Retour

Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Wellness Esquire Podcast: Happy, Healthy, Successful Lawyers

Plongez dans la liste complète des épisodes de The Wellness Esquire Podcast: Happy, Healthy, Successful Lawyers. Chaque épisode est catalogué accompagné de descriptions détaillées, ce qui facilite la recherche et l'exploration de sujets spécifiques. Suivez tous les épisodes de votre podcast préféré et ne manquez aucun contenu pertinent.

Rows per page:

1–43 of 43

TitreDateDurée
Lawyer and Dad: You Don't Have to Choose, with Matthew Korn29 Oct 202601:00:40

A year after their first son was born, Matthew Korn's wife told him she felt like a single mom. He was a lawyer first, everything else second. That moment started him down a different road, and eventually to founding a community for every lawyer dad asking the same question.

Matthew is an employment lawyer, partner at Pierson Ferdinand, father of four, and founder of Dad, Esq. He thought it might be five or ten guys on a Zoom. It's now heading toward a thousand members, with local chapters and a January virtual summit open to everyone.

Join Dad, Esq. (free for lawyer dads): dadesq.com
Register for the Jan 20-21 Dad, Esq. Virtual Summit: dadesq.com/register

In this episode:

  • Why the day to day of your practice matters more than the substance
  • The false belief that prioritizing family means you're less committed, and why dads feel it now too
  • "I'm not really listening": catching yourself at home, and what he does about it
  • Posting about Crohn's, and the one DM that made it worth it
  • The invisible load, and why making lunches is "like five percent of the work"
  • Why his community is free, and learning to delegate something that feels like your baby
  • A firm with no associates, no offices and no billable hour target

Mentioned:

Connect with Matthew: linkedin.com/in/matthewkorn · Dad, Esq. on Instagram: instagram.com/Dad_esquire

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: youtu.be/hkvHa6FiPYE

New episodes weekly! Subscribe to The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode! 💗

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Build a Law Practice You Don't Dread on Monday, with Brian Glass22 Oct 202600:58:27

What would it take for Monday to bring work you actually want to do? Personal injury lawyer Brian Glass has an answer, and it starts with the people you do it with.

Brian joined his dad's firm, BenGlassLaw, in 2019, after a hard delivery with his third child put everything in perspective. Since then he has built a practice where the team gets interesting problems, routine work goes to VAs and AI, and he leaves at four most spring and fall afternoons to coach youth sports. His definition of success changed along the way: from trading time for money to buying time back.

In this episode:

  • Why "freedom from" the desk means nothing without "freedom to"
  • The three constraints every law firm has, and why you can only solve one at a time
  • Measuring every stage of a case, and adjusting when the data surprises you
  • Why most lawyer marketing is generic, and what to post instead
  • The one-email rule, and taking email off your phone

About Brian Glass: Brian is a personal injury lawyer in Fairfax, Virginia, who owns and runs BenGlassLaw, the firm his dad Ben Glass founded, and co-runs Great Legal Marketing. He's a William & Mary Law graduate, and in 2022 a Fairfax County jury awarded his client more than $4 million after a head-on collision with a drunk driver.
Brian on LinkedIn · Brian on Instagram · BenGlassLaw · Great Legal Marketing

Mentioned: Alex Hormozi, Winston (Ariella's legal practice management software, with demos starting soon)

Connect with Ariella: thewellnessesquire.com · ariellalaw.com · LinkedIn · ariella@thewellnessesquire.com

New episodes weekly! Subscribe to The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode! 💗

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Who Decided What's Professional? How to Stop Following the Lawyer Rules You Never Chose14 Oct 202600:31:57

A senior lawyer once told me taking calls outside looked like I didn't take my work seriously. Within a couple of hours, his client called me instead.

In this solo episode, I share the moment I realized some of those old lawyer rules are still stuck inside me, even after building a practice entirely my way: monkeys were dancing right outside my door during a podcast, and I wouldn't turn my head to look because I didn't want to be unprofessional. This episode is about noticing the inherited rules of what a professional looks like, keeping the parts with real value, and letting go of the nonsense.

In this episode:

  • Why "where you sit does not mean you don't take your work seriously"
  • The shape of who we're told a lawyer is supposed to be
  • Why birthdays have been hard since my dad died when I was 17, and how I'm learning to like mine again
  • My husband's birthday advice: treat every day like it's your birthday
  • Why I'm rethinking how (and how often) this podcast comes out
  • Your challenge: am I doing this because I want to, or because I think I have to?

Mentioned:

Tell me what you're questioning: ariella@thewellnessesquire.com, or find me on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman) and Instagram (@ariellacohencoleman, @thewellnessesquire).

New episodes from The Wellness Esquire! Follow, subscribe, and send this one to a lawyer who needs it. 💗

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Perfectionism Isn't a Flaw: Why I Stopped Being a "Recovering Perfectionist" | with Ariella Cohen Coleman30 Sep 202600:37:02

Perfectionism isn't something lawyers need to recover from. It's something we need to get better at. 🤣

In this solo episode, I get honest about my own perfectionism: the decades I spent beating myself up for tiny mistakes, the podcast (this one) that I kept not launching, and why calling myself a "recovering perfectionist" quietly dulled my sparkle.

I spent most of my life as a maladaptive perfectionist, and I didn't have the language for it until I read my all-time favorite book, The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler. I share what shifted when I started seeing perfectionism as part of who I am, something to aim in a healthy direction, not remove. I also talk about hiring a friend to press publish on the podcast because I couldn't do it myself, learning to surf this year and being objectively not good at it (and loving it!!), and why you can absolutely burn out doing work you love.

In this episode:

  • Maladaptive vs. adaptive perfectionism, and why the difference changes everything
  • Why "if you can't face a mistake, you can't learn from it"
  • How treating everything like a lab (throwing spaghetti at the wall) made me a better attorney
  • Why I quit calling myself a recovering perfectionist
  • Excelling on your own values, not someone else's
  • Work-life integration, and why loving your work doesn't make you burnout-proof
  • A community challenge: the one thing you've been scared to do

Mentioned in this episode: The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler, and Whitney Harper of Advos Legal.

Tell me the one thing you've been scared to do and are going to do anyway: ariella@thewellnessesquire.com, or find me on LinkedIn and Instagram (@ariellacohencoleman, @thewellnessesquire).

New episodes on Wellness Wednesdays! Follow and subscribe to The Wellness Esquire, and send this one to a lawyer who needs it. 💛

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Who Am I Without Law? Erin Gerner on Rebuilding a Lawyer's Identity16 Sep 202600:59:05

You don't hate being a lawyer. You hate the way you're doing it. Erin Gerner spent years believing she had to choose between being a lawyer and being herself, and this conversation is about everything she found on the other side of that lie.

