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.

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire podcast, Ariella Coleman is joined by guest Emily Logan Stedman for an honest conversation about what it’s really like to practice law in high-pressure environments—and how mental health and well-being fit into that reality.

Emily shares her journey from law school to her current role in BigLaw, reflecting on the expectations lawyers internalize early on and how they can quietly shape identity, performance, and self-worth. Together, Ariella and Emily explore the role of vulnerability in a profession that often rewards perfection, as well as the importance of supportive relationships and honest conversations in sustaining a long-term legal career.

The discussion also addresses common challenges many lawyers face, including perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and chronic stress. Emily offers practical tools and reflections on managing pressure, recognizing early signs of burnout, and creating space for well-being without stepping away from ambition or excellence.

This episode invites listeners to reconsider outdated narratives about success in law and to imagine a version of legal practice where authenticity, mental health, and professional achievement can coexist.

---

Check out Emily on LinkedIn and check out her podcast, The Grace Period.

Additional Resources:

Headspace (the meditation app)

The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control (book)

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, Ariella Coleman is joined by Jennifer Marino Thibodaux for an honest conversation about what it really means to live and work with authenticity in the legal profession.

Rather than framing well-being as a question of “balance,” Ariella and Jennifer explore the idea of integration — how professional identity, health, values, and lived experience inevitably inform one another, whether we acknowledge it or not. Jennifer shares reflections from her journey through law school and legal practice, including how a chronic health condition reshaped her understanding of success, productivity, and self-worth.

Together, they talk openly about vulnerability in professional spaces, and why sharing personal stories is not a liability but a source of strength. The conversation examines how law school and legal culture often reward perfectionism and performance, while leaving little room for honesty about struggle, limits, or growth — and what it takes to push back against that model.

Throughout the episode, Ariella and Jennifer return to the idea that authenticity is not a branding exercise or a buzzword, but an ongoing practice. One that involves difficult choices, self-trust, and allowing your professional life to reflect who you actually are. They also discuss the importance of connection and community among lawyers, and how naming shared experiences can create understanding and reduce isolation.

This episode is an invitation to rethink how authenticity shows up in day-to-day professional life — not as an ideal, but as a lived, evolving commitment.

* * *

Exciting news for Jennifer! She is now OFFICIALLY the host of a digital talk show, Leading with Authenticity, on the This Is It Network. The show will premiere in the next month or two. Look for it and enjoy!

Also, check Jennifer Marino Thibodaux out on Instagram, on LinkedIn, or on her fascinating website.

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

In this episode of The Wellness Esquire, host Ariella Coleman speaks with Cody Hand about rethinking how lawyers practice—and how they value themselves in the process. The conversation explores the growing disconnect between traditional legal structures and what lawyers actually need to build sustainable, fulfilling careers.

Ariella and Cody take a close look at the limits of the billable hour and why many lawyers feel constrained by it. They discuss the shift toward value-based pricing, not simply as a business strategy, but as a reflection of self-worth, autonomy, and trust—both in client relationships and in oneself. Cody shares his personal journey as a lawyer, including the lessons learned through trial and error, recalibration, and the realization that law school does not truly prepare lawyers for the realities of practice.

The episode also explores the idea of starting from yes instead of reflexive no—how fear, defensiveness, and scarcity thinking are baked into legal training, and how redefining value can change the way lawyers show up for their work and their clients. Cody reflects on decision-making, storytelling, and why embracing imperfection is an essential part of professional growth and leadership.

This conversation invites listeners to reconsider what success in law actually looks like, how lawyers can move beyond inherited models that no longer serve them, and why aligning values with practice is critical for long-term sustainability and well-being.

Check Cody Hand out on LinkedIn or connect with him through his websites (as a coach and as a lawyer).

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

In this episode, host Ariella Coleman sits down with Jordana for an honest conversation about navigating life and work in the legal world.

Jordana Confino is a lawyer, writer, and speaker who focuses on well-being and sustainability in the legal profession. Through her work, she explores perfectionism, burnout, and the pressure to perform, advocating for self-compassion, boundaries, and healthier professional cultures—especially for women and working parents.

Ariella and Jordana talk about their personal journeys, the pressure of perfectionism, and how it quietly impacts mental health. Together, they explore why well-being matters in the legal profession, how positive psychology shows up in everyday choices, and what it really means to set boundaries—especially while balancing a demanding career and motherhood.

The conversation invites more self-compassion and calls for a more supportive, human culture within the legal field.

Check out the Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being

Follow Jordana's blog, Chronicles of a Recovering Type A+ Perfectionist

Find Jordana on LinkedIn

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.

In this conversation, Ariella Coleman sits down with attorney and entrepreneur Dave Strousberg for an honest, thoughtful discussion about fear, failure, and what it really means to build a sustainable career in law.

Dave shares his journey through law school, the bar exam, and the financial and emotional pressure that followed. He talks openly about the moments when fear might lead to inaction, and how taking imperfect action ultimately helped him make clearer, more aligned decisions about his career.

They explore how health challenges and burnout can quietly create misalignment, often long before we are willing to admit it.

Ariella and Dave also talk about vulnerability and storytelling, and why community matters so much in a profession that often expects people to push through at any cost. They discuss how well-being practices and technology can support lawyers when used intentionally, and how the legal field can move toward healthier, more human ways of working.

This episode is for lawyers who are questioning their path, feeling stretched thin, or simply looking for permission to evolve. Because you are not married to your decisions—and changing course can be an act of clarity, not failure.

Visit Dave Strousberg's website: https://www.willssimplified.com/

Check out The Wellness Esquire on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-wellness-esquire/

About The Wellness Esquire
The Wellness Esquire is a podcast and Substack by Ariella 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

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—it helps these conversations reach more people who need them.