We spoke to Shuvra Deb, former barrister, litigation attorney, speaker, coach and intuitive healer, about her journey from legal practice to helping professionals build confidence and overcome imposter syndrome.
Shuvra shares how a life-changing experience during Hurricane Irma prompted her to reassess her career, the qualities that help lawyers progress, and why authentic confidence is about far more than having all the answers.
Tell us about your route into coaching
After eight and a half years at the bar in England I felt like a change. I moved offshore and worked as a litigation attorney in the British Virgin Islands. Even there, I had a sense of unease which, looking back, I realise came from a misalignment with my real purpose.
The turning point came in 2017, when Hurricane Irma made landfall. A Category 5 Hurricane, Irma caused catastrophic destruction and led me, like many others who experienced it, to reassess what I wanted out of life and how I could be of service to others. I also experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and went on a recovery journey from that.
A few years later, the conclusion of two big legal cases I was working on in the Cayman Islands provided the opportunity to start my new chapter. A chance meeting with the owner of a local radio station in the Cayman Islands who’d heard my story about the hurricane led to me hosting a weekly show. This evolved into a podcast, which led to invitations to give keynote talks at climate change and mental health conferences globally.
I saw that people were benefiting from what I was saying about my mental health journey overcoming PTSD, and also about what I had learned about imposter syndrome, and curating self-confidence. By 2023, this was the basis of my new career. I left my role in the Cayman Islands law firm and founded my business as a confidence coach and healer for professionals.
How do you alleviate imposter syndrome?
It starts with being aware of our thoughts. The spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle tells us to step outside of our brains and observe what we’re thinking. Beyond this I've developed a technique called the Mental Reset Method™, which balances negative and positive, evidence-based thoughts.
It avoids a Pollyanna-type toxic positivity as change must be gradual to be authentic. I help people differentiate between a feeling and evidence. A person may feel that they’re not good enough, but when they step back, they’ll see the evidence shows otherwise. One of the tools I encourage people to use is to keep a list of their accomplishments – everything from awards, accolades, academic and professional achievements to diffusing a tense situation during a Zoom meeting - and keep the list accessible.
Imposter syndrome strikes as we're about to do something that pushes us to our edge. That’s the moment to pull out that list. The brain loves evidence and repetition. By giving the brain evidence repeatedly, we gradually change the programming.
What does confidence look like for an in-house lawyer?
Superficially, confidence looks like someone with all the answers, someone who speaks loudly in meetings, someone who may look down on others and consider themselves better than everyone else.
Stick around and you'll see that that person doesn't get promoted. Nobody wants to be around that kind of energy. Real confidence is staying calm under pressure, expressing opinions with authenticity and being open to the views of people with different perspectives.
It’s also about being OK with imperfection, which many lawyers struggle with. Dealing with this is about looking at the evidence of your achievements and realising that, as a lawyer, you’re well equipped to figure things out. You wouldn’t be where you are today otherwise.
What stops technically good lawyers from progressing?
Two things. Firstly, a negative upward comparison. You look at someone and tell yourself they're better than you. However, you can acknowledge that some people have qualities that you don’t without diminishing yourself. Flip the script and see it as an opportunity to identify the skills you can learn to move forward.
Secondly, reluctance to take risks can hold an in-house lawyer back. You must be willing to put your idea across even when you're terrified that it won’t land well. Because if somebody else says it, the wider team will recognise that person’s willingness to put themselves out and you’ll be kicking yourself – which will further dent your self-confidence.
This is where I can help. I like to make coaching a fun experience and ensure my clients feel good afterwards. I let people speak and invite them to work out their next steps. I then offer my views and give the client a toolkit and a plan. I ask them to make up to five commitments and fulfil them before our next session. This prevents overwhelm while keeping clients engaged. I'm always available for conversations over email or WhatsApp between sessions. It's a hands-on experience with me - and I hold people accountable.
What does your healing work involve?
I'm a qualified Shamanic Reiki practitioner. Reiki uses the energy that's around us. I channel that through my hands onto the client. This is possible in online and face-to-face sessions as energy travels through time and space.
The Shamanic part is to do with the elements and nature which I call on during sessions of between 45 and 60 minutes.
For example, in one session with a regular client in the Cayman Islands I found myself repeatedly drawn to his upper left arm. I followed the energy and put my hands over his left arm, when I told him about this at the end of the session, he laughed and lifted his top, revealing a day-old tattoo still covered in plastic. He told me it had been painful but felt much better during our session.
Tangible experiences like that are amazing for the client and demonstrate the power of healing work.
How do you relax away from work?
I'm a routine person so start my day with meditation then either go for a swim, or a run followed by a session at the gym. I like to eat healthily and get out in nature as much as possible. I also have two cats, a mother and son. Cats are amazing for regulating the nervous system and helping you feel calm.
You can also read Shuvra’s recent viewpoint, Why so many lawyers experience imposter syndrome, and find out more about her work on her website.
