Before I become your professional best friend, we should probably get to know one another.

 

Emily Hirsekorn |

Career Leadership Coach

So, who am I really?

  • Mama of two curious, creative, comedic kids, one giant rescue pup, and one mini rescue pup.

  • Wife to my original coach, best friend, and fellow lover of life, eternal optimist, and go getter.

  • The life of the party—I love nothing more than hosting friends and family, dancing all night, connecting people left and right, and laughing the loudest. If my voice is hoarse when we speak, I was probably entertaining the night before!

  • Life-long learner, educator, and asker of a million questions.

  • Big city woman at heart who loves the convenience and coziness of the midwest suburbs.

 

Coming out of law school, my career was all that mattered. I was blaming everyone else for my problems and failed to prioritize self-care. Not only did my career suffer, so did my personal relationships, health, and confidence. When the stress became unbearable, I knew things had to change. I literally flipped my life upside down to realign with my strengths, core values, and desired lifestyle. I started investing in myself so that I could perform at my very best and feel my very best in all areas of my life and to sustain my success over time. And now I’m helping other mid-career lawyers and leaders maximize their careers and lives too.

Before law school, I earned my B.A. in Psychology and worked under Positive Psychology pioneer C.R. Snyder, exploring the correlations between different sources of social support and hope. I knew at that time I wanted nothing more than to help people achieve their goals, but I didn’t know coaching was a career option and pursued law school instead to make a “stable” living…

I worked hard, excelled in law school, then networked to secure a unicorn of a job—a nice salary in an interesting practice area with a mid-sized defense firm in dreamy San Diego, despite graduating during the Great Recession and moving into a tight-knit legal market. But soon enough I found myself working long hours, overstressed, out of alignment, and unhappy overall. Health issues worsened, and new stress-related symptoms popped up. I continued to power through to make it in the career and marriage I thought I was “supposed” to have without addressing the underlying issues of discontent, misalignment, and terribly poor energy management.

I was a talented lawyer but left the law out of fear—fear that I couldn't find work aligned with my values, practice meaningful self-care, or enjoy the personal life I so badly desired. I was also nearly fired because I was showing up irritable and ineffective when I wasn’t speaking up about work-related concerns. Then, after serving thousands of lawyers and law students in law school career development for seven years, I realized how commonplace these issues were, leading to industry-wide career confusion, untapped potential, and burnout.

In addition to empowering the right career moves, coaching supported me through an intense life transformation.

  • I found my own voice, started trusting myself, clarified my vision of success, and finally started moving towards my dreams without hesitation;

  • I started my own business that is 100% in alignment with who I am, my professional purpose, and the life I want to live;

  • I left beautiful San Diego to return to my hometown of Kansas City after serious reflection on what matters most, how my husband and I want to live, and how we want to raise our children; and

  • I left my safe and comfy 9 - 5 to go all in with my coaching practice just one year after launching, trusting fully that it would flourish, knowing intuitively that it is what I was meant to do, and mapping out my path to success year after year.

And I felt compelled to help other mid-career lawyers and leaders ready to maximize their success to make their own personal shift.

A quick note about my top virtues and how they impact the coaching work I do…

  • I bring high energy to EVERYTHING I do, and believe you me: energy is contagious!

  • I bring humor to my work because I believe we should be having fun as often as possible.

  • I bring strength and light to coaching sessions so we can tackle all of the hard stuff with grace and poise.

  • I bring extreme curiosity to push you further than you would push yourself towards your goals.

  • I teach THE gratitude practice scientifically proven to effectively increase happiness over time.

Client Success Stories

Hear more on…

Conscious Leadership | Career Clarity | Confidence | Work-Life Balance | Performance Management

"The Fulfillment Formula: A 30-Minute Guide to Assessing Your Legal Career" with Steve Seckler and the ABA

"Seven Levels of Leadership" with Jordan Ostroff of the Exhibit (A)ttorney podcast

"How To Manage A Law Practice And Still Have A Life Outside Of It" with Answering Legal's Summer Reboot

“Evaluating Your Career Goals” with Answering Legal’s Holiday Guide

"How Can Lawyers Overcome Burnout and Find Career Fulfillment?" with Gary Miles on The Free Lawyer podcast

"How to Become a Better Leader for Your Law Firm" with Answering Legal's Summer Reboot

“The Link between Personal Development & Leadership Development” with Answering Legal’s Holiday Guide

"Redesigning Your Dream Life from the Inside Out" with the Passive Income Attorney Seth Bradley

“Work-Life Balance Recommendations” with Answering Legal’s Holiday Guide

Credentials

Professional Certified Coach | ICF

Certified Professional Coach | iPEC

COR.E Leadership Dynamics Specialist | iPEC

Energy Leadership Index-Master Practitioner | iPEC

Juris Doctor | University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, cum laude
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology | University of Kansas
Positive Psychology Research (focus: hope and social support) | Professor C.R. Snyder, PhD