If you’re waking up already stressed, heart racing, mind spinning, feeling like you’re behind before the day begins, you are not alone. In fact, it’s more common than you think among trial lawyers.
Recently on the Trial Lawyer View podcast, I had a conversation with performance strategist Pamela DeNeuve about something we don’t talk about enough in our field: morning anxiety, mental fatigue, and the invisible pressure that high-performing attorneys carry every single day.
What Pamela shared resonated deeply, not just because I’ve seen it in others, but because I’ve lived it myself.
Here’s what we discussed, and why it matters to you if you’re building a better, healthier law practice.
The Cortisol Crisis No One Mentions
Cortisol spikes in the morning are normal. But when you’re a trial lawyer? They’re often off the charts.
Pamela described how some attorneys, like a client she called George, felt crushed before even making it to the bathroom in the morning. The culprit? Racing thoughts, what-if scenarios, and a body flooded with stress chemicals before the day even starts.
And once cortisol takes over, you’re not thinking straight, you are catastrophizing. Your brain tells your body it’s time for a war that hasn’t even started. That mental state sets the tone for your entire day.
So how do you break that cycle?
Get Ahead of Your Brain (Before It Hijacks Your Day)
Pamela’s advice is deceptively simple: don’t hit snooze and move your body immediately.
Here’s the sequence:
- Wake up before your alarm if you can.
- Get out of bed before your brain has time to spiral.
- Put on your shoes or workout clothes (she keeps hers by the bed).
- Get moving, walk, run, do Pilates, hit the gym.
Movement isn’t just exercise. It’s a chemical reset. You’re trading cortisol for endorphins.
As Pamela put it: “We can train ourselves not to worry first thing in the morning. But you have to beat the clock.”
I’ve found this to be true in my own routine. I start nearly every day with a workout, and it’s the only way I’ve found to truly clear my head before the demands of the day pull me in a hundred directions.
What About the Workload? The 4-Hour Mental Shift
This part was surprising, even controversial.
Pamela encourages trial lawyers to adopt what she calls a “Four-Hour Workday” mindset. No, not because you’ll only work four hours. But because the quality of your focus matters more than the quantity of your hours.
Here’s how she breaks it down:
- Start early, before the distractions come in.
- Avoid email and calls first thing.
- Do your deep work (writing, prep, strategy) in 90-minute blocks.
- Handle admin, calls, and meetings in the afternoon.
Why? Because fragmented attention kills productivity. If you can focus hard before lunch, you’ll get more done than most attorneys do in 10 hours of distraction.
This isn’t about working less. It’s about working better and protecting your mental energy for what matters most.
Why This Matters for the Future of Your Practice
At Peak Practice, we talk often about scaling efficiently and building sustainable firms that deliver better outcomes for clients and for you.
That doesn’t happen when you’re drained, scattered, or operating in survival mode.
Mental clarity isn’t a luxury. It’s a performance asset.
When you get ahead of stress, protect your focus, and treat your time as your most valuable resource, you don’t just feel better—you perform better.
You lead better.
And your firm grows because of it.
🎧 Listen to the full podcast conversation on Trial Lawyer View here: https://triallawyerview.com/podcast/pamela-deneuve/
🔗 Want more insights like this?
If you’re a personal injury lawyer ready to scale, streamline, and step into your role as CEO, let’s talk. Join the Peak Practice Community, and learn how synergy. can help you eliminate settlement bottlenecks, resolve complex liens, and maximize recoveries. Learn more here: https://partnerwithsynergy.com/peak-practice/
If you want to grow and scale your law firm more effectively, consider partnering with Synergy for lien resolution. Learn more at: https://partnerwithsynergy.com/liens/
