Episode 50 – Rosemary Loughlin: A Lawyer’s Shakespearean Journey
CAREER & SPIRITUALITY
Conversations
We investigate where professional and spiritual journeys intertwine.
Episode 50 – A Lawyer’s Shakespearean Journey
With Rosemary Loughlin
About this episode
In this episode, I sit down with Rosemary Loughlin—a lawyer, actor, writer, and passionate Shakespeare enthusiast—who followed a series of clues that felt divinely orchestrated: What began as a love of classical acting became a deeper investigation into the Shakespeare authorship debate, ultimately leading her to write and perform a one-woman show inspired by her findings. Her story beautifully illustrates how it’s possible to pursue creative work alongside a professional career, blending analytical rigour with artistic expression.
Whether it’s how she constructed her legal career, how she approached her independent Shakespearean research, or how she brought her creative vision to the stage, Rosemary did it all “one small step at a time”. Her story is a lesson in creative discipline, letting go, and trusting the process—cornerstones not just of productivity but of a truly spiritual journey.
But this episode isn’t just about Shakespeare. It’s about the possibility of living your passion alongside your professional career. Rosemary proves that it’s not always about sacrificing one for the other—it’s about making thoughtful choices and finding ways to integrate your creative pursuits into your life.
About Rosemary Loughlin
Rosemary Loughlin, a lawyer by trade, was living her passion for classical acting when her sharp, analytical mind led her to question the authorship of Shakespeare’s works—joining the ranks of other skeptics, many of them lawyers themselves. Following a trail of clues that felt almost divinely orchestrated, she pursued her own independent research, leveraging her legal skills to methodically investigate the evidence. This journey not only advanced the authorship debate but also inspired her to create and perform a one-woman show that brings her discoveries to life
Rosemary’s professional career as a legislative drafter didn’t just provide financial stability to support her creative projects—it also honed her analytical skills, giving her the tools to tackle historical mysteries with a sharp, investigative mindset. Along the way, she learned to mitigate professional pressures to preserve the bandwidth needed for her creative passion, demonstrating that it’s possible to live both lives without sacrificing fulfillment.
Episode Takeaways
- How small, consistent steps—and a willingness to let go of control—became Rosemary’s foundation for both career growth and creative breakthroughs.
- How a professional career can fuel your passion—not just by paying the bills, but by providing transferable skills that elevate your creative work.
- What it really looks like to balance professional stability with artistic freedom—and how to ease the pressure to make room for what you love.
- Why finding joy in the process (not just the outcome) can lead to surprising synchronicities and unexpected magic.
- How Rosemary’s deep dive into the Shakespeare authorship debate became a spiritual path, where logical inquiry met intuitive guidance.
- Why the Shakespeare authorship debate matters—and what makes the Oxfordian theory so compelling to a growing number of thinkers and creatives.
Ready to Integrate Passion and Profession?
This episode is for you if you’ve ever questioned whether it’s truly possible to pursue your creative calling while building a stable career. Discover how Rosemary integrated law and art, logic and intuition—and how you can begin to align your career and creativity, one step at a time.
About Rosemary
Rosemary is a lawyer, actor, writer and lover of Shakespeare.
In 2008 she began weekly classes in classical acting in Dublin, learning how to perform Shakespeare. A few years later on watching a documentary about Shakespeare called “Last Will and Testament” she became acquainted with what is known as the Shakespeare Authorship Question. This is the question examining what evidence there is that a business man from Stratford upon Avon wrote the plays and poems attributed to William Shakespeare and whether the name William Shakespeare was a pen name for a hidden writer. This lead her to conduct her personal research, and write a play relating her discoveries.
In 2022 she debuted at Edinburgh Fringe Festival her one woman show “A Rose by Any Other Name”. The show describes her travels in England and Northern Italy on the footsteps of a sixteenth Century courtier poet Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford who many now consider is the hidden writer using the name William Shakespeare.
