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.

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