ABOUT THIS EPISODE
“Working with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a dream,” says Amanda Tyler, mom of two and Professor of Law at UC Berkeley. Not only did Amanda serve as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the start of her career, but more recently, she also co-authored a book with RBG titled Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union. Amanda explains that RBG taught her countless lessons, which continue to powerfully inform her own teaching strategies to this day. Most importantly, RBG was heavily invested in the success of each of her clerks, and Amanda aims to provide the same level of feedback and support to her students in her current teaching role.
RBG has also shaped Amanda’s outlook on parenting, most notably with the advice: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This seemingly simple one-liner has helped Amanda get through even the most stressful of times when it comes to balancing between her work life and motherhood. Amanda has also taken inspiration from her own parents when it comes to her parenting approach, specifically their unwavering positivity and their refusal to micromanage their children.
Join hosts Eric and Nina Quick on this week’s episode of Bathtime 2 Boardroom to hear more about Amanda’s journey through law and motherhood. Learn about Amanda’s passion for marathons (she has run 18!), how To Kill a Mockingbird sparked her interest in law, and why failure is not really failure, but rather an opportunity to learn. And, of course, you won’t want to miss Amanda’s stories about RBG, her wisdom and her steadfast approach to law and to life.
Quotes
• “I had parents that didn’t micromanage, which I think was really important…. I don’t remember my mother ever saying anything after a soccer game except, ‘Great job, kiddo.’ That literally was all she ever said, even if I had a terrible game…. She never tried to coach me, she let my coaches do that. And she just always was very positive and very cheerful and made me feel like if nobody else was there, I at least could always count on her being in my corner, and that’s a really special thing to have as a kid growing up.” (3:20-4:20)
• “At the end of the day, what I want for my kids is for them to figure out what they’re passionate about…. In my experience and my life, if you’re passionate about something, you’re going to do your best work, you’re going to put more of yourself into it, and you’re going to be more successful.” (5:20-5:56)
• “We need to teach our kids to take risks, to be ok with taking a risk and knowing that it might not work out because, at least in my life experience, if you aren’t willing to put yourself out there, then you’re never going to achieve your greatest success…. If you’re not willing to take risks and not take the safe route, then you’re never going to achieve your full potential.” (10:42-11:15)
• “I wrote [Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg] an email, and I said, ‘Dear Justice, I’m really nervous about this. Suddenly the work-life balance thing everybody’s been talking about seems far more consequential because I’m going to have this little kid at home. And I don’t quite know how I’m going to balance all of it.’ And she wrote back a one-line email, which was quintessential RBG. She said, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’” (17:11-17:44)
• “[Working with Ruth Bader Ginsburg] was a dream. She was just awesome, there’s no other way to describe it. She was inspiring; she was demanding in totally fair ways; she had incredibly exacting standards, but she never asked more of us than she asked of herself; she pushed you in really healthy ways to rise to the occasion and be your very best…. And because she held herself out to the same standards…you really wanted to do that, you wanted to make her proud of you.” (40:02-40:51)
Links
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