Check out our January newsletter!
January 2026
THE TRUSTED ADVISOR
Work Hard, Play Hard The Unexpected Benefits of Your Favorite Pastimes
“Work hard, play hard” isn’t just a catchy phrase. It’s one of the core values in our firm for a reason. Hobbies are much more than ways to kill time. They help keep our minds sharp, lift our spirits, and bring a sense of balance to our lives. January is National Hobby Month, and whether you’re chasing a goal, mastering an art, or simply having a blast, hobbies are essential to our mental health. Zac: Hobbies create fun, and depending on your pastime, they can bring a deep sense of accomplishment and success. They are activities where you can set a goal, work toward it, and feel good about the outcome because you put in time and effort to reach it. It’s a key part of a healthy, happy life, and as a firm, we value fun and giving our team time to enjoy the things they are passionate about outside of the office. Most of my hobbies are sports, which I’ve been participating in since I was young. I’ve always been
super active, and I’ve tried many different types of sports. These days, my favorites are snowboarding, e-foiling, surfing, tennis, golf, and mountain biking. I love doing these with friends, and sometimes, I just do them on my own, especially if I’m traveling. I gain so much enjoyment from sports, and they take my mind off the stresses of everyday life. Hobbies teach us about ourselves and the way the world works. You learn in real time that the harder you work at something, the better you will get, and that can translate into success in many areas of your life. It reaffirms how important it is to take time off. Especially when you are young in your career, you get caught up in the grind and can easily lose sight of how crucial time for yourself is. If you enjoy a few hobbies, it forces you to make the time for fun you deserve and need. Nick: Your mental health matters, and you have to make sure you are taking opportunities to enjoy life and just have some fun. Hobbies are a great way to forget about the grind of the day-to-day for a while and turn the focus to appreciating life’s joyful, entertaining aspects. No matter what your hobby is, it can distract you in the best way from difficult things you may be facing. I do CrossFit four or five days a week, and even compete occasionally, which is a lot of fun. I love skiing and playing whatever sports my kids want to play. Even during the halftime of a football game, we head outside and throw the football around for 20 minutes. It just feels good watching your kids develop the same skills and passions you cherish so much. Golf is one of my favorites because, while
it seems like such an easy game, it’s incredibly difficult. As soon as you think you have figured it out, suddenly, you’re terrible at it again. I enjoy the challenge of becoming a better golfer. Hobbies are a lesson in discipline and work ethic. It takes a lot of mental fortitude and focus to get yourself up, keep pushing, and make the slightest improvements to get better over time. Hobbies are good practice for that. They taught me how to be a good teammate, get along with people, and push others to achieve their goals. They contributed to my being a good leader. Ultimately, my hobbies are part of why I am as successful and blessed as I am. Whether you enjoy painting, pickleball, or collecting stamps, make time for the hobbies that spark something in you. They can bring much- needed fun into your days and teach you valuable lessons you will carry into every part of your life.
– Zac Leacox & Nick Norden
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HOW TO MODEL CONFIDENT CARE FOR KIDS The Power of Hearing in Healing
No matter what station of life someone is in, they deserve to feel safe. Of course, physical safety is always paramount, but what about emotional safety? In our often busy and complex lives, ensuring our loved ones feel safe on the inside can be overlooked. This is especially true if you’re
a working parent, juggling obligations to your young ones and your own sense of stability and peace of mind. Here are two quick but valuable tips for making the journey emotionally safer for you and them. Not every problem requires a solution. We’ve all had days when we need to vent to someone close to us. While the recipient of our woes may immediately start suggesting ways to solve the problem, all we really want is for someone to hear and understand us. It’s the same with children, who sometimes just crave the security of someone who listens to them. In these instances, saying, “Wow, you’ve had a tough day,” may be more helpful than proclaiming, “Here’s what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it.” Of course, adding something that elicits a smile or chuckle from a stressed child never hurts. Above all, be sure to validate their emotions. Even if their negative
situation seems minuscule by adult standards, acknowledging it may still mean the world to them in that moment. Calm can be found in chaos. It’s a Monday morning. Everyone is running late, the toast is burnt, a glass of orange juice has just spilled all over the kitchen table, and your little ones are talking a mile a minute. While these moments may make you want to shout on the inside, keeping a calm, gentle demeanor outside will help reduce tension for your kids before they head off to school and set a strong example of how to react under pressure. Frustrating situations are inevitable, but how we respond to them is our choice. By remaining calm and showing compassion even in challenging times, we comfort our children as much as we show them how to comfort themselves.
