and support, physical and emotional care, and vulnerability.

This episode is an honest, compassionate conversation about resilience, marriage, parenting, leadership, and why saying “we’re not okay” can be the most powerful step forward.

Connect with Lori at Mindful Return

https://www.mindfulreturn.com/

Connect with Jason at Ready Set Launch

https://readysetlaunch.net/

After an 18-month hiatus, Lori and Jason return to Parents at Work to share what pulled them away and what helped them survive it. In an honest, practical conversation, they unpack navigating kids’ mental health crises (and the confusing “get help” maze), what they learned about DBT therapy, medication decisions, referrals, and insurance fights. Lori also shares her early-stage breast cancer story as a public service announcement, especially for people with dense breasts and why advocacy, coordinated care, and community support matter more than ever.

Connect with Lori at Mindful Return

https://www.mindfulreturn.com/

Connect with Jason at Ready Set Launch

https://readysetlaunch.net/

14 Mental Health Options for You and Your Kids

https://www.mindfulreturn.com/mental-health/

Mentioned in this episode:

Mindful Return Course Ad

Join Lori and Jason for this special episode as they welcome the Mayor of the District of Columbia, Muriel Bowser. A public servant for many years prior to becoming a mother, Mayor Bowser offers valuable insights into balancing life as a high-profile working mom. She shares how she incorporates her daughter into her official duties, how motherhood has enhanced her negotiation skills, and more.

Lori and Jason are back with an engaging episode, featuring conversations with parents who are not only attorneys but serve as general counsel for major organizations. This week, they welcome LaTanya Langley (Chief People Officer, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Edgewell Personal Care), alongside Betsy Philpott (Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Washington Nationals). Tune in to hear how they blend their parenting roles with their demanding careers, ways to enhance support systems for working parents, and insights from their personal journeys, offering advice they wish they had known as they navigated parenthood and professional growth.

This week, Lori and Jason return with the second installment of their discussion with parents in finance. They are joined by guests Amie Patel (Partner at Elevar Equity) and Millie Schild (Managing Director, Corporate Banking at Truist Corporate and Investment Bank). In this episode, the guests delve into their experiences with varied maternity leave policies, express appreciation for backup childcare, and bond over shared feelings of mom-guilt related to their career journeys.

For more information on Aura, the digital security app mentioned in this episode, click here.

Parents At Work is back for a new season as Lori and Jason kick off a two-part conversation with parents in finance. In this episode, guests Rahul Buxani (Managing Director of FinTech and Climate Finance at KBW, a Stifel Company) and Shahed Amanullah (Managing Director at Frost Capital) highlight the evolving landscape of work-life balance within the sector, the benefits of exposing their children to the working world, as well as the skills they've gained from parenthood that have been beneficial to their careers.

Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin are excited to bring you the second in their two-part series of interviews with moms and dads in professional development!

Today, Lori and Jason are happy to welcome two wonderful moms in professional development, Aisha Greene and Stephanie Felder, to share their stories.

Aisha is the Director of Attorney Development and Training at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. She oversees firm professional development programming, including the formal assignment systems, partner and associate mentoring programs, upward and downward attorney performance evaluations, diversity programs, pro bono and corporate social responsibility initiatives, and all formal training and continuing legal education programs. Aisha lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two wonderful daughters, ages 10 and 13.

Stephanie has more than fifteen years of experience in attorney professional development at two Am Law 100 firms. In her current role at Groom Law Group, she is responsible for creating a comprehensive training and development curriculum for all attorneys at Groom and developing and overseeing the execution of strategies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Stephanie lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband Zach, her 8-year-old daughter, and her 5-year-old son.

Stay tuned to hear what Aisha and Stephanie say about their experiences as moms working in the field of professional development.

Show highlights:

1. Aisha and Stephanie share their personal working parent journeys. (4:02) (5:55)
2. How Stephanie’s legal professional development training and skills prepared her for being a mom. (8:15)
3. Aisha describes what it’s like to be a parent in professional development today. (9:26)
4. Aisha discusses the contrast between being a parent in professional development and being a parent as a legal associate. (10:23)
5. The workplace supports that were the most helpful and impactful for Stephanie when she became a working parent. (12:27)
6. Aisha talks about the magic of having informal workplace support. (16:09)
7. Stephanie gets into what she learned from her challenging first job as an infant room teacher at a daycare center. (21:10)
8. Skills Aisha gained from being a parent that have been helpful in her job. (26:20)
9. Changes in the field of professional development that are impacting parents. (28:54) (31:14)
10. Aisha discusses the importance of having working parent-caregiver groups across all industries. (35:56)
11. How Aisha and Stephanie’s approach to time management changed when they became parents. (38:22) (40:10)

Links and resources:

Aisha Greene on LinkedIn

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Stephanie Felder on LinkedIn

Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin are so excited to introduce a new set of interviews with moms and dads in professional development.

Lori and Jason are thrilled to welcome Joshua Troy and Neil Dennis to today’s podcast! Neil and Josh are both amazing dads in professional development.

Josh Troy is the Director of Talent Management at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where he engages with attorneys and staff to ensure their professional and personal success. Josh is a proud parent of two daughters, one almost six years old and the other four, who were excited to learn their dad was being interviewed!

Neil Dennis is the Director of Professional Development at Blaney McMurtry LLP, a mid-sized full-service law firm in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is responsible for the recruitment, professional development, and training of legal professionals at the firm. Before joining the firm, Neil led career development at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and held similar positions in Washington DC, including as the Assistant Dean of Career Services at the Howard University School of Law and a Director of Career Services at Georgetown Law Center. He lives in Markham, a suburb near Toronto. He is married to Kia, who has a much cooler job than him as an author of thriller mystery novels. They have two kids, Bryson, age 13, and Miles, age 10 (almost 11).

Stay tuned to hear what Neil and Josh have to share about their lives as dads working in the world of professional development!

Show highlights:

1. The challenges Josh faced when his oldest daughter was born. (5:15)
2. How Neil got into the field of professional development, and what it means to him. (8:33)
3. How Neil draws inspiration from his kids and being a dad in his career. (11:05)
4. Josh describes his path into professional development and explains what it’s like to be a parent in that field. (13:02)
5. The workplace support Josh found especially helpful when he became a working parent. (18:09)
6. Josh discusses his experience of being in Covid lock-down with his young children. (19:49)
7. Josh shares some tips about backup care from his experience. (21:37)
8. Having conversations about figuring out the best way to space out your leave after having a child. (27:50)
9. What Neil learned from his very first job. (30:49)
10. The skills Josh and Neil gained from being parents that are helpful to them in their professional development roles. (34:56) (37:53)
11. A workplace change that affected working parents. (41:44)
12. Changes in the field of professional development that could affect working parents. (43:58)
13. Neil and Josh each share their advice for working parents. (47:15) (48:53)

Links and resources:

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP