The terms “self-care” and “wellness” have become such buzzwords in recent years that they’ve almost lost some of their intended meaning. In advertisements, social media influencing, and pop culture, they have become more about ‘treating yourself’ than setting goals, drinking enough water, and getting enough sleep. Still, in the pandemic world we are living and working in, these things are arguably more important than ever. When you consider your work-wellness, your first thought may not be of your staff, but they should be on your list somewhere. An assistant, after all, can have the power to overcome great challenges for you or create them with just a few clicks of their mouse. It makes sense (from both a business and humanitarian standpoint) to be an advocate for your staff’s wellness, in addition to yours. How do you know what they need? Ask them! Many of us are helpers by nature, though, and it’s not always easy to ask for help ourselves. So I’ll let you in on some ‘secrets’ that have helped me over the past fifteen years.
Promote physical activity. Offer to cover a part of the cost of their gym membership (or streaming service). Most of these are not very expensive, but given the added motivation and accountability, they may be more likely to actually use it! Walk with them to pick up lunch or a mid-afternoon treat. Everyone wins here!
Recognize weaknesses and engage their strengths as individuals. Assign things they’re naturally not good at or don’t like to other staff who may revel in it. Personally, I hate making phone calls, but one of my coworkers loves to talk to people. This is an easy and effective adjustment to make. Encourage them to carve out their own job description. Do they have a particular interest in an area of practice you may not do a lot of business in? Have them take a CLE. Are they good at social media interaction? Maybe they can help you with marketing. Are they great at making the office a fun place to work? Appoint them to the chair of the office fun committee. Do they enjoy writing? Have them draft an article for the Paraclete!
Establish comfortable boundaries (for both sides). When is it ok for you to contact your staff (or vice versa) outside business hours or their normal working hours? Dedicated unplugged time is necessary for everyone to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Encourage using vacation time. Don’t roll over vacation time from year to year, your staff likely won’t use it. (I may get in trouble for this suggestion, but I know I’m guilty of not taking all my vacation time). While your staff is on vacation, have someone cover their duties so they don’t come back to a full mailbox and unnecessary stress.
Provide healthy meals and or snacks in the office. Instead of bringing in doughnuts, get some fresh seasonal fruit to share in the office. Provide some healthy snacking options (nuts, dried fruit, etc.), instead of stocking junk food in the kitchen. If you can provide filtered or bottled water service, I find it helps me drink more water and less leftover coffee from the morning. Of course, every office has a different working environment and must find what works for them as a team. Making office wellness a priority at the staff and attorney level will benefit everyone’s work-life balance.
Erin Schoos has been a Paralegal (to Shannon Zetrouer) since 2005. She is a seventh-generation native of Florida, mom to daughter, Nola, and wife to Rob. When she’s not in the office, you can find her baking, practicing yoga, or spending time at the beach with her family.
Happy wellness issue SPBA members! As you are reading this, we are in the midst of both my favorite time of year in Florida and my favorite issue of the Paraclete. The two coincide nicely as outdoor time is at the top of my wellness list. The more time I have outside, in the lovely weather, the happier and healthier I feel. I hope you all enjoy the outdoor opportunities our beautiful part of the world has to offer this time of year, as well as this issue. In the spirit of both wellness and days with an average high of 72 degrees, I will offer you some of my thoughts on a few new-to-me and wonderful outdoor experiences here in St. Pete. As a parent, I have found that my kids and I (my husband is pretty much happy no matter what, so he’s excluded from this statement) are happier when our Saturdays and Sundays have as much time outdoors as possible, preferably in the morning and at sunset. A few issues of the Paraclete ago, I offered various challenges to our readers and I have engaged in several myself. One of those challenges I’m partaking in is trying to visit all of the parks in St. Pete. So, pursuant to that challenge, I have recently visited Maximo Park and Abercrombie Park, and I will offer you some insight into those parks, which are certainly worth a visit. Additionally, my family has taken to biking the Pinellas Trail more, and I’ll share my experience biking from Demens Landing in downtown St. Pete to downtown Gulfport. Spoiler alert: it’s great and it only takes 45 minutes! Maximo Park is a 70-acre oceanside park on the south side of St. Pete, located where Boca Ciega Bay joins Tampa Bay. The park has a covered playground, beach, boat ramps, an Indian midden site, a two-story wooden lookout, frisbee golf, bike trails, covered picnic shelters, and large grassy areas that are perfect for running the energy out of children or dogs. There are great views of the sunset and clean restrooms available as well. Some of the picnic shelters have grills that can be used and there is also ample area for putting down a picnic blanket or hanging a hammock between trees. My kids loved hanging out near the two-story lookout (see photo), trying out frisbee golf, and picnicking under the trees. Other people at the park were enjoying playing fetch with their dogs, using the playground (this was a little too crowded for our comfort level), and getting out on the water from the boat ramps. The beach area would be a great place to push off on a paddleboard or kayak, and some people were taking advantage of that as well. Overall, I highly recommend taking a trip to this park, which is the largest of St. Pete’s four archaeological sites. I suggest going around 4:00 P.M., bringing something to grill (don’t forget the charcoal!) or eat, and staying through sunset. Maximo Park is exit 16, which is the last exit before you go over the skyway. Enjoy! Abercrombie Park is in an area of St. Pete known as “Jungle Terrace.” Abercrombie Park is a waterfront park that offers one of my favorite opportunities—a beautiful sunset view. Abercrombie Park has lots of trees, a lovely waterfront area, boardwalks, picnic tables, and another historic Indian midden. Our kids easily spent 2.5 hours enjoying this park after having a morning snack at a picnic table looking out over the water. We saw birds, squirrels, a raccoon, and dolphins during our morning at the park. There’s a very small beach area with mangroves and several great areas for sitting down to enjoy a snack, drink, or just taking a moment to relax. Abercrombie Park, like most of St. Pete’s parks, is open 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset. Abercrombie is at the intersection of Park St. and 38th Ave. N. on the water. It’s definitely worth a visit. If you like to bike, I highly suggest you head out on the Pinellas Trail. Specifically, try biking from downtown St. Pete to downtown Gulfport. It’s a perfect ride and there are plenty of opportunities to incorporate a bite to eat or even a stop at a brewery into your trip. We parked at Demens Landing downtown St. Pete. There was parking for two or three hours. I recommend parking in one of the three-hour spots if you want to have time to bike to Gulfport, grab a bite to eat, and bike back at a leisurely pace. A leisurely pace is necessary for me when I’m towing a child, which is most of the time. Demens Landing is another waterfront park with picnic areas, great views of the pier, sunrise or moonrise, boat ramps, and restrooms. Once you park at Demens, you can bike right across the street and hop on the Pinellas Trail. As you bike through downtown, it’s not immediately obvious you are on the trail, but if you’re on a bike path heading straight across the street from Demens, you’re heading in the right direction! It will take you down First Avenue South. Right around Tropicana Field, the trail will curve south and it will be more obvious you are on the actual trail. You will pass the old train station, many murals and have a nice mix of shade and sun. There is one overpass that will make you use a little extra energy heading up and enjoy the ride down on the other side. You will pass many playgrounds, which may be useful if you have young children. If you are following my advice and heading to Gulfport, watch for the left turn after you pass 49th St. There will be an arch with a sign welcoming you to turn left, leave the trail, and head to Gulfport’s waterfront district. Once you turn left, just keep heading straight until you cross 22nd Ave. South. At that point, you can bike through the park with art exhibits and it will take you straight into the waterfront district. This area of Gulfport has great restaurants, coffee shops, festivals, a beach, parks, etc. There are plenty of great opportunities to spend a whole day. If you want to stay for a whole day, just remember to park your car somewhere where you aren’t limited to three hours. I hope you enjoy some of these new finds for me and find new ways to embrace wellness in 2021. We are spoiled with Florida winters. I encourage you to revel in it and get outside while other people in the world are shivering and wishing they had 360 days a year of sunshine! Yours in wellness, Shannon
Shannon L. Zetrouer is a partner of ZP Legal, PLLC. After obtaining her law degree and M.B.A. from Stetson University in 2005, Ms. Zetrouer focuses her practice on real estate and consumer protection matters. Her passion for law is only superseded by her love for her children, Ariana Sol and Austen Lee, and her husband, Trevor. As a Florida native, she takes full advantage of 360 days of sunshine by boating, enjoying live music, and exploring her hometown, St. Petersburg.
