In Part 2 of the Cult of Self-help, I spill the tea on something that the self-help world conveniently forgets to mention: the Main Character Syndrome (MCS). You know that feeling when you think your life's a romcom, and you're the star, director, and producer all in one? That's MCS, where you're the protagonist of your own epic saga. Our cultural obsession with the hero’s journey like Eat, Pray, Love is just one small reflection of that.

Self-help often encourages us to reflect and grow, but it conveniently sweeps under the rug the potential dark side of MCS, which is a cult of personality of sorts.

In cults, people transform their identities to match the group's narrative. Well, MCS isn't that different. It's about adopting a persona driven by the need for likes, followers, and validation, courtesy of the self-help or personal development industry. And guess what? Social media is the stage for this performance. We turn our lives into a 24/7 reality show, curating every moment to keep the narrative going. Sponsored posts, merchandise, and selling our 'authentic' journeys become the norm. But at what cost?

In this episode, I dive deep into the MCS, exploring the psychological mechanisms underlying MCS energy, the trajectory of learned selfishness, and how the phenomena of parasocial relationships and audience capture play a role.

Enjoy!

Timetimes & Key Discussions:

03:27- Recap of Part 1

05:48- Clarification of an important point that I previously missed about quality of life & well-being

13:51- Mini rant about influencers who romanticize MCS

21:04 - Introduction to the MCS (Light & Dark sides)

30:21- Learned Selfishness as a survival mechanism of hyper-competitiveness and individualism

36:12- I share my experience with MCS and the turning point that woke me up from it

41:07- How the MCS shows up in parasocial relationships and audience capture

57:16- Closing remarks and words of encouragement

References:

The Trouble with ‘Main Character Syndrome’- Psychology Today article

What is the Main Character Syndrome?- Refinery29 Article

Are you guilty of the Main Character Syndrome?- Daily Mail Article

The spiritual psychology of self-love: the good, the bad, the ugly - Seek with Ser blog post

Audience Capture:How Influencers Become Brainwashed by their Audience- YouTube segment by After Skool

Other Links:

Podcast music credits: @artmusic.janevo

Connect with the Conscious Revolution Host on instagram here.

Website: seekwithser.com

Download my ebook: Demystifying Self-love: Loving yourself beyond the trend

Apply for 1:1 Mentorship

Are you ready to unravel the layers of the self-industry to reveal the cult tactics underneath?

Ever wondered about the driving force behind our collective conversations about self-help, and where these ideas originated from?

Buckle up, because in the 1st of this 2-part solo episode, I’m taking you through my journey as a recovering self-help junkie— and the insights that have helped me redefine what authentic growth means beyond commercialized interests of a capitalist industry.

We can’t talk about the self-help industry (or any other capitalist industry) without setting the context. In this episode, I expose the aspects of self-help that are a form of capitalist propaganda, which is what makes it especially culty.

How do themes of late capitalism, religious fundamentalism, and patriarchy converge within the self-help industry? What mechanisms of mind control operate through self-help narratives? How does the self-help industry perpetuate a cycle of dependence and doom? And, more importantly, what impact does this have on our individual and collective well-being?

And of course, no episode would be complete if we don’t discuss next steps in how we can embrace authentic growth and interact with self-help in a mindful, intentional, and discerning way. Yes, there IS such a thing as ethical self-help and I’m going to provide some recommendations on how to find it!

Enjoy!

Outline & Timestamps:

* Introduction

* Explore self-help's impact on cognitive dissonance and gaslighting & its effects on individual and collective well-being.

* My Self-Help Journey (04:24)

* My personal journey through the self-help industry and what motivated me to have this candid conversation.

* Insight into the Self-Love Trend (08:18):

* Analyze how the self-love trend reflects broader self-help themes to uncover its implications for personal growth.

* Distortion of Psychological Theories (16:36):

* How Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset theory reflects self-help’s misinterpretation of psychological science.

* Unveiling Sociocultural Context (25:21):

* Reveal self-help as capitalist propaganda & analyze themes of late capitalism, religious fundamentalism, and patriarchy.

* Gaslighting by the Self-Help Industry (31:32):

* Exploring self-help industry's manipulation mechanisms & its interplay with capitalism's cult-like undertones.

* Toxic Individualism Explored (37:42):

* Expose toxic individualism within self-help.

* The Self-Help Cycle of Doom (40:30):

* Navigate the cycle's exploitation of fear, exploitation, and dependence.

