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.

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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
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession. Through honest conversations with lawyers and other professionals, the show examines how we work, why we burn out, and what it looks like to build careers that are both meaningful and humane.

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.

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.

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
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession. Through honest conversations with lawyers and other professionals, the show examines how we work, why we burn out, and what it looks like to build careers that are both meaningful and humane.

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.

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.

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.

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

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast, Substack, and concept by Ariella Cohen Coleman exploring well-being, identity, and sustainability in the legal profession. Through honest conversations with lawyers and other professionals, the show examines how we work, why we burn out, and what it looks like to build careers that are both meaningful and humane.

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.

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.