Despite his rightful place in history books as one of the world’s greatest minds, legendary inventor Thomas Edison was a consistent failure … and that was a great thing. By the time Edison died in 1931 at 84, he had experienced a life steeped in as many devastating defeats as world-changing ambitions. That he’s remembered today for his scientific milestones and not his epic misfires represents the spirit of “failing forward,” the concept of embracing failure as an opportunity to pursue new ideas and directions for success. EDISON’S IRON WILL From Rock Bottom to Reinvention
“I have not failed,” Edison famously insisted. “I have just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Here’s one example of how he turned a significant misfire into an unmitigated triumph. From Iron to Insolvency Edison held more than 1,000 patents in his lifetime, and many of his inventions toward the end of the 1800s relied heavily on iron as a source material. When the cost of the metal began to rise, he attempted to address the problem by investing more than 10 years and $2 million in his own iron mining operation in northern New Jersey. Unfortunately for the maverick inventor, several other iron plants launched around the same time, which caused the value of iron to drop considerably and led to severe financial losses. Cement Seals Success Instead of accepting defeat when his iron operation went under, Edison turned his attention to another critical material: cement. While running his iron mine, he regularly sold waste sand to cement makers for additional revenue. Seeing an opportunity to expand further into this market, he launched the Edison Portland Cement Company, repurposing equipment and technology he had used for iron
mining. The venture was a huge success, allowing Edison to pay off his massive debts and become one of the leading forces behind the use of cement in American infrastructure. While the catastrophic failure of his iron mining endeavor would have crushed most entrepreneurs, Edison thrived by pivoting to new ventures. He never gave up. His inventions proved his brilliance, but his fearlessness in the face of failure demonstrated his resilience.
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Fast-Food Folly A Napkin Sparks a Legal Storm
There are several ways to become a millionaire in this country, but suing a fast- food chain over a napkin isn’t one of them.
general manager for (as reported by NBC News at the time) mental anguish, emotional distress, and discrimination. Despite being offered free food from the corporation to make things right, Lucas moved forward with his litigation. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Lucas had sued a major restaurant for an unsatisfactory experience. According to court documents obtained by NBC News, he had previously filed two separate suits against Jack-in-the-Box without receiving an award for his claims. Additionally, he filed suits against Denny’s and Walmart, which were ultimately dismissed. Due to his habitual use of the California legal system, Lucas became known as a “vexatious litigant.” To earn this dubious designation, one has to file a minimum of five non-small claims suits that have been settled against them or have been pending for at least 24 months without a hearing or trial.
In 2014, a McDonald’s restaurant in Pacoima, California, became the focus of a national discussion on how the legal system addressed frivolous lawsuits. It all started with a customer named Webster Lucas,
who complained to the manager when he discovered that he had been given
only one napkin with his meal. Lucas claimed the manager had “developed a nasty attitude and mumbled a few words”
before cursing at him. He also alleged that the manager’s behavior was racially motivated.
Additionally, an individual can be deemed a “vexatious litigant” by repeatedly filing or relitigating meritless cases.
The verbal altercation prompted Lucas to file a $1.5 million suit against the McDonald’s Corporation and the Pacoima store’s manager and
Despite online reports to the contrary, court documents confirm that Lucas’ case against McDonald’s was dismissed by the end of 2014. Unsurprisingly, little has been heard of him in the California legal system since.
Have a
Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
Laugh
Ingredients •
3 dried guajillo chiles 2 dried ancho chiles
• • • • • • •
1 tbsp dried oregano 2 tsp ground cumin
• • • • • • •
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
Pepper, to taste Corn tortillas
3 lbs beef chuck roast
2 cups beef broth
Fresh cilantro and diced onion for garnish
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Directions 1. Soak dried chiles in hot water for 15 minutes. 2. Process chiles, onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a blender until smooth. 3. Place beef in a slow cooker and pour the chili mixture over it. 4. Add beef broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. 5. Cook on low for 8–10 hours or until the beef is tender. 6. Shred the beef using forks, then mix back into the sauce. 7. Fry tortillas in oil until crispy, then assemble tacos as desired.
Inspired by SimpleWhisk.com
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Inside This Edition
1 Hobbies Make You Stronger in Every Way 2 Parenting to Empower Emotional Calm in Kids
Cement Saves a Scientific Legend
3 Slow Cooker Birria Tacos
A Laughable McLawsuit Misfire 4 The Legal Minds Behind Moon Missions
Who Makes the Rules in Space? COSMIC COUNSEL
The phrase “space lawyer” may conjure images of an intergalactic courtroom setting in a “Star Trek” film, but the term and profession are rooted in reality here on Earth. Simply put, space lawyers are legal professionals specializing in international law and drafting agreements between countries regarding their activities throughout our galaxy. Instead of brokering peace treaties between humans and Klingons, these attorneys work to establish policies that outline rules and obligations nations must follow when conducting themselves beyond our clouds. For example, treaties negotiated by space lawyers were instrumental in getting the Soviet Union to spend millions to clean up radioactive debris deposited over northern Canada by its Cosmos 954 satellite in the late 1970s. Utilizing Article 7 of the Outer Space Treaty (via the 1972
Space Liability Convention), the Canadian government argued that the Soviet Union was on the hook to cover the majority of the cost of Operation Morning Light, an extensive cleanup
operation by the U.S. and Canada to remove nearly 50,000 square miles of hazardous material dropped from space. Thanks to space lawyers, no nation can claim ownership of Earth (or any other planet), the moon, or any other entity discovered in the galaxy. However, recent debates have raised an intriguing question: Who would own the resources derived from the moon or another planet? If Russia were to one day discover a life-saving nutrient on the moon’s surface, would it have the right to claim exclusive ownership of this medical marvel? Would this discovery need to be shared with other nations involved in space-related treaties? While it may take years (or the invention of a good time-traveling warp drive) for us to resolve these questions, it’s clear we need space lawyers to tackle these and other questions in a legal frontier that no Earth-bound lawyer has pondered before!
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