Wellness Law Podcast

Host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Cynthia Marcotte Stamer to the Wellness Law Podcast to discuss how multiple legal disciplines intersect with “wellness law” and why it should be recognized as a distinct practice area. Stammer, an employee benefits and labor and employment lawyer with deep experience in health plans and ACA/HIPAA-related reforms, describes her public health roots and focus on changing...

Host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Chase Sterling, executive director of the Wellbeing Think Tank , a 501(c)(3) founded in 2021 that convenes monthly events and an annual summit to elevate evidence-based, integrated workplace wellbeing practices. Sterling explains she created the organization after seeing workplace wellness treated too narrowly and siloed, arguing wellbeing at work requires supporting i...

Host Barbara Zabawa interviews Jennifer Lundman, executive director of the Institute for Behavior Change, about why the Institute was founded in the last year to develop credible, sustainable standards for health and wellness coaching—especially for coaches working inside healthcare systems. Lundman describes collaborating with coaches, health systems, and healthcare professionals to confront skep...

Host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Mark Brezzell, a former cardiovascular perfusionist with over 20 years in medical affairs who now runs a wellness business focused on the vascular impact of stress. Drawing on his experience in cardiac surgery and developing vascular stents, Brezzell explains that many serious vascular conditions stem from lifestyle and long-term stress, and argues for prevention rathe...

Host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Kit Chaskin and Lauren Golanty, co-founders of Third to First, to discuss how traditional Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) frames employees who report harassment or discrimination as adverse third parties, discouraging reporting and shaping HR and management practices. They explain their “Third to First” endorsement, which converts EPLI to first-party re...

Host Barbara Zabawa interviews Kim Williams, founder of the Fair Path Project, about confronting workplace bullying—especially executive abuse—and its impact on employee wellbeing and organizational culture. Williams, a former U.S. diplomat and veteran HR executive, shares how she was directed into HR, why work is central to people’s lives, and how her own experience being abused by a chief execut...

Host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky to discuss Lift Our Voices, founded in 2019 to combat workplace silencing through forced arbitration and non-disclosure agreements that often block employees from going to court and speaking about sexual misconduct and other discrimination. Carlson describes her advocacy following her Fox News sexual harassment case and the effort to...

Welcome to the Wellness Law Podcast! In this episode, host Barbara Zabawa interviews Andy Regal, former executive producer at CNBC and global head of video for the Wall Street Journal. Now focusing on workplace bullying, Andy shares insights from his 25 years in the media industry and his upcoming book, 'Surviving Bully Culture: A Career Navigating Workplace Bullying and a Guide for Healing.&...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Margaret Moore, also known as Coach Meg, the CEO of Wellcoaches . They discuss Coach Meg's extensive efforts advocating for Medicare reimbursement for health coaching services. They delve into the history and current progress of obtaining recognition and reimbursement for health coaches, the strategic partnership with t...

Welcome to the Wellness Law Podcast! In this episode, host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Darrell Rogers from the Holistic Council. Together, they discuss critical licensing and nutrition practice issues affecting wellness practitioners. Darryl shares insights from his extensive experience in health and wellness policy and advocacy, including his work on Capitol Hill and with various health organizations...

In this engaging and insightful episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, your host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Dr. Efrat Lemandre, better known as Dr. E, to discuss her unique perspective on medical gaslighting and the empowerment of patients. Dr. E, a renowned public speaker, bestselling author, and medical disruptor, shares her thoughts on the limitations of conventional medicine and how wellness practi...

Join host Barbara Zabawa on the Wellness Law Podcast as she dives into wellness law from the litigation side with attorney Oren Faircloth of the law firm Siri & Glimstad. Discussing his work on tobacco surcharge lawsuits and employee benefits litigation, Oren explains the regulatory framework and compliance issues surrounding wellness programs. The conversation covers the interpretation of wel...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, hosted by Barbara Zabawa and brought to you by the Center for Health and Wellness Law, Valerie Schranz from Sterling Tax and Accounting Services discusses essential tax and financial considerations for wellness businesses. Topics include choosing the right business entity, importance of separating personal and business expenses, estimated tax payments,...