Erin excelled at the path everyone told her to want. Top of her class, then big law, then physically sick before work every morning. When the 2008 crash ended her firm job and a premature baby changed her whole world, she walked away from the law entirely, and ran straight into a question she couldn't answer: who is Erin if she's not a lawyer? What she rebuilt from there, the creativity and community and coaching that law had buried, eventually led her back to practice, this time on her own terms. If you have ever wondered whether you're in the wrong career or just doing it the wrong way, this one is for you.

In this episode:

  • Why "I don't want any of this" in big law was information, not weakness
  • The identity crisis almost no one warns you about when you step back from the law
  • Why the answer is usually not burning it all down, but small, simple changes
  • How Erin built a coaching practice (and a full cohort) before she had a program
  • What it took to come back to practice after a decade away, and quiet the self-doubt
  • Why "and" might be the most important word a lawyer can learn

00:00 Two beach-loving, "yay"-saying lawyers find each other
04:47 Becoming a digital nomad: "we just did it"
09:47 Why she went to law school, and following the path
12:10 Big law, and being physically sick before work
15:36 "Everyone else seemed fine," and why that's a lie
18:00 A baby born seven weeks early changes everything
20:29 The identity crisis: who is Erin without the law?
24:23 Rediscovering the parts the law had sucked out
28:02 Doing it messy and scared
30:20 "Why are you not helping lawyers?"
32:16 Forty women in the DMs, and no program yet
38:33 You don't hate law, you hate how you're doing it
43:57 What success actually means now
45:29 Going back to practice, on her own terms
49:54 Coaching baby-lawyer Erin through the self-doubt
55:44 The one lesson: the power of "and"

About Erin Gerner: Erin is a lawyer, coach, and host of the Powerhouse Lawyers podcast. She helps women lawyers redefine success and design careers and lives that actually fit them, and recently returned to practice under a firm model built for entrepreneurial attorneys and those who are looking to build their practices on their own terms.

Links: Website https://www.eringerner.com/ |LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-gerner/ | Powerhouse Lawyers on Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/powerhouse-lawyers/id1686603658 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0KpzrGa6PkI7U2HKwpPSQq

New episodes weekly! Subscribe to The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode!

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

I Lead the Lawyer Wellbeing Movement, and I Still Won't Rest | with Ariella Cohen Coleman09 Sep 202600:36:00

OK, that was a bit nerve-wracking, but it went way better than I expected! I already have a page of notes for myself for next time, and I'm super excited to do more of these solo episodes. Partly because I have so many ideas about how to bring tons of value to our community, and partly because this is the next thing to do that scares me a little. I used to run from things that scared me, now (apparently) I run (or crawl) toward them.

So here's my first solo episode.

I am one of the leaders of this whole lawyer wellbeing movement, and I just got over being sick - and I got sick because I didn't listen to my body. I added a lot to my plate without taking anything off it, and then I didn't truly rest. In this convo, I get honest about that, about why I started The Wellness Esquire when I'm not always very good at the whole wellbeing thing, and about some of the things I'm doing to help myself avoid this from happening again...

And, btw, there's so much more I'm doing to take care of myself that I didn't talk about here, and I'm excited to get into that in another episode. That topic on its own could be its own multi-series.

In this episode:
- Why a solo episode felt scarier than any interview I've ever done
- The confidence people say they see in me, and why it's newer than you'd think
- How I talked myself into taking on too much, and the moment my body made me stop
- What knowing the science of wellbeing does and doesn't do for you (my conversation with Jordana Confino)
- Setting boundaries with clients: why it used to terrify me and why I love it now

Chapters:
00:00 Why a solo episode felt scarier than any interview
02:23 The confidence you see in me is new, and hard-won
05:20 Why today: I got sick because I didn't listen to my body
07:18 Knowing wellbeing matters vs. actually doing it (with Jordana Confino)
11:54 The freedom that lets me live this way, and the "a lot" that comes with it
17:43 My city nervous system vs. my jungle nervous system
20:09 I'm bad at resting, and even my trainer knows it
22:36 The recap: what I took on, and what I'm changing
28:30 Setting boundaries with clients used to terrify me
32:38 Why I built this: what if we don't all have to hit rock bottom first

New episodes every week for Wellness Wednesday. Follow The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode. 💗


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Harassed by the Judge She Clerked For: Aliza Shatzman on Fighting Back02 Sep 202600:41:32

Law clerk harassment is one of the legal profession's best-kept secrets, and Aliza Shatzman lived it. A federal judge harassed her, fired her, and then torpedoed her dream job as a homicide prosecutor with a single negative reference she was never allowed to see. Then she found out she couldn't sue him, because 30,000 people who work for the federal courts have no protection under Title VII.

I have my own (much less dramatic) version of this story, from a networking event my 1L year, so this conversation went straight to the thing so many of us carry quietly: you feel a power imbalance, you feel confused and alone, and you have no idea who to tell and what to do. Aliza's answer is bracing and hopeful. You have more power and agency than you think, and using your powerful voice is what makes it better for everyone who comes after you.

In this episode:
- What actually rises to the level of harassment, and why "it's just a bad fit" is a lie you don't have to accept
- Why filing a formal complaint is the single best way to protect yourself from retaliation
- The power dynamic that makes law students, clerks, and junior associates most vulnerable, and how to navigate it
- How Aliza turned the worst moment of her career into the Legal Accountability Project
- The internal reporting channels that exist, and which ones are actually HR for the judiciary

In this episode:
00:00 The 1L networking story that started this
05:53 What drew Aliza to law school
07:11 The clerkship that changed everything
10:26 The negative reference that cost her the dream job
12:19 Why 30,000 court employees have no Title VII protection
16:07 You are not powerless: your voice is your power
18:11 Glassdoor for Judges and the daily work of accountability
22:47 What actually counts as harassment
30:38 Your real options: EDR, DWR, and formal complaints
32:57 Retaliation, and why a written record protects you
39:41 Building a life and a career on her own terms

About Aliza: Aliza Shatzman is an attorney, advocate, and the President and Founder of the Legal Accountability Project, a nonprofit working to ensure law clerks have positive clerkship experiences and extending accountability to a judiciary that has long operated without it.
Links: Legal Accountability Project: https://www.legalaccountabilityproject.org/
Aliza on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliza-shatzman-58b55223/
LAP on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelegalaccountabilityproject/

New episodes weekly. If you're a lawyer who has ever felt this, you're not alone. Follow The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode!

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Why So Many Successful Lawyers Feel Like Nothing Inside: David Sazant on Self-Worth and Identity26 Aug 202600:55:14

You can look like you have it all together, everything tied up in a beautiful little bow, and still feel like a fraud on the inside. David Sazant, a former litigator turned therapist for lawyers, says that gap is one of the most common things his clients are too ashamed to say out loud.

