From Corporate Lawyer to Life Coach: Tal Fagin’s Journey to Helping High Achievers Thrive

She was a corporate lawyer who always wondered if she wouldn’t have been better suited for psychology, “Once I went down the path to become a lawyer it was too late to turn back.” For 5 years Tal Fagin worked at Skadden Arps and then moved to the Queen’s DA’s office. Tal found herself far more interested in helping the witnesses and victims on a deeper level.

“Remember,” her boss often said, “You’re the prosecutor, not the social worker.” Ultimately, she left her position to stay home with her first child and her career was put on hold. In short order, Tal had two more children, and rather than returning to law, she focused on her children and a variety of other projects that felt like “work.” From writing (personal essays, novel, screenplay) to developing a dating app to legal pro bono work and other volunteering, Tal was always dabbling in something and staying busy. After deciding that her third child would be her last, she came to an inflection point. Also,  in 2013, Tal and her husband moved their growing family full-time to Washington, CT. 

Now what? With all three children in school, Tal was itching to get back to something, but what? “My friend thought I was life coaching anyway, so why not get paid to do it. I did some research.” This led her to a yearlong course by Martha Beck. “I loved it immediately.” 

Tal is a natural gatherer and connector. Putting together group workshops and coaching classes came naturally to her. Her theory is that we all, “Dance with the demons of life choices and as women we self-criticize a lot, and a lot more than men.” She realized that what was troubling her was troubling her clients as well. 

Growing up in the 1980s, Tal believed she could do and be anything. “With their shoulder pads and high heels, Tal believes that generation of women was taught to, “Never let them see you sweat.” Now it’s all about taking care of ourselves. But we need the tools to make that mind shift. That is what Tal’s book is all about. Her working title was, Let Your Life Shine, but it was her husband who got to the real gist of the book. Sometimes I Think I Suck. And it’s true. Tal speaks to the “badass high achievers” and other ambitious professionals who silently struggle with the feeling that they are never doing enough, accomplishing enough, or achieving enough.

Tal says, “The tools I talk about in my book literally changed my life and can change others’ lives too.” She says, we feel we can do everything ourselves and don’t ask for help. Some of us feel that if we ask for help, it diminishes our accomplishments. Through her coaching one on one and in groups, Tal offers support as her clients navigate the challenges of work, family and life. “I love what I’m doing.”

VentureMom Tip

If you always have the feeling that there is something else you want to do, pursue it.