Welcome to the diversity issue! As we celebrate diversity and acknowledge the importance of promoting diversity in our profession and community, it is prudent to acknowledge our own diversity (or lack thereof as in my case of a Caucasian, non-Hispanic, straight female) and bias. As part of my preparation for writing this letter, I conducted research and took several Implicit Association Tests (IATs) from Harvard’s Project Implicit. You can take your own test(s) at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html
The online tests for Project Implicit measure “attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about.”1
I recommend taking the time to take two to three tests. Each test takes approximately 10 minutes or less. It’s an interesting and worthwhile experiment. When I started my first test, I questioned how it could predict any sort of bias, but by the time I completed that first test, I was impressed with how clever it was. The results surprised me. One test I took advised me that I have a strong automatic association for male with science and female with liberal arts. This was initially astonishing to me, as a woman who excelled in math. However, as I thought back to my time participating in math competitions, I recalled that I was typically vying against male opponents. Perhaps that led to an association.
My research also took me to the Kirwan Institute, which promotes “creating a just and inclusive society where all have the opportunity to succeed.” I participated in some of their implicit bias online training modules and was advised that I may have:
I found the “male privilege” to be interesting since I am female, have always been female and, also identify as female. Regardless, I am aware that I have been a recipient of privileges that not all receive. I appreciate that, but probably not enough. According to the Kirwan Institute:
The Kirwan Institute goes on to say that there has been extensive research which has identified the “effects of implicit racial biases in a variety of realms ranging from classrooms to courtrooms to hospitals.”3 [1] Two specific examples cited by the Kirwan Institute include:
So, what do we do with this information as attorneys, judges, or other members of The Florida Bar?
Once we identify our implicit biases, we can then assess the appropriate counterbalance. If our implicit bias is counter-intuitive to our intelligent and rational view of the world, perhaps instead of just acknowledging it, we should fight against it and actually attempt to make decisions that promote the opposite of what our implicit bias would have us decide. As an example, tying back into my personal bias: perhaps I should encourage my daughter to explore science and my son to explore liberal arts.
Ultimately, what we do with the information is up to us. However, identifying our own implicit biases can help us right a potential wrong before it occurs. Knowledge is powerful and knowing the little tricks our minds are playing with us allows us to make more informed decisions in all areas of our lives.
Happy New Year! May 2021 bring you joy and the opportunity to grow as attorneys and humans.
Originally Appeared In The St. Petersburg Bar Paraclete Magazine
Shannon L. Zetrouer, Esq.
The 2020 school year began like no other in the last 100 years. It is an understatement to say that the options for school this year were riddled with tough decisions. Unless you have already been homeschooling or have been waiting for a sign from the universe that you should begin homeschooling (if you have been waiting for such a sign – it’s here!), then you probably suffered from the same anxiety I was consumed by. Questions regarding safety, continuity, quality of education, peer-time, parental-sanity, and workload inundated my waking hours.
Parenting during the pandemic has been a struggle and a learning experience with beautiful moments mixed in. Now that the pandemic continues and we have no immediate plans of returning to a “normal world,” those of us with children recently faced the difficult decision of what to do for school. Now that the school year has begun and we are all making the best of whatever option we chose, I am offering a few tips from my summer and inviting you to participate in the Paraclete Parent Pandemic Challenge (“Challenge”).
