Meet Tricia Schafer | Mediator, Arbitrator, and Wellness Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tricia Schafer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tricia, how do you think about risk?
From my educational life through my mid-twenties, I played it very safe. I saved money, planned, and strategized. After law school back East, I had a stable job in New York, with fantastic benefits and a pension (!).

But after just three years, I left it all behind. I’m a Westerner at heart, and I need to be warm. So with no job, and no license to practice law in Arizona at the time, and very few contacts here, I packed up my car and drove myself across the country to start over.

And so began my high-risk life! My work ethic and my commitment to connecting with people of all backgrounds make this possible. I formed my first business — a dance academy in my small hometown — at age 16. Attracting and keeping clients and delivering quality service has been top-of-mind for many decades. These principles, and my deep network, serve me well in any environment, so I’m pretty comfortable taking professional risks.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
This year I am proudly rolling out Tricia Schafer Dispute Resolution PLLC, focusing on mediation and arbitration.

I have spent most of my 30-year career as a lawyer, litigating business disputes in court. While advocacy for clients has been intellectually challenging and rewarding, it’s even better when I can be an “advocate for the deal.”

Litigation can be time-consuming, expensive, and unpredictable. As a mediator, I meet individually and collectively with all parties to a dispute, as well as their attorneys, to help them craft a solution that will resolve the dispute without having to keep fighting in court. This requires a lot of advance preparation on my part – to understand the strengths and weaknesses of all sides, and to use persuasive communication strategies to empower stakeholders to “Own Your Outcome,” and create a solution that lasts. As a mediator, I don’t decide who wins or loses the dispute, rather, I encourage the parties to put the dispute behind them.

In contrast, when disputing parties pick me to arbitrate their case, I hear facts and evidence just like a judge would, and I make decisions about who prevails.

Arizona has a rich talent base of arbitrators and mediators, and I am proud to join their ranks. And there’s certainly no shortage of disputes to resolve!

I also have a 20-year history as a wellness professional, serving as a personal trainer to lawyers and judges. I became so recognized in the lawyer-wellness space that I named my most recent law firm “Vitality Law,” where I will continue to practice sporadically.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The most fun and interesting aspects of my life are the people in it. I rarely travel and I’m a lousy tour guide, so I’d likely just host a party with as many guests as possible, and facilitate connections between old friends and new.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I get inspiration several times a week from two authors/creators: James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) and Guy Raz (author and podcast host of How I Built This). Both are very relatable communicators who consistently inspire me to level-up.

Website: https://www.triciaschafer.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciaschafer/