The Dr. Robyn McKay Show

Episode 13 — The One Where We Close the Book

After 13 episodes and 11 powerful stories, we’ve arrived at the final chapter of Season One.

This series has been called groundbreaking.
It’s also been called the most important conversation on the internet right now.

In this episode, Robyn and Alyse reflect on what’s been revealed, remembered, and reclaimed—and what happens when we stop centering the so-called leader and start listening to the women who walked away.

We explore the patterns that emerged across every story—trauma bonding, isolation tactics, emotional whiplash, psychic manipulation, and manufactured loyalty—as well as the psychological architecture behind it all. Robyn brings forward insights from personality psychology and spiritual intelligence, and Alyse maps the energetics of trauma-based mind control and recovery.

We also name what Bewitched is—and what it is not.

This was never a cult exposé.
It was never about revenge.
It’s about clarity. Integrity. Discernment.
And the women who chose to tell the truth.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why we didn’t reveal Betty’s identity—and why that matters

• The patterns of manipulation seen across all 11 stories

• The contrast between the Dark Tetrad and the Light Triad

• How personality traits like openness, agreeableness, and unhealed trauma made us vulnerable to harm

• Why the decision to tell these stories now is a reclaiming of voice, power, and consciousness

• What happens next—for us, and for the field of spiritual leadership

Robyn also shares the moment she knew it was time to speak.
And she closes the season with the words her dear friend Barb gives her every time she leaves the farm in Kansas:

“Now, voyager—sail thou forth to seek and find.”

~Walt Witman

What's next?

🔮 Join Us Live

We’re hosting one final Instagram Live to Wrap Up Season :
🗓️ Monday, May 12 at 10 a.m. PT
📍 @robynmckayphd + @alyse_breathes
We’ll reflect, answer your questions, and share what’s next.

✨ Healing the Healers: 11 Things Every Spiritually Intelligent Leader Needs to Know About Helping Clients After Spiritual Harm

📖 Reserve Your CopyRobyn’s new ebook is now available to reserve. This is your next step if you’ve been listening and thinking: Now what?
Reserve your copy here

Episode 11 of Bewitched: Breaking the Spell After Spiritual Mentoring Goes Wrong

Baljit Rayat was there in the beginning.
The first student.
The one who trusted deeply, taught faithfully, and stayed loyal — even after her intuition told her something wasn’t right.

In this episode, Baljit shares her story of spiritual mentorship turned sideways: the gaslighting, the psychic tracking, the grief, and the moment in Santa Fe when the portal was opened… and something else walked in.

Baljit’s episode arrives on Beltane — a sacred day of fire and fertility, crowned also by May Day, when Catholics honor Mary, the Divine Mother. It also marks the 11th story in the series — a number known in numerology as a gateway, a spiritual master number, a turning point.

What she reveals in this conversation is layered and lucid — including:

• The early years of deep trust and transformation

• Her experience with fawning and subtle coercion

• How she now sees signs of spiritual psychosis

• The energetic aftermath: psychic tracking, sexual energy blocks, and more

• And the unexpected role she may have played as a “handler” inside the system

I trusted her.

I carried her work.

I stayed loyal.

And then I saw what it had become.

This is the final story before the season finale.

The spell is nearly broken.

Links & Mentions:
– Baljit Rayat’s music and work: https://www.baljitrayat.com/
– Connect with Robyn on Instagram: @robynmckayphd
– Connect with Alyse Bacine: @alyse_breathes
– Reserve your copy of Healing the Healers ebook (right here)
– Join the conversation: DM Robyn or Alyse, or share your story at [email protected]

Some women are with you until the very last page of the story. Brenda is one of them.

In this week’s episode, Alyse and I sit down with Brenda, who knew “Betty” since 2016 and stayed close through two major retreats—including the last one in Croatia.

Her reflections are grounded, insightful, and offer a rare perspective on what it means to stay, witness, and ultimately walk away with clarity.

This isn’t a dramatic tell-all.

It’s a steady, clear conversation about what happens when truth begins to override loyalty.

In this episode:

• Why staying ‘too long’ is often part of the process

• The subtle distortion of gaslighting over time

• How Brenda found her way out—not in a blaze, but with quiet strength

• What it really looks like to reclaim clarity after spiritual confusion

• Why women like Brenda matter to the narrative

✨ Also inside:

• The difference between devotion and entanglement

• The moment the spell breaks—and what comes next

• A few solid nods to our Friends fandom (could we be any more obvious?)

