Episode 72 - James Arthur Ray & Gurus
Life Coach. Spiritual Advisor. Financial Planner. These are very different professions, but unscrupulous Gurus pretend to be all three. So...how do we become Gurus?
As we discussed last week, James Arthur Ray was found guilty of killing three people in his self-help, life-coaching, spiritual awakening steam-lodge event. He’s a monster. He’s a jerk. And he’s trying to sell you books and tickets to his life coaching events. His new tour is all about...get this...redemption. After the murders.
Last week we wanted to prove that Guru-ism works on us all. We talked about how reasonable, educated people frequently find themselves paying exorbitant prices for life coaching and extreme experiences, like James Ray’s lethal steaming. So this week, we’re coming at this story from the opposite direction. Todd and Joe will look at James Ray’s upbringing, and ask a few important questions like - What does a Guru actually do? Could I charge followers ten thousand dollars apiece for my life advice? How much of Tony Robbins’s success is actual know-how, and how much of it is sports cars and fancy clothes? Is his job just ra-ra speeches and modeling what success looks like? Or does he have an actual degree? Or, as Todd asked last week - Is being a guru just ‘Performative Success’?
Science Links:
https://coachingfederation.org/credentials-and-standards/acc-paths
https://www.verywellmind.com/best-life-coach-certification-programs-5070205
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/coaching/life-coach-vs-therapist/
https://www.lifecoachcertification.com/free-learning-center/essential-skills-for-life-coaches
History Links:
https://www.cnn.com/2016/12/01/us/sweat-lodge-james-arthur-ray-victims/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20biggest%20error%20I%20made,to%20well%20over%20100%20degrees.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/03/14/ray.sweat.lodge.witnesses/index.html