We talk about why so much lawyer anxiety, imposter syndrome, even anger is really about self-worth, and why the self-worth we build on other people's approval never holds. So much of this, for David, comes back to identity, to who we are and who we know ourselves to be. If you think you're the only one who struggles with these feelings, David and I promise you, you're not.

In this episode:
- Why so many high-achieving lawyers feel like frauds no matter what they accomplish
- Why self-worth built on other people's approval never holds, and how to start internalizing your own
- The difference between "I am anxious" and "I'm experiencing anxiety," and why it changes everything
- Why anger is so often just not feeling good enough wearing a different face
- Why saying the hard thing out loud is where connection starts, not where your credibility ends


About David: David Sazant is a former litigator turned therapist and the founder of Pursuit Counseling and Therapy, a practice serving men, many of them Ontario-based lawyers and other high-performing professionals. 

Connect with David at Pursuit Counseling 

New episodes weekly! If you're a lawyer who has ever felt this, you're not alone. Follow The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode.

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How to Be a Happy Lawyer in Six Minutes a Day, with Jennifer Gillman19 Aug 202600:55:22

You do not have to choose between being a successful lawyer and a happy one, and you do not have to wait for some future season to be both. Unraveling that false narrative is what Jennifer Gillman does with her clients. She's a lawyer turned recruiter for rainmakers, and she says the craziest thing: taking care of yourself and aligning your work with your values isn't the reward you get once you make it. It's how you get to be successful and happy at the same time.

In this episode:
- Why your fourteenth draft at 3am is making the brief worse, not better
- The lie that you have to be miserable now to earn your happiness later
- Why the "wrong firm" is almost never a bad lawyer or a bad firm, just a bad match
- How to see your own situation clearly when you can't read the label from inside the bottle
- Why it's never too late, even at 50 with no book of business

Chapters:
00:00 Meeting Jennifer
04:35 From a family of lawyers to leaving practice
08:31 The accidental pivot into recruiting
13:15 Starting her own firm and betting on lawyer happiness
15:59 The Six Pillars of a happy rainmaker
16:02 Pillar 1: Care for yourself
21:22 The "point one" method: six-minute change
24:50 Pillar 2: Build business
26:50 Pillars 3 to 6: Boundaries, planning, learning, legacy
29:56 What it's actually like to work with Jennifer
38:39 Ariella's concussion and the gift of boredom
43:41 The results: more free time AND more money
50:05 Fear, risk, and reading the label from inside the bottle
53:57 One magic-wand change for the legal industry
57:08 It's never too late

About Jennifer: Jennifer Gillman is the President and Founder of Gillman Strategic Group, a legal recruiting firm where she helps successful partners and rainmakers with portable business find the perfect fit at another firm, which can make a dramatic difference in their career and personal satisfaction. Her superpower is being able to tell in 15 minutes whether a law firm partner would be happier changing firms or if their current firm is the best fit. After practicing law herself for 12 years, Jennifer built her work around a simple belief: successful lawyers should be happy, too.

Links: Jennifer Gillman: https://gillmanstrategicgroup.com/ | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-gillman-law-firm-matchmaker/ | Jennifer's book, The Happy Rainmaker: https://gillmanstrategicgroup.com/the-happy-rainmaker/

New episodes weekly. If you're a lawyer who has ever felt this, you're not alone. Follow and subscribe to The Wellness Esquire so you never miss an episode. 🤩

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

She Made Her World Smaller and Smaller to Survive Law. Then She Found the Happy Lawyers. | Emily Long12 Aug 202601:07:59

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, host Ariella Cohen Coleman sits down with Emily Long, a former prosecutor turned solo firm founder who knew she was going to be a lawyer at nine years old. Emily got the exact career she pictured: law school at 20, practicing by 23, in court every single day as a prosecutor. What she did not expect was how heavy it would feel, or that she had been carrying a lifelong anxiety she had never even named. To cope, she got very good at control, until she realized she had quietly shrunk her whole world down to a box she could manage. This is the story of how she found her way out, found the secret group of happy lawyers, and is now building a firm on her own terms.

Emily Long is the founder of Long Legal PLLC, a business law firm based in St. Petersburg, Florida. A Florida native and sixth-generation entrepreneur, Emily works as fractional general counsel and business counsel for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and nonprofits, supporting them from vision through launch to growth. Her practice spans business formation, contract analysis and development, and nonprofit formation and governance, built on a more modern and personalized approach to legal support than the traditional firm model. The firm's roseate spoonbill logo, inspired by the birds Emily grew up around while kayaking in Florida, reflects her philosophy of whole-business health and building foundations that let people and businesses flourish.

Learn more at longlegalfl.com, connect with Emily on LinkedIn, or follow her on Instagram.

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

They Asked 1,100 Women in 60 Countries About Failure. What They Found Should Change How Lawyers Handle It - with Deborah Grayson Riegel05 Aug 202600:51:21

In this episode, I sit down with executive communication coach and keynote speaker Deborah Grayson Riegel. Lawyers are trained to never make a mistake, which is a brutal setup for a human being. For her book Aim High and Bounce Back, Deb and co-author Fiona Macaulay surveyed 1,100 women across 60 countries to understand why failure lands differently for women. Deb coaches leaders at Wharton, Columbia, and Duke on communicating with confidence, and has managed anxiety and OCD her whole life. We recorded the morning after her husband's accident, with their month in Scotland just canceled, and she was refreshingly honest about performing at a high level while your brain works against you.

In this episode:

  • What their 1,100-woman study revealed about failure
  • Why "confidence" might not be your real problem
  • The five kinds of failure, and why naming yours matters
  • Deb's three-step method for bouncing back
  • The mistakes policy I just rolled out at my own firm
  • A one-line reframe that shuts down imposter syndrome

Connect with Deborah Grayson Riegel: deborahgraysonriegel.com | LinkedIn

Connect with Ariella: thewellnessesquire.com | ariellacohencoleman.com | LinkedIn | @thewellnessesquire

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Patrick Patino: Panic Attacks, Pottery Class, and Practicing Law On His Own Terms29 Jul 202601:02:11

Patrick Patino spent over a decade building a bankruptcy practice that looked, from the outside, like a success story. From the inside, it was panic attacks, ER visits, and a driver's license photo he didn't recognize.

In this episode, Patrick traces the path from a poetry degree to bankruptcy law, the health crisis that forced him to rebuild his practice around boundaries instead of hustle, and how The Newfangled Lawyer became less a brand and more a test: can you practice law as yourself and still make it work.

