Becker Business Podcast: "5 Lessons for Navigating New Beginnings with Amber Walsh of McGuireWoods LLP"

Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Scott Becker
Guest: Amber Walsh, Executive Committee Member at McGuireWoods LLP

Episode Overview

This episode features an insightful and heartfelt conversation between Scott Becker and Amber Walsh about navigating new beginnings, whether it’s starting college, a new job, or embarking on any fresh chapter. Drawing from Amber's personal experience of taking her son to college (Johns Hopkins, football recruit) and observing her daughter's transition to new school milestones, Amber distills her guidance into 5 practical lessons. The discussion blends personal anecdotes, pragmatic advice, and encouragement relevant to newcomers in any professional or educational setting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Prepare, but Don’t Over Prepare

• Description: Amber emphasizes the importance of balanced preparation — enough to feel comfortable, but not so much it becomes rigid or inauthentic.
  • "There are things that you can do to help yourself feel more comfortable walking in on day one...find out where the key resources are, who are the people that are going to help you if you need it and what are the expectations." (Amber Walsh, 02:21)
  • Over-preparation can lead to becoming too rigid or missing the opportunity to be authentic and adapt to the real situation.
• Memorable Moment: Amber reflects on the stress and logistics of college drop-off, making the advice feel relatable.

2. Seize Opportunities

• Description: Amber urges new starters to jump in and embrace new experiences, seeking and accepting opportunities as they arise.
  • "You seize opportunities, you find them, some of them will come to you, some of them you have to seek out...But you don't sit on the sidelines, you don't wait and hem and haw. You jump in, you see if it suits you." (Amber Walsh, 04:35)
• Host Reflection: Scott reinforces this idea, sharing the wisdom of saying yes in the early stages of a career and narrowing focus later:
  • "Until you're a certain age, say yes to everything, and then double down on things that you really love." (Scott Becker, 06:05)

3. Listen – Tilt Towards Listening Over Talking

• Description: Especially for those with strong personalities, Amber encourages leaning into active listening during new beginnings.
  • "When you're in a brand new environment...I need to tilt towards being a listener more than a talker. When I'm brand new on a board...being a little bit more of a listener, an active listener, being there, being present." (Amber Walsh, 06:27)
• Context: Amber notes this is crucial for personal growth and making wise first impressions in unfamiliar rooms.
• Host Validation: Scott links this to leadership, referencing the advice of not doing everything at once in a new role.

4. Know Yourself & Stay Grounded in What Works for You

• Description: Amber highlights self-awareness — recognizing which routines or habits help you thrive, and making time for them even in new situations.
  • "Remind yourself of those things. That is where you are grounded. These are the things that you need to do for your own personal health and well being. And you cannot get away from those things for too long before the absence of those things will start to take its toll." (Amber Walsh, 08:05)
  • For Amber and her son, this includes church, but she encourages listeners to identify and maintain their own grounding habits, like healthy eating, exercise, or creative outlets.
• Host Perspective:
  • "Whatever it takes to know what works for you to keep yourself centered and healthy and grounded...Those habits that you need or those, those worship that you need, whatever it is. And then you find yourself behind the eight plugs. Now you got to get yourself back together because you let yourself go too long without those things." (Scott Becker, 10:12)

5. Daily or Weekly Self Check-Ins

• Description: Amber’s final lesson is about performing regular, honest check-ins to monitor personal well-being, progress, and areas needing adjustment, especially before a supportive community has formed.
  • "It is more incumbent on you personally to check in with yourself and assess where you are. So I really think the kind of daily assessment about what all you learned that day, if you're listening, what you learned that day, what you want to try to modify the next day..." (Amber Walsh, 11:04)
  • Encourages a habit of reflection: What worked, what didn't, and what to adjust.
• Notable Quote:
  • "In a new environment, you kind of got to do it on your own just a little bit more than usual." (Amber Walsh, 11:58)

Memorable Quotes & Segments

• Amber Walsh, on survival and excitement for change:
  • "I did have that experience this past week and I can attest that it was survivable. I really was not sure until I made it through." (00:42)
• Scott Becker, on advice for newcomers:
  • "Some people have strong personalities or overly strong personalities, and they can't help themselves to jump into the room the first time they're in that room and try and command the room." (07:36)
• Amber Walsh, on seizing the moment:
  • "There is no better time than when you're brand new on a job and you're 25, 26 years old and you're right out of law school, or you are 19 years old and you're on a new college campus in a new cool city, than to seize opportunities." (04:35)

Timestamps for Key Lessons

• Introduction and Context (college drop-off, new starts): 00:00–02:09
• Lesson 1: Prepare, but Not Over Prepare: 02:21–04:07
• Lesson 2: Seize Opportunities: 04:35–06:05
• Lesson 3: Listen More (Active Listening): 06:27–08:05
• Lesson 4: Know What Centers You: 08:05–11:04
• Lesson 5: Daily & Weekly Self Check-ins: 11:04–12:44
• Summary of Five Lessons: 12:56–14:16
• Personal Shout-Outs (Family Discussion): 14:52–16:12

Quick Recap: Amber's Five Lessons for Navigating New Beginnings

1. Prepare, but Not Too Much
   Find the right level of preparation to feel confident, but stay adaptable and authentic. (02:21)
2. Seize Opportunities
   Take initiative, say yes to experiences, especially when you’re new. (04:35)
3. Lean into Listening
   Prioritize listening to understand your new environment before jumping in too strongly. (06:27)
4. Keep What Grounds You
   Maintain the habits and routines that support your well-being and success. (08:05)
5. Check in With Yourself Regularly
   Consistently reflect on your progress, needs, and experiences — don’t wait for others to do it. (11:04)

Host's Final Note:
Scott closes with praise for Amber’s family and a shout-out to her son Joseph (tight end/slot receiver at Johns Hopkins), daughter Abigail (avid student-athlete and new driver), and husband Tim—recognizing the importance of family support in navigating all of life’s beginnings.