Perfectionism isn't something lawyers need to recover from. It's something we need to get better at. 🤣
In this solo episode, I get honest about my own perfectionism: the decades I spent beating myself up for tiny mistakes, the podcast (this one) that I kept not launching, and why calling myself a "recovering perfectionist" quietly dulled my sparkle.
I spent most of my life as a maladaptive perfectionist, and I didn't have the language for it until I read my all-time favorite book, The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler. I share what shifted when I started seeing perfectionism as part of who I am, something to aim in a healthy direction, not remove. I also talk about hiring a friend to press publish on the podcast because I couldn't do it myself, learning to surf this year and being objectively not good at it (and loving it!!), and why you can absolutely burn out doing work you love.
In this episode:
- Maladaptive vs. adaptive perfectionism, and why the difference changes everything
- Why "if you can't face a mistake, you can't learn from it"
- How treating everything like a lab (throwing spaghetti at the wall) made me a better attorney
- Why I quit calling myself a recovering perfectionist
- Excelling on your own values, not someone else's
- Work-life integration, and why loving your work doesn't make you burnout-proof
- A community challenge: the one thing you've been scared to do
Mentioned in this episode: The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control by Katherine Morgan Schafler [book link], and Whitney Harper of Advos Legal.
Tell me the one thing you've been scared to do and are going to do anyway: ariella@thewellnessesquire.com, or find me on LinkedIn and Instagram (@ariellacohencoleman, @thewellnessesquire).
New episodes on Wellness Wednesdays! Follow and subscribe to The Wellness Esquire, and send this one to a lawyer who needs it. 💛
We'd love to hear from you through Fan Mail!
Host Info: Ariella Cohen Coleman
The Wellness Esquire: a bold new path where wellbeing, happiness, and authenticity drive performance and success.
Ariella Law, PC: strategic legal support for entrepreneurs, growing companies, and mission-driven organizations — formation, contracts, compliance, and fractional general counsel, delivered project-based or by subscription. https://ariellaw.com/
Follow Ariella:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariellacoleman/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariellacohencoleman/
- Website: https://ariellacohencoleman.com/
Connect & Explore:
- Website: https://thewellnessesquire.com
- Substack: https://thewellnessesquire.substack.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewellnessesquire/
Support & Sponsors
Superhuman: email, faster. Get one month free: https://superhuman.com/refer/m2lsb84w
Thank you for listeni...