📖 Supporting clients through spiritual harm recovery?
Reserve your copy of Healing the Healers—our guide for therapists, coaches, and multidimensional practitioners. It’s practical, resonant, and ready when you are.

🎸 Missed the Phoebe moment?
Yes, I finally released the guitar video. Phoebe Buffay hair, guitar, a little sass, and a lot of heart. Watch here.

⚡️PS: There’s only one more episode before the season finale.
So if you’ve been riding the Thursday wave with us—don’t miss this one.

Same time, same spell-breaking vibe.

We’ll see you next week.

Episode Title: The One Where She Said What Needed to Be Said
Podcast Series: Bewitched: Breaking the Spell After Spiritual Mentoring Goes Wrong
Guest: Elizabeth Purvis

Episode Description:
Before there was Betty, there was Elizabeth Purvis—a brilliant teacher, skilled magician, and established transformational leader whose work was already flourishing long before Betty entered the scene.

In The One Where She Said What Needed to Be Said, Elizabeth joins Robyn and Alyse to share the story she’s never told publicly. Not because she was hiding it—but because the moment had to be right. And now, it is.

This episode pulls back the curtain on what happens when leadership turns to manipulation, when discernment gets clouded by charisma, and when a trusted mentor crosses the line from inspiration into appropriation. Elizabeth speaks with clarity, grace, and grounded power as she recounts the years-long arc of her relationship with Betty—culminating in the ultimate irony: being accused of copying the very material Betty quietly took from her.

This is not just a story about what went wrong. It’s a conversation about reclaiming your space. About choosing truth over comfort. About leading with both power and integrity—even when it costs you something.

As always, we've changed the name of the mentor ("Betty") and the retreat locations. But the story? True, blue, and unfiltered.

Mentioned in this episode:

• What to watch for when a mentor starts crossing the line

• How Elizabeth’s magical lineage shaped her discernment and devotion to ethical practice

• Why spiritually intelligent, high-achieving women are often targeted—and how to see it sooner

• The difference between divine neutrality and emotional disconnection

• What it looks like to reclaim your leadership after being accused of copying work she originated—and choosing to walk away with integrity

Take the next step:✨ Reserve your copy of Healing the Healers, our guide for therapists, coaches, and multidimensional practitioners supporting clients after spiritual harm.

🗓 Join us for the live Instagram debrief: Monday at 10 a.m. PT with Robyn, Alyse, and Elizabeth

Where to find Elizabeth Purvis:

• Website: 7figuregoddess.com

• Book (great intro to her work): 7figuregoddessbook.com

• Facebook (where she hangs out most): @elizpurvis

Subscribe + Share:If this episode stirred something in you, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague. We’re building a movement of clarity, integrity, and high-frequency leadership.

Same time, same spell-breaking vibe next Thursday.

Lacing Up and Walking Out: Audrey Hilliker on the Psychology of Breaking the Spell

Therapist and trauma specialist Audrey Hilliker joins Robyn and Alyse to share the story of how she broke free from a high-control spiritual mentorship—one that promised ascension and certification, but delivered financial exploitation, public shaming, and psychological manipulation.

Audrey’s voice was pivotal in breaking the spell. In this episode, she shares how her clinical mind and intuitive body worked together to name what was really going on—and how she found her way back to herself.

🎧 Topics include:
• Red flags and cognitive dissonance
• Psychological abuse in “spiritual” mentorship
• What it feels like to be gaslit by a charismatic leader
• The moment she realized: I think I’m in a cult
• What therapists need to know to support clients through spiritual harm

This episode changes everything you thought you knew about Betty. Once you listen, you’ll never see her the same way again.

✨ Reserve your free copy of Healing the Healers - it's coming in April. A guide for therapists and spiritual guides supporting clients after spiritual harm:

https://robyn-mckay.myflodesk.com/healingthehealers

📲 Join the live debrief
Mondays at 10 a.m. MST on Instagram:
@robynmckayphd + @alyse_breathes

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Bewitched: Louisa Havers — The Oracle Was You All Along"

In this powerful episode of Bewitched, Robyn is joined by trusted colleague and spiritual guide Louisa Havers, one of the first people she reached out to after returning from her own 24-day misadventure with the spiritual teacher we call "Betty."

