Why Wellness Law Matters: Cynthia Stamer on Policy, ABA Advocacy, and Building Legal Infrastructure for Wellbeing

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 systems rather than helping one person at a time. She explains how the American Bar Association enabled early collaboration, mentoring, and policy advocacy that can drive community-wide legal change beyond the profession. Their conversation contrasts wellness and healthcare, highlights inequities between luxury wellness (e.g., med spas, peptides) and basic needs (housing, food, access to medications), and emphasizes multidisciplinary, people-centric infrastructure solutions informed by real-world barriers, especially after COVID.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro03:23 Cynthia’s Wellness Roots04:52 Building a Practice and the ABA06:56 ABA Advocacy Beyond Lawyers08:54 Why Wellness Law Matters11:31 How New Practice Areas Emerge14:12 Wellness vs Healthcare Systems16:26 Med Spas Biohacking and Equity22:23 Multidisciplinary Solutions via ABA24:08 COVID Lessons and Systems Thinking27:55 Closing Thanks and How to Connect29:48 Podcast Outro and ResourcesLearn more about Wellness Law at www.wellnesslaw.com.