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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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

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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

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In this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Coleman speaks with William (Will) Jordan, seasoned litigator, mediator, and former Chief of the Civil Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, about anxiety, depression, and the hidden mental health challenges facing the legal profession. Will shares his journey from feeling crushed in his early years of construction litigation to seeking medical help, starting antidepressants, and ultimately speaking openly about lawyer mental health through CLE presentations across the country.

The conversation explores the “mask” high-achieving attorneys often wear, the physical and cognitive impact of negative self-talk, and how untreated anxiety can quietly contribute to burnout, decision paralysis, missed deadlines, and even legal malpractice.

Drawing on his experience in malpractice defense, Will connects mental health awareness to ethics, competency, and risk management in law practice.

This episode is an honest look at lawyer well-being, stigma in law firm culture, antidepressants and personality myths, malpractice prevention, and why vulnerability and self-awareness are essential tools for sustainable success in law.

If you’re a lawyer who has ever felt the pressure building behind the mask, this conversation is for you. What would change in your practice if you gave yourself the same grace you extend to your clients?

--

If you haven't yet connected to Will Jordan or Ariella Coleman on LinkedIn, please do so!

You can check out Will at the Hubbard & Gottschall Law firm: https://www.hglawsc.com/will-jordan, and you can contact him via email: whj@hglawsc.com.

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...

Why is being a lawyer so hard — and does it have to be this way?

In this powerful episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella sits down with a former BigLaw attorney who made a bold decision: he walked away from an abusive, old-school law firm culture defined by yelling, public criticism, burnout, and fear-based management.

They talk openly about the mental health toll of practicing law, toxic law firm environments, and the unspoken expectation that lawyers should simply “toughen up.” He shares what finally pushed him to leave — and how he built his own law firm grounded in respect, emotional intelligence, mentorship, and sustainable success.

If you’re a lawyer navigating burnout, firm politics, leadership challenges, or questioning whether legal culture can evolve, this conversation is for you.

This episode explores:
• Lawyer burnout and mental health in the legal profession
• Toxic law firm culture and abusive leadership styles
• Leaving BigLaw to start your own firm
• Building a healthy, high-performing legal workplace
• Redefining strength, success, and leadership in law

The legal industry doesn’t have to run on fear to be profitable. And success doesn’t have to cost you your well-being.

--

Connect with Ariella Cohen Coleman and Ryan McKeen on Linkedin, and check out Ryan's website and podcast.

https://bestera.com

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-way-with-best-era/id1760546831

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...

What if the legal industry stopped treating burnout like a rite of passage?

In the second half of this episode of The Wellness Esquire Podcast, Ariella Coleman and Rich Bracken imagine what law could look like if emotional intelligence were taken as seriously as technical skill. They talk about building firms that are psychologically safe, performance-driven in healthy ways, and grounded in self-awareness rather than silent stress.

Rich shares how he connects with audiences through storytelling (and yes — music plays a starring role), and why EQ, empathy, and authentic leadership outperform rigid hierarchy every time. For him, success isn’t measured in titles or hours billed, but in impact, alignment, and the ability to show up fully human.

Ariella reflects on how she approaches self-care — mentally and physically — not as indulgence, but as sustainable performance strategy. They unpack boundaries, burnout prevention, resilience-building, and how small mindset shifts can recalibrate an entire career.

And they laugh. A lot. Because sometimes the best medicine isn’t another productivity hack — it’s connection, perspective, and two friends committed to reshaping the culture from the inside out.

If you’re interested in practicing law with strength, clarity, and emotional intelligence — without losing yourself in the process — this conversation is for you.

Visit Rich's website, connect with Ariella and Rich on LinkedIn, and do something for yourself today.

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...

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

In this powerful first half of the episode, The Wellness Esquire explores emotional intelligence, mental health, and what happens when the legal profession stays silent for too long.

Ariella is joined by Rich Bracken, a brand ambassador for SmartChoiceEQ and someone who works closely with lawyers every day—though he isn’t one himself.

Rich shares deeply personal experiences from his work and life, including the loss of a lawyer he considered “low-risk” to suicide, and his own terrifying anxiety attack that he believed was a heart attack. These moments underscore a harsh reality: mental health struggles in law are often invisible—until they aren’t.

Alongside this, Ariella reflects on navigating serious and complex health challenges of her own, including continuing to work while hospitalized—an experience many lawyers will recognize and quietly relate to.

Together, they confront the truth the profession avoids: when mental health deteriorates, work product follows. Silence, stigma, and “pushing through” don’t protect lawyers—they isolate them. Real support requires openness, leadership, and a willingness from law firms to rethink how they care for their people.

Vulnerability, they argue, isn’t a liability in law.
It’s a superpower.

And fun and humanity shouldn’t be optional—they should be demanded.

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

- - -

Please visit Rich Bracken on LinkedIn as well as his website.

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...

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/

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...