In this insightful episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa chats with Steven O'Connor, a staff attorney at the National Health Freedom Coalition. Steven explains the mission and work of the Coalition, focusing on health freedom, Safe Harbor laws, the right to refuse medical procedures, and the Expanded Practice Act. Discover how these initiatives aim to empower wellness pract...

In this enlightening episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Suzanne Hunt, Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, to explore the relationship between public health and wellness. Suzanne discusses her perspective on the distinction and overlap between these fields, emphasizing the importance of systemic approaches in public health and individua...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, Barbara Zabawa hosts Charlie Hodson, Vice President of Business Development at CPH Insurance . They delve into various types of liability insurance crucial for wellness practitioners, including general liability, professional liability, and cyber liability. Charlie clarifies common misunderstandings, elaborates on the distinction between claims-made and...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa enjoys a deep conversation with Pamela Miles, an internationally renowned reiki master and pioneer in bringing Reiki practice to conventional medicine. Pamela shares her intriguing journey into Reiki, her daily practice, and how she teaches others to harness self-healing. The discussion turns to the potential regulation of Reiki and...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara Zabawa welcomes Dr. Amy Bantham, CEO and founder of Move to Live More , to discuss her journey and the importance of the PHIT Act. Dr. Bantham, who has a Doctor of Public Health from Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health, shares her experience as a fitness professional and advocate for integrating medical, public health, and fitness commu...

In this episode of the Wellness Law Podcast, host Barbara is joined by Dr. Rich Joseph and Rachele Pojednic, experts in both academia and the wellness industry. The discussion centers around their collaborative efforts to bridge the gap between traditional evidence-based medicine and the rapidly growing wellness industry. Dr. Pojednic, a director at Restore Hyper Wellness and a faculty member at S...

Meet Amy Boone Thompson, owner and CEO of IDEAFit, a longstanding membership organization in the wellness and fitness industry with an audience of over 303,000 individuals. These fitness and wellness professionals may be involved in personal training, yoga, health coaching, and many other wellness services. IDEAFit is a leader in the wellness space, belonging to an international wellness organizat...

Leigh-Ann Webster served as the Executive Director for the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching from 2015 to 2024 where she led the effort to implement standards and a code of ethics for health and wellness coaches. In this episode, hear Leigh-Ann describe how she noticed a need for standards in coaching, why they are important, and what is next for wellness. To learn more about Leigh-A...

Meet Brian Schroeder, founder of Preventia and Entrepreneur extraordinaire! Brian founded Preventia in 2017 after managing physician practices for many years. A heart condition experienced by his wife after their daughter was born inspired him to dive into the wellness side of care, eventually leading to Preventia. Listen to this latest Wellness Law Podcast to hear Brian's story and his visio...

Lesli Bitel, MBA, RDN, LDN, is a leading business strategist and coach renowned for her decade-long dedication to elevating the profiles and profitability of functional nutrition and medicine professionals. Listen as Lesli shares her wisdom about top legal issues she encounters when helping wellness professionals start and scale their businesses, and some tips to encourage you to make the leap int...

Meet Dr. Thomas Lewis, author of six books and medical scientist with advanced degrees from MIT and Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Lewis's mission is to examine what really causes disease and believes that is what wellness should be focusing on.  As a result, Dr. Lewis started Health Revival Partners to help clients get to the right causes of illness and poor wellbeing. This starts with...

Sherry Rais founded Enthea after spending years working for the United Nations and World Bank. It was there that she realized ending poverty is impossible without addressing mental illness. After learning about different mental health treatment modalities, it became apparent that at least for some people, existing treatments didn't work well. That's when she became aware of psychadelic t...