The Wellness Esquire Podcast

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 op...

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 s...

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...

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 co...

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 hiera...

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 tran...

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...

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 realizatio...

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 &a...

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 pl...

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...

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&q...

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 cont...

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...

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 lo...

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 id...

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 sh...

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...

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 b...

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...

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 sus...

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, empat...

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. Ariel...

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 f...

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...