Free Speech vs. Licensing Boards: The “Crappy Childhood Fairy” Coaching Case with Pacific Legal Foundation Attorney Christopher Barnewolt Artwork

Wellness Law Podcast

Are you interested in or already have a wellness business? Perhaps you deliver employee wellness services, or practice as a health coach, functional medicine provider, lifestyle or relationship expert, spiritual coach, integrative and holistic health practitioner, or you invent wellness products and devices. Regardless of your role, you need to stay on top of the law that affects the wellness industry. This podcast will feature wellness industry experts and thought leaders and explain how the law affects what they do. You will learn about the latest lawsuits, investigations, and research that can help your wellness business reduce risk and thrive.

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Wellness Law Podcast

Free Speech vs. Licensing Boards: The “Crappy Childhood Fairy” Coaching Case with Pacific Legal Foundation Attorney Christopher Barnewolt

July 20, 2026 • Barbara Zabawa • Season 7 • Episode 7

0:00 | 22:09

Attorney Christopher Barnewolt of the Pacific Legal Foundation joins the Wellness Law Podcast to discuss PLF’s lawsuit challenging the California Board of Psychology’s discipline of life coach Anna Runkle (the “Crappy Childhood Fairy”). Barnewolt explains that Runkle, who has openly stated she is not a psychologist or therapist, built a coaching business based on personal experience and techniques that helped her after a difficult childhood, including YouTube content, books, webinars, and paid coaching since 2016. After a 2023 complaint from an attendee in Maine alleging unlicensed practice, the Board issued a final order requiring a $2,500 fine and cessation of activity it deems licensed psychology. The conversation focuses on First Amendment protections, chilling effects on coaches, and the alleged overbroad, vague California definition of “practice of psychology,” while noting PLF’s nationwide pro bono work and related nursing-board overreach in Kansas.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:21 Why This Lawsuit Matters
02:13 Anna Runkle Story and Business
03:35 Complaint and Board Discipline
06:19 Broader Pattern of Overreach
09:04 Pacific Legal Foundation Mission
10:14 Overbroad Psychology Definition
14:34 Chilling Effect on Coaches
15:39 Wellness Speech and Access to Care
19:26 Prior Restraint and Fraud Laws
21:13 Closing and Where to Learn More

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