* Unveiling Manipulative Tactics (48:45):

* Expose less-obvious manipulative tactics in self-help to build trust.

* Introduction to Ethical Self-Help (54:37):

* How to discern between ‘good’ v.s. ‘bad’ self-help.

References & Show Notes:

Demystifying Self-love: Loving Yourself Beyond the Trend - My NEW E-book

Who Is Wellness For?- Fariha Róisín

The Toxic World of Self-help- YouTube Documentary

Navigating the Cult of Fitness Class, Self-help guides, and Groupthink- Shondaland Article

Self Improvement Might Sound Healthy. But There's a Downside to Wanting to Change- Time Article

Trying to Be Happy Is Making You Miserable. Here's Why- Time Article

Hey, friend! If you enjoyed this episode and would like to support my ongoing effort to create wholesome, insightful content about topics you care about, please consider making a small donation below. Thank you! 🙏🏼👩🏻‍💻

The spiritual journey has many twists and turns—full of pitfalls, dead-ends, roadblocks, and thorny terrains. The journey has often been compared to a map that has been handed to us by the great spiritual teachers and masters that came before—like Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammad.

However, each map is unique because it represents the problems, setbacks, and challenges that reflect the spirit of our times. Our personal journey does not occur in a vacuum but rather within the context of our zeitgeist. Each zeitgeist is its own distinct blend of confusion, beauty, and chaos.

This makes it very hard to know where you’re going unless someone points it out to you because they’ve already been there. As seekers, we have a shared responsibility to help each other out by putting up guideposts and warning signs for the next voyagers. Like, “Watch out! Pothole with snakes in 400 m.” Or, “Treacherous road leads to dead-end, but the view is spectacular!” Kinda like a Yelp, for seekers.

I believe this is what Ram Dass meant by, “we’re all just walking each other home.” This points to the idea that we are all students and teachers of life, and of each other.

One of the biggest pitfalls on the spiritual journey is guru worship. This happens when, rather than orienting us in the right direction, a fellow seeker takes advantage of our naivety, ignorance, or trust for their own personal gain. This gain usually comes in the form of money, sex, or both. We get seduced into an unequal power dynamic that sets us up for a bad time.

This is not about ‘victimizing’ ourselves. On the contrary, it’s about taking responsibility for our own ego projections by developing the necessary critical thinking skills to discern reality from someone else’s delusion.

It’s important to remember that no human being is above being human. This path is yours and yours alone. We cannot outsource our power to any guru, teacher, or even doctrine. This also (and especially) includes not putting our blind faith and trust in those whom we consider teachers or gurus. Doing so means that we are enmeshed with their ego. From there, it is a slippery slope to losing our individuality to a cult identity.

Remember: It takes two to be in a power dynamic. Two egos, one big dance of projection.

I will have a lot more to say about this in my follow-up episode where I share my own experience of guru worship with Osho. It is an important lesson on the nuanced and delicate balance between guru devotion (an actual practice in some lineages) and guru worship (a cult dynamic).

It’s rare to find spiritual teachers who can strike this balance, especially on social media which is inherently a breeding ground for online spiritual cults.

That’s why I’m so excited to invite Amit, the creator of @findingawareness as a guest on the pod today. Seekers, you don’t want to miss this!

In this episode, Amit and I delve into the common challenges and pitfalls of the spiritual process, like spiritual materialism, the spiritual ego, and spiritual bypassing. We address how to spot red flags and warning signs for inauthentic teachers and how we can protect ourselves from cult dynamics.

We also discuss critical issues in spirituality that frankly need more attention, including fake gurus, money worship, and capitalist spirituality.

I hope this conversation will support you as you continue to navigate the thorny realms of spirituality in our modern times. I highly recommend reading Amit’s book (linked below) if you’re looking for a no-nonsense, practical guide to the spiritual process.

Enjoy! I would love to know what you think of this episode. What were your biggest takeaways?

Connect with Amit:

On Instagram: @findingawareness

Amit’s website: findingawareness.com

Buy Amit’s book: Finding Awareness

Connect with the Conscious Revolution Host:

Instagram: @seekwithser

Website: seekwithser.com

Podcast music credits: @artmusic.janevo

Thank you for subscribing to Conscious Revolution. Please share this post with a fellow seeker you think may benefit!

Hey valued subscriber! As of now, all my content is ad-free, subscription-free and pay-wall free. To help me keep it this way, please consider making a small donation. Your support will help me continue providing consistent value for my audience to consume and enjoy. Thank you! 💜

Hold onto your overpriced healing crystals cause this episode is gonna blow the lid right off the online coaching industry.

Its been a WILD RIDE of exposing the dark side of the online coaching industry and perhaps no one has had a better front row seat like my guest today, Eva Collins.

Eva’s journey into the coaching industry began over 10 years ago. She has had first-hand experience working with some of the biggest names in the coaching industry. As a former manifestation coach-turned-activist, Eva’s parody Instagram account, WhyDontYouSaySomething played a pivotal role in popping the coaching industry bubble last year, when thousands of people woke up to the reality that they had been scammed by their online coach.

Needless to say, Eva and I both found ourselves in the middle of coaching industry drama that ensued when we started calling out the harm. Although the drama has subsided, our allyship continues. Eva and I are now part of the initiative called Ethics for Coaching (EFC) aimed at reforming the coaching industry. We’re taking action!

This episode is long overdue and a long time coming! In this episode, we unravel the web of deception and expose the cult-like tactics, the scams, the schemes, and the mind games that go on behind-the-scenes of these so-called coaching ‘containers.’ But hey, we’re not here to vent. We’re here for advocacy, education, and awareness.

If you want to be part of the action in making the coaching industry a safer, more responsible and scam-free place, make sure you register for our upcoming town hall meeting with #teamEFC to learn all about the cause and how you can help.

The town hall meeting is on July 19, 2023 at 9am-10am PST. The meeting is free but open to email subscribers only. To get an invite, subscribe to our email list by visiting ethicsforcoaching.org.

Enjoy!

Stay Connected with Eva Collins:

Follow Eva Collins on Instagram

The Why Don’t You Say Something Podcast

Hey valued subscriber! As of now, all my content is ad-free, subscription-free and pay-wall free. To help me keep it this way, please consider making a small donation. Your support will help me continue providing consistent value for my audience to consume and enjoy. Thank you! 🙏🏼👩🏻‍💻💜

Can we capitalism our way out of capitalism?

Welcome to another thought-provoking episode on the intersection of cults, cons, and capitalism.

This episode explores a topic that is probably relevant to most people in this audience: the intersection of capitalism and self-help. You’ve often heard me talk about the ‘money cult’ in my critique of new-age spirituality. If you enjoy this topic, you’re in for a real treat.

One of the most prevalent narratives that we hear by money cult ambassadors is that "good money in the hands of good people" can be the solution to the world's problems. But is that really the case? Does capitalism and its promises of prosperity truly hold the key to our collective well-being? Can we capitalism our way out of capitalism? Is there such a thing as ‘conscious capitalism?’ To dive into this complex subject, I'm joined by the brilliant and hilarious brand strategist and marketing muckraker, Rachael Kay Albers (RKA).

RKA is kind of a big deal and I’m a huge fan of her work. If you listen to the episode, you’ll understand why. She is everyone’s favorite brand-mother…but make it anti-capitalist. We all need an RKA in our life to torch the way to liberating our bodies, hearts, and minds (and each other) from the oppressive and exploitative capitalist patriarchy.

Warning: this episode MAY radicalize you (in a good way).

This episode is a foundational understanding of capitalism and its connection to cult dynamics, particularly within the self-help industry.

Check out these episode highlights:

* Critique of capitalism and what makes it culty

* The impact of capitalism on individuals and society and how it is reflected in the way we interact with brand culture, self-help, and entrepreneurship.

* Challenging the dominant narratives associated with capitalism and how to free our minds from capitalism propaganda.

* How self-help social media influencers contribute and reinforce capitalism propaganda through unethical marketing and predatory sales tactics.

* A call for change and exploring alternatives toward a more equitable future.

* And so much more!

We barely touched the tip of the iceberg in this 🔥 conversation and there’s definitely more where that came from! Enjoy!

Connect with RKA:

RKA website

Follow RKA on Instagram

Follow RKA on YouTube

Follow RKA on TikTok

Listen to Marketing Muckraking on Apple Podcasts

Connect with the Conscious Revolution Host:

Instagram: @seekwithser

Website: seekwithser.com

Podcast music credits: @artmusic.janevo

Hey valued subscriber! You may have noticed that my podcast has gotten an upgrade in the sound quality to enhance your listening experience. This is because I have hired a podcast producer, which means I’m really committed to making my pod a success. If you enjoy my podcast, it would mean a lot to me if you subscribed and left a review on Apple. This would help me gain visibility and sponsorship so I could sustain my podcast and keep going! I have some amazingggg topics and guests lined up and you will not be disappointed. TYSM💜🙏🏼

(and don’t forget to hit Subscribe 🙂)

Last year, I polled my audience to ask them if they thought Eckhart Tolle was a cult leader. Most people said Yes, which confirmed my own beliefs about the influential spiritual teacher and self-help author.

