Meet stress reduction coach Stephanie Lewis of LiveWellFlow
Stephanie Lewis, Esq., NBC-HWC was the epitome of the Half Sandwich Generation — aka working caregiver — and the stress that comes with it.
For several years, she cared for her aging parents while working a demanding full-time job as a managing attorney, and commuting two hours to work each way.
“It’s amazing what we can do when we put one foot in front of the other, isn’t it?” she says in hindsight.
There came a point, though, where stress piled up enough that Stephanie had to make a choice. “As hard as it was, there was no question what it would be. I don’t like the idea of looking back on my life and having major regrets,” she says. “What really surprised me was how easy I found it to move on from my law career.”
Now 59, Stephanie left her full-time law career in 2024 and hasn’t looked back. Stephanie now works as a stress reduction coach and the founder of LiveWellFlow, providing high-responsibility people with mindfulness guidance and support for meeting stress and pressure more skillfully.
In this interview, Stephanie talks about how she helps people with job burnout recovery and mindfulness, and why she loves being her own boss.
The Midst: How have you changed since leaving your law career?
Stephanie Lewis: I used to think that being an attorney was a central part of my identity. I now see that as long as I have meaning and purpose, I am not tied to a particular path or place. I get a lot of my professional meaning and purpose from LiveWellFlow, which came out of my own inner work and desire to share what had served me so well. It’s a calling.
Often, those of us who are ambitious and passionate reach a point where we need to deal with burnout. Many of my coaching clients aren’t high-responsibility people looking to change careers — though they may want to switch jobs — or overhaul their lives. They want to meet the stress and internal pressure from their profession’s demands and personal responsibilities in a more sustainable way. In many cases, they are beginning to deal with health issues resulting from stress.
There are lots of things we cannot control in the course of a day. But we do have some control over how we manage ourselves and how we respond to what is happening within and around us. So LiveWellFlow is really about helping busy professionals work more skillfully with stress and the internal pressure that often comes along with it.
I do this through mindfulness-based support through 1:1 coaching and a seasonal cohort program Seasons of Stillness. I also offer Your Mindfulness Space, an on-demand library of guided meditations, qigong videos, breathwork, coaching audios, and resources from guest experts.
I’m also very excited about my new journal, Sanctuary in Small Moments: A Mini-Retreat Journal to Rest, Release & Replenish. The journal offers quiet pauses and moments of retreat within daily life.
Many of my friends who have full-time jobs are stressed to the max and feel like they could be laid off at any moment. In other cases, people are stressed from increased expectations at work — longer hours, higher sales demands, etc. for no extra pay. They’re not sure if they should stay or should go. What is your advice for stressed-out experienced professionals?
Yes, we are living in especially uncertain times. There are the external stressors of potential layoffs, heavy workloads, and unreasonable expectations. And then there are the internal stressors where we are on alert, wondering when the other shoe is going to drop, or on eggshells afraid we will make a mistake that might cause us to lose our job. And this is on top of the normal pressure we may be dealing with such as harsh self-talk. They may be only possibilities at the moment, but those possibilities still create stress.
The question is how do you work with this pressure so it isn’t running your day? What helps you calm your nervous system so you make decisions that are best for you and your loved ones?
One of the most effective things you could do when your nervous system is activated is to engage in a breathing exercise. This can give you space to ask yourself if you are reacting to what is happening in the moment or if you are reacting to the fear of what might happen. In this way you are better able to make decisions on how to respond from a more grounded perspective.
The extended exhale is really accessible. You can do it at any time without anyone realizing it. Simply exhale a little longer than you inhale for a few rounds. This helps to calm the nervous system.
One of the things I do in my coaching and mindfulness programs is help people interrupt the stress loop so the pressure they are under isn’t making the decisions for them.
You are the co-President of the Mindfulness in Law Society (MILS) — what services and resources does the organization provide?
MILS was founded in 2016 by prominent leaders of the mindfulness in law movement. The legal community has elevated rates of burnout, substance use, depression, and suicidal ideation compared to the general population. There has been a growing recognition that more focus on attorney well-being is vitally important. MILS advances well‑being in the legal profession through evidence‑informed mindfulness education, practice communities, and resources for lawyers, law students, law professors, judges, and other legal professionals. It holds virtual meditation sessions twice a week, monthly virtual mindfulness workshops, an annual online retreat, and a biennial in-person conference and retreat.
I am very excited about some of the new work we are doing, including offering a Faculty Circle that presents mindfulness to legal organizations on behalf of MILS, and creating a mindfulness toolkit for first-year law students.
What’s your advice to budding entrepreneurs and solopreneurs?
I love being my own boss. Being an entrepreneur is endlessly challenging, there’s always something to learn, and you have the freedom to choose what you will focus on and how you will spend your time.
Probably what has surprised me most is the level of focus and intentionality you need. If you don’t set strong boundaries for yourself, you can get pulled in so many directions that you never really move forward. There are shiny objects everywhere you turn and they can be a serious distraction.
Collaboration is so important — it’s a great way to learn from others, build your community, and not feel isolated.
And when you’re super busy, it’s worth asking yourself if what you are doing really gets you where you want to go or if it’s just busywork. This is a question you have to continue to ask yourself regardless of how much experience you have as an entrepreneur.
What’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever done?
About 15 years ago, I signed up for a century bike ride in the New Mexico mountains. I hadn’t ridden a bike since forever. I don’t even remember why I did it. I think it was a charity ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And I trained really hard.
I rode 109 miles in the Santa Fe, New Mexico mountains in about 7 hours and 45 minutes. When I crossed the finish line, my trainer was practically in tears. It reaffirmed for me that even when we meet something challenging, we have the agency to meet what is in front of us with patience and persistence, taking it one step at a time.
LiveWellFlow stress reduction offerings
Individualized mindfulness and stress reduction coaching
Seasons of Stillness: A simple weekly rhythm to help ease stress, mental chatter, and the pressure that builds through the day.
Your Mindfulness Space is a growing library of guided practices you can return to at your own pace to feel more grounded, less reactive, and steadier in your energy.
Connect with Stephanie Lewis of LiveWell Flow
Stephanie Lewis is a member of The Midst Founder network of entrepreneurial women.
