At the Table With Logic and Spirit: a Conversation With Katherine Reilly, Author of Legally Zen

When I sat down with lawyer and author Katherine Reilly to talk about her new book Legally Zen, I surprised her by starting at the end. It felt right: the final chapter is where she introduces the idea that has stayed with me most—the concept she calls “Gen Zen.”

Reilly is not the stereotype of a mystical explorer. She is a senior civil litigator with almost twenty years in practice: formerly a partner at a national law firm in Vancouver, later counsel with the Ministry of the Attorney General in Victoria, and now back in private practice. She has built a career grounded in evidence, logic, and the demands of high-pressure litigation.

That is precisely what makes her articulation of Gen Zen so compelling.

As she explains, Gen Zen is not a demographic but a mindset—a “group of people out there… for whom woo and spirituality are not necessarily bad words.” They include mainstream professionals from all walks of life—some whose paths look a lot like hers, and others whose lives look nothing like hers at all. What ties them together is “an open-minded, open-hearted approach to the world and a curiosity around inner work, around living an authentic life, and around spiritual practices.”

For years, Reilly thought she was alone in that curiosity. A “serious lawyer” —driven, professional, rational—she lived something of a double life. Her inner-world exploration, prompted by a series of major life events including significant health challenges, becoming a mother in the first week of COVID lockdowns and the breakdown of her marriage, unfolded privately. In spiritual circles, she avoided telling people she was a lawyer; among lawyers, she didn’t speak about her spiritual practices.

Her book is, in many ways, a coming-out story. Publishing it under her real name was “downright scary.” She considered a pseudonym but ultimately realized she couldn’t: “The purpose in putting this book out there was to own my story and integrate these pieces of myself in a public way such that I’m no longer living these dual lives.” Reilly wants to live with authenticity and hopes that by ‘walking the talk’, she will inspire others to do the same.

She expected judgment. Instead, she encountered curiosity, appreciation, and connection. “With this experience, as with so many others where I lean into vulnerability… I have been resoundingly rewarded.”

Why Gen Zen Matters for Lawyers

Reilly believes many lawyers may quietly recognize themselves in Gen Zen. Law is “demanding and highly rewarding,” but “does not leave a lot of room for your humanness.” For her, the practices she began exploring—spiritual, somatic, contemplative—became a kind of “secret weapon.”

“My inner landscape is much calmer,” she says. “I have this much broader perspective and a deeper appreciation for how people are acting and reacting in these high-pressure environments.” For lawyers who want to stay in the work they love despite its intensity, she sees these practices as a path forward: “This is a way to build your own capacity so that you can enjoy law more… and to find that really fulfilling, joyful experience in it.”

Our discussion also underscored how much overlap now exists between applied neuroscience and practices traditionally dismissed as woo: meditation, breathwork, somatics, grounding exercises. These are increasingly understood as practical tools for calming the nervous system and regulating emotional responses—approaches that support clarity, resilience, and even professional performance.

Reilly’s own experience mirrors this shift. “There is a lot of science behind a lot of these things,” she notes. But more importantly, her test is simple: they help. Whether it’s meditation, a breath practice before heading into court, or even something like a grounding crystal tucked in her pocket, “I feel better when I rely on these supports… and eventually I realized – maybe that’s all the evidence I need.”

A Memoir, a Guidebook, and a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

One of the strengths of Legally Zen is that it functions as both a memoir and a guidebook. That combination did not come easily. Early drafts leaned too much toward pure instruction. The harder work was allowing more of her personal story onto the page. Yet that story is what animates the guide: it shows not only what she tried, but why and when.

She describes the spiritual realm as “a choose-your-own-adventure.” There are no prescribed beliefs; each person can build a toolkit that fits within their own “woo boundaries.” And those boundaries can shift meaningfully over time. Hers did—nudged not by mystics, but by “two highly credentialed medical professionals” treating her concussions, who encouraged mindfulness, mantras, and gratitude practices long before they were mainstream.

Writing the Book While Lawyering and Solo Parenting

I was inspired by what Reilly accomplished: completing this book while carrying a full civil litigation practice and raising her daughter largely on her own. She told me that many lawyers ‘have a book in them,’ and Reilly is someone who actually wrote hers.

When I asked her what advice she would give to other lawyers who want to write, she was pragmatic.

First: be realistic. “Do you have the time, the internal motivation, and the know-how?” Some people do. She recognised that she did not. So she hired help. “Just as I do better at the gym with a personal trainer… I knew I’d have a far better chance of getting this work out into the world if I hired people to help me.” Her book coach was a four-time New York Times bestselling ghostwriter; her editor was deeply experienced. They guided her through the rough patches, kept her accountable, and helped her shape the narrative.

The process took about 16 months: six or seven months for the first draft, then a substantial developmental edit, then the final stages leading to launch. Much of her writing happened in the early mornings from 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. or during the odd getaway retreat when she could immerse herself in writing. What mattered most was not just the time management, but creating a structure that supported her with writing during her most creative hours.

The Response—and the Tools

When hundreds, and then over a thousand people, added her book to their book shelves, Reilly was “astounded in the best possible way… heartwarmed and humbled.” Mostly, she says, she felt grateful that the book resonated and that people were curious enough to “walk along with me and see how I did it, why I did it,” and that they felt encouraged to explore their own paths.

For readers who want to try the tools she uses daily, Reilly has created a free Zen Extras kit: a downloadable bundle of meditations, mantras, breathwork exercises, and grounding practices. It is available at legallyzen.ca. “Even if you never read my story,” she says, “go get this free resource… it’s full of game-changing practices.”

Sitting at the Same Table

For Reilly, this isn’t about persuading anyone to hold specific beliefs. It’s about allowing logic, science, wonder, and spirit to sit at the same table. “These concepts can—and do—coexist.” Her life, she says, has grown “richer and fuller” since she allowed herself to sit at that table too. And if readers find some joy or begin their own small explorations, she will have achieved what she hoped for.