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

If you’ve ever felt like your law practice was running you rather than the other way around, this conversation provides a blueprint for reclaiming your time, creativity, and joy.

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

After years in BigLaw and as a GC at a workplace wellness company, Gwen realized the traditional legal model was ripe for disruption. She focuses on strategic growth for tech-enabled companies

With a background in litigation, in-house counsel roles, and business management, Whitney brings a unique P&L perspective to legal practice, helping clients solve "sticky" problems through efficient, value-driven design.

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.

About The Wellness Esquire

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show with friends and colleagues! It helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession.

You can find more resources on legal well-being and innovation at The Wellness Esquire. Let’s continue building a legal community that values both excellence and humanity.

Listen & Read More
Subscribe to the Substack for articles, reflections, and episode companions:
👉 https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com

Check out The Wellness Esquire website for more information as well!

Follow the Conversation
Follow The Wellness Esquire on Instagram for episode clips and behind-the-scenes moments, and connect with Ariella Coleman on LinkedIn for writing, updates, and ongoing conversations about well-being in law.

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Zirtual helped me find an amazing paralegal and legal operations manager who i...

Immigration attorney Elizabeth Garvish joins The Wellness Esquire Podcast to discuss lawyer burnout, emotional resilience, shortening the stress “refractory period,” and how choosing love over fear can transform both legal careers and personal well-being.

Elizabeth shares how lawyers often become trapped in cycles of pressure, people-pleasing, and constant output, leaving little space to care for themselves. She introduces the idea of listening and reconnecting to your inner voice — that quiet internal guidance that oftens gets drowned out in the fast pace of the legal profession and life.

The conversation also explores the concept of the refractory period — the amount of time it takes to recover after a stressful or traumatic event. By developing greater awareness of the body, emotions, and internal signals, lawyers can shorten this recovery period and build stronger resilience in high-pressure environments.

Ariella and Elizabeth also discuss the importance of alignment — surrounding yourself with the right people not only in your personal life, but in your workplace as well. The environments and relationships we choose have a powerful influence on our well-being, performance, and sense of purpose.

In essence, we must nourish our own emotional and mental well-being so we can show up more fully for your clients, colleagues, and communities.

This conversation offers a thoughtful look at how lawyers can cultivate resilience, clarity, and purpose while navigating demanding careers.

To learn more about Elizabeth Garvish and her work at the intersection of law, personal growth, and resilience:

• Elizabeth Garvish's email - egarvish@goimmigrationlaw.com
• Elizabeth Garvish's website - www.goimmigrationlaw.com
• Elizabeth Garvish's podcast - Love Letters to Immigrants:
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-letters-to-immigrants/id1876388675

Episode Resources:

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

About The Wellness Esquire

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show with friends and colleagues! It helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession.

You can find more resources on legal well-being and innovation at The Wellness Esquire. Let’s continue building a legal community that values both excellence and humanity.

Listen & Read More
Subscribe to the Substack for articles, reflections, and episode companions:
👉 https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com

Check out The Wellness Esquire website for more information as well!

Follow the Conversation
Follow The Wellness Esquire on Instagram for episode clips and behind-the-scenes moments, and connect with Ariella Coleman on LinkedIn for writing, updates, and ongoing conversations about well-being in law.

Support This Podcast

Zirtual helped me find an amazing paralegal and legal operations manager who i...

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, Ariella sits down with Jennifer Kupferman — attorney turned psychotherapist — for a conversation that challenges one of the most uncomfortable questions in the legal profession:

Do you actually believe you deserve help?

Not help because you’re falling apart.
Not help because you’ve failed.
But help to perform better. To focus more clearly. To feel calmer. To avoid burnout before it happens.

Jennifer brings her unique dual perspective as both a lawyer and a trained psychotherapist to explore how high-achieving attorneys often normalize stress, dismiss support, and quietly operate in survival mode. She introduces the concept of somatic therapy — a body-based approach to healing and regulation — and explains how stress isn’t just mental. It lives in the nervous system.

Together, Ariella and Jennifer unpack:
• Why lawyers struggle to ask for help
• The difference between coping and actually regulating
• How chronic stress impacts performance and decision-making
• What somatic therapy is (and what it isn’t)
• How small, practical shifts can improve clarity, stamina, and resilience

This episode is not about crisis. It’s about optimization, sustainability, and self-permission.

If you’ve ever thought, “I should be able to handle this on my own,” this conversation is for you.

Because the real question might not be whether help works —
It might be whether you believe you deserve it.

---

We encourage you to check out Jennifer's website: www.jcoppertherapy.com

And here's a link to her New York Law Journal author's page (where she's a regular contributor) which includes a list of her articles: https://www.law.com/author/profile/jennifer-kupferman%20/

Her LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kupferman-bb207a5/

About The Wellness Esquire

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review! And if this episode resonated with you, please follow, rate, and share the show with friends and colleagues! It helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession.

You can find more resources on legal well-being and innovation at The Wellness Esquire. Let’s continue building a legal community that values both excellence and humanity.

Listen & Read More
Subscribe to the Substack for articles, reflections, and episode companions:
👉 https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com

Check out The Wellness Esquire website for more information as well!

Follow the Conversation
Follow The Wellness Esquire on Instagram for episode clips and behind-the-scenes moments, and connect with Ariella Coleman on LinkedIn for writing, updates, and ongoing conversations about well-being in law.

Support This Podcast

Zirtual helped me find an amazing paralegal and legal operations manager who i...