I’ve been listening obsessively to the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan. (If you are not familiar with the books, this blog post may not speak to you as much as it could, but read on…)

Although I was a fully grown adult when the books came out, I eagerly awaited the arrival of each new to me and could barely put it down. I vividly remember reading my hardcover Book 5 while on a Cape Cod beach…“This book is very dark,” I said from under the shade of the umbrella.

The podcast goes deep into why so many of us seek connection, meaning, and comfort in rereading the books.

In the podcast, they go through the books, chapter by chapter, reading each through the focus of a particular theme. Some include: friendship, betrayal, and goals.

In the discussion of “goals”, one of the podcasters described how in Book 1, Harry’s courage emboldened Neville to stand up to Draco, and that “courage is contagious”.

This is something I’ve heard the author Elizabeth Gilbert say, (you can read more here about other take-aways I share from Ms. Gilbert).

I work with women lawyers who are interested in leaving big law. They spend so much energy focused on work, not making mistakes, billing those hours, that it’s hard to find the time and bandwidth to look out for inspiration.

If this resonates, I invite you to find encouragement from the pluck you see in others…

It may be Elizabeth Warren not backing down, another associate leaving, or remembering one of the times you’ve been courageous.

Or, perhaps like me, you occasionally pick up Book 7 to be thrilled, yet again, when Neville slays Nagini.

Whatever inspires you…remember courage is contagious. May we all catch it.