Tim welcomes Dan Lukasik, former trial lawyer, law professor, and Judicial Wellness Coordinator for New York State, for a powerful and deeply personal conversation about mental health in the legal profession.

With over 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer and decades of advocacy in mental health, Dan brings a unique perspective shaped by both professional insight and lived experience. After being diagnosed with depression 25 years ago, he founded Lawyers With Depression, one of the first platforms dedicated to mental health in law.

Tim and Dan explore the unique pressures faced by lawyers and judges, including isolation, high-stakes decision-making, and the ethical constraints that can limit connection and support. They talk about generational shifts in how mental health is perceived, the importance of early education in law schools, and why many lawyers struggle in silence until a breaking point.

Dan also opens up about the profound personal loss of his brother to bipolar disorder, which led to the creation of the documentary My Brother Lost in Time, and a second documentary, Travels with George, which tells the story of an unlikely and transformative friendship. Through these relationships, Dan highlights the healing power of connection, purpose, and service, especially in combating the isolation that often accompanies depression.

This episode is a moving exploration of resilience, vulnerability, and the importance of building a more compassionate legal profession.

About Dan Lukasik

Dan Lukasik is a former trial lawyer with over 30 years of experience and currently serves as the Judicial Wellness Coordinator for the New York State Unified Court System, supporting approximately 1,600 judges.

He is the founder of Lawyers With Depression, a widely recognized platform dedicated to supporting mental health in the legal profession. Dan is also a law professor at the University at Buffalo, where he teaches a course on mental health and well-being in law.

A nationally recognized speaker and advocate, Dan has been at the forefront of the mental health movement in law for decades. His work includes producing two documentaries exploring his personal journey with mental health, connection, and healing.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• My Brother Lost in Time: A Bipolar Life (documentary)
• Travels with George (documentary)

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Contact Tim Culbert:

• LinkedIn
• Purvis Culbert Law LinkedIn
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• Facebook
  
  

Contact Dan Lukasik:

• Website: Buffalo Depression Project
• Website: Lawyers With Depression
• Instagram
• Linkedin

Tim welcomes Moira Cook, a former estate litigation lawyer turned registered psychotherapist, for an insightful conversation about mental health in the legal profession. After practicing law in Toronto for nearly a decade, Moira experienced a personal crisis that led to anxiety, burnout, and ultimately a major career shift. Today she works primarily with lawyers, helping them navigate stress, burnout, addiction, ADHD, and the unique pressures that come with legal practice.

Moira shares how the culture of law can create a constant underlying sense of fear. Fear of mistakes, fear of disappointing clients or supervisors, and fear of career failure. Many lawyers struggle with people-pleasing tendencies and the habit of intellectualizing emotions rather than processing them. These patterns, while often rewarded professionally, can take a toll on long-term well-being.

Tim and Moira discuss the practical tools that can help lawyers regain balance, including simple journaling, mindfulness practices, and building awareness around emotions instead of suppressing them. Moira also explains why therapy with someone who understands the legal profession can be particularly helpful for lawyers seeking support. The conversation also explores career identity, the “golden handcuffs” that keep many lawyers feeling stuck, and why defining your personal values early in your career can make a major difference.

About Moira Cook

Moira Cook is a registered psychotherapist and former estate litigation lawyer who practiced in Toronto for nearly ten years before transitioning into mental health care. Drawing on her background in law, Moira now works primarily with lawyers, law students, and legal professionals facing burnout, anxiety, ADHD, addiction, and other mental health challenges.

Her work focuses on helping legal professionals understand the psychological pressures of the profession while developing healthier boundaries, coping strategies, and self-awareness.

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Contact Tim Culbert:

• LinkedIn
• Purvis Culbert Law LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
  
  

Contact Moira Cook:

• Website
• Instagram
• Linkedin
  
  

In this special episode of The Wellness Docket, host Tim Culbert is joined by his wife, Cheyanne Culbert, a nurse and the owner of Beacon Clinical Group, a nurse consulting and education company in Woodstock, New Brunswick.

Together, Tim and Cheyanne look back on the first stretch of the podcast and share the episodes and moments that hit them hardest, from candid conversations about trauma, grief, and identity, to the realities of burnout, the pressure-cooker pace of practice, and what happens when stress quietly turns into addiction.

Throughout the episode, Tim and Cheyanne reflect on themes that keep coming up across guests’ stories:

• The power of a pivot (big or small) when something isn’t working
• Why every lawyer needs a “release valve” (at work and outside of it)
• How the next generation is changing expectations around culture, boundaries, and sustainability
• The importance of making room for real humanity inside a system built on rigidity
• Why talking openly about mental health at work isn’t “extra”; it’s prevention

Tim also shares a major update: The Wellness Docket has received sponsorship funding through the Canadian Bar Association (New Brunswick Branch) and the Lawyers Assistance Program, helping keep the conversations going and the content accessible.

About Cheyanne Culbert

Cheyanne Culbert is a registered nurse and the owner of Beacon Clinical Group, a nurse consulting and education company based near Woodstock, New Brunswick. In addition to her clinical and leadership work, Cheyanne has supported The Wellness Docket host Tim Culbert throughout his legal career as they’ve grown both their family and Tim’s law practice.

Cheyanne brings a person-centred lens to workplace culture, team support, and sustainability in two high-pressure professions. Cheyanne’s work and insights reflect a deep belief that successful careers are built not just on performance, but on humanity, balance, and honest conversations about mental health and overall wellbeing.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Lawyers Assistance Program
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
• My First Million podcast by Shann Puri and Sam Parr
• Dylan Gibbs and Sam Parr Story

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Contact Tim Culbert:

• LinkedIn
• Purvis Culbert Law LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Facebook
  
  

Contact Cheyanne Culbert:

• Website: Beacon Clinical Group
• Linkedin: Cheyanne
• Instagram
• Facebook