Ep. 18 Healing Out Loud: Grief, Growth, and Getting Through It

Have you ever used work to stay busy in order to avoid your emotions? In this episode of The Legal Yogi Podcast, host Vanisha Weatherspoon opens up about the emotional curveballs life can throw—and how we cope. From a weekend trip to an unexpected breakup that turned her life upside down, Vanisha shares how she’s coping with it all, including how professionals often use work to escape emotional pain. She gets real about what’s working for her, offers practical self-care tips, and ends with powerful words of encouragement. Whether you’re grieving, overwhelmed, or just trying to keep it all together, this episode reminds you that healing takes time, discomfort is part of the process, and you’re never alone.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• (00:00) Vanisha takes a detour
• (02:19) Vanisha shares her eventful weekend
• (09:32) How Vanisha is leaning into self-care practices after a break-up out of the blue
• (16:07) Why do professionals use work as a coping mechanism? Are you guilty of that?
• (19:30) Vanisha discusses her coping strategies and practical tips for the listeners
• (28:51) Final words of encouragement

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• While using work or constant activity to avoid difficult emotions may feel productive, it can also be a way to disconnect from what's really going on inside your body and mind.
• You might not recognize your experience as grief, but working with a therapist can help uncover hidden emotions and validate that grief can show up in less obvious situations. It's normal to wonder when the pain will end, but healing is not linear. It’s a gradual process that requires patience and self-compassion.
• Learning to sit with uncomfortable emotions is essential for growth and recovery, even when it feels hard or endless. Reaching out to friends and sharing your experience helps, and reminding yourself (and others) that “we will get through it” can be a powerful source of hope.

RESOURCES:

The Legal Yogi Podcast - Website

The Legal Yogi - Instagram

Vanisha Weatherspoon - LinkedIn

Ep 2. - Five Tips for Managing Stress

ABOUT THE HOST:

Vanisha is an RYT 500 and lives in Austin, TX. She began her yoga journey in 2017 during her 1L year at Georgetown Law. The first year of law school is the hardest and is often the gateway for the bad habits that run high among legal professionals. Lawyers are at an extremely high risk of alcoholism, drug abuse and dependency, anxiety and depression, so Vanisha turned to yoga to avoid falling victim to one of the former. It was here on her mat where she found peace, which led her to want to bring this to her law school community. Vanisha became a certified instructor during the summer of her 2L year of law school and began teaching classes on Georgetown’s campus in the fall of her 3L year. Upon graduation, she obtained her 300-hour certification in 2020 and moved back to Austin, where she teaches yoga and practices law as a 5th-year associate at a law firm.