From Federal Public Defender to Post Legal Career In Photography and Travel Journalism with Sivani Babu

Jan 6, 2020

Sarah talks with Sivani Babu. Sivani worked as a federal public defender before switching careers. She is now an award-winning nature photographer and travel journalist, and the co-founder and Creative Director of the cross-genre travel magazine Hidden Compass.

In this conversation, Sivani shares about:

• Really enjoying being a federal public defender and getting up in court every day;
• Getting a “real” camera during law school and starting to take photos and display and sell her work simply as a hobby;
• The trip to Antarctica that changed the course of her career and her life;
• How the people who knew her best reacted to her decision to leave the law;
• Learning to navigate a new industry that was in the middle of massive transition;
• Being told that she needed to choose between a career in writing or a career in photography since that was how the industry worked in the past, and deciding to chart her own course;
• How she and the co-founder of Hidden Compass couldn’t find the kind of magazine that they wanted to read and write for—so they created it;
• How learning how to do new things helps you move forward with even more confidence;
• Why you should embrace your fear if you’re thinking about leaving the law;
• Why the skills that she brought from lawyering to her new career were so valuable;
• What you should consider when thinking about turning your hobby into a new career;
• Why you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable;
• and much more!

Show Notes:

• Sign up for the free 5-Day Career Clarity Bootcamp—> formerlawyer.com/bootcamp
• Get Sarah’s free guide, First Steps to Leaving the Law—> formerlawyer.com/guide
• Connect with Sivani on her website, Instagram, or Twitter, or check out the Hidden Compass website, Facebook, or Instagram