We talk career origin stories, legal design theory, the boundaries that stuck, and what it means to decide you've built enough.

Guest: Patrick Patino, bankruptcy attorney and founder of The Newfangled Lawyer.

Connect with Patrick:
 Website: https://newfangled.legal/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickpatino/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewfangledlawyer/

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

He Couldn't Read a Book. Now He Coaches High Performers. Jonathan Z. Cohen22 Jul 202601:22:12

Before he was a Bronx Special Victims prosecutor, an IDF combat veteran, or in-house counsel, or a coach to high performers, Jonathan Z. Cohen was a kid who couldn't get through a single page of a book. In this episode, Ariella Cohen Coleman sits down with Jonathan to trace the entire arc - from a childhood "learning disability" label, to the chance encounter that got him into college, to five years of public service, to coaching high performers on adaptability and mental toughness today.

Jonathan shares the story of the friend who was the first person to ever tell him he didn't actually have a learning disability, what he carried home from serving in the IDF and prosecuting Special Victims cases, and why he treats recovery as something active rather than passive. He and Ariella also get into why neither of them drinks, and what it's like to say "I don't drink" without over-explaining yourself.

If you've ever wondered how much of who you are was decided for you early on, and whether it's too late to go back and question it, this conversation is for you.

About the guest:

Jonathan Z. Cohen is an in-house attorney at PNY Technologies, host of Inside The Inspired podcast, former Bronx Special Victims Unit criminal prosecutor, IDF infantry combat veteran, and endurance athlete. He speaks and coaches on mental toughness, adaptability, and performance under pressure.

Resources Mentioned:


Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success. https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations — formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, delivered project-based or by subscription. https://ariellalaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

Connect & Explore:


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Clothes Are a Portal to Your Power — Melanie Lippman on Style, Confidence & Personal Branding for Lawyers15 Jul 202601:12:58

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman sits down with Melanie Lippman — a New York–based style consultant and certified neurocoach who helps high-performing women, especially attorneys, use clothing as a tool for confidence, authority, and connection. For Melanie, clothes are never just clothes: done right, they become a portal to the visibility, authority, and success her clients had been reaching for but couldn't quite unlock — the kind of shift that turns into making partner, attracting a higher caliber of client, and finally being seen at the level they've always operated on.

They get into the outdated law firm "handbook" that quietly tells women they don't belong, why femininity is a courtroom superpower rather than a liability, and the reason a $10,000 shopping spree almost never sticks without the inner identity work underneath it. Melanie shares how she rewires the way clients see themselves so they can actually wear the clothes they buy — one safe, incremental step at a time — and how that inner work is what unlocks results a new blazer never could on its own. And Ariella opens up about her own journey: what it's like to not recognize your own size or shape, dressing through chronic illness and sensory sensitivity, and how losing her father at seventeen quietly froze part of her identity there — and what it's taking to show up as the woman she is now.


Work with Melanie

Ready to make your wardrobe match the woman you've become and are becoming? Melanie works with women one-on-one, in group programs, and through corporate workshops — and hosts a free five-day closet challenge each month to help you build power outfits from clothes you already own.

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

"Being Yourself Takes 0% Energy" — Jonathan Cullen on Ditching the Lawyer Mask08 Jul 202601:29:16

Jonathan Cullen spent 18 years as General Counsel at Pfizer Canada before walking away to build a full-time coaching and consulting practice for lawyers and law firms. In this episode, he sits down with Ariella Coleman to unpack what it actually takes to lead — and stay yourself — inside a profession built on formality.

Jonathan shares the early-career moment he decided authenticity wasn't optional, even when it landed wrong. He breaks down "touchdowns and fumbles," the weekly team ritual he built around admitting mistakes first — his own — to make it safe for everyone else to do the same. He opens up about his son Tristan's six-month hospitalization as an infant, and how that experience permanently changed his definition of urgency and his tolerance for making hard calls.

The conversation turns to what law firms consistently miss: curiosity. Jonathan explains why firms that never ask about a client's culture, decision-making structure, or definition of "winning" end up delivering technically correct advice that still misses the mark — including his own story of winning a case in court, only to find the business disappointed by the outcome.

He and Ariella also dig into the built-in tension of the billable hour, why "principle-based advice" builds more trust than a flat yes-or-no, and why the best leaders are the ones you barely notice — until the exact moment they need to step in front of their team.

About the guest: 

Jonathan Cullen spent 18 years as General Counsel at Pfizer Canada before recently leaving law practice entirely to launch a full-time coaching and consulting practice. He now works with lawyers and law firms on leadership, business development, and professional growth — bringing an insider's view from nearly two decades of sitting on the client side of the table.


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

AI, Anxiety, and the Myth of the Perfect Lawyer with Colin Levy01 Jul 202600:51:19

What happens when a perfectionist lawyer embraces imperfection?

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella sits down with legal innovator Colin Levy for an honest conversation about mental health, perfectionism, authenticity, and the evolving role of AI in the legal profession.

Colin shares his personal journey with anxiety and depression, the importance of asking for help, and how showing up authentically has transformed both his career and his life. Together, they discuss grief, self-criticism, resilience, and the pressure lawyers often feel to have everything under control.

The conversation also explores the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence in law, why AI should enhance—not replace—human judgment, and how embracing imperfection can lead to stronger leadership, healthier careers, and more meaningful connections.

Whether you're a lawyer, leader, entrepreneur, or simply someone striving to balance ambition with well-being, this episode offers thoughtful insights into navigating change while staying true to yourself.

About the guest: 

Colin Levy is a lawyer, legal technology expert, author, and speaker who is passionate about helping the legal profession embrace innovation while keeping people at the center of the conversation. Drawing from his own experiences with anxiety, depression, and perfectionism, Colin advocates for greater authenticity, mental health awareness, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in legal practice. Through his writing, speaking, and consulting, he helps lawyers and organizations leverage technology to work more effectively while emphasizing that AI should enhance—not replace—human judgment, empathy, and critical thinking. 


Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:

Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:


Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:


Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

His Wife Has Cancer, He Has Depression, And He Just Launched a New Law Firm - with Randy Kramer24 Jun 202601:08:18

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Randy Kramer, an international attorney based in Quebec who pivoted from a 20-year career in personal injury litigation to international trade and maritime law.

They discuss the navigating his wife’s Stage IV colon cancer diagnosis while simultaneously managing clinical depression and anticipatory grief and building a new legal practice. Randy shares insights on the challenges of solo practice, the necessity of rejecting perfectionism, and the reality of the "trade-offs" we make for family and health.


