Welcome to Into It, a podcast focusing on consciousness, spirituality, and health. In this episode, I’m interviewing Chad Stouffer, a senior attorney at Conscious Counsel, as he describes some of the biggest risks to wellness practitioners and how to minimize them. Conscious Counsel is a law firm based both in the US and Canada, and they specialize in legal agreements and contracts within the coaching and wellness industry.
0:00 – A cautionary tale about wellness and healing arts practitioners: When too positive an attitude can put you at legal risk
3:00 – Michael talks about getting sued (and takes his own advice by bleeping out details that could get him sued or legally entangled again 😉 )
5:00 – “Looking for good vibes” – How Chad found Conscious Counsel
9:17 – Signing Contracts with “Love” – Conscious Counsel’s approach to easy-to-understand protective language
11:37 – The risks in developing as a wellness practitioner. The value of waivers of liability – how to protect yourself from being sued for someone elses’ activities.
15:38 – Of ambulance chases and bee stings: how to provide clients with clear and transparent expectations re: your responsibilities and theirs before they begin working with you; the value of making sure that clients who work with you are fully informed.
21:13 – How Conscious Counsel’s contracts prevent clients from getting sued for liability. Chad discusses the value of strong service and membership agreements for recovering losses over disputed payments.
25:19 – The risks of copying a contract from another website. Chad recommends talking to a lawyer about it to keep protected. Chad discusses Conscious Counsel’s six month work agreement for contracts and contract adjustments, for a flat fee.
30:55 – When “nastygrams” are sometimes necessary for breaches of contract.
35:30 – Law is Fun vs. Conscious Counsel. Law is Fun – documents only, drafted by lawyers who are experts in health and wellness. Conscious Counsel – document templates plus customization from Chad Stouffer (USA) or Cory Sterling (Canada).
39:41 – More on the value of strong agreements with simple language, which also feel good for clients; why a lot of legalese is outdated.
44:40 – The importance of clearly defining independent contractor vs. employee agreements. How to draw the line between fee for service mentors, independent contractors, and employees.
For Conscious Counsel: Reach out to Chad directly by emailing lawyer@consciouscounsel.ca, or schedule a free consultation with Chad by clicking here: https://calendly.com/cclawyer/consultation
For Law Is Fun: If you want legal documents ONLY, you can click this link for a 10% discount on any and all document templates available through lawisfun.com: https://lawisfun.com?sca_ref=2118258.ga1zl0Y1jv. Alternatively, you can use the code michaellydon at checkout.
If you are a health/wellness coach or alternative healing arts practitioner looking for insurance, Michael highly recommends Alternative Balance, an international insurance policy underwritten by Lloyds of London. Alternative Balance “insure[s] over 500 types of industries, including fitness instructors, yoga instructors, nutritional consultants, life coaches, health & wellness coaches, massage therapists and many more.” They also have a ton of useful resources, including client intake forms, general disclaimers, and other templates that you can use to improve your level of clarity, transparency, and professionalism in communicating with your clients: https://alternativebalance.com#5e34a214080d4
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