Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dominika Fasolo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dominika, so great to have you on the platform. There’s so much we want to ask you, but let’s start with the topic of self-care. Do you do anything for self-care and if so, do you think it’s had a meaningful impact on your effectiveness?
I have learned the hard way. As a burnt-out legal manager, I was pushed to the brink and had multiple wake-up calls—one of them collapsing on a bathroom floor at the office at 1 am while 8.5 months pregnant. This made me realize that pursuing a career without taking care of myself is a short-sighted strategy. It took a lot of trial and error to find the right approach. But now I have built an entire self-care system—from mini self-care daily actions and weekly self-care rituals to monthly and quarterly solo soul days. This has not only allowed me to take better care of myself physically—I lost weight, my appearance completely transformed—but also to connect with my inner self, be more self-aware, calmer, and more creative. This has had a tremendous effect on my performance, from productivity to focus. Also, having a system of intentional self-care routines helps me manage my time better and pushes me to be organized. All in all, these changes have had a massive ripple effect on my life, both professionally and personally.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am an ex-lawyer turned coach and entrepreneur. I teach busy professionals, such as lawyers, how to take back control of their time and life by building balanced SYSTEMS that allow them to excel in their careers while also having a fulfilling personal life. This stems from my core belief that it is possible to achieve success at work without sacrificing one’s personal life. However, for many busy professionals, this is easier said than done. It is not achieved through tricks and hacks; work-life balance must be intentionally designed and planned for. Through my own experience and coaching practice, I have realized that this can be achieved by building integrated work and life systems. To ensure a repeatable and high-quality experience and results for my clients, I developed a balanced productivity methodology: the LAW-LIFE METHOD. In essence, it is a three-step process that enables busy professionals to design, implement, and maintain their own balanced work-life system that promotes both their career and personal life. Based on my experience coaching dozens of lawyers worldwide, I created a free BALANCED LAWYER SYSTEM that anyone can download and try for themselves. It consists of five simple but impactful routines, optimized into one balanced system for busy high-achievers, instantly bringing about more balance and work success.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There were indeed many, but the TOP 3 were:
1- Ability to see a bigger picture – This helped me when I was in the thick of it. Having a big vision for my life and my future (whether financial or personal) helped me push through setbacks and some dark periods.
2 – Self-awareness and self-advocacy – Like many lawyers (or women in corporate in general), I struggled with a lot of imposter syndrome and never felt good enough. This made it nearly impossible to understand my needs and stand up for myself, causing not only personal issues but also affecting my professional progress into leadership.
3 – Communication – One thing is knowing your work, having confidence, and believing in yourself; another is how you convey your value. I have always been very impulsive and believed that what I say matters. What I have likewise learned the hard way is that HOW you say things impacts an equal, if not bigger, impact.
Overall, I would suggest anyone to be honest with themselves about their shortcomings or areas of improvement and then not be afraid to work on them and seek help. You can think of any issue you might have, and in seconds, you can find someone on social media who has overcome them and learn from them – even for free. This personal development is an investment in your professional development.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Me. You can have all the tools, all the mentors, guides, and support, but it’s all about what you make of it. For me personally, but also in my experience as a coach, the single most important factor in success when it comes to development and growth is one’s own mindset – clarity on what they want, commitment to it, and confidence in themselves that they are able to achieve it. These 3Cs are the CORE elements of a winning mindset, and without them, you can read the best books, listen to top podcasts, and see very little change. Sure, you can hire or meet people along the way who will help you, but these are just guides. The real work is in you – and that’s, in my opinion, the beauty of life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dominikafasolo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dominikafasolo/
Image Credits
N/A Just a side note – the first photo is the photo of me, at my lowest point, when I had no self-care systems 5y ago. The following photos are my current photos including practices that are part of my system – workout, meditation, cold exposure.