No matter your child’s age, your political party affiliation, or your current work schedule – you are going to face or are currently
facing challenges due to the pandemic. We can let our lives be dictated by the pandemic or we can consider this an opportunity and seize it! When the stock market or housing market crashes, it is a burden. However, it is also an opportunity. So is this pandemic. So, the Challenge is to seize this as an opportunity and take advantage of it. How can you make the most of this situation? Are you able to travel more since everyone in your house is currently remote? Are you cooking more since you won’t go to restaurants? Are you at home more with your children and able to find time for gardening? There is something happening right now in your household that is unusual because of the pandemic. How can you take advantage of this and make it an opportunity? When you look back on 2020, instead of just marveling at the inconvenience of COVID, wouldn’t it be great if you could say that was the year you and your family: ran your first 5k together, created amazing camping memories, finally cooked recipes from that cookbook you bought years ago and haven’t had time to try or learned a new language/dance/game/sport that you love?
My house will be entirely remote for the remainder of 2020. My husband and I are both primarily working from home and our two kids will be attending virtual school with our nanny and our close friends’ children. So, my challenge for myself is to take advantage of being remote and go on an epic foliage road trip in the fall. We’re bringing our nanny since we will all be working or doing virtual school. Is there a travel challenge that would make your fall amazing? If you are worried about traveling during the pandemic, you are not alone. Here are some tips that got us through our summer trip:
More ideas for enduring the pandemic with children:
What will you do for the Challenge? How about a State Park Challenge? A County Park Challenge? You could do a paddleboard Challenge and explore Weedon Island, Ft. DeSoto, Clam Bayou, Northshore Park, Coffee Pot Bayou, and Demen’s Landing. You could do a family memory Challenge and create time capsules with your kids or put together family photo albums or videos. Get technologically hip and create a TikTok with your kids. Invest in a great canopy, umbrella, or tent, do a beach challenge and visit the local beaches as if you were a local. Visit the incredible Florida springs with a “Visit the Top 5 Springs in Florida Challenge”. You get the idea. Whatever you challenge yourself with – keep the Paraclete posted! We’d love to hear about it and see the pictures.
Shannon L. Zetrouer is the managing partner of ZP Legal, PLLC which focuses on real estate matters. Her passion for law is only superseded by her love for her children, Ariana Sol and Austen Lee, and her husband, Trevor.
Do you sometimes feel that your soul is slowly withering away, despite the great life you have built for yourself? Has life lost some of its thrill leaving you depleted of energy? While we’re all stuck working and living in an uncertain environment, this may be a good time for self reflection.
According to Gay Hendricks, author of The Big Leap, “liberating and expressing your natural genius is your ultimate path to success and life satisfaction.” In order to reach a higher level of life satisfaction, you must spend more of your life operating in your “zone of genius.” Mr. Hendricks breaks down four different zones, but I’d wager that anyone reading this article is operating out of their zone of competence or zone of excellence. What really hit home to me was reading about how the zone of excellence is a seductive trap that keeps you away from your zone of genius.
According to Mr. Hendricks, although the zone of excellence may seem appealing, “a deep sacred part of you will wither and die if you stay” here in your zone of excellence and don’t strive to release your inner genius. This resonated with me. I was clearly in need of a movement into…
I have two kids under the age of six and I’ve often wished I had half of their energy. Do you remember being so energized by love or life that you couldn’t sleep or were counting down the minutes to something (other than just the end of the workday)? I do, but barely. Finding your passion in your professional life is infinitely better for your energy level than all the coffee at Starbucks.
So, how do you find your way to the zone of genius? It’s feasible and you can start right now, but it will be a lifelong journey to stay there as we will always be tempted by the easier, more reliable areas in the zones of competence and excellence. Liberating your natural genius is not for the faint of heart. Warning: such liberation may lead to moments of discomfort or fear.
What in your law practice do you genuinely enjoy doing? What do you excel at? Where do those two lists overlap? The overlap is your zone of genius. When you are operating in your zone of genius, it doesn’t feel like work. You love what you are doing, and you are phenomenal at it. When you are working in your zone of genius, your energy is high, and the work is giving you energy instead of draining it. You are doing what you are innately situated to do.