Louisa shares her deeply personal journey—from reverence to realization—and how her initial awe of a seemingly gifted mentor slowly unraveled into a web of spiritual manipulation, gaslighting, and trauma bonding. With wisdom, discernment, and grace, Louisa names the patterns and reclaims her power.

Together, we explore:

• Why intuitive “authority” can become dangerously distorted

• What trauma bonding can look like in spiritual mentorship

• The consequences of confusing charisma with credibility

• How Louisa made sense of what happened—and found her way back to herself

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode includes references to spiritual abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation. Please listen with care.

💡 Looking for the clinical lens on all this? Robyn and Dr. Barbara Kerr recorded a special crossover episode on Two Shrinks on the Farm where they dive deep into the psychological profile of spiritual manipulators. It’s a potent companion to this episode. Listen here → (link to be inserted)

📘 Robyn’s new ebook, Healing the Healers: 11 Things Every Spiritually Intelligent Leader Needs to Know About Guiding Clients After Spiritual Harm, is coming soon. Reserve your copy here → (link to be inserted)

Find us on IG: @robynmckayphd @ alyse_breathes @louisahavers

📲 If this conversation resonates, please share it and leave a review—it helps us keep spreading the message and breaking the spell, one story at a time.

🌀 Be sure to join us for our weekly debrief session — Monday at 10 a.m. PT on IG Live (@robynmckayphd). Follow along, bring your questions, and share the episode with someone who needs to hear it.

What happens when the shiny promise of spiritual business mentorship loses its sparkle?

In this episode of Bewitched, we sit down with Nicole Cherie Hesse—founder of Real Unicorns Don’t Wear Pants—to talk about what happens when a mentorship experience veers into something… less than magical. Nicole shares her personal story of disillusionment inside a spiritual business container and the process of reclaiming her direction on the other side.

We explore the difference between mentoring and manipulation, the red flags that are easy to ignore when you're under someone's spell, and how smart, intuitive women can find their way back to clarity and confidence.

This conversation is a reminder: just because something is spiritual doesn’t mean it’s sacred. And just because you were once under the spell doesn’t mean you can’t break it.

Follow Nicole on Instagram: @moneymakingunicorns
Follow Alyse on Instagram: @alyse_breathes
Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynmckayphd

✨ Reserve your copy of Dr. Robyn McKay’s brand new ebook Healing the Healers — a guide for spiritually intelligent leaders who are here to restore, protect, and liberate human consciousness: https://robyn-mckay.myflodesk.com/healingthehealers

Bewitched: Breaking the Spell – After Spiritual Mentoring Goes Wrong

Episode Summary

Welcome back to Bewitched, the podcast series where we illuminate spellbinding stories of spiritual awakenings, intuitive leaps, and when spiritual mentoring goes terribly wrong. I'm your co-host, Dr. Robyn McKay, joined by trauma and breathwork expert Elise Bein. In today’s compelling conversation, we sit down with Andrea Donnelly, who bravely shares her experience of a spiritual mentorship that turned toxic.

When Andrea first encountered her mentor—whom we’re calling Betty—she was drawn to her big-picture perspective and seemingly deep spiritual wisdom. But what started as an inspiring alliance soon spiraled into a manipulative power dynamic. From coercive retreats and erratic behavior to gaslighting, financial strain, and outright psychic interference, Andrea recounts the red flags she overlooked and how she ultimately freed herself from the entanglement.

We explore the shadow side of spiritual authority and how so-called enlightened leaders can weaponize their influence. If you’ve ever felt disoriented or even spiritually hijacked in a mentorship relationship, this episode is for you. Together, we shine a clear and compassionate light on manipulation in spiritual spaces, empowering you to reclaim your discernment and confidently chart your own path.

Key Takeaways:

• The Initial Draw: Andrea shares why she was captivated by Betty’s presence, messaging, and claims of spiritual intelligence.

• When the Good Outweighed the Bad – Until It Didn’t: The subtle ways manipulation and control crept into their dynamic.

• Gaslighting and Destabilization: How Betty leveraged power and isolation tactics to maintain control over Andrea and other clients.

• Financial and Emotional Toll: The high cost—both literal and figurative—of staying in a spiritually abusive mentorship.

• Breaking Free: Andrea’s powerful decision to step away, reclaim her energy, and rebuild in the aftermath.

• Energetic Interference & Siphoning: The role of psychic manipulation and energy extraction in toxic spiritual relationships.

