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 chill wellness
Our Purpose
To bring calm, clarity and balance back to the legal profession — through evidence-based wellness designed by a lawyer, for lawyers.
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.”
about the Founder
After 28 years in legal practice, Maria-Luisa Coulson (née Ojeda) founded Chill Wellness to unite professional excellence with personal wellbeing. Drawing on her experience in law and advanced training in yoga, breathwork and wellness science, she helps lawyers and leaders cultivate resilience, clarity and sustainable performance.
Maria-Luisa is a former barrister and costs-law specialist, with more than 20 years’ experience as a CPD lecturer for the Law Society of WA and Legalwise Seminars, and as a lecturer at the Law Schools of Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia. She holds certifications in Lifestyle Medicine (Harvard Medical School) and Mindfulness and Burnout (Monash University), as well as advanced qualifications in yoga and breathwork instruction.
“When we nurture wellbeing, productivity and retention of staff follows.”
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.
Upcoming events
wellness programs
Evidence-based, Legal Practice Board-approved programs for the legal profession.
At Chill Wellness, we support lawyers, legal teams and leaders to reduce stress, anxiety and burnout — and to cultivate calm, focus and resilience.
Our evidence-based, Legal Practice Board-approved programs are designed by a former lawyer who understands the unique pressures of the profession. Each program supports WHS compliance and is recognised for CPD points in Practice Management — including wellness and breathwork sessions.
Whether delivered in-firm, online or on retreat, every session blends science, strategy and stillness — for lawyers who want more than points.
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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, promotes a culture of wellbeing and sustainable performance, and is Legal Practice Board-approved for CPD points in Practice Management.
Perfect for firms seeking to combine compliance, culture and care.
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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 integrates breathwork, mindfulness, and lifestyle medicine principles to manage stress and build long-term resilience.
For lawyers ready to pause, reset and reconnect.
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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.
For teams who value connection as much as performance.
managing psychosocial risk at work
Since the 2022 Work Health and Safety (WHS) reforms, employers have a positive duty to identify and manage psychosocial hazards — including stress, burnout, and inappropriate or harmful workplace behaviours.
For organisations operating in high-demand environments, this is not just a wellbeing issue.
It is a workplace safety obligation and a leadership responsibility.
The Wellbeing Guidelines for Legal Workplaces, developed by the Law Council of Australia, provide a practical benchmark for identifying and managing these risks. However, across all sectors, the challenge is translating these frameworks into consistent, day-to-day leadership and organisational practice.
How We Support Organisations
Chill Wellness works with organisations to translate psychosocial risk obligations into practical, evidence-based leadership and organisational practices that reduce risk, strengthen performance, and support sustainable ways of working.
Why This Matters
Psychosocial risk is now a recognised workplace hazard.
Managing it effectively is not optional — it is part of an organisation’s duty of care.
The organisations that respond well are those that equip their leaders to recognise, manage, and respond to risk in practice.
While our work spans multiple sectors, we have particular experience in legal and other high-performance professional environments.
Our Approach
Leadership capability
Training leaders to understand and discharge their duty to manage psychosocial riskPsychosocial risk assessment
Identifying key hazards, pressure points, and organisational risk factorsWorkplace design and systems
Addressing workload, role clarity, and structural drivers of riskOngoing advisory support
Embedding sustainable, practical approaches aligned with WHS obligations
Recommended starting point
For most organisations, the most effective starting point is a leadership session on managing psychosocial risk, focused on:
understanding WHS obligations and psychosocial hazards
recognising key risk drivers in high-demand workplaces
responding appropriately to stress and burnout
applying practical frameworks in day-to-day leadership
This can be complemented by a targeted psychosocial risk review, providing clear insight into how these risks are presenting within your organisation.
The Chill Wellness Difference
Chill Wellness programs are unlike traditional CPD lectures. Maria-Luisa’s personal story resonates deeply with legal audiences, opening a safe space for honest reflection and conversation. Every lecture is interactive, reflective, and grounded in practical tools lawyers can use immediately.
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"The best CPD sessions I have ever attended."
— Mark Blandford, Barrister
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"Thank you for such a fantastic, courageous and inspiring CPD seminar…easily one of the best I have ever attended."
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"It was raw, real, and a wake-up call to slow down and look after our emotional and mental health."
– Virma Symonds, Solicitor
Attendees leave uplifted, connected, and inspired — often describing a stronger sense of team cohesion and shared purpose.
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, whilst 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.
“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.”
“They described me as a passionate speaker on the topic of legal costs — but my passion for costs pales in comparison to my passion for wellness. I’m deeply committed to helping lawyers find calm, balance, and a way to thrive — both in and beyond their work.”
learning journey
The path that reconnected me with purpose — and reminded me that learning never ends.
“My learning journey reignited my purpose — to share the science-backed strategies that transformed my own wellbeing and to help others in law find greater balance, energy and joy.”
200 hour Yoga Teacher Traning with Gregor Maehler & Monica Gauci in Ubud, Indonesia, May 2024
Breathwork Instructor & Masters Training with Breathless Expeditions, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales, October 2024 and April 2025
wellness retreats
tuscany & 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 are 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
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.
🕊️ Register your interest to receive updates, full details, and early access to bookings once confirmed.
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.