How Amanda DuBois Turned Doubt Into a Thirty Year Career of Power, Purpose, and Impact

There are moments that split our lives into a before and an after. For Amanda DuBois, that moment happened inside a mediation room in the mid 1990s, when a group of male partners described her as a doctor’s wife dabbling at the law. It was meant to dismiss her. It was meant to shrink her. Instead, it marked the beginning of a career that would change the landscape of women led law firms in Washington State, spark a statewide movement for formerly incarcerated people, and introduce thousands of readers to the hidden realities of women in the justice system.

Amanda’s story is not just the story of a lawyer. It is the story of a woman who refused to accept the limits others placed on her. It is the story of reinvention, courage, leadership, and community. It is exactly the kind of story that this podcast was built to spotlight.

And it begins in a place no one expects.

From Labor and Delivery Nurse to Law Student at Twenty Eight

Before she ever stepped foot in a courtroom, Amanda was a labor and delivery nurse. She loved the work. She loved being with women during one of the most powerful moments of their lives. But something inside her kept pushing for more. She had once dreamed of medical school, then shifted to nursing, then built an out of hospital birth center with her now husband. When she eventually decided to change direction again, she did something most of us only think about. She followed her curiosity.

She walked into a bookstore, picked up a law school entrance exam prep book, and realized she understood it easily. She did not have a background in political science or pre law. She had no plan. She had no legal mentors. But she had aptitude, grit, and a willingness to start from scratch.

That willingness would become a theme through every chapter of her life.

A Male Dominated Legal World and a Turning Point

When Amanda graduated from law school, she walked into a profession that was not designed with women in mind. Most firms were traditional, hierarchical, and overwhelmingly male. There was no open path for mothers, no support for work life balance, and no mentorship for women who wanted to grow.

When her own firm failed to pay her what she was owed, she went to mediation. That is where she read the words that would change everything. Doctor’s wife. Dilettante. Dabbling. Words that were written to undermine her competence and dismiss her value.

Instead of breaking her, they sharpened her resolve.

She walked out, rented office space, brought her paralegal with her, and began to build what would become one of Washington’s longest standing women owned family law firms.

There was no blueprint. No instruction manual. No roadmap. There were only two things that mattered. Her craft and her clients.

Why Mastery Became Her North Star

Amanda is clear about one belief. If you want to build a successful business, your product must be excellent. For her, the product was her lawyering. Not bookkeeping, not marketing, not administrative work, not billable hour software. Her job was to become the best lawyer she could be, and she refused to dilute that focus.

Women, especially women founders, often try to carry everything. They believe they need to know every tool, every process, every financial detail, every platform, every system. Amanda rejected that approach. She invested in her people. She hired what she needed. She stayed centered on her craft.

This choice did not make her less capable. It made her more effective.

It also made something else possible.

A New Kind of Law Firm Built on Mentorship and Humanity

As Amanda grew as a lawyer, she realized that new attorneys were being thrown into the deep end without support. Many young women lawyers shared the same story. No mentorship. No flexibility. No respect for family obligations. A culture built on pressure and hierarchy.

Amanda decided her firm would break that pattern.

At DuBois Levias Law Group, young attorneys sit beside seasoned attorneys. They receive coaching, guidance, and room to learn. They get someone who will debrief their court appearances, celebrate their wins, and teach them how to develop confidence in their own voice.

They also get something rare in the legal world. Humanity.

Amanda’s experience as a nurse taught her to see the emotional realities that sit beneath legal cases. This became the foundation of her trauma informed approach to family law. She understood that empathy and compassion are not soft skills. They are strategic skills. They build trust. They produce better outcomes. They create a workplace where attorneys can thrive without sacrificing their health or their families.

It is no surprise that the firm has been recognized as one of Washington’s Best Workplaces two years in a row.

The Birth of Civil Survival and a New Phase of Purpose

One decision led to the next. While teaching basic legal skills, Amanda met a group of people who had been incarcerated. They were taking notes and asking thoughtful questions. Then one man said something that stopped her cold.

He thanked her for the information, then said the problem was simple. They were all felons. They could not get jobs. They could not get housing. Their criminal records were holding them hostage long after they had served their sentences.

That moment changed Amanda again.

She realized her own privilege. She realized the power imbalance inside the legal system. She realized that these individuals had no one advocating for them. And she realized she had the skills and relationships needed to help.

Civil Survival was born.

At first it was a series of workshops teaching formerly incarcerated individuals how to work with legislators. Then it became a movement. Today Civil Survival is the largest criminal legal reform organization in Washington State. It has changed more than twenty five laws. It has waived more than thirty five million dollars in legal financial obligations for people who could not afford them. It has created leadership roles for people who were once excluded from society.

And it began because Amanda listened.

Writing That Exposes the Invisible Truths About Women in Prison

Most people never see the inside of a women’s prison. They do not realize that more than 80 percent of incarcerated women are mothers. They do not realize that the majority have experienced trauma and violence. They do not realize that separation from their children often causes cycles of trauma that echo across generations.

Amanda saw these realities up close through her work. She wanted the public to understand them too. So she turned to storytelling.

Her Camille Delaney mystery series blends fast paced legal plots with deeper truths about the justice system. In her third novel she focused on incarcerated mothers and the social cost of pulling families apart. The book has won awards, but more importantly, it has opened eyes.

She donates all proceeds to social justice causes.

The Lesson Women Need Most: Be Brave

One thread runs through every part of Amanda’s story. Courage.

She did not wait for permission. She did not wait for confidence. She did not wait for perfect timing. She moved when it was unclear, when it was uncomfortable, and when she had no guarantee of success.

Her advice is simple and powerful.

Be brave.
Hold the vision of what you want.
Do not let other people’s voices override your own.
Invest in your craft.
Believe in what you are capable of creating.

These are the lessons women need. These are the lessons women rarely hear loud enough.

Why Her Story Matters for Women in Business

Women founders face the same patterns Amanda faced decades ago. Bias, doubt, lack of mentors, funding barriers, and an assumption that they cannot lead at scale. Many women keep their businesses small because no one has told them a bigger vision is possible. Others shrink themselves after someone underestimates them.

Amanda’s story interrupts this pattern.

It shows what can happen when a woman refuses to listen to the wrong voices. It shows what becomes possible when women build for themselves and support each other. It shows why empathy, compassion, and transparency belong in leadership roles.

It also shows how a single act of bravery can alter an entire industry.

Listen to the Full Conversation

If you are a woman building a business, leading a team, changing careers, or trying to trust yourself again, this episode is for you. It is honest, raw, surprising, and deeply motivating.

You can listen to the full interview on your favorite podcast app or watch it on YouTube.

This is why we created Badass Women in Business. To share the stories women need to hear and to spotlight the leaders who are rewriting what success looks like.

Amanda DuBois is one of them.

Guest Contact Information

Amanda DuBois
Founder and Managing Partner, DuBois Levias Law Group
Author, Camille Delaney Mystery Series

Website: www.duboislaw.net
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-dubois-2b46071
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandadubois206
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaduboisauthor
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmandaDuBois206

Publicist: Lindsay Lodis
Email: lindsay@fullswingpr.com