I’ve been studying Eckhart Tolle for over 5 years. I never really bought into the hype around The Power of Now—partially because I didn’t think he was saying anything new, and partially because I was a spiritual elitist.

By the time I read his best-seller, I was already familiar enough with the spiritual philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism to recognize the watered-down version of these teachings that Eckhart Tolle presented to his Western audience. However, this alone is not enough to make him a cult leader. The ‘cult factor’ plays into someone’s overall social influence. I think it’s too early to tell if Tolle has had a net positive or a net negative impact on society….but there are few things that make me as skeptical as a rich and famous white man telling me how the world works.

I’m hesitant to label every other spiritual teacher a cult leader until I’m absolutely sure, and I have reasons to back it up. With Tolle, I’m still not 100% convinced he is a cult leader. There are certainly aspects of his influence that are cult-ish or cult-y. But after listening to this two part interview on A Little Bit Culty Podcast, my current stance is that Eckhart Tolle is not a cult leader, but his flawed and incomplete teachings don’t hold up to scientific scrutiny. By itself his teachings are not harmful, but once you put them into context around the larger New-Age zeitgeist, they take on a more insidious form because they are completely out of touch and falsifiable…imho.

In this episode, I critique 3 ideas that I found to be particularly troubling in his interview with the hosts of A Little Bit Culty podcast. I won’t give away which 3 critiques they are so that you can listen to the episode, but I will give you a hint:

* E. Tolle’s perspective on the purpose of awakening

* E. Tolle’s perspective on the purpose of suffering

* E. Tolle’s perspective on the #1 skill that gives us immunity from cult control

Additionally, I re-introduce the concept of Political Awakening in relation to the new-age doctrine, while also providing context for our understanding of the term "new-age."

Enjoy and thanks for listening 🙂!

I’d love to know what you think of Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. Have you listened to this interview on A Little Bit Culty? Share your thoughts!

Have you ever worked in a high-control environment? Do you know how to spot the signs of a healthy v.s. culty workplace?

Firstly, I’m so excited to announce the rebranding of my podcast, with a new mission and focus!

In this episode, I have the pleasure of talking with Ash Riley, a trained journalist and business consultant with a focus on trauma-informed and ethical business practices.

In this interview, we dive into a paradoxical situation that many people find themselves in—being stuck in toxic and harmful companies. We want to help you recognize the red flags to watch out for when considering a workplace. These include a lack of transparency in salary and benefits, an unstable work environment, and the presence of toxic or abusive behavior.

We also take a closer look at how some companies use core values as a cover-up for their toxic practices. It's important to be aware of this facade and not be fooled by superficial displays of values that mask underlying issues.

Join us as we uncover the truth behind toxic workplaces and equip you with the knowledge to make better choices for your career and well-being.

Enjoy!

Links

Liz Holmes wants you to forget about Elizabeth

Elizabeth Holmes has changed her voice again

Is your corporate culture cultish?

19 cult-like jobs people couldn’t wait to quit

5 signs that Apple is a cult 

Ethical Entrepreneurship 101 Course:

https://ethicsforcoaching.thinkific.com/courses/ethicalentrepreneurship

You can connect with Ash here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashrising/

Website: www.inmysacredspace.com

This episode is comin' in hot after a few weeks of critical discussion around the questionable price points that we see in the coaching industry. Needless to say, opening up that conversation has lead to an influx of coaches into my corner of the internet who are also wondering: WTF is going on?!

There's been a lot of pushback from those who feel triggered by this conversation and it's been pretty disappointing to see the level of gaslighting, silencing, dismissing, and victim-blaming that has transpired but I'm trying to focus less on that and more on the incredible humans that are organizing around our shared mission. 

I hope I can contribute to this conversation by deconstructing the money cult dynamics that are leading so many well-meaning people down a path of money worship, spiritual materialism, and financial exploitation. 

Follow me down the rabbit hole as I talk about money, power, status, and coercive control. 

