Resources

This International Women's Day, we sat down with Amanda Waesch and Jeana Singleton—two women who have not only built successful national healthcare law practices but also emerged as leaders at BMD. In this candid Q&A, they share their personal journeys to leadership, the challenges they’ve faced along the way, and the mentorship they’ve received. They also offer valuable advice to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders.

Amanda is Vice President of BMD and a leader in its Healthcare & Hospital Law team. She operates a national healthcare practice focusing on employment law, corporate law, and healthcare litigation. She has built a reputation as a strategic advisor and a committed leader. 

Jeana is serves as General Counsel for BMD and is a leader in its Healthcare & Hospital Law team. Her practice focuses on healthcare operational matters, including state and federal regulatory compliance, healthcare transactions, policy, public health initiatives, corporate law, and business-legal strategy.

Read on as they reflect on their journeys and share insights on overcoming imposter syndrome and breaking barriers in their careers.

Q:The legal field has historically been male-dominated, with women often underrepresented in senior roles. Could you tell us about your journey to becoming a leader in the field?

Amanda: I was extremely lucky to have tremendous mentors at BMD who never viewed my gender as a barrier to success. BMD’s culture fosters promoting and recognizing those individuals who have worked hard and embraced and promoted our core values to the positions that they deserve.   

I started at BMD as a law clerk in December 2006. I was an add-on that year as the summer associate class for 2007 had already been chosen. I was initially hired to help with overflow work until the 2007 summer associates started in May, with no guarantee of a permanent position. However, by February, I was invited to stay on for the summer program. At the end of the summer program, I was offered a full-time associate job after graduation. During my last year in law school, I worked full-time during the week and took my classes at night.

I graduated in 2008 and took the bar. I returned to work the day after I took the bar exam – I was so excited to start! As an associate, I immersed myself in learning as much as possible and taking on a wide range of projects. In 2009, I became pregnant with my first child. I was high-risk and underwent emergency surgery at 19 weeks. I was then placed on bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy. This was before Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc. BMD was so supportive. 

I have a total of three children and was on bed rest with all of them during my pregnancies. Despite these challenges, I continued advancing in my career, earning promotions to Partner and later Member after the birth of my second and third children. I worked extremely hard to get to where I am, but I was also present as a mother. I could not have done that without the support and understanding of BMD. BMD provided me with a tremendous platform to launch my career.

Jeana: I was incredibly blessed by the number of experienced BMD attorneys who were willing to mentor me from the very beginning of my legal career. Matt Heinle graciously took a chance on me by letting me work as a summer associate during law school. Jack Diamond spent the first years of my practice teaching me how to be a better communicator and to always look for creative (yet compliant) solutions when our clients face roadblocks. Scott Sandrock spent many hours tutoring me on the mechanics of the quagmire of healthcare laws and regulations. John Childs served as an advocate for me (and a number of other female attorneys at BMD) through his direct feedback and wisdom as a seasoned attorney. 

Q: You both have daughters – what do you instill in them regarding future goals or aspirations?

Amanda: What is interesting is that we do not necessarily differentiate between our children based on gender. We hold them all to the same expectations. Our main focus as parents is to inspire all of our children to have future goals and aspirations that are unique to them and (gently!) push and guide them toward what we know they can accomplish by promoting self-discipline and hard work. 

There are certain core values that my husband and I instill in our children. My husband and I both are very cognizant of respecting each other’s professional careers and praising each other’s accomplishments in front of our children. My sons know that women can be successful both personally and professionally. We are raising them to respect and support their future wives. We are raising our daughter to be strong and independent. But we want all of our children to be personally and professionally successful and to respect and support their spouse. 

Interestingly, I asked my oldest son (15) and he does not view me any differently than his father. What an awesome thing to hear as a parent! I do not want my daughter to feel that she has any barriers to success or professional growth because she is a woman. That was never a mindset in my household growing up and it certainly is not a mindset at BMD.

Jeana: A positive and enthusiastic attitude, kindness towards everyone, and the willingness to work hard will take you farther than you can imagine. No goal is too lofty, so dream big. No obstacle is too great, so keep pushing to get where your heart wants to go. 

Q: Many young female attorneys struggle with imposter syndrome early in their careers. Did you ever experience this, and if so, how did you overcome it?

Amanda: I think that any rising professional struggles with imposter syndrome at different points in their career. You can characterize this as “imposter syndrome,” “self-doubt,” or “nerves.” It is completely normal and acceptable – and to a certain extent, expected. Early in my career, I spent an incredible amount researching and establishing a firm foundation of knowledge in my specialization of healthcare law. Thus, I was extremely confident in my research and foundational knowledge.

But, there is a confidence gap between having strong foundational knowledge and then strategically advising a client on options and the best path forward. To overcome this confidence gap, I followed my mentors to client meetings, networking events, and speaking engagements. I assisted with the preparation for these meetings and events. I listened intently and took notes and asked questions. 

Then, I started teaching. If you want to be the teacher, you must know the material better than anyone listening, but you also must provide real-world examples to tie together the concepts. At first, this was very uncomfortable for me, but I pushed myself to take on teaching and speaking engagements because I felt that it forced me to continue to have strong foundational knowledge but to also apply the concepts and strategies. This has helped me develop my communication style and it has also garnered me recognition within the healthcare industry as an expert.   

Jeana: Absolutely! It was really difficult not to compare myself to other attorneys and feel overwhelmed. Over time, I learned to be comfortable with who I am and my skillset as an attorney. I also found that I could look back over the years and see how far I have come in learning how to be a better lawyer. The key was just taking one day at a time, developing a tough skin, and embracing the role of a life-long scholar.  Every day brings new challenges, but I learned to love facing those challenges and looking for solutions. 

Q: What advice would you offer to inspire the next generation of female leaders?

Amanda: Work hard! Whether you are male or female, you get to the top by proving that you are the best. The best researcher, the best communicator, the best strategist, etc. You will need to work hard on those areas that will continue to propel you to the next level. But you must put in the work to get there and you must master each level before moving on to the next. 

Also, you need to be honest with yourself. Is a leadership role what you truly want? Sometimes we work towards or accept a leadership role because we do not want to say no. Or we do not want to admit that our goals have changed. Accepting yourself and being honest with yourself is sometimes harder than the leadership role itself!  Every role in an organization is important – that is why we have different roles. 

Jeana: Be willing to dig deep, do the work, and keep pushing when overwhelmed. It is ok not to have all the answers. The important thing is a willingness to learn and seek solutions.

Q: Finally, if your career had a theme song, what would it be?

Amanda: "Love Runs Out" by One Republic. I listen to this song almost every time that I run to keep me motivated and I always end up reflecting on my career during this song. It definitely is a pick-me-up!

Jeana: “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. First, I obtained a piano performance degree before going to law school! Second, practicing law is a lot like the piano man in the song.  Clients always have a story to tell us and a problem to solve. As an attorney, it is my job to listen, solve, and empower the client!