Wellness is something we all want or at least give lip service to. However, most attorneys struggle to make time for it. I sympathize! As the managing partner of my law firm and mother of two kids who are under the age of six, time management is a daily struggle.
A difficult lesson that many of us don’t learn until faced with illness or an unexpected life change, is that taking the time for wellness is so important that it affects every other aspect of our life. Taking time for yourself, even if that means one less .2 for a client, is worthwhile. When you do take time for yourself, you will likely find that you are better suited for providing excellent care to your clients, loved ones and other people in your life.
I encourage you to find time for wellness. In order to facilitate this goal, I’m providing you with great wellness options that can be completed in whatever time you have on any given day. This article is broken down into segments of wellness in billable hours format: .1; .2; .5; and 1.0+. I implore and challenge you to make time for at least: a .1 or .2 for wellness every day and a .5 or 1.0 for wellness every week. Everything on this list is something I have personally tried and can strongly recommend. Feel free to e-mail me for more information or share your success! I’ll gladly spare you a .1 and respond.
.1s for wellness:
.2s for wellness:
.5s for wellness:
1.0 + for wellness:
Remember: you are your own “golden goose.” If you don’t take care of yourself, it will cost you. Take some time for yourself today and every day. You deserve the same TLC that your clients and loved ones do. I wish you the best on your wellness journey!
Shannon L. Zetrouer is the managing partner of ZP Legal, PLLC. After obtaining her law degree and M.B.A. from Stetson University with honors in 2005, Ms. Zetrouer focuses her practice on real estate, litigation and government relation matters. Her passion for law is only superseded by her love for her children, Ariana Sol and Austen Lee and her husband, Trevor. As a Florida native, she takes full advantage of 360 days of sunshine by biking, boating, paddle boarding, enjoying live music and exploring her hometown, St. Petersburg.
It’s Not Easy Being Green!
New Year, New You! Did you make a resolution to be healthier in 2019 and are you having trouble putting that into practice? Have you considered a plant-based diet, or are you just trying to eat more veggies like your mom always told you? Fortunately, for those living and working near downtown St. Pete, the options for eating plant-based foods are readily available, no matter what your motivation is.
For those interested in a plant-based diet, there are many benefits to consider. A recent article published in the medical journal The Lancet, written by 37 scientists from 16 countries, reported that for the good of both human and planetary health, we shouldn’t be eating more than an average of half an ounce of red meat per day. This means most Americans are eating far too much red meat than is healthy for our bodies AND our planet. A plant-based diet (whether it’s one day a week or every day) is not only good for your health, it’s good for the environment and the animals you are not consuming also appreciate it!
Some of my favorite local vegetarian-friendly options in downtown St. Pete are:
Love Food Central
Specializing in vegan and gluten free comfort food, if you haven’t stopped in this little gem, you’re missing out. The pulled BBQ sandwich made with jackfruit and the buffalo tempeh sandwich are hearty and tasty enough to satisfy your most hard-core carnivorous friends. Make sure you check the specials of the day- the soups and desserts are delicious!
Rawk Star Café
At Rawk Star Cafe, all the ingredients to their smoothies, coffees, food and desserts are 100% organic/wild-crafted and guaranteed GMO-free, as well as corn free, dairy free, soy free and gluten free. Try the Raw-getti or Raw Burger platter if you’re looking for something familiar.
La V
You don’t have to go to an all-vegetarian restaurant to find good vegetarian food. La V has a number of plant-based menu items to choose from, and they’re not just salads! The tofu noodle soup, “pho”, has a delicious vegetable broth and is served with tons of fresh vegetables and herbs. La V is always my first stop, in pursuit of this pho, whenever I think I’m coming down with whatever virus my toddlers currently have. The fresh tofu rolls also make a great appetizer or light entree.
Looking for something sweet? No problem. Some wonderful plant-based dessert options can be found at:
Plant + Love Ice Cream
Newly opened on Central Avenue, Plant + Love Ice Cream crafts all vegan, 100% plant-based ice cream, shakes, floats, and ice cream sandwiches. From classic vanilla and chocolate to Salted Caramel Pecan Praline and Chocolate P.B. Banana, they carry flavors to cure almost any craving!
