Erin Clifford, JD, MA, LPC
Corporate Wellness Consultant and Coach
Erin Clifford is deeply passionate about helping professionals develop healthy lifestyles to create a more fulfilling, happier existence. She has trained with some of the world’s foremost experts in diet theories, nutrition, exercise, and healthy lifestyle management. She brings her knowledge and expertise to her work so that her clients have the education and tools to lead healthier and happier lives.
Her Journey
Erin’s journey in wellness began when she was a teenager growing up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Although she did not necessarily maintain the healthiest diet — mac and cheese and pizza were her staples — her parents were extreme proponents of physical fitness and, from a young age, encouraged her to participate in many extracurricular activities that kept her active and fit. She also worked out regularly with her father and immediately fell in love with both the physical and mental well-being that regular exercise provided. It became a life-long commitment.
During her college years at Northwestern University, she was introduced to her first Whole Foods just blocks from her apartment, a turning point in realizing that another key component to wellness is eating healthy. Everything you put into your body is critical. Erin began to integrate healthier foods and eating habits into her daily life. She realized that not only did eating more nutritious food help her maintain an ideal physique, but it also provided her with energy and a glow that made her hunger to learn more. Nutrition and healthy living became a passion and a way of life. Throughout the years, Erin has continued to educate herself with cutting-edge information on health and has evolved her lifestyle toward optimal health and wellness.
She first became inspired to pursue a practice as a wellness coach during her tenure as a Chicago Public School teacher. She created lesson plans every night to share with her students, but what she did not anticipate were the lessons she would learn from her students about their challenges in health and wellness and how it impacted their daily lives, including their ability to learn. Many of these bright, young minds were fighting obesity and were well on their way to developing severe health conditions, such as Type II diabetes. Some of her students would come to school having eaten Pop-Tarts or Cheetos for breakfast. Others came to school without having eaten anything at all.
This reality served as a “call to action,” and she promised herself that one day she would utilize her skills and her commitment to help impact people’s lives by educating and counseling families about healthy living and disease prevention. Erin also earned a law degree and, as part of the legal community, saw how important a healthy lifestyle is for over-stressed professionals. Every day, she encounters friends and colleagues who neglect their health and develop preventable diseases, many at an early age. Wellness education is critical in today’s society, where fast food can no longer be king, yet people do not take the time to learn what they need – even some simple steps – that can help them for a lifetime.
“Working professionals need wellness solutions that work with their go-go-go lives. I’m a busy working professional too, I get it. When I partner with corporations and firms, I begin by surveying staff to customize the curriculum to empower employees with realistic sustainable education and tools. Wellness works when it’s catered to what people want and need, and can be successfully put into action to bring more positivity and productivity to their lives.”
Health Coach Training
All of this inspired Erin to attend the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and complete its rigorous Health Coach Training Program. She studied more than 100 dietary theories, practical lifestyle management techniques, and innovative life coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts. But this learning never ends as she continues her studies under the tutelage of renowned health professionals. In 2020, she earned a new nutrition certification from Precision Training and became a certified meditation instructor. Erin also holds a coaching certification from the Health Coach Institute and is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).
Mental Health Counseling
As Erin began coaching attorneys and other professionals in wellness, she became aware that mental health plays a big component in well-being. A person can eat a healthy diet, exercise, and make doctor’s appointments. However, being mentally healthy is just as important – or maybe even more important than those other components – to living a happy and healthy life. This realization led Erin to earn a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Her credentials—Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and National Certified Counselor—demonstrate her expertise and dedication to her field. With these qualifications, Erin is in a unique position to guide individuals in achieving work-life harmony, mental resilience, and optimal health.
Working with Erin
Erin’s vast educational background has equipped her with extensive knowledge in holistic nutrition, wellness coaching, preventative health, and mental health issues. Drawing on her skills and knowledge, Erin is passionate about personally working with clients to help them make lifestyle changes that are not only appropriate for their age, gender, work life, and pocketbook but also produce real and lasting results. In these busy times, Erin is the eyes and ears on the latest of what is happening in the health world today and how it impacts each client. She firmly believes that superior health is the cornerstone to ensuring a long, vibrant life. Her life’s journey thus far demonstrates that this is what she was meant to do.
Awards and Recognitions
Erin was named as a 2025 recipient of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois’ (WBAI) Top Women Lawyers in Leadership Award for her leadership in pioneering professional wellness in the legal field. Erin was also selected by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Leader in Law in 2024. Selection for the competitive distinction is based on peer nomination and review and requires candidates to possess and demonstrate a high level of skill and leadership within their workplace. Law Bulletin Media honored Erin with the Women In Law Award in 2024. Honorees were selected based on their efforts to empower other women in the legal profession, their success within the legal community, and their demonstration of exemplary leadership. Chicago Magazine included Erin in their “Women of Influence” section, highlighting her work as a Corporate Wellness Consultant and Coach who helps professionals establish and maintain healthy and harmonious lives.
Erin’s Wellness Book
Erin released her debut book, Wellness Reimagined: A Holistic Approach to Health, Happiness, and Harmony, in May 2025. Drawing on her extensive background in mental health, nutrition, and wellness coaching, this book was written as a guide to empower readers to develop personalized, flexible, and adaptable habits that integrate nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress management, and mindful living, and align with their unique values and lifestyles. By applying the practical tools and SMART goal-setting strategies outlined in this book, readers will discover that they can design a wellness routine that adapts to life’s changes, supporting them in both calm and chaotic times. In the first week of the book’s release, Wellness Reimagined hit USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Booklist, climbing into the Top 1o in the second week. The book can be purchased on Amazon or at any major retailer that sells books.
Leadership and Community Involvement
Erin is deeply committed to giving back and supporting the Chicago community. She serves on several boards that reflect her dedication to wellness, education, and the arts.
Erin is on the Board of Directors at Skyway Behavioral Health, a center dedicated to comprehensive mental health and addiction treatment. She is also a board member of Friends of Prentice, an organization committed to advancing superior healthcare for women at every stage of life. In addition, Erin serves on the board of the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) Foundation, which supports a Chicago Public Schools school that empowers scholar-artists through intensive, pre-professional arts training paired with a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum.
In addition, Erin is proud to serve on the WTTW and WFMT Board of Trustees. With the Board’s guidance, these institutions have become two of the most respected public media organizations in the country. WTTW as one of the most-watched public television stations, and WFMT as a leading classical music radio station in the United States.
Erin also contributes her expertise to the American Bar Association’s Mental Health & Wellness Committee, helping to promote well-being and reduce stigma within the legal profession.
Beyond her local involvement, Erin is proud to be part of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a global network of visionary leaders dedicated to growth, lifelong learning, and the exchange of transformative ideas.