About the guest: 

Randy Kramer is an international trade, customs, transportation, logistics, and maritime attorney based in Montreal, Canada. After spending nearly two decades as a successful personal injury litigator, Randy made the bold decision to reinvent his legal career and build a solo practice in an entirely new area of law. Known for his curiosity, resilience, and commitment to continuous learning, he has developed a practice focused on helping businesses navigate the complexities of international commerce. Beyond his legal work, Randy is an advocate for open conversations about mental health, sharing his experiences with depression, entrepreneurship, and supporting his wife through her battle with Stage 4 colon cancer. 

Follow Randy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randy-kramer/


Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:

Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:


Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How a Perfectionist Lawyer Learned to Stop Trying So Hard - with Kara McCarthy Perry17 Jun 202601:15:51

What happens when the career you've spent decades building doesn't align with who you are?

In this episode of the Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman sits down with Kara McCarthy Perry, a former Big Law and in-house attorney who transformed her career and life after realizing that success on paper wasn't enough. Kara shares her journey from corporate law to becoming a consultant, educator, mindfulness advocate, and a laughter yoga instructor.

Ariella and Kara explore the pressures of legal practice, the challenge of balancing career ambitions with family life, and the moments that quietly signal it's time for change. Kara opens up about perfectionism, stress, parenting, meditation, yoga, and the powerful lessons she learned during the forced pause of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This conversation is filled with wisdom for lawyers, professionals, and anyone questioning whether the path they're on still aligns with their values and purpose. From finding what truly feeds your soul to redefining success on your own terms, Kara's story is both inspiring and deeply relatable.


Resources Mentioned:


About the guest: 

Kara McCarthy Perry is a former attorney who spent more than two decades practicing law in both Big Law and in-house legal roles before transitioning into consulting, coaching, and teaching. Today, she helps organizations and leaders build healthier, more trust-based workplace cultures while advocating for mindfulness, well-being, and authentic leadership. Kara also teaches law students about negotiation, wellness, and professional development, and is passionate about helping legal professionals redefine success in a way that aligns with their values, purpose, and overall well-being. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-mccarthy-perry-jd-4442965/

Website: https://justbrilliantlife.com/


Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Creating a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success https://thewellnessesquire.com

Ariella Law, PC provides strategic legal support - from formation, contracts, and compliance to fractional general counsel - through project-based services and monthly subscriptions for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. https://ariellaw.com/

Follow Ariella:

 Connect & Explore:

Support & Sponsors

Zirtual helped Ariella find an amazing paralegal a...

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Practice While Maintaining Boundaries - with Heather Moulder10 Jun 202601:02:42

What does it take to walk away from a multi-million dollar law practice - and build something even better? In this episode, Ariella Coleman sits down with Heather Moulder, a former finance attorney turned lawyer wellbeing coach, to talk about the pivotal moments that forced Heather to reimagine her career, her identity, and her life.

Heather shares her journey from a miserable associate at a hierarchical Texas law firm, to building a thriving book of business as a partner, to facing a stage-threatening breast cancer diagnosis at age 38 - and how each of those experiences planted seeds for a completely different way of practicing law and living life.

If you're a lawyer who suspects there's a better way but can't quite see the path, this conversation will help you find it.


About the guest: 

Heather Moulder is a former big law finance partner who built and led a multi-million dollar practice before leaving to become a lawyer wellbeing and business development coach. She is the founder of Course Correction Coaching and host of her own podcast. She works with lawyers to clarify their values, build boundaries, develop authentic business development strategies, and create careers and lives that actually feel good - without sacrificing professional excellence.


Resources Mentioned:


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How to Build a Law Firm When You Have No Experience and No Confidence - with Bradley Miller03 Jun 202600:56:55

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Bradley Miller, a solo practitioner and M&A attorney who has built a practice focused on freedom and value over the billable hour.

They explored Bradley's journey from being a "reluctant solo" fresh out of law school to becoming an intentional "freedompreneur." Bradley shares how he transitioned from hourly billing to value-based flat fees, the importance of setting hard boundaries—like turning his phone off at 5 PM—and why decoupling your identity from your profession is the ultimate key to happiness in the legal field.


Guest Info:

Bradley Miller, M&A Attorney and Solo Practice Mentor

Follow Bradley Miller:


Resources / Links Mentioned:

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How to Work Like You Vacation (and Why You Should) - with Gwen Griggs and Whitney Harper27 May 202601:25:26

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Gwen Griggs and Whitney Harper, founders of Advos Legal, for their second appearance on the pod!

They explore the wild idea of 'working the way you vacation' by ditching the legal industry's obsession with the misery competition and the billable hour. Gwen and Whitney share their journey of building a firm grounded in human-centric processes, learning from early practice 'disasters,' and why setting firm boundaries actually leads to more profitable business outcomes. They also cover the very important topic of what they wear “at the office” and how they handle OOO messages.


Guest Info

Gwen Griggs & Whitney Harper

Founders of Advos Legal

Follow Gwen & Whitney:


Resources / Links Mentioned

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

The General Counsel Who Missed His Son’s Greatest Play for an Email He Can’t Remember - with Matthew Campobasso20 May 202601:02:18

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Matthew Campobasso, a seasoned litigator and legal executive who reached the pinnacle of his career only to find it felt surprisingly empty. Matt shares what it was like to reach an incredible level or success and receiving all the recognition he could want, and yet wondering, "Is this it?" This realization sparked a journey of intense self-reflection, therapy, and a shift from being a "savior" who runs through walls to a leader who prioritizes internal validation over external accolades.

The conversation dives deep into the concept of "lawyer brain" - the hyper-analytical programming that often turns every personal interaction into a problem-solving mission. Matthew shares a story about missing his son's milestone football play because of an email he can no longer remember, illustrating the high cost of professional “urgency.” They discuss the danger of "outsourcing" self-worth and the necessity of building an internal core of value. Matthew also details his evolution into creating his Substack and podcast, each carrying the name The Case For…, and to authoring his new book, The Case For Letting Go, which explores identity, renewal, and releasing the illusion of control.

Guest Bio

Matthew Campobasso is an experienced attorney with a 20-year career spanning government prosecution, Big Law, and executive leadership as a Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. As an Adjunct Professor at UIC Law, he challenges students to master the new essentials: adaptability, ethical clarity, commercial fluency, and critical AI literacy. Recently recognized as one of the Top 40 Legal Innovators, Matthew is also the host of The Case For... podcast, featuring candid conversations with lawyers and creative thinkers making the case for what truly matters to their purpose and their people.

His forthcoming book, The Case for Letting Go (2026), and his original screenplay, Another Life, explore identity, renewal, and releasing the illusion of control. A dedicated practitioner of Stoicism and meditation, Matthew focuses on judgment over impulse and purpose over noise, believing that in uncertain moments, composure creates credibility.

