Ellen's training in the behavioral sciences, combined with her experience working with more than 1,000 legal professionals, provides her with a unique skill set and perspective on the complexities of human behavior, motivation, emotion, and learning. She approaches all her work from an interdisciplinary and evidence-based model of change that incorporates Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), positive psychology, and narrative coaching.

Advancing women in the law has been the mission of Ellen's work throughout her career. She founded Lawyers Life Coach after listening to countless stories from women lawyers facing obstacles on their journey toward professional success and fulfilling lives. As a psychotherapist in downtown DC, surrounded by multiple law firms, Ellen witnessed the challenges women attorneys faced: mothers whose career commitment was questioned, partners fighting to maintain credit for their business development, and women generally denied stretch assignments for lacking "enough confidence." These stories resonated deeply with her as a 1960s feminist and ignited her passion for change.

Ellen recognized that these women weren't seeking help for psychological “disorders” but were navigating a workplace designed by and for men while confronting the impact of multiple stereotypes. Accompanying and supporting them on their journeys to success without sacrificing what they most valued and advocating for women's advancement in the law became the passion that ignited her to create Lawyers Life Coach.

Ellen's expertise has led to speaking invitations from prestigious organizations including the Women's Commission of the Department of Justice of Canada, Harvard Law School's Women's Leadership Summit, the Center for Women in the Law, the Hispanic National Bar Association's Latina Executive Leadership Academy, the National Bar Association, the University of Maryland's Francis King Carey School of Law Women's Leadership & Equality Program, ABA Women Rainmakers, the National Association of Law Placement, the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations, and numerous bar and women's attorney groups throughout the US and Europe.

Ellen serves as a consultant for the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession and as a facilitator and coach for Diversity Lab's OnRamp Fellowship and OnTrack Sponsorship programs. She is Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Institute of Well Being in Law and remains deeply committed to issues at the intersection of diversity and well-being among attorneys. Her contributions to advancing women lawyers were recognized by the National Association of Women Lawyers in their 2025 NAWL Impact List.

Ellen was selected as The Women in Law Empowerment Forum's leadership development coach and served as Chair of the Board of the ThirdPath Institute for 17 years. She has also served on the District of Columbia Bar Association's Lawyers' Assistance Program and the DC Bar's Board of Governors.

A frequent contributing writer for legal media, Ellen's articles have been published in the New York Law Journal Magazine, Perspectives, The Woman Advocate, NAWL's The Women Lawyer's Journal,GP Small/Solo, Trial Magazine, The Complete Lawyer, Lawyers Weekly USA,The Talent Think Tank Blog, Beyond Bias: Unleashing the Potential of Women in Law, and many other prominent legal publications. Her email newsletter, Beyond the Billable Hour, has been reprinted by more than 30 print and electronic publications and translated into multiple languages.

Ellen received her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Rochester and her coach training from the MentorCoach program, where she has also taught both career and group coaching. She holds her Professional Certified Coach certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF) and is certified to use multiple assessment tools including the Leadership Circle Profile.

Ellen lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. with her husband and two cats. She remotely parents her adult children in Las Vegas, NV and Bel Air, MD and adores her two grandchildren. She enjoys literary fiction, the visual arts, and music and has been a mindfulness meditator and knitter for many years.  She is actively engaged in civic life with an emphasis on creating compassionate connections and feels most peaceful at the ocean or in the woods.