Curated: 5 Blogs and Podcasts That Help Me Be a Better Lawyer and Mediator

By Andrea Vacca

{3:56 minute to read}  As a family law attorney and a mediator who is committed to helping my clients stay out of court and resolve their issues with as little animosity as possible, I’m very interested in studying positivity, resilience, and ways to build on people’s strengths. In addition to always having a book or two going on one of these topics, I subscribe to a number of podcasts and blogs that I can rely on to provide me with new ideas, inspiration, and tools to achieve the right mindset to be the best mediator and lawyer I can be. Here are the top five that are currently in heavy rotation on my reading and play lists:

Blog: Hey Sigmund

Hey Sigmund is a psychology blog that features research-based, but easy-to-read articles that help readers “Master the art of being human.” In addition to articles that can help me to better understand myself, my clients, and other adults, I also learn a lot about the psychology of children and teens here. The site is often on point for what someone in my life is dealing with, whether it be a client, a friend, family member, or myself. Some examples of articles I found helpful include:

Blog: Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a well-known marketing expert, but the articles that he writes can often apply to life in general. If you’re open to opportunities and ready for what comes at you, you can transform how you see the world. It’s about being open to the details of every day, not only for the big events. Here are three recent articles that I appreciated:

Podcast: TED Radio Hour

I love watching TED talks, but I don’t always have 20 minutes to sit in one place and watch them. This podcast brings four TED talks from around the world to me at once by focusing on a different topic for each show. The host, Guy Raz, interviews each of the four TED speakers and provides highlights from their talks. The podcast is an hour long, but with each speaker being given about 15 minutes, it’s easy to listen to in segments. Some of my most recent favorite shows include:

Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim wrote The 4-Hour Work Week and The 4-Hour Body, both of which became New York Times Best Sellers. He interviews world-class performers in everything from sports, to entertainment, to business, probing into their lives to talk about what makes them extraordinary. Learning from other people’s strengths is powerful. In my personal life, as well as my professional life, I have found that it doesn’t help anyone to move forward if we’re only focusing on what is wrong and what isn’t working. Instead I choose to focus on what does work and build from there. This podcast keeps that same focus.

Blog: The Positivity Blog

The Positivity Blog’s tagline says it all: “Happiness and Awareness Tips that Work in Real Life.” Simple, fast information that can help me, or someone in my life, deal with whatever is happening at any given time.

I hope you’ll take some time to listen to some of these podcasts or read some of these blogs. Their creators have an intuitive gift for breaking down concepts and communicating them in an interesting and easy-to-understand way—whether you are on the couch, the treadmill, or the train, you’re sure to learn something that you can practice in life.

Which podcasts or blogs do you recommend?

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