Resources Mentioned

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Leaving Law Saved His Life - with Shaun Bernstein13 May 202600:53:07

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Shaun Bernstein, a former attorney turned professional ghostwriter and founder of The Write Stuff Agency.

They explore Shaun’s intense journey through a mental health crisis that ultimately led him to walk away from a legal career. Shaun shares the physical and emotional warning signs he experienced, the power of 'betting on yourself,' and how he rediscovered his true identity as a storyteller.


Guest:

Shaun Bernstein, Owner and Chief Storyteller at The Write Stuff Agency!

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Sending 250 Connection Requests a Week to Escape Big Law - with Megan Senese06 May 202601:28:37

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Megan Senese, co-founder of Stage and a legal marketing and business development strategist.

They explore the transition from the "robotic" expectations of BigLaw to building a business rooted in authenticity and kindness. Megan shares her strategy for sending 250 connection requests a week to build her platform in stealth mode, the psychological toll of the billable hour, and why the most powerful business development tool is simply being a human being.

Guest:

Megan Senese, co-founder of Stage & Legal Business Development Strategist

Her website: https://stage.guide/

Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megansenese/

Listen to her podcast, So Much to Say: A Legal Podcast for People.  

  • Megan also offers four free business development sessions for any parent returning from parental leave! 

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

From Alcoholic Trial Lawyer Afraid to Get His Mail to Helping Lawyers Thrive - with Gary Miles29 Apr 202600:49:15

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Gary Miles, a veteran trial attorney turned wellness coach for lawyers.

Ariella and Gary dive into Gary's journey through 41 years of legal practice, including more than a decade as a high-functioning alcoholic. They explore why the very traits that make lawyers successful in court - like being "invincible" - can become "mental prisons" that lead to burnout, and Gary shares his movement from fear-based litigation to service-oriented coaching and leadership.

Guest:

Gary Miles, Wellness Coach for Lawyers & Former Trial Attorney

Website: https://garymiles.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-miles-freedom/

Productivity assessment: https://upbeat-trailblazer-9238.kit.com/7c3c667ff1

Resources:

Breaking Free by Gary Miles — https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-miles-freedom/

Everyday Legacy by Candi Broeffle — https://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Legacy-Lessons-Funeral-Director/dp/1946633332

ABA Study on Lawyer Impairment — https://www.americanbar.org/groups/lawyer_assistance/research/colap_aba_hazelden_lawyer_study/

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Building a Law Firm Where People Don't Wake Up and Puke from Anxiety - with Samah Abukhodeir22 Apr 202601:09:50

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Samah Abukhodeir, the founder and managing partner of The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm.

They dive into how Samah built a 50-person firm centered around culture, where employee well-being and clear client boundaries are the foundation for success.

Samah shares her journey from being a "food stamp baby" to managing a multi-million dollar practice, the systems she uses to build a successful firm while raising two young children, and why she chose to ignore the skeptics and merge firms with her husband.


Resources / Links Mentioned


Guest Info:

Samah Abukhodeir

Founder and Managing Partner at The Florida Probate & Family Law Firm


Follow Samah Abukhodeir:

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Breaking the Billable Hour: How Subscription Law Firms Are Changing Everything - with Mathew Kerbis15 Apr 202601:04:52

On this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman chats with Mathew Kerbis, the founder of Subscription Attorney LLC and co-founder of Practi. They explored the  shift from the billable hour to the subscription model in the legal profession, and Mathew shared his journey from insurance defense burnout to building a sustainable, tech-forward practice that prioritizes time control and client accessibility.

Resources / Links Mentioned

Guest Info: Mathew Kerbis

Founder of Subscription Attorney LLC and Co-Founder of Practi

Follow Mathew Kerbis:


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Designing a Legal Career That Actually Fits Your Life - with Lacey Gutierrez08 Apr 202600:57:21

I chatted with Lacey Gutierrez, co-founder of a modern law firm, to explore the intersection of adventurous living and effective lawyering. We discussed her journey from a fourth-generation legal legacy to finding her own voice in privacy law and fractional GC work. 

Lacey opens up about the "confidence positive feedback loop" she discovered through solo travel and how a dedicated Vedic meditation practice transformed her from a stressed-out bar examinee into a patient, high-performing firm owner. We also dig into why the billable hour can be a barrier to great legal advice and how to build a career that actually fits your life.

Guest Bio

Lacey Gutierrez is a privacy expert and co-founder of Group Five Legal, a law firm providing fractional General Counsel and labor/employment services. A firm believer in the power of meditation and global exploration, Lacey focuses on being a true business partner to her clients, prioritizing risk tolerance and clear communication over traditional billable-hour structures.

Resources Mentioned

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Why Lawyers Are So Stressed & How Mindfulness Can Change Everything - with Courtney Schulnick01 Apr 202601:05:00

In this episode, I chatted with Courtney Schulnick, a former defense litigator who spent 20 years in the "grind" before finding a path to wholeness through mindfulness. We talked about our bumpy journeys and how the pressure to be perfect led us to suppress our struggles until we hit a wall. Courtney shared her personal story of balancing a high-stakes legal career with motherhood and loss, and how an eight-week mindfulness program didn’t just change her stress levels - it changed her entire approach to the law.


Courtney Schulnick is a former trial attorney with 20 years of experience in defense litigation. Today, she is a mindfulness teacher and consultant who helps legal professionals and organizations navigate stress, reduce burnout, and cultivate presence. She is a graduate of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program and teaches at the Jefferson Mindfulness Institute.


Resources Mentioned:

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How a Mom Could Choose Alcohol Over Her Kids - with Amy Guldner25 Mar 202601:13:55

In this episode, I sit down with Amy Guldner, a former big-law litigator turned wellness coach. We dive into the silent struggle many high-achieving professionals face: using alcohol as "medicine" for stress. 

Amy shares her journey from being a "successful" attorney and mother to realizing that her nightly bottle of wine was actually fuel for a growing darkness and suicidal ideation.  

We explore the mindset shift that allowed her to stop wanting to drink, the flaws in how the legal industry discusses substance abuse, and why self-compassion is the ultimate tool for peak performance.


Amy Guldner is a former litigator with over two decades of experience in BigLaw and freelance legal work. After transforming her own relationship with alcohol and stress in 2020, she became a certified coach and speaker specializing in helping high-functioning professionals find freedom from alcohol. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and an advocate for mental health and authenticity within the legal profession.


RESOURCES MENTIONED:

This Naked Mind by Annie Grace

Between Breaths by Elizabeth Vargas

Dr. Andrew Huberman (Huberman Lab Podcast)

Kristin Neff (Self-Compassion research)

Montage Legal Group

ClearSpace App

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

How Gwen Griggs and Whitney Harper Engineered a Better Law Firm18 Mar 202600:57:45

In this episode, I sit down with Gwen Griggs and Whitney Harper, the powerhouse behind Advos Legal. We dive deep into the "brokenness" of the traditional legal system and how they’ve engineered a new path. 

