Wellness for lawyers
Where Law Meets Balance
Founded by former lawyer Maria-Luisa Coulson in 2024, Chill Wellness helps lawyers and legal workplaces reduce stress, prevent burnout and restore balance. Through evidence-based wellness programs, CPD-accredited seminars and restorative retreats, we support lawyers to thrive — not just survive.
small group wellness sessions
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accredited CPD wellness lectures
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in-house wellness consultancy
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small group wellness sessions • accredited CPD wellness lectures • in-house wellness consultancy •
in-house wellness consultancy
•
small group wellness sessions
•
accredited CPD wellness lectures
•
in-house wellness consultancy • small group wellness sessions • accredited CPD wellness lectures •
Wellness for lawyers
Where Law Meets Balance
Founded by former lawyer Maria-Luisa Coulson in 2024, Chill Wellness helps lawyers and legal workplaces reduce stress, prevent burnout and restore balance. Through evidence-based wellness programs, CPD-accredited seminars and restorative retreats, we support lawyers to thrive — not just survive.
small group wellness sessions
•
accredited CPD wellness lectures
•
in-house wellness consultancy
•
small group wellness sessions • accredited CPD wellness lectures • in-house wellness consultancy •
in-house wellness consultancy
•
small group wellness sessions
•
accredited CPD wellness lectures
•
in-house wellness consultancy • small group wellness sessions • accredited CPD wellness lectures •
About
Our Purpose
To bring calm, clarity and connection back to the legal profession.
Why it Matters?
Lawyers face some of the highest rates of mental health strain among professionals. The 2025 Lawyer Wellbeing, Workplace Experiences and Ethics report found that about 30% of participants reported elevated psychological distress, citing workload, workplace culture, and ethical climate as key stressors. VLSB+C+2VLSB+C+2
These pressures have real consequences. Each year, we lose talented lawyers to burnout, early exit from the profession, and in some cases, suicide. The attrition rate is high — not because lawyers lack resilience, but because many lack the tools and support to recover from chronic stress.
Without proactive support, mental health challenges can intensify over time, affecting not just individual wellbeing but firm culture and retention.
At Chill Wellness, we’re working to change that — helping legal professionals build balance, awareness and the capacity to thrive long-term.
“Lawyers are trained to take on the stress of others, yet we rarely learn how to release our own. Over time, that imbalance can erode both wellbeing and performance.”
— Maria-Luisa Coulson
Sources: Holmes, V., Webb, J., Tang, S., Ainsworth, S. & Foley, T. Lawyer Wellbeing, Workplace Experiences and Ethics: A Research Report (2025). Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner, the Law Society of New South Wales and the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.
Our Founder
After 28 years in legal practice, Maria-Luisa Coulson (née Ojeda) founded Chill Wellness to bridge the gap between professional excellence and personal wellbeing. Drawing on her experience in law and training in yoga, breathwork, burnout and mindfulness, she helps lawyers and leaders cultivate resilience, clarity and sustainable performance.
““When we nurture wellbeing, productivity and retention of staff follows.”
— Maria-Luisa Coulson”
Upcoming events
wellness services
At Chill Wellness, we support lawyers, legal teams and leaders to reduce stress, anxiety and burnout — and to cultivate calm, focus and resilience. Our programs are evidence-informed, Legal Practice Board-approved, and designed by a former lawyer who understands the unique pressures of the profession.
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CPD wellness lectures
Accredited by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, these sessions combine science-based wellbeing education with practical tools to manage psychosocial risks, reduce burnout and enhance focus — all while earning CPD points.
Designed for lawyers who want more than just points. -
Corporate wellness consultancy
Tailored workplace wellbeing programs for law firms, chambers and legal institutions, including lunchtime breathwork sessions, psychosocial risk audits and staff workshops. Each program supports WHS compliance and promotes a culture of wellbeing, engagement and sustainable performance. See, for example, the psychosocial risks audit approach below HYPERLINK
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Private wellness consultancy
Confidential one-to-one wellness consultancy for lawyers and professionals seeking to restore balance and mental clarity. Each session draws on breathwork, mindfulness and lifestyle medicine principles to manage stress and build long-term resilience.
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Small Group Wellness Sessions
Small group experiences — including yoga, breathwork, mindfulness and retreat-style sessions — designed to help lawyers reconnect with body and breath, reduce chronic stress and enhance overall wellbeing.
Supporting Legal Workplaces to Manage Psychosocial Risks
Since the 2022 Work Health and Safety (WHS) reforms, employers now have a positive duty to identify and manage psychosocial hazards at work — including stress, burnout, and bullying.
For law firms, where workloads are high and deadlines constant, this duty is both a compliance requirement and an opportunity to build a healthier, more sustainable culture.
Chill Wellness partners with legal workplaces to make this practical. We translate WHS obligations into evidence-based wellness strategies that strengthen performance and prevent burnout.