• Healing After Spiritual Betrayal: Andrea’s journey of self-reclamation, the support she sought, and advice for others navigating similar situations.

Resources for Listeners:

• Join Robyn and Alyse every Monday at 10:00 AM Pacific for a weekly debrief on Instagram Live (@robynmckayphd and @alyse_breathes), where we dive deeper into each episode and answer your questions.

• If this episode resonates with you, please share Bewitched with your friends, colleagues, and fellow spiritually intelligent leaders. Your thoughtful reviews help us spread this vital message.

Final Thoughts:

Andrea’s story is a potent reminder that even in spiritual circles, manipulation and control can take hold. But by sharing these experiences, we illuminate the path forward for ourselves and others. You are not alone, and you have the power to reclaim your radiant discernment.

Now, it’s time once again to break the spell—let’s dive in.

If Part 1 left you with more questions than answers… buckle up, buttercup!

Today, I’m sharing the rest of my journey—what happened when my spiritual mentoring experience took a turn, and how I found my way back to clarity, confidence, and trust in myself.

If you’ve ever second-guessed your intuition, felt pulled into someone else’s agenda, or struggled to discern the difference between influence and truth—this episode is for you.

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of the final retreat I attended with Betty—what was supposed to be a 10-day experience that turned into a 24-day unraveling.

From the unsettling dynamics of the retreat to the high control, paranoia, and mind games that followed, I share what it took to finally wake up, reclaim my power, and break the spell for good.

This isn’t just about one mentor or one retreat.

It’s about recognizing when a situation no longer serves you, sharpening your discernment, and reclaiming your own wisdom. Because while guidance can be valuable, your intuition always gets the final say.

Key Topics:
✨ The retreat experience that made me second-guess what I knew to be true.
✨ The fine line between deep spiritual work and losing connection with your own power.
✨ Influence vs. intuition—understanding the difference and why it matters.
✨ How I navigated the aftermath—and what healing has looked like since.

Reflection Questions:
💭 Where have you overridden your own gut instincts for the sake of belonging?
💭 When have you felt the pressure to doubt your own wisdom?
💭 How can you strengthen your discernment so that it never happens again?

Join the Conversation!
So many of you have reached out saying “I’ve been there, too.” Maybe not in the exact same way, but in situations where you felt the pull between your own wisdom and someone else’s influence.

📲 Join Alyse and me LIVE on Instagram.
📅 Monday, March 17 at 1 PM ET
We’ll be debriefing this episode, answering your questions, and diving even deeper.
✨ @robynmckayphd
✨ @alyse_breathes

👉 If this episode resonates, share it with a friend, leave a review, and help us bring more light to this conversation.

Welcome back to Bewitched: Breaking the Spell After Spiritual Mentoring Goes Wrong.

In this episode, we sit down with Alicia Isaacs Howes, who bravely shares her journey of realizing the extent of a spiritual mentor’s influence over her life and reclaiming her own wisdom.

Alicia’s story spans more than a decade, from her initial admiration and deep investment in Betty’s teachings to the unsettling experiences that ultimately led her to break free.

Through this conversation, we explore:

✨ How Alicia first encountered Betty and became deeply involved in her mentorship
✨ The warning signs that were easy to dismiss at the time but became glaring in hindsight
✨ The psychological and emotional manipulation that kept her—and so many others—entangled
✨ The moment she realized she had been groomed and how that awareness shifted everything
✨ How ‘divide and conquer’ tactics were used to separate trusted leaders from their communities
✨ The breaking point in Croatia and the terrifying retreat that unraveled into paranoia, control, and energy siphoning
✨ What it took to finally walk away—and how Alicia makes sense of it all today

Alicia’s story is one of heartbreak and resilience, a testament to the power of trusting your own wisdom. We also reflect on the bigger picture—what these experiences reveal about spiritual leadership, authority, and the importance of discernment in the coaching and healing industries.

If this episode resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Join us for our weekly Instagram Live sessions after each episode, where we’ll continue the conversation, answer your questions, and hold space for your reflections.

📲 Connect with us on Instagram:
Robyn McKay → @robynmckayphd
Alyse Bacine → @alyse_breathes

🔗 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. The only way to truly break the spell is to bring the truth into the light.

✨ Thank you for being here. Let’s keep rewriting the story together. ✨

Join the Conversation