When the Gods Sing: From Lawyer Burnout to Professional Rebirth
- Scott Mason
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
A Leader’s Journey Through Music, Myth, and Transformation
The air is heavy with silence. You're backstage: heart pounding, lungs tight. Just beyond the curtain, the audience waits. You take a single breath.
Then, the music begins. Suddenly, the pressure melts. The panic disappears. You're not a "role" anymore -- partner, associate, general counsel, whatever. You're not a resume. You're not your last mistake or next deadline.
You are presence. You are purpose. You are power.
And you begin to sing.
If You’re a Lawyer, You’ve Already Felt the Burn
Let’s be honest.
The legal world (and most of corporate America) is not designed for transcendence. I say that as someone who’s crossed the River Styx and lived there: as an attorney, general counsel, compliance chief, nonprofit exec, and more. I’ve trudged through the soul-sapping rituals of manufactured and petty "emergencies," fought wars over wordsmithed minutiae, and watched brilliant minds collapse under the weight of ludicrously over-the-top expectations.
At times, the mind collapsing seemed to be my own.
Daily reports being sent out at 2 in the morning, being accused of inadequate dedication to my job after being in the office for 21 days straight (including Easter, which my boss spent comfortably at home with his family), being screamed at because a draft memo had a single, removable sentence my supervisor didn't like ...
Is it any wonder I stopped even imagining my life without overwhelming stress?
I had to become someone new to understand what's lost when we forget who we are.
What’s lost when we lose our joy.
What’s lost when we forget that we're meant for music.
Apollo vs. The Sirens: Reclaiming Leadership Through Music
In ancient myth, it was Apollo -- the god of reason, law, and music -- who created the lyre and brought melody to the world. His music wasn't frivolous; it was intimately connected with, even foundational to, his other functions: medicine, clarity, order.
But Apollo wasn't the only mythical musician. For instance several heroes had to face the three Sirens, birds with human heads whose seductive songs lured sailors to ruin. Apollo offered structured harmony; the Sirens offered compulsive -- and ultimately soul-killing -- escape.
Most modern professionals don't even realize which song they're following. They've bought into the Sirens' lies: that music is a luxury, joy is a weakness, and leadership must be joyless, measured in output and KPIs.
As the Myth Slayer, I don’t just call this myth out for the lie that it is. I say this without apology:
Music is not a distraction. It is the secret weapon of top-level performance. It's the lighthouse that reveals personal clarity. It's the clarion call of mythic leadership.
What Shared Music Teaches High-Achievers
In my role with the NYC Bar Association's Mindfulness & Well-Being in the Law Committee, I recently hosted a podcast with attorneys Nancy Batterman and Kathy Schneider about music, leadership, and lawyer well-being. This podcast is essential for any high-performing attorney or other professional navigating burnout or seeking performance optimization through more than just traditional tools.
You can catch the whole conversation here:
🎧 Audio Podcast: https://www.nycbar.org/podcasts/mindfulness-and-music-the-harmonious-side-of-lawyers/
📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iWxfw0XSNkg?si=sJNHOJpCNFKJ-_OB
Here's what we discovered:
⚡️ Singing trains breath the way meditation does-which helps reduce anxiety, increase focus, and optimize physical energy for performance.
⚡️ Making music with others -- whether in a chorus, at a karaoke bar, or in a band -- regulates heart rate, increases pain thresholds, and bonds people to a common mission-especially crucial in high-stress fields like law.
⚡️ Group musical activities force you to let go of control (just a little), listen to others, and align. It transforms the perfectionist compulsion into flow.
⚡️ Performance becomes presence. Instead of trying to dominate the room, you inhabit it (and have fun doing so).
⚡️ And most powerful of all: shared music creates safe spaces lawyers (and other high-achieving professionals) are desperate for.
You want professional rebirth? Start there.
The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Your Music
Keep grinding, and you may succeed in the short term. But the cost?
⚡️ Your health.
⚡️ Your creativity.
⚡️ Your connection to others.
⚡️ Your soul.
You’ll become the high-achiever with no voice, no joy, no pulse. A walking KPI dashboard. The person absolutely no one else wants to be.
But make room for music, and something wild happens:
⚡️ Your brain lights up.
⚡️ Your anxiety drops.
⚡️ Your leadership deepens.
⚡️ And your sense of purpose reawakens.
This is not fluff. This is neurobiology + ancient wisdom + proven performance strategy.
A New Era Requires a New Kind of Leader
The days of being reduced to metrics are over. Point zero of a world entirely driven by empirical measurements has arrived. People are starving for connection, transcendence, and experiences that wake their spirit.
Music -- especially shared, communal music -- is a portal:
⚡ To the divine within.
⚡ To creativity beyond your limitations.
⚡ To leadership that actually inspires.
If you're a lawyer, executive, or professional longing for more -- not "balance," but rebirth -- then you need to listen to this conversation.
You need to remember Apollo's gift.
And you need to reject the siren song of soulless success.
FAQ: Who Would This Episode Interest?
Share this post, or the episode links above, with anyone who cares about:
⚡ Lawyer well-being and burnout recovery
⚡ Leadership presence through mindfulness
⚡ Community building in isolating professions
⚡ Creative performance in high-pressure careers
⚡ Access to flow states and letting go of perfectionism
And if you’re a leader, attorney, or high-achiever who’s lost your voice — the one that drives your impact and your joy — reach out. Let’s talk about your professional rebirth and what’s next.
Because:
I want your future to be EPIC.
I'm Scott Mason, The Myth Slayer. I am an attorney and former C-Suite executive, coach, speaker, podcaster, and Master of the Mythic. I graduated from Columbia Law School and have spent years drawing on the full depth of a background spanning the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to provide lawyers feeling stuck or stagnant in their careers or as leaders with a unique (and fun!) system to help them live a life that's epic.
Click here to discover more about me, my mission, and how it can help you.
If you've ever said, "I'm capable of more -- and I want it?" ... then download my five-minute self-assessment, and I'll show you how to experience professional rebirth, increase your inspiration, and create a bold impact NOW!
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