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Author, mother, ‘foodie’ and of course lawyer, Caralee Caldwell, joined me on the show this week and gee we had some fun!  Caralee is a divorce lawyer like me and I learned through this chat we have a lot in common- both in terms of our thoughts about the practice of family law but also when it comes to business, life and love!  As the Principal of Caldwell Family Lawyers and a mum to 3 Caralee has her hands full but it turns out she is a lawyer of many talents running a food blog ‘The Real Food Pledge’ and having authored 2 cook books in all her free time!

Caralee’s story of how she fell into law is a great one- having left school in NZ and not having ever considered university study she found herself raising two children after her divorce.  She reflects in this interview that in part it was her own experience and sense of disempowerment at that time as a result of the breakdown of her own marriage that has since inspired her career in family law.  She later found herself working in a law firm, undertaking marketing and before she knew it she was studying to become a lawyer and heh presto- now she owns and runs that same firm!!

Caralee and I talked a lot about our role as family lawyers and how we are both focused on ensuring we are delivering legal solutions for our clients in a focused way.  We both like to think a little out of the box you might say when it comes to our firms and in this interview we discuss why this is important, particulalry when working in the emotive area that is Family Law.

Like me, Caralee has a great focus on wellness in her work- not only for herself but also for her team.  This week she has invested in an inhouse program in mindfulness and support that is available firm wide and we speak about the positive impact this is having.

Caralee was authentic and candid in this interview about her own experiences with divorce and bravely shared how this has inspired her to be the kind of lawyer she is today.

Caralee Caldwell and I also spoke about:

• How if Caralee was not a lawyer she would be doing something with food- which she sort of is!
• How Caralee has authored 2 books already and is part way through her third!
• How Caralee came to find herself owning and operating her law firm after only a few years in the game!
• Caralee grew up in New Zealand and mostly on a yacht!
• How she came to be living in Australia.
• Caralee’s thoughts on business and leadership and the culture and feel of her firm.
• The process of writing books!  Why we both love them and how enjoyable writing is for both of us!
• Life on the Gold Coast!
• Her experience this past year working with Psychologist Cameron Aggs (BeMindful) and the tips and tricks she has implemented herself and in her firm as a result to improve wellness.
• Happiness in law- what that means for Caralee
• Caralee’s Happiness Tip

Sit back and enjoy this interview with Caralee Caldwell

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Learn more here about upcoming events and courses and connect with Clarissa Rayward at the ‘Happy Lawyer Happy Life’ knowledge centre-  A community for lawyers who want to make the best out of their life in and outside of the law.   

Listen to last week’s episode here