Balance Magazine - Personal Growth For Women

Judge Glenda A. Hatchett

By Liz Sterling

At 3:20 a.m. she got into bed, having just arrived in Atlanta from South Carolina. This was a brief respite at home after days on the road. At 9:00 a.m., Judge Glenda A. Hatchett was in the airport on her way to Baltimore for more passionate living. "I like to check in early, be on time and savor a few moments for myself," she said. "Can you hold on the phone for a couple of minutes," she inquired, "while I find a comfortable chair to settle myself? I won't have to board the plane for another 30 minutes. That will give us ample time to conduct the interview." Great boundaries, I thought to myself. This woman knows how to take care of herself and ask for what she needs. By the time she returned to the phone, I had already surmised, she is a great role model.

Hatchett is a visionary who knows how to get results. She is renowned in the legal community for her groundbreaking courtroom style and is known for her revolutionary interventions. She is widely respected for her work with today's youth, which not only sets her apart from other judges, but also establishes her as a leader in the justice system nationwide. She models integrity, honesty, passion, commitment, concern and truly desires to make a difference in the world, especially in the family. Judge Hatchett is the author of the national bestseller, Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say (Harper Collins, 2003), based on her extensive professional experiences as a jurist and her own personal experience as a mother of two boys. "My father," she recalls in the introduction, "used to speak about the crossroads in a young life-about turning the corner onto a street he called New Hope Road. I would nod as if I knew what he meant, but it wasn't until I was a parent myself that I truly got it. What he meant is that if you are really committed to changing your life, to walking a better road, all it takes is a change in direction and a commitment to that change in direction. Turn the corner, and keep on walking, and after a while you look back over your shoulder and you can no longer see the old road. After a while, the new path-New Hope Road-becomes the only way."

When asked about her numerous accolades and awards, Judge Hatchett points out that her most important accomplishment is her ability to have a positive impact on the lives of troubled youth and their families. Her popular, award-winning, nationally syndicated television series Judge Hatchett-which began its seventh season in September 2006-is proof that she defines a whole new courtroom television approach. She continually urges viewers to become mentors to at-risk youth in their communities.

Passion
"My passion has become seeing that people find their path and purpose. For a long time I thought my job was to fix people. I now understand that I am really to empower people so they can have satisfaction for a lifetime. Fixing someone so they will respond to the authority of a judge isn't enough. It may only last for a day, a week, a month or a year. What people really need is to have ingrained in them the understanding that they need to change. My professional mission is to inspire young people, empower parents and strengthen families. And that's what my role and work is about. I wake up and I feel it is wonderful to be able to do something I am passionate about."

Priorities
"If you follow your passion, you will start looking at your priorities differently. It will actually start working itself out, and it relates to the whole thing of balance. We've got to get balance! Sometimes we get so caught up in the chaos of the world that it is hard to get focused on what is important. And that is where discipline comes in. I have to recognize what is important and what is the priority.

For me, this was particularly clear after my sons were born. Priorities shift at different phases of life. Now I am an empty nester, so I don't have to be home for football games. Before though, I had to make choices. Rather than go to dinners all the time and social events, my top priority was to be home for bedtime and story time. I liked to tuck my boys in bed at night. So that is what I established as my priority. "For years and years and years, on Friday nights, I didn't care if the president called; I had to be on the 50-yard line. I never missed a varsity game; never, ever in my life. Offers would come in for various functions and they would say, we'll pay you X dollars if you will deliver this speech. But if it was on Friday night, the answer is no way. And then they would come back and raise the ante. Well, I would say, if the podium is at the 50-yard line and the speech is at halftime, you have a deal.

"We must have clarity and convictions when it comes to our priorities. I think it comes from our upbringing but it also can be learned. I had amazing role models. My mom and particularly my dad were inspiring for me and my brothers. But I think after some hard knocks, you get your priorities straight, too. I tend to be very private but I will share this with you. I had pneumonia about 5 years ago and I was flat on my back. I was never so sick in my life. Sometimes it takes the hard knocks to beat some sense into you. I realized, if I am taking care of everyone else and not taking care of myself, then we are going to be in trouble here. That's when I learned about finding balance."

Boundaries
"I am very private and I made a conscious decision to keep my family protected from the media. I give so much of myself to the public, I have to establish boundaries and barriers for my children. We vacation in remote places, I do not hold interviews in my home, I do not keep pictures of my family in public and I guard my privacy diligently. I am pulled in so many directions that there just has to be a quiet space in my life for me and my family. "I see myself as extremely passionate about what I do, and very committed. I am tough when I have to be. As an African American woman in the corporate world, there is a certain toughness you have to have but I have to look myself in the mirror at night. I have passed on many opportunities that were really great but at the end of the day, I have to be OK with me."

Responsibility and Accountability
"There is absolutely a lack of responsibility in our youth for their actions and for themselves. It's an issue of accountability. A young pregnant woman who sits in my courtroom and thinks it's all about her is wrong. She has to be responsible to and for the child she is carrying and accountable for her actions. We have to start our conversation with our children when they are young. Don't wait. Do it today. That is why I am an advocate of interventions and creative sentencing on my television program, Judge Hatchett. I work in conjunction with community organizations and businesses including the Boys and Girls Clubs and Urban League to design a program where troubled youth would be exposed to successful executives and community leaders who will inspire them to make changes in their lives. Sentences often include sending troubled youth to one of the participating organizations in an effort to teach them how to take positive steps toward their futures. What I see happening in America crosses economic, cultural and racial lines and I am seeing it in too many places. I don't have the magic answer to this problem. I want people to know Š this is it. This is your life. You can't plug into a DVD player and back up to yesterday. You can do something about Now. Establish goals and see what you want to manifest nowŠdo it today!"