Valhalla Bakery
Bakery Also on Central, and currently still soft-opened, Valhalla Bakery makes desserts that are egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly. Does this make cake health food? Probably not, but you can feel a little less guilty scarfing down a cupcake, cookie, or cinnamon bun if it’s vegan, right?
Beans & Barlour
Next door to St. Pete Brewing Company, another great stop in downtown St. Pete that isn’t all-vegan, but offers some great vegan options is Beans & Barlour. This cozy cafe serves up house-made ice cream and cocktails. The most popular vegan item on the menu is the avocado margarita made with real avocados, sweetened with organic agave, boozed up with tequila, and flavored with lime and melon, served in a hibiscus salt rim glass. They also serve coffee and are located across the street from the courthouse.
Shannon L. Zetrouer is the managing partner of ZP Legal. After obtaining her law degree from Stetson University in 2005, Ms. Zetrouer has primarily focused on legal issues relating to real estate and timeshares. Her passion for law is only superseded by her love for her children Ariana and Austen and her husband, Trevor. As a Florida native, she takes full advantage of 360 days of sunshine by boating and spending time outdoors. She also enjoys traveling the world with her small family.
In the spirit of wellness for not just myself, but others in the community, I found myself looking for a local, reputable, charitable organization to support. A friend referred me to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic. As I began learning more about the organization, I grew more impressed by the wide breadth of services they offer to those who find themselves in need of help.
With the highest rating given by Charity Navigator, an independent charity rating organization, the four-star rated St. Petersburg Free Clinic (“the Clinic”) spends 92% of its funds directly on the programs and services they provide. Since 1970, the Clinic has been serving the community in Pinellas County through their three tiers of programs: Food, Shelter, and Health Care.
Food & Toiletries: The clinic runs a Food Bank and We Help Services, which provide emergency assistance to people and families in need of food, financial help, personal hygiene items, bus passes, bikes, and other services they may need. The Clinic will provide three days’ worth of food to those in need.
Shelter: The clinic has three separate shelters. One for single men (The Beacon House), one for women, and one for families who are homeless. Each program is different and sculpted to the needs of those they service.
Health Care: The clinic also has a Free Clinic Health Center, which provides primary care services for adults without access to health services, and a Free Clinic Dental Program, which provides dental services for uninsured adults. This health care program has been life saving for those in need of medicine, such as diabetics who cannot afford the expensive insulin and other medications they need.
Part of the St. Pete Free Clinic's mission is to be a "caring organization helping to meet basic, unserved human needs through resources, volunteers, and advocacy." They provide temporary assistance for families and individuals in need of the basics of food, shelter, health care, limited financial assistance, and referral information.
A few weeks ago I decided to visit the St. Petersburg Free Clinic to see firsthand how they were accomplishing this lofty mission, and I was thoroughly impressed. I was so inspired by the work they are doing, that I decided to collect food for their food pantry. While this amazing organization often works with the most vulnerable in our community, it is important to them to recognize the importance of each "clients" dignity. To eliminate food waste, and to provide an even more dignified experience to their clients, the organization has started laying the groundwork to start a "Client Choice Food Pantry" that will allow clients to search for the food they want (like I do in the grocery store), while allowing them to serve more people in less time while decreasing food waste. The Clinic currently distributes approximately two hundred rolls of toilet paper and one hundred forty bars of soap in one week.
I toured the women’s center, where women are able to stay and literally turn their lives around. There is no cost for the initial stay (there is a small fee for the women who stay longer) and they assist the women in finding employment and creating a stable life for themselves. The program is so in demand, they turn down 500 calls a month of women who are looking to stay in the home.
As you can imagine, providing all of these services to individuals and families in all of these ways requires a tremendous amount of support from the community. Their website is a great source of information if you are interested in lending a hand. Volunteering your time at the clinic, hosting your own food or hygiene item drive, purchasing items on their Amazon Wish List, and donating funds are all great ways to support this wonderful organization.
