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The Green Light Method: Mastering Your Mind & Legal Practice

In this high-impact CLE session, high-performance coach and former trial lawyer Jess Sargus teaches attorneys how to operate at their best — especially under pressure — by applying neuroscience, sports psychology, and ethical competence principles to legal practice. Drawing on The Green Light Method™, Jess breaks down the science of sustained focus, resilience, and decision-making and offers actionable tools to reduce burnout, elevate clarity, and perform with energy and integrity in the courtroom and beyond.

Topics Covered:

The neuroscience of agency, focus, and performance under pressure
How grit and stress inoculation build resilience in high-stakes practice
Energy management vs. time management: why rest is a professional tool
The MVP framework (Mission, Vision, Principles) and identity-based motivation
Ethical responsibilities under CA Rule 1.1 (and its ABA Model Rule correlate) to maintain performance capacity
Tactical tools to regulate your nervous system and lead with clarity

Duration of this webinar: 60 minutes

Originally broadcast: August 27, 2025 10:00 AM PT

Webinar Highlights

This webinar is divided into section summaries, which you can scan for key points and then dive into the sections that interest you the most.

00:00 Introduction

Jess Sargus, the speaker, is introduced as a high-performance coach and author, focusing on helping professionals lead their lives with strategic action. Jess emphasizes the importance of mastering mindset and energy to build a fulfilling legal career. She draws parallels between elite athletes and lawyers, advocating for smarter training rather than harder work. Jess introduces the concept of a growth mindset, as defined by Carol Dweck, as a belief in the ability to improve skills through effort and learning.

05:30 The Elite Athlete Mindset

Jess explains the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, emphasizing the importance of believing in the ability to improve. She highlights action orientation as a key trait of elite athletes, who act decisively even without complete information. Present moment focus is crucial for high-stakes endeavors, allowing individuals to concentrate on immediate actions rather than past or future concerns. Jess stresses the importance of process over outcome, encouraging enjoyment in the journey of improvement rather than just focusing on winning. Mission alignment, or MVP (mission, vision, principles), is essential for maintaining motivation and aligning daily actions with long-term goals. These elements form the foundation of the elite athlete mindset, which Jess calls the fierce agency foundations.

11:03 The Green Light Method

Jess shares a personal story from a mixed martial arts fight to illustrate the application of the green light method. The green light mindset involves consciously deciding to reclaim autonomy and focus on acting in the present moment. She explains the neuroscience behind the method, highlighting the benefits of an internal locus of control. Intentional action, even small steps, engages the brain's reward system, building momentum and motivation. Jess introduces the concept of a metacognitive starting ritual, like the green light phrase. The green light method helps shift from reactivity to intentionality, enabling better decision-making under pressure.

20:00 Building Resilience and Managing Burnout

Jess explains that grit, as defined by Angela Duckworth, is crucial for enduring challenges and is built through controlled stress exposure. Jess emphasizes the need for periodized stress, with cycles of stress and recovery, to prevent burnout and maintain high performance. She warns against the 'always-on' mentality, which leads to cognitive overload and burnout, advocating for oscillation between work and rest. Burnout manifests in physical and emotional symptoms, affecting performance and competence. Jess encourages recognizing burnout as a system failure, not a personal weakness, and stresses the importance of self-care and recovery.

36:30 Energy Management and Authenticity

Jess highlights the significance of energy management over time management for sustainable high performance. She shares a personal story to illustrate the importance of following recovery protocols to prevent burnout. Energy management involves balancing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual domains, with intentional recovery periods. Jess explains the concept of ultradian rhythms, advocating for breaks after periods of focused work to align with natural cycles. Authenticity and recognizing 'glimmers'—moments of joy—are additional methods to sustain energy and motivation. She introduces the legal athlete optimal performance model, incorporating various frameworks for energy optimization.

51:00 Purpose and Process Orientation

Jess emphasizes the power of purpose and process orientation in maintaining motivation and performance. She explains that a strong sense of purpose helps individuals persevere through setbacks and enhances emotional recovery. Purpose-driven individuals experience neurochemical benefits, such as increased dopamine and oxytocin, which support motivation and social bonding. Jess advocates for focusing on the process rather than perfection, finding joy in the journey. She shares research showing that progress, even small, is a significant motivator and enhances engagement and problem-solving.

01:02:53 Practical Tools

Jess introduces practical tools for maintaining focus and performance, including the three-step reset method. The method involves checking internal signal lights, using a physiological sigh to reset, and identifying the next important step. She emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset, action orientation, and present moment focus for achieving goals. Jess encourages aligning daily actions with long-term missions and principles to maintain motivation and progress. She shares a personal story about the power of viewing each day as a fresh start.

Please note this AI-generated summary provides a general overview of the webinar but may not capture all details, nuances, or the exact words of the speaker. For complete accuracy, please refer to the original webinar recording.

Speaker

Jess Sargus CEO and Founder
The Legal Athlete

Jess Sargus is a powerhouse keynote speaker, workshop leader, and high-performance coach who helps professionals stop waiting for permission and start leading their lives through bold, strategic action. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Fierce Agency™, and the founder of The Legal Athlete, a company dedicated to helping lawyers and high achievers close the gap between their potential and their performance, and live in alignment with their boldest goals. Read More ›

Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Credits

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California CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Wellness Competence

Earn Credit Until: June 30, 2026

North Carolina CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Professional Well-Being

Earn Credit Until: February 28, 2026

Texas CLE

Status: Approved

Credits: 1.00 Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Earn Credit Until: July 31, 2026

This presentation is approved for one hour of Wellness Competence CLE credit in California, and one hour of Professional Well-Being CLE credit in North Carolina. This course has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of Texas Committee on MCLE in the amount of 1.00 credit hours, of which 1.00 credit hours will apply to Legal Ethics/Professional Responsibility credit.

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