No Voice, Big Week: STEP, Self-Care & Cross-Border Everything

After a three-week silence due to a debilitating cold that stripped her voice, tax lawyer Amanda Doucette returns with a powerful message: rest is not a failure, but a necessary act of self-care. Her absence wasn't negligence—it was a deliberate choice to prioritize health, a decision that now fuels her professional renewal. The real story, however, is her transformation through the STEP National Conference in Toronto, where she earned the prestigious STEP Worldwide Advanced Certificate in Cross-Border Estates. This achievement marks a pivotal shift in her practice toward global estate planning, complex trust administration, and international tax coordination—areas she describes as 'messy' but deeply fulfilling. Beyond credentials, she shares the emotional core of her journey: the joy of mentorship, the pride in her articling student’s formal admission to the bar, and the deep connections forged with a global network of trust and estate professionals. She’s now building momentum for a summer of high-impact episodes, including deep dives on indefeasible vesting and life insurance taxation, all while preparing for a trip to Japan and celebrating her birthday with a Toronto Tempo game. Her message is clear: professional excellence isn’t built on hustle—it’s built on recovery, connection, and purposeful growth.