Like many lawyers, I am a planner. But sometimes things do not go to plan, and that is a good thing.
My plan (version 1) was to complete the journey from state school education to City law firm partner. This was always the ultimate goal and what I thought ‘success’ would look like. But things changed after having my first child in 2011. In part, this was driven by my personality. I wanted to immerse myself in those early years, attend the NCT coffee mornings/baby music classes, and pour as much love as possible into this tiny, beautiful human I had created. But the change was also driven by law firm expectations of what being a ‘star’ senior associate looked like. After becoming a mum, I was no less clever and I was no less driven. But it became clear very quickly that my shine had faded. Working part-time was not straightforward and I felt like a failure on all fronts. I needed to deviate from the plan.
Time for plan 2. I moved firms and roles, becoming a knowledge lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills. My involvement in the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA) was instrumental in this. I sought advice, guidance and referrals from the network of professional relationships I had built during my time as president and then committee member for the junior LSLA. At my new firm, I rebuilt my confidence and used my love of the law to become a sector expert. I was given the opportunity and support to shine again, thanks to a team of wonderful colleagues. And I was lucky enough to have my second child.
I had achieved everything in version 2 of my plan, but contrary to everything I believed to be true, I was not happy. I was operating at maximum capacity, on very little sleep, filling every moment of every day with work (of the paid or unpaid variety). Then came Covid and home-schooling, and later unexpected additional family challenges.
While executing plan 2, I started a secondary project: get back to fitness (GBTF). I looked at my ridiculous schedule, considered how I could carve out time for exercise, and committed. As project GBTF progressed, I gradually found ‘me’ again – not just mum, wife, employee – but who I am as an individual, as well as being all of these other things. Somewhere along the way, GBTF became so much more than a secondary project.
Time for plan 3. It was never part of the original plan to become a hybrid athlete. Even calling myself an ‘athlete’ makes me cringe a little, but my incredible training partner and fantastic coach have made me accept and believe that this is true. And after winning our age group at the HYROX London 2024 female doubles competition, I now have tangible proof. HYROX is a fitness race combining running and functional workout stations, with competitions all over the world following the same format. Our next competition is the European Championships in Vienna.
Executing plans 2 and 3 in tandem can be challenging, but they are helping me to achieve a better balance of personal and professional fulfilment. In preparation for our competition, I carried out an exercise recommended by a sports psychologist to understand my ‘why’. On this occasion, it was: ‘Why do I do fitness races?’ But the psychology applies equally to other big occasions, inside and outside of sport. I do fitness races as an outlet to escape some of my real-life responsibilities, in an environment where there is a closer correlation between effort and reward. I enjoy being successful at something which is just for me. Most importantly, as with many things in life, it is about the people. I do these competitions with a training partner, who is also a hard-working mum, prepared to get up very early and run to the gym in the rain and cold to train with me. Our journey proves the power of putting in the effort day after day, trusting the process, and finding the mental resilience to deliver in the big moments. It is a testament to the power of finding your cheerleaders in life, trusting them when you doubt yourself, and getting comfortable with the vulnerability of feeling proud of your achievements.
I do not think any of this would have happened if version 1 of the plan had worked out. I will forever be grateful for that.
Ceri Morgan is a professional support consultant at Herbert Smith Freehills and committee member of the LSLA
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