Terrific interview with Kaylee Walstad and Mary Mack on the eDiscovery Chicks podcast, which turned out to be Kaylee’s last podcast interview.
As Mary noted in this LinkedIn post: “Kaylee very seldom allowed light to be shown on her, she preferred shining it on others… It is a blessing to hear Kaylee’s voice, talking about her joy in life, her family, and why she loved our eDiscovery, legaltech and greater EDRM community, our project contributors and leaders, our Trusted Partners and more.”
Indeed, it was. The interview was conducted a couple of weeks ago (published yesterday here), so, in light of Kaylee’s passing, Bree Murphy and Angie Nolet (aka, the eDiscovery Chicks) provided an introduction to the podcast in memory of Kaylee, as follows:
“Angie and I are honored to bring you the following podcast. We didn’t know at the time we recorded it that it would be the last time we would share stories, laughs, and wisdom with Kaylee Walstad. Unfortunately, Kaylee passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in her sleep. We would like to express our respect to Kaylee for her years spent contributing to the eDiscovery industry and for being our colleague and our friend. Her passing is a sudden and heartbreaking loss, not only to the eDiscovery community she cared for so deeply, but also her friends and her family who were her true joy.
Kaylee was a champion for eDiscovery, always finding ways to share knowledge, uplift others, and move us forward together. Her impact will live on – in the standards she promoted, the colleagues she mentored, and the relationships she built. But beyond her professional accomplishments, it was Kaylee’s spirit that made her truly unforgettable. She was a ray of sunshine in every room, the one who cheered us on when challenges felt heavy, who always found the time to ask how we were doing and truly listen. She loved people with all of her heart, and she had a way of putting others before herself in a manner that felt genuine and rare.
Kaylee leaves behind a legacy of kindness, generosity, and encouragement. If we can carry even a fraction of her spirit forward, if we could pause to lift one another up the way that she did, we honor her memory and the way she would have wanted. While we feel the weight of this loss, we are grateful for the time we had with Kaylee. She made our industry better, and more importantly, she made us better.”
Well said. Angie and Bree proceeded with the interview with Mary and Kaylee, asking them for fun facts about themselves (Mary played “donkey softball” in her youth, Kaylee had started collecting Pokémon cards with her daughter Ashley recently), the history of the EDRM and how Mary and Kaylee came to acquire it, the ongoing efforts of the EDRM 2.0 project, how eDiscovery has evolved and where it’s heading, advice for new eDiscovery practitioners and about their personal motivation.
A couple of notable quotes from Kaylee that reflect who she was as a person:
- Advice for New Practitioners: “Find your community. How can you do that? Start following people on LinkedIn. Ask questions…Literally, the eDiscovery community is the nicest, warmest and most welcoming community you will find in legal. I think there’s so many people who are willing to put their arm around people and lift them up and help them and point them. If they can’t help, point them in a direction to help. The onus is on you to start to do the legwork.”
- Personal Motivation: “Our thing is to make a difference, to help make a difference in each person’s life, in the ability to have resources, grow a career, find a job. For example, we acquired the EDRM in 2019 at the end of October. And as you all may well remember, beginning of March of 2020, [the] world shut down. And at that point, Mary literally called me and said, “We have to have a community call. The community is going to need a place to gather, talk about what’s happening, get support, give support.” That was 286 weeks ago, over five years. And every Tuesday, people still show up. We show up – whether it’s a holiday or not. Heart work. The EDRM and all the different things that we do, we love our trusted partners. We love the community. It gives me, personally, endless energy and joy.”
Again, the eDiscovery Chicks interview with Kaylee Walstad and Mary Mack is available here. Check it out.
Disclaimer: The views represented herein are exclusively the views of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views held by my employer, my partners or my clients. eDiscovery Today is made available solely for educational purposes to provide general information about general eDiscovery principles and not to provide specific legal advice applicable to any particular circumstance. eDiscovery Today should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a lawyer you have retained and who has agreed to represent you.