When the system you serve violates your values, it’s not burnout. It’s moral injury. Learn what that means and how to start healing it.

You can follow every rule and still feel like the system you serve isn’t serving you (or your clients) back. You’re not burned out. You’re heartbroken. This episode names the quiet, collective grief so many lawyers are carrying when the work they believed in no longer aligns with the system they serve.

In Part 1 of our two-part series “When the System Feels Broken,” we explore moral injury: the internal conflict that happens when your professional duties collide with your deepest values. You’ll hear real stories from immigration, government, and corporate lawyers navigating impossible systems that test their integrity every day.

You’ll learn:

• What moral injury really is and how it’s different from burnout or compassion fatigue
• How your nervous system reacts when your sense of rightness is violated
• Why good lawyers start to feel numb, cynical, or detached, and why that’s self-protection, not weakness
• The early signs that your values are out of alignment with your work
• Simple practices to begin moral repair and reconnect with your integrity

We’ll also talk about why many women lawyers feel this rupture more acutely. They came to law to serve, advocate, and uphold fairness, then found themselves asked to compromise the very principles that drew them in.

By the end of the episode, you’ll understand:

• Why naming moral injury is the first step toward healing it
• How small acts of honesty and self-acknowledgment begin the repair process
• How caring, even when it hurts, proves your moral compass still works

If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “I can’t keep doing this, but I don’t know how to stop,” this episode will help you put words to that pain and remind you that nothing’s wrong with you. You’re having a human response to an impossible system.

Want more support?

• Ready to move from heartbreak to healing? Book a free Stress Reset Call with me at heathermillscoaching.com/call. Together we’ll look at what’s weighing on you and explore the first small step toward moral repair and self-trust.
• Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn: Get weekly tips, mindset shifts, and behind-the-scenes support for your burnout recovery.

Full Show Notes, References, Episode Transcript, Plus More Resources for Women in Law:

024 When the System Feels Broken (Part 1): Moral Injury in Law
https://www.heathermillscoaching.com/blog/024-moral-injury-lawyers

025 When the System Feels Broken (Part 2): From Powerlessness to Possibility for Lawyers
(upcoming)