Our Approach
We take a layered, evidence-informed approach tailored to the demands of legal practice:
Staff Education: CPD-accredited seminars on burnout, resilience, and nervous system regulation.
Workplace Audits: Identification of psychosocial hazards and cultural risk points.
Leadership Coaching: Support for leaders to role-model wellbeing and embed positive change.
Ongoing Support: Custom wellness and breathwork programs for teams or individuals.
All programs align with WHS legislation and the Code of Practice: Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace (WA), ensuring both compliance and care.
Recommended First Step
We offer a two-part Audit & Seminar Package:
Managing Psychosocial Risks CPD Seminar — a 60-minute in-house CPD session covering key WHS duties, common psychosocial hazards and practical tools to reduce risk.
Psychosocial Risk Audit — a tailored workplace review, including staff interviews, Maslach Burnout Inventory assessments, and clear recommendations.
This introductory program is cost-effective, CPD-compliant, and provides a strong foundation for longer-term wellbeing initiatives. Attendees will receive 1 CPD point (Practice Management).
“I understand the pressures of legal practice because I’ve lived them. The tools I teach now are the ones I wish I’d known earlier.”
Maria-Luisa Coulson
(née ojeda)
BA LLB
WELLNESS CONSULTANT
After 28 years in the legal profession, Maria-Luisa understands the unique pressures lawyers face — the relentless pace, perfectionism, and emotional load that often lead to burnout.
She spent much of her career as a leader in the field of legal costs, appearing as counsel in many of Western Australia’s significant costs cases. As Managing Director of Coulson Legal, she acted principally for lawyers, law firms and government agencies, whislt also lecturing lawyers and law students. She chaired the Law Society’s Costs Committee, and served on the Legal Practice Board as an elected member, member of the Legal Practitioners’ Complaints Committee and the Professional Affairs Committee.
In 2023, Maria-Luisa stepped away from the law to study wellness science and to return to her long-standing love of sailing — a sport that embodies focus, flow and freedom. That same year, she won the RS Aero Women’s Masters World Title in Sardinia, Italy.
Her studies since then reflect a deep commitment to evidence-based wellbeing:
• Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness — Harvard Medical School
• Mindfulness and Burnout — Monash University
• 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training — Indonesia.
• Breathwork Instructor Training — Level 1 and 2 (Masters) Breathless Expeditions, Australia
• Advanced Vinyasa Flow Training (50 hour YTT) — Greece
Maria-Luisa combines this foundation with her lived experience as a lawyer to create practical, relatable programs for legal professionals — ones that inspire not only compliance, but lasting change.
“People used to describe me as a passionate speaker on the topic of legal costs. My passion for legal costs pales in comparison to my passion for Wellness. I am deeply committed to helping lawyers find calm, balance and a way to thrive - both in and beyond their work. .”
learning journey
“My learning journey reignited my purpose — to share the strategies that transformed my life and to help others in law live with more balance, energy and joy.”
Yoga Teacher Traning with Gregor Maehler & Monica Gauci in Ubud, Indonesia, May 2024
Breathwork Instructor Training with Breathless Expeditions, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, October 2024 and April 2025
wellness retreats
tuscany and margaret river
Reconnect, Recharge, and Realign
Our Chill Wellness retreats are designed for legal professionals seeking space to reset — mentally, physically, and professionally.
Each experience blends accredited CPD learning with restorative wellness practices in breathtaking locations.
We’re currently taking expressions of interest for upcoming retreats in Tuscany (Italy) and Margaret River (Western Australia). If minimum numbers are reached, dates will be confirmed and participants notified with early-bird pricing.
Tuscany Retreat
Nestled among vineyards and olive groves in the hills of Tuscany, La Forra offers the perfect environment to rest, reflect, and restore.
The 4-day retreat combines CPD-accredited lectures, yoga, breathwork, and mindful living, curated specifically for legal professionals.
Highlights:
• 4 CPD points (Legal Practice Board accredited)
• Guided yoga and breathwork sessions
• Wellness workshops and personal wellness consultancy with Maria-Luisa Coulson
• Local cuisine and optional excursions (wine tasting, hiking, horse-riding)
🕊️ Register your interest to receive updates, full details, and early access to bookings once confirmed.
👉 [Expression of Interest Form]
Margaret River retreat
A new offering closer to home — a long-weekend retreat immersed in nature, combining yoga, breathwork, CPD learning and connection with like-minded professionals.
Designed to:
• Reset your nervous system
• Reconnect with purpose and balance
• Build resilience through science-backed tools
🕊️ Register your interest to receive updates, full details, and early access to bookings once confirmed.
👉 [Expression of Interest Form]
wellness retreats - tuscany and Margaret river
Contact
chill wellness
Let’s Begin the Conversation
Whether you’re a firm leader, organisation or lawyer seeking balance, we’d love to hear from you.