Topics covered:

The roots of the money cult in the 'manifest destiny' prosperity gospel - 9:13

Debunk 2 common myths of the money cult ("money is neutral energy" and "money is an unlimited resource") - 15:00

Is "money mindset" just code for culty psychological programming? - 22:45

The psychology + energetics of money worship (money power + money status) - 28:25

The cost of spiritual materialism on your mental health - 37:34

How to dismantle money cult dynamics and move towards a more authentic way to relate to money- 56:04

Enjoy!

References/further reading:

Why it's more expensive to be poor (6 minute video)

40% of America’s lowest-income families’ consumption goes on luxuries

Nearly Half of Americans Emotionally Overspend

Is the coaching bubble bursting? (Rachel Kay Albers)

More links:

Sign up for the Authentic Life Newsletter on Substack

Become a Patreon member 

Theme song credits: Laff- Said Mrad & Dany El Helou

In cult deprogramming work, it's important to learn the skill of reality-testing your truth v.s. your beliefs v.s. your opinions so you can DISCERN reality from illusion (which is the whole point of Awakening). 

In this episode, I provide a framework for critically examining our thoughts from a nondualism and scientific perspective. This is episode will add value to anyone who is interested in developing critical thinking + media literacy skills. Enjoy!

Topics covered:

• How new-age spirituality has co-opted the concept of "Truth" to become a buzzword (and why it has created so much confusion and misunderstanding).


• Understanding Truth through the Hindu teaching of sat-chit-ananda (truth-consciousness-bliss)


• The Paradox of Truth


• The psychoenergetic mechanisms of how truth becomes a belief, becomes an opinion 


• Understanding first-order and second-order reality 


• What are beliefs and why they are meaningful, but not valid? 


• What are opinions and what makes them right/wrong. 


• The importance of falsifiability in reality-testing (understanding the unfalsifiability bias) 


• Self-inquiry questions for reality-testing to practice 

References:

1. Sat-chit-ananda


2. First-order and second-order reality discourse by Hareesh

Theme song credits: Laff- Said Mrad & Dany El Helou

This episode is the first of many on political awakening. Political awakening is the part of our spiritual awakening journey where we critically examine the sociopolitical, cultural, and economical zeitgeist of our time. This sets the stage for deeper inquiry into who we are, as we begin to define ourselves outside the social and political systems that infiltrate every aspect of our culture & consciousness.

Show notes & Breakdown:

5:09- My political awakening journey. How privilege makes us ignorant and politically disengaged (especially the Millennial generation)

10:40- My thoughts on BLM as a catalyst for the culture war. How social media was weaponized as a political tool for violence.

15:54- The hate machine (a term coined by the Black queer community) & its threat to democracy

18:10- Feeling helpless, confused, lost, fearful, angry, despair? You’re not alone! I talk about alchemizing uncomfortable feeling states into sustainable, meaningful activism v.s. performative activism (and some crucial skills we need). Also: how to avoid activism burnout.

28:00- What is inner sacred activism from a nondual perspective?

35:00- What NOT to do (watch out for these ego traps!)

38:38- How to begin working with ‘Who Is In?’ I talk about surrender, courage, and vulnerability. Also: collective shadow work + why we are afraid of feeling pain/suffering.

50:22- How to feel “enough”; aligning with ‘isness’ instead of bypassing. Also: reclaiming your power from the hate machine

59:00- Beautiful transmission of Chögyam  Trungpa’s teaching on surrender. Making disappointment our way of life. Also: nondual manifestation.

1:04- Practical tips to navigate politically uncertain times.

1:09- Managing the voices of shame, embarrassment, and guilt; meet your Inner Oppressor.

1:15- Closing remarks

Recommended readings:

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism -  Chögyam Trungpa

Nonviolent Communication- Marshall Rosenberg

Do Better- Rachel Ricketts

Sharing BIPOC activists who have inspired my work, please follow them on Instagram & support their work. I am following THEIR lead & by no means an expert on activism.

@wokescientist @freckledwhileblack @greengirlleah @amberabundance @crutches_and_space @ihartericka @Rachel.cargle @adriennemareebrown @xiyebeara @hailethomas @mariebeech @laylafsaad @aimrachelricketts @decolonizingtherapy @dr.rosalesmeza @boundlesswarrior @muchachafanzine @shantiwtihin @decolonizemyself @decolonizethisplace @intersectionalenvironmentalist

Theme song credits: Laff- Said Mrad & Dany El Helou