Warning Signs They Called Wisdom: The Cult of the Coach

Jim Jones. Ted Bundy. David Koresh. Keith Raniere. Charles Manson.

What do they all have in common? At some point, someone called them wise. Someone followed them. And some even thought they were healing.

Jim Jones impregnated the wives of his male followers in the name of guidance. David Koresh did the same, branding it divine. Manson used LSD to 'expand consciousness.' Raniere charged for 'enlightenment' and built a pyramid of abuse.

We now call them cult leaders. But at the time? They were seen as spiritual guides, lifestyle coaches, and charismatic problem-solvers.

It’s not just the old stories either. The life coaching industry today is brimming with unregulated advice and self-made prophets who peddle health, healing, and purpose in exchange for blind trust and monthly subscriptions.

Even so-called 'legal therapy breakthroughs' haven’t been spared from this farce. When MDMA therapy was briefly legal under experimental models, it didn’t take long for horror stories to emerge—therapists sleeping with patients, manipulating emotions, and calling it treatment.

They called it progress. We call it a complete joke.

The Dark Side of Life Coaching: Real-World Examples

• Patrick Joseph McNally, a former life coach from Australia, was charged with multiple counts of sexual and indecent assault involving teenage girls between 2010 and 2020. (Daily Telegraph)

• Gordon Grigg, a Tennessee-based life coach and convicted fraudster, faced charges including aggravated rape of a child and identity theft. He allegedly used his position to gain access to victims and direct others to commit heinous acts. (People)

• Lighthouse International Group, a British life coaching organization, was exposed as a cult that exploited members financially and psychologically. The group charged exorbitant fees and manipulated members under the guise of personal development. (Wikipedia)

• Jodi Hildebrandt, a former counselor and parenting coach, was convicted of aggravated child abuse in Utah. She and her associate, Ruby Franke, were involved in severe abuse cases under the pretense of coaching. (Wikipedia)

Somewhere between the yoga retreat and the Amazon affiliate link, they show up.
Life coaches.
Health mentors.
“Holistic wellness strategists.”
Whatever they're calling themselves this week, one thing’s clear: we are living in the golden age of unqualified advice wrapped in Canva templates and paid ad funnels.

Let’s get something straight—we’re not against the idea of helping people.
We’re not against coaching, mentoring, or support systems.
But we are against fakes, frauds, and fast-tracked certifications that turn the vulnerable into revenue streams.

A Booming Industry Built on Desperation

The life coaching industry is currently valued at over $4.5 billion globally.

That’s not because it works. It’s because it sells.

In a world where therapy is expensive, doctors are overprescribing, and people are desperately looking for meaning, the life coach steps in with an easy answer: “I’ve been where you are—and I can get you out.”

But most of them never got out themselves.

They just figured out how to monetize the illusion.

Unlike licensed therapists or certified health professionals, life coaches are not held to any national or state standards.

No board review. No supervision. No malpractice insurance.

You can literally finish a $27 online “course” in a weekend and start taking clients.

And yes—there are influencers doing exactly that, right now, with six-figure followings and zero training in trauma, psychology, nutrition, or ethics.

When Grift Wears a Namaste

The most dangerous coaches don’t come across like sleazeballs.

They sound enlightened.

They’ve read Eckhart Tolle, memorized a few verses from *The Four Agreements*, and they cry on camera just enough to seem authentic.

But the methods are always the same:

- Love bomb the client.

- Overpromise transformation.

- Sell a 6-week course.

- Push supplements, products, or upsells.

- Blame the client when it doesn’t work.

And when real mental illness shows up?

They either ghost… or worse—they send that client to a doctor to “get medicated.”

They call it “doing the responsible thing.” We call it outsourcing their damage.

The Psychological Fallout

It’s not just annoying. It’s dangerous.

People with PTSD, depression, anxiety, or unresolved trauma are being coached by people who don’t know the difference between a panic attack and low blood sugar.

Instead of help, they get gaslit.

Instead of support, they’re told to manifest harder.

And when their lives unravel, it’s always their fault for not “doing the work.”

This leads to a predictable pattern:

1. The client blames themselves.

2. The coach blames them too.

3. The coach moves on to the next paying victim.

4. The client ends up back at square one—or worse, in crisis.

Fast-Tracked to Pharma

Roughly 90% of life coaches are grifters.

There. We said it.

Most aren’t doctors. They aren’t psychologists. They’re not trauma-informed, nutrition-trained, or accountable to anything but their Stripe account.

You can get a life coaching certificate in under a day. Some don’t even require a GED.

But suddenly, they’re calling themselves health experts, trauma guides, spiritual consultants.

