Name: Tricia Schafer
Twitter: @TriciaSchafer
Facebook: Tricia Schafer
Instagram: vitality_law
Website: vitality.law
Age: 52
Title: Founding Attorney – Vitality Law PLLC
Married/Single: Blissfully single
Kids: Nope
City you live in: Scottsdale
A typical day in my life includes… Run, swim, yoga, and my “gratitude practice” – I jot down three things a day that I’m grateful for.
I was born… to hardworking parents. While they earned and achieved, I got to be a bonus kid with lots of terrific families. My parents have been role models for diligence and resilience. We share unconditional love and deep respect.
My favorite thing about Arizona… The summer heat. It feels like a big hug. I spent the summer of 1980 with a bonus family in Phoenix. I loved swimming at night and then walking around the block, drying off in the warm breeze, feeling the heat of the pavement, and looking at the stars. 41 years later, I still do that.
I’m listening to… How I Built This, Planet Money, Freakonomics, Wisdom from the Top. I love the reinforcement that the journey to success is not linear.
My family… is small and mighty. I’m a third-generation only child.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be… Stevie Nicks.
One thing I cannot live without… Trident bubblegum.
When I was younger, I wanted to be… stationary. I attended five different elementary schools in two states, and was regularly shuttled among divorced parents, friends, and far-flung relatives. As an adult, I make the most of work-related trips for meetings and conferences, but I find nothing “fun” about travel, and I rarely take vacations.
I’m inspired by… professionals with dual careers. I’m both a lawyer and a personal fitness trainer. These disciplines seamlessly coexist, particularly due to the emphasis on lawyer wellness and stress-management. Don’t wait for an encore career – pursue your complementary vocation as soon as you discover your calling.
The one person who motivates me is… I try to always have a coach in my life. For years, it was athletics, now I have a mindset coach and a vocal coach. I surround myself with people who are smarter, stronger, and more accomplished than I am.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be… Everyone would pause, look each other in the eye, and carefully listen to each other.
The perfect day would be… My normal day, adding a massage and a personal chef.
My first job was… Dance teacher. I spent my teenage years in a small logging and fishing town on the Oregon Coast. Dance teachers were scarce. When I was 15, mine moved away and passed her clientele on to me.
My favorite escape… I’ve created a life that I don’t need a vacation from. An exercise break or a visit with a friend is pretty much all I need to get out of my own head for a bit.
My life… is symbiotic. I’m in a perpetual cycle of helping and being helped. Giving and receiving assistance – whether it’s career or relationship advice, trading yard tools with a neighbor, connecting people, proofreading a document, being a sounding board, coaching someone to negotiate a raise or to fight a health insurance denial, driving a friend home from a medical procedure – is extremely gratifying for me. The independence that I treasure is layered atop a robust network of wonderful people.
I’m currently working on… My singing voice. Some longtime friends started online karaoke (!) during the pandemic. The leader assumed I could sing because we had performed together as kids. I confessed that I had lip-synced back then. Determined to redeem myself, I engaged a vocal coach to work with me weekly. As an athlete, I am fascinated by the physical dynamics of building a vocal range, and I get unexpected joy dissecting and practicing new songs to rehearse and perform with this safe and patient little group.
Always… invest heavily in friendships; take initiative.
Never… settle for less than what you deserve.
Favorite Quote… “Focus. Discipline. Results.” These words guide me when I find myself drifting. If someone threw this phrase together before I did, they forgot to tell Google.
Biggest Dream… I’m living it.
My Pet Peeve(s)… Audible car-locking (bip!), especially in residential neighborhoods.
More About Tricia Schafer:
After a small-town upbringing on the Oregon Coast, Tricia earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley and her law degree from Georgetown. After freezing her way through three years as in-house counsel in New York, Tricia eagerly moved to sunny Arizona in 1998, where she has been a commercial litigator at large and mid-sized law firms prior to establishing her own practice in 2011.
Vitality Law harmonizes professional excellence with positivity and quality of life. Tricia takes pride in delivering compelling advocacy with diplomacy, integrity, precision, and enthusiasm.
Tricia serves on the Maricopa County Bar Association Litigation Section Board, the Scottsdale Bar Association Board, and the City of Scottsdale Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. She recently completed mediation certifications with the Center for Conflict Resolution and the American Institute of Mediation, and co-authored a national directory of court-sponsored mediation programs for the American Bar Association.
In addition to community service, Tricia is known for her dual career as a fitness professional, and has worked with dozens of lawyers, judges, and businesspeople to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles through her Fit to Practice® initiative.