We explore the transition from the grueling billable hour to a value-based "point" system adapted from software development's Agile methodology. Gwen & Whitney share their journey from BigLaw and in-house roles to building a firm that prioritizes both client success and the humanity of the legal team. 


Gwen and Whitney are the co-founders of Advos Legal & Advos Pro.

Gwen focuses on strategic growth for tech-enabled companies and Whitney brings a unique P&L perspective to legal practice.


Resources Mentioned:

  • Advos Legal: The firm’s home for innovative legal services.
  • Advos Pro: Where Gwen and Whitney help other lawyers break free from the traditional model and the expectation that it has to suck to practice law, and guide lawyers to love their work and lives, and be richly rewarded by their practices.
  • Agile/Scrum Methodology: The software development framework adapted for the P3 method.
  • Hal Resnick: Business consultant mentioned regarding organizational design.

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Choose Love, Not Fear: Emotional Resilience & Burnout Prevention in Law - with Elizabeth Garvish11 Mar 202601:03:21

Immigration attorney Elizabeth Garvish joins The Wellness Esquire Podcast to discuss lawyer burnout, emotional resilience, and the concept of the stress “refractory period” — how long it takes to recover after pressure or overwhelm.

In conversation with Ariella Cohen Coleman, Elizabeth shares how lawyers get stuck in cycles of people-pleasing and constant output, and why reconnecting to your inner voice is essential for breaking free. They explore how greater awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and body can help shorten recovery time and build real resilience.

A practical conversation on reducing burnout, improving clarity, and creating a more sustainable way to succeed in law.


Guest: 

Elizabeth Garvish

Follow her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethlagarvish/

Episode Resources:

  • Dr. Joe Dispenza's website - www.drjoedispenza.com
  • Book: The Game of Life and How to Play it, by Florence Scovel Shinn

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

You Deserve Help: A Better Way to Prevent Lawyer Burnout - with Jennifer Kupferman04 Mar 202600:52:48

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, Ariella Cohen Coleman speaks with Jennifer Kupferman about a question many lawyers avoid:

Do you believe you deserve help — not because you’re struggling, but to perform better?

They explore why high-achieving attorneys normalize stress, resist support, and operate in survival mode. Jennifer introduces somatic therapy and explains how stress lives in the body, not just the mind.

A focused conversation on resilience, clarity, and preventing burnout before it starts.

---

Guest: 

Jennifer Kupferman

Psychotherapist (former attorney)

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Lawyers Aren’t Machines: Sustainable Performance in Law - with Will Jordan25 Feb 202601:02:56

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman speaks with William Jordan about anxiety, depression, and the hidden mental health challenges in the legal profession.

Will shares his journey from early-career overwhelm to seeking help, starting treatment, and now speaking openly about lawyer mental health. They explore the “mask” many attorneys wear, how negative self-talk impacts performance, and how untreated anxiety can lead to burnout, missed deadlines, and even malpractice.

A candid conversation on stigma, resilience, and why mental health is essential to ethical, sustainable lawyering.

--

Guest:

William Jordan


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Building a Sustainable Legal Career: The Longest Thing You Do Is Life - with Ryan McKeen18 Feb 202600:56:26

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Cohen Coleman speaks with a former BigLaw attorney who walked away from a toxic, fear-driven firm culture to build something different.

They discuss the mental health toll of law, abusive leadership, and the pressure to simply “toughen up.” He shares what pushed him to leave — and how he created a firm rooted in respect, mentorship, and sustainable success.

A candid conversation on burnout, leadership, and why the legal profession doesn’t have to run on fear to thrive.


Guest:

Ryan McKeen

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Unpacking Burnout & Emotional Intelligence in Law (Part II) - with Rich Bracken11 Feb 202600:58:57

What if burnout wasn’t the price of success in law?

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Coleman and Rich Bracken explore what the legal profession could look like if emotional intelligence mattered as much as technical skill. They discuss building psychologically safe, high-performing environments rooted in self-awareness—not silent stress.

Rich shares how storytelling, empathy, and authentic leadership drive real impact, while Ariella reframes self-care as a strategy for sustainable performance. Together, they unpack burnout prevention, boundaries, and small mindset shifts that can transform a legal career.

A grounded, insightful (and often funny) conversation on practicing law with clarity, resilience, and humanity—without losing yourself in the process.

Guest: 

Rich Bracken

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

Unpacking Burnout & Emotional Intelligence in Law (Part I) - with Rich Bracken04 Feb 202600:54:55

Vulnerability isn’t weakness in law. It’s survival.

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Coleman is joined by Rich Bracken to explore emotional intelligence, mental health, and the cost of silence in the legal profession.

Rich shares personal experiences—from losing a colleague to suicide to his own severe anxiety attack—highlighting how invisible these struggles can be. Ariella reflects on working through serious health challenges, a reality many lawyers quietly relate to.

Together, they confront the truth: silence and “pushing through” don’t protect lawyers—they isolate them. Real resilience requires openness, support, and a shift in how the profession defines strength.

This episode is the first half of an essential conversation about resilience, emotional intelligence, and building a sustainable legal career. 


Guest:

Rich Bracken

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

I Was Not a Good Defense Attorney - with Damon Hudson28 Jan 202600:59:40

What if becoming a good lawyer has less to do with perfection — and more to do with being human?

In this candid and deeply grounded conversation, Ariella Coleman sits down with Damon Hudson to unpack what it really means to become — and be — a lawyer while navigating real personal challenges alongside professional demands.

Damon shares his journey through law school and into legal practice while facing health issues and self-doubt. Together, Ariella and Damon explore how those experiences didn’t weaken his work as a lawyer, but instead directed him, and shaped a more empathetic, grounded, and human-centered approach to serving clients.

They discuss the often unspoken toll of law school culture, the pressure to perform and appear put-together, despite disabilities, and how neglecting wellness can quietly erode both confidence and purpose. Damon reflects on lessons learned the hard way, the myths of success he had to unlearn, and why he now prioritizes authentic human connection over rigid formality in his legal practice.

At its core, this episode is about redefining success in the legal profession — moving away from perfectionism and status symbols, and toward sustainability, honesty, care, and health. Ariella and Damon also talk about the power of sharing personal stories -and why they are so important-, why vulnerability can actually strengthen client trust, and how self-care is not a luxury, but a professional responsibility.

This episode will resonate with law students, early-career attorneys, seasoned lawyers, and anyone wondering whether it’s possible to practice law without losing yourself — because it is.