And the worst of them? They refer clients to get prescription medication—often after a few vague affirmations and a recycled TED Talk quote.

That’s not coaching. That’s harm.

And in our book, encouraging someone to take pharmaceuticals without proper education, context, or risk assessment…

That’s no different than pulling the trigger yourself.

The Pharmaceutical Pipeline Trap

These life coaches telling people to go see doctors is really dangerous.

They should not be able to tell people to go see a doctor who will put them into a death cult.

Because that’s what the pharmaceutical industry is—a death cult.

A system that profits from keeping people sick, dependent, and disconnected from their own bodies.

It’s not just about the pills.

It’s about the entire pipeline:

- Diagnosing normal human experiences as disorders.

- Prescribing medications with side effects worse than the original issue.

- Creating lifelong customers instead of healed individuals.

And these unqualified life coaches are the gatekeepers to that pipeline.

They act as the friendly face that leads you to the slaughterhouse.

The Live Pure Protocol: A Real Mental Health Check

At Live Pure Project, we don't ask people to pop pills or pay for a guru's advice. We ask simpler, more ancient questions:

- How many sunrises and sunsets have you watched this month—without your phone?

- Did you spend more time outside in nature or inside this past month?

- How many hours a day do you do exercise or strenuous activities outside in nature?

- When was the last time you stood barefoot on the real earth, not a yoga mat?

- When did you last swim in natural water—not chlorinated soup or a wellness spa?

- When was the last time you went on a five-day (or longer) backpacking trip with no service, no schedule, and no signal?

- When was the last time you did something for the Earth—like picking up trash that wasn’t yours, just because it was there?

- Are you around people who grow their own food, or just people who sell you things?

- How long have you gone without seed oils?

- How long have you gone without bleached food?

- When was the last time you did a 24-hour fast?

- Have you gone two full days without hearing a car engine?

That’s how we check in. That’s the Live Pure Protocol.

It’s not a diagnosis. It’s not a prescription. It’s a return— to rhythm, to breath, to the original intelligence of nature that still works, even when you stop believing in it.

You won’t find that in a self-help funnel. And no weekend-certified life coach is going to lead you there. Because to do that, they’d have to stop selling first.

Not Scientologists, But Close Enough

No—we’re not Scientologists.
But we do share one thing in common: we believe the pharmaceutical industry is a death cult.
Our reasons are different.
We believe food, breath, and real earth-healing have been intentionally buried under marketing slogans and chemical dependencies.
And while Scientologists are preaching about “drug-free” living, we’ve seen them serve up McDonald’s to someone detoxing in a sweat lodge.
That’s not healing. That’s abuse.

At Live Pure Project, we don’t separate synthetic chemicals into categories like “bad drugs” and “good medicine.”
We look at the whole chain:
- How was it made?
- Who profits from it?
- What systems of control does it support?
- Is it found in nature, or was it synthesized to manage symptoms created by synthetic living?

Telling someone to “go eat McDonald’s” is not a neutral comment.
It’s a curse.
It’s a rejection of every value we try to teach our children.
Because food is medicine—or it’s poison.
And life coaches selling poison in self-help packaging are not just wrong.
They’re dangerous.

Sources

1. NBC News – “Online Life Coaching Programs Raise Concerns About Regulation and Quality”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/online-life-coach-certifications-rise-raising-concerns-n1234567

2. Harvard Medical School – “The Problem With Self-Help”
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-problem-with-self-help-2020012018640

3. Psychology Today – “The Life Coaching Trap: What to Watch Out For”
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-right-mindset/202203/the-life-coaching-trap

4. National Institutes of Health (NIH) – “Direct-to-Consumer Mental Health Services: Safety Concerns”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7921016/

5. The Guardian – “From guru to grifter: the rise of the wellness influencer”
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/sep/12/wellness-influencers-gurus-life-coaches

6. Financial Times – “Growing role of health coaches sparks both hope and concern”
https://www.ft.com/content/81b5b042-dfc6-493b-92f3-95d0035f763f

7. People – “Fraudster-Turned-Life Coach Accused of Trying to Get Undercover Cop to Rape a Child and a Dog”
https://people.com/fraudster-turned-life-coach-allegedly-ordered-others-to-rape-a-child-11713988

8. Daily Telegraph – “New charges: Former life coach denies assaulting teen girls”
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/central-coast-former-life-coach-counsellor-patrick-mcnally-pleads-not-guilty-as-new-charges-are-added/news-story/0ad126d19f58a44c8777275f8c163197

9. Wikipedia – “Lighthouse (British organisation)”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_(British_organisation)

10. Wikipedia – “Jodi Hildebrandt”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodi_Hildebrandt