The Wellness Esquire Podcast

Ariella Cohen Coleman

Join me, Ariella Cohen Coleman, as I explore a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success. On The Wellness Esquire Podcast, I have honest, vulnerable conversations with attorneys and thought leaders about what it really takes to thrive in law - mentally, emotionally, and professionally. We cover the things people are often afraid or embarrassed to talk about: anxiety, burnout, addiction, imposter syndrome, misery, anger, alcohol, depression, health challenges, loss, mistakes, and the realities of legal culture. Each episode blends personal storytelling with practical insights to help lawyers and other high-performing professionals build careers that energize rather than exhaust. Subscribe for weekly Wellness Wednesday episodes and join the movement toward a healthier, more fulfilling way to work and live.

  1. 5d ago

    Why So Many Successful Lawyers Feel Like Nothing Inside: David Sazant on Self-Worth and Identity

    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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  2. Aug 19

    How to Be a Happy Lawyer in Six Minutes a Day, with Jennifer Gillman

    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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  3. Aug 12

    She Made Her World Smaller and Smaller to Survive Law. Then She Found the Happy Lawyers. | Emily Long

    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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  4. Aug 5

    They Asked 1,100 Women in 60 Countries About Failure. What They Found Should Change How Lawyers Handle It - with Deborah Grayson Riegel

    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 failureWhy "confidence" might not be your real problemThe five kinds of failure, and why naming yours mattersDeb's three-step method for bouncing backThe mistakes policy I just rolled out at my own firmA one-line reframe that shuts down imposter syndromeConnect 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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  5. Jul 29

    Patrick Patino: Panic Attacks, Pottery Class, and Practicing Law On His Own Terms

    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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  6. Jul 22

    He Couldn't Read a Book. Now He Coaches High Performers. Jonathan Z. Cohen

    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: Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-z-cohen-31441695/Listen to Jonathan's Podcast: https://www.insidetheinspired.com/Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jonathanzcohen 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: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/ We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail! Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  7. Jul 15

    Clothes Are a Portal to Your Power — Melanie Lippman on Style, Confidence & Personal Branding for Lawyers

    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. Website: https://www.melanielippman.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imagecoachmelanielippman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melanielippman/We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail! Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

  8. Jul 8

    "Being Yourself Takes 0% Energy" — Jonathan Cullen on Ditching the Lawyer Mask

    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 Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.  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://ariellaw.com/ Follow Ariella: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/Connect & Explore: Website: https://thewellnessesquire.comSubstack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/Support & Sponsors Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w Thank you for listeni...

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Join me, Ariella Cohen Coleman, as I explore a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success. On The Wellness Esquire Podcast, I have honest, vulnerable conversations with attorneys and thought leaders about what it really takes to thrive in law - mentally, emotionally, and professionally. We cover the things people are often afraid or embarrassed to talk about: anxiety, burnout, addiction, imposter syndrome, misery, anger, alcohol, depression, health challenges, loss, mistakes, and the realities of legal culture. Each episode blends personal storytelling with practical insights to help lawyers and other high-performing professionals build careers that energize rather than exhaust. Subscribe for weekly Wellness Wednesday episodes and join the movement toward a healthier, more fulfilling way to work and live.

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