Visit Damon Hudson's law firm website: https://www.hudsoninjurylaw.com/

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone: BigLaw, Burnout & Asking for Help - with Emily Logan Stedman21 Jan 202600:59:07

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire podcast, Ariella Coleman is joined by guest Emily Logan Stedman for an honest conversation about what it’s really like to practice law in high-pressure environments—and how mental health and well-being fit into that reality.

Emily shares her journey from law school to her current role in BigLaw, reflecting on the expectations lawyers internalize early on and how they can quietly shape identity, performance, and self-worth. Together, Ariella and Emily explore the role of vulnerability in a profession that often rewards perfection, as well as the importance of supportive relationships and honest conversations in sustaining a long-term legal career.

The discussion also addresses common challenges many lawyers face, including perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and chronic stress. Emily offers practical tools and reflections on managing pressure, recognizing early signs of burnout, and creating space for well-being without stepping away from ambition or excellence.

This episode invites listeners to reconsider outdated narratives about success in law and to imagine a version of legal practice where authenticity, mental health, and professional achievement can coexist.

---

Check out Emily on LinkedIn and check out her podcast, The Grace Period.


Additional Resources:

Headspace (the meditation app)

The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control (book)


We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

What Authenticity Looks Like in Practice - with Jennifer Marino Thibodaux14 Jan 202601:06:43

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, Ariella Coleman is joined by Jennifer Marino Thibodaux for an honest conversation about what it really means to live and work with authenticity in the legal profession.

Rather than framing well-being as a question of “balance,” Ariella and Jennifer explore the idea of integration — how professional identity, health, values, and lived experience inevitably inform one another, whether we acknowledge it or not. Jennifer shares reflections from her journey through law school and legal practice, including how a chronic health condition reshaped her understanding of success, productivity, and self-worth.

Together, they talk openly about vulnerability in professional spaces, and why sharing personal stories is not a liability but a source of strength. The conversation examines how law school and legal culture often reward perfectionism and performance, while leaving little room for honesty about struggle, limits, or growth — and what it takes to push back against that model.

Throughout the episode, Ariella and Jennifer return to the idea that authenticity is not a branding exercise or a buzzword, but an ongoing practice. One that involves difficult choices, self-trust, and allowing your professional life to reflect who you actually are. They also discuss the importance of connection and community among lawyers, and how naming shared experiences can create understanding and reduce isolation.

This episode is an invitation to rethink how authenticity shows up in day-to-day professional life — not as an ideal, but as a lived, evolving commitment.

* * *

Exciting news for Jennifer! She is now OFFICIALLY the host of a digital talk show, Leading with Authenticity, on the This Is It Network.  The show will premiere in the next month or two. Look for it and enjoy!

Also, check Jennifer Marino Thibodaux out on Instagram, on LinkedIn, or on her fascinating website.



We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

The Possibility of Change in Law: From Billable Hours to Aligned Practice - with Cody Hand07 Jan 202601:12:49

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, host Ariella Coleman speaks with Cody Hand about rethinking how lawyers practice—and how they value themselves in the process. The conversation explores the growing disconnect between traditional legal structures and what lawyers actually need to build sustainable, fulfilling careers.

Ariella and Cody take a close look at the limits of the billable hour and why many lawyers feel constrained by it. They discuss the shift toward value-based pricing, not simply as a business strategy, but as a reflection of self-worth, autonomy, and trust—both in client relationships and in oneself. Cody shares his personal journey as a lawyer, including the lessons learned through trial and error, recalibration, and the realization that law school does not truly prepare lawyers for the realities of practice.

The episode also explores the idea of starting from yes instead of reflexive no—how fear, defensiveness, and scarcity thinking are baked into legal training, and how redefining value can change the way lawyers show up for their work and their clients. Cody reflects on decision-making, storytelling, and why embracing imperfection is an essential part of professional growth and leadership.

This conversation invites listeners to reconsider what success in law actually looks like, how lawyers can move beyond inherited models that no longer serve them, and why aligning values with practice is critical for long-term sustainability and well-being.

Check Cody Hand out on LinkedIn or connect with him through his websites (as a coach and as a lawyer).

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

It’s Not Always a Fire Drill: Boundaries, Burnout & Well-Being in Law - with Jordana Confino31 Dec 202501:07:13

In this episode, host Ariella Coleman sits down with Jordana for an honest conversation about navigating life and work in the legal world. 

Jordana Confino is a lawyer, writer, and speaker who focuses on well-being and sustainability in the legal profession. Through her work, she explores perfectionism, burnout, and the pressure to perform, advocating for self-compassion, boundaries, and healthier professional cultures—especially for women and working parents. 

Ariella and Jordana talk about their personal journeys, the pressure of perfectionism, and how it quietly impacts mental health. Together, they explore why well-being matters in the legal profession, how positive psychology shows up in everyday choices, and what it really means to set boundaries—especially while balancing a demanding career and motherhood. 

The conversation invites more self-compassion and calls for a more supportive, human culture within the legal field. 

Check out the Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being

Follow Jordana's blog, Chronicles of a Recovering Type A+ Perfectionist

Find Jordana on LinkedIn

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

You’re Not Married to Your Career: Permission to Evolve in Law - with Dave Strousberg24 Dec 202501:29:54

In this conversation, Ariella Coleman sits down with attorney and entrepreneur Dave Strousberg for an honest, thoughtful discussion about fear, failure, and what it really means to build a sustainable career in law.

Dave shares his journey through law school, the bar exam, and the financial and emotional pressure that followed. He talks openly about the moments when fear might lead to inaction, and how taking imperfect action ultimately helped him make clearer, more aligned decisions about his career.

They explore how health challenges and burnout can quietly create misalignment, often long before we are willing to admit it. 

Ariella and Dave also talk about vulnerability and storytelling, and why community matters so much in a profession that often expects people to push through at any cost. They discuss how well-being practices and technology can support lawyers when used intentionally, and how the legal field can move toward healthier, more human ways of working.

This episode is for lawyers who are questioning their path, feeling stretched thin, or simply looking for permission to evolve. Because you are not married to your decisions—and changing course can be an act of clarity, not failure.

Visit Dave Strousberg's website: https://www.willssimplified.com/

Check out The Wellness Esquire on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wellness-esquire/

We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!

Host: Ariella Cohen Coleman

The Wellness Esquire: Authentic conversations showcasing all the ways to do law differently, for lawyers who want a thriving career and a happy life.

Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations. Formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, by project or by subscription.

Follow Ariella: LinkedIn · Instagram · Website

Follow The Wellness Esquire: Website · Substack · Instagram

Sponsor: Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free

Thank you for listening! Subscribe, share, and review. 🤩

© My Podcast Data · Projet indépendant · Données issues d'Apple & Spotify