Free Your Inner Guru

Laura Tucker
  • 5.0 (36)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
Free Your Inner Guru

Welcome to Free Your Inner Guru, the podcast for discerning seekers, with all the community and none of the cult. Hosted by Sedona "sweat lodge" survivor Laura Tucker, Free Your Inner Guru® is known for big conversations about the state of the self help industry, cult dynamics and indoctrination, self growth, creativity and spirituality. Laura and guests share stories and insights from their journey so we can all learn how to connect to our inner wisdom in a healthy and socially conscious way.

  1. 2022-03-28

    Psychedelics, Politics and Predators with Kathleen Oh

    Prior to 2020, Kathleen Oh believed anti-vaccination was the best way she could protect her children. In this compelling conversation, Kathleen shares how a courageous and empathetic friend led her to understand the deep-seated racism and white privilege underlying her beliefs. Kathleen shares how stepping away from her former community put her on a path of healing and awareness of cult dynamics in her midst. In this first episode of 2022, Kathleen Oh and Laura take a deep dive into psychedelics, altered states, politics and predators in the world of personal transformation. And why it's necessary for all coaches to critically evaluate the training and bigwigs in their coaching lineage. Kathleen Oh is an integration coach helping people on their self-exploration journeys. She educates and guides curious explorers through microdosing psychedelics & breathwork, and most importantly, heal and expand into all that’s possible. She is sought after for her authentic, soft-but-confident approach. Personally, Kathleen has overcome childhood trauma, depression and addiction. Offline, Kathleen lives in Niagara, Ontario, loves to hike with her dogs. She feels most connected when in nature. Her favourite moments are in the darkness and the deep cold of a Canadian winter. Mentioned in this episode: Dr Janja Lalich - janjalalich.com Take Back Your Life Recovery Workshops Past episodes: Dr Janja Lalich, Nathanael Garrett Novosel, AdaPia D'Errico Connect with Kathleen online: Website - coachkathleenoh.comInstagram - @therealcoachoh Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruRate and review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or CastboxShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletterInstagram – @freeyourinnnerguru and @thatlauratucker

    1h 56m
  2. Sean Tucker: The Meaning in the Making

    2021-12-17

    Sean Tucker: The Meaning in the Making

    Sean Tucker is a photographer, filmmaker and writer who inspires fellow creatives through his popular YouTube channel and new book “The Meaning in the Making,” in which he shares his philosophy for the creative life. Before Sean became a photographer, he studied theology and worked as a Baptist priest in South Africa. You’re going to hear about his journey into and out of the priesthood, then into photography, why he started his Youtube channel, and wrote his recent book The Meaning in the Making where he demystifies the creative process. You're going to love this rich conversation. It touches on all the topic categories of this podcast: creativity, spirituality, finding and using your voice, and stepping away from structured, institutionalized religion. As we close out 2021, Sean gives us a real sense of what it's like to bring all parts of ourselves to our work, as evidenced in his philosophical approach to photography. He wants us to put our voice out into the world, imbue it with more meaning to tell a better story and give a deeper truth. This is an intense and hopeful conversation, one that I hope takes you into the next year with a renewed creative focus of your own. I give you The Meaning in the Making, a conversation with Sean Tucker. Mentioned in this episode: Sean Tucker, The Meaning in the Making: The why and how behind our human need to create Connect with Sean online: Website - seantucker.photographyInstagram - @seantuckYoutube Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruRate and review on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or CastboxShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletterInstagram – @freeyourinnnerguru and @thatlauratucker

    1h 11m
  3. A Little Bit Culty with Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames

    2021-11-29

    A Little Bit Culty with Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames

    Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames are subjects of HBO's documentary series The Vow, a story of indoctrination and exposing the NXIVM cult, and hosts of the podcast A Little Bit Culty. I am delighted to have Sarah and Nippy join me for a "part 2" conversation that begins on A Little Bit Culty today! One of my goals is that both of our extreme experiences be relatable to new age and self help consumers.  Take away the branding and sex trafficking of NXIVM, and the head shaving and fatal sweat lodge of my experience, and what remains is a seemingly regular self help organization. Maybe it is. Maybe it's a cult. Maybe it's both. One thing is certain: Our hindsight can become your foresight. Listen as we explore sales and recruitment tactics, coercion, the mind-fuck of "at-causedness," and "the NXIVM flip," which you'll find everywhere in new age and self help circles, masquerading as personal responsibility and looking to yourself as the creator of everything in your life, including narcissistic and cult abuse. Sarah Edmondson is a Canadian actress who has stared in the CBS series Salvation and more than twelve films for the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime. In 2019, Sarah published Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life. Nippy Ames has come full circle back to what he was born to do: performing, creating, and truth telling. He's proving to be an emerging voice in the conversation around what it means to be an upstanding man, husband, and father in 2021. Sarah and Nippy discuss their healing process with the help of experts and fellow survivors on their podcast A Little Bit Culty. Mentioned in this episode: 2 ways to win Sarah's memoir: Write a review of Free Your Inner Guru - quick links here: freeyourinnerguru.com/reviewBecome a Patreon supporter at patreon.com/freeyourinnerguru Draw to be held on Instagram Live - December 30 at noon ET Books: Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life, Sarah EdmondsonTake Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships, Janja LalichDon't Call It a Cult, Sarah Berman Connect with Sarah and Nippy online: Podcast & website: A Little Bit CultyInstagram - @alittlebitculty @sarahedmondson @anthonyames11 Connect with Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruJoin the Leadership Community – freeyourinnerguru.com/communityShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop

    1 hr

  4. 2021-11-12

    Shulamit ber Levtov: Understanding Cycles of Abuse at Home, Work, and That Group You're In

    We welcome back Shulamit ber Levtov, the Entrepreneur's Therapist for a deep dive into individual, organizational, and systemic abuse. Shulamit is a resilience and mindset consultant who uses her background as a trauma therapist to help women identifying entrepreneurs manage their mindset and pilot their emotions so they can overcome the anxiety and isolation of running a business. You may remember Shulamit from our conversation in Episode 88: Cult Dynamics and Abusive, Intimate Relationships. When we finished, it felt like there was a lot more to cover. So here we are. My hope for this episode is that it gives you context for your own experience, for the experience of someone you care for, and for the abusive culture and systems we are immersed in, whether we are conscious of it or not. Before we go any further, I don't think I've ever given a trigger warning before, and I don't like them for a couple of reasons. First of all, they can be triggering in and of themselves and put us into a heightened state where we expect to be triggered. And so then we're triggered. It's that good, old self fulfilling prophecy. Secondly, I'm not your parent here to protect you from challenging topics. Otherwise nobody learns and this podcast wouldn't exist. However, this is an episode that might best be consumed in a quiet place with a warm tea or coffee and a journal nearby, or on a quiet walk, so that you can absorb and reflect at your own rate and pace. I'm told that this is how many of you listen to this podcast. I'm not saying this to turn you off. I just want you to know, because I became emotional midway through and we had to take a little break before guiding the conversation into reflecting on what it's like to wake up to abusive relationships in our life. And how to use self compassion to self-regulate so we can engage our creative problem solving and ask for help. I think this is a serious but hopeful conversation. And I want to be thoughtful about what your experience may be when you consume it. So I guess I am invoking my protective super power after all. Like always, if you receive value from this episode, please leave a review and sharing it with others. Follow @freeyourinnerguru and @the_entrepreneurs_therapist on Instagram and consider supporting the podcast on Patreon, where you'll have access to the ongoing conversation in our Discourse community for as little as $5 a month. Mentioned in this episode: Episode 88: Cult Dynamics and Abusive Intimate Relationships with Shulamit ber Levtov Duluth Wheel of Power and Control Duluth Wheel of Culture Article: Nine Perfect Strangers Made Me a Punchline and Now I'm Punching Back Judith Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror Connect with Shulamit: websiteInstagram Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruCheck out the Leadership Community – freeyourinnerguru.com/communityShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletterInstagram – @freeyourinnnerguru

    1h 3m
  5. Culty Concerns About Coaching with Jenny and Mark

    2021-10-28

    Culty Concerns About Coaching with Jenny and Mark

    Personal experience surviving spiritual and therapeutic abuse led Jenny Cornbleet and Mark Futterman to study cult dynamics and undue influence with a variety of experts in the field. In the process, they recognized that cult dynamics run rampant in our society and are particularly prevalent in the self-help and coaching industries. Jenny and Mark now bring an anti-cult approach to all their work, with a knowledge that breaking free from undue influence is key to living authentically and doing what matters most. Jenny Cornbleet and Mark Futterman are instructional designers, coaches, and consultants. They help people discover what they most want to express through life and work, live according to their values, and make their projects as impactful as possible. Conversation highlights Jenny and Mark break down their experience of large group awareness training (LGAT) tactics that are invasive and inappropriate so you can learn the tactics andStrategies to pay attention to language used and get a glimpse behind the indoctrination curtainPowering through: the potential problem with getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.When it feels more dangerous to leave than to stay.Controlling practices that have made their way into norm in the self help industryIndoctrination and the gradual erosion of your better judgment and critical thinking.Coaching as a permission based conversationTowards consumer awareness: this is what will drive the marketCult dynamics IRL: Jenny and Mark share examples of when they were convinced to act against their instincts.How cults are changing in digital times. Mentioned in this episode: Conspirituality podcastTake Back Your Life, Dr Janja Lalichigotout.orgWriting to Reckon workshop with Gerette Buglion Connect with Jenny and Mark online: Website Instagram Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruCheck out the Leadership Community – freeyourinnerguru.com/communityShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletterInstagram – @freeyourinnnerguru

    1h 16m
  6. Spot the Red Flags with Steve McCready

    2021-10-13

    Spot the Red Flags with Steve McCready

    It's a podcast swap! Steve McCready is our guest host, and I'm at the guest microphone. Steve McCready is the host of The Sensitive Rebel podcast. He is here to interview me about life before, since, and lessons learned from my involvement in the self help industry and my involvement in “that sweat lodge.” Over on the Sensitive Rebel, you will find an episode called Laura Tucker Helps Steve Free His Inner Guru. Steve McCready is a coach with a background as a psychotherapist. Steve and I share many interests including psychology, photography, and creativity. After a couple of Zooms geeking out on art and gear, we had a “what if” conversation about interviewing each other. To shake things up, we decided to be guests on our own shows! The timing is serendipitous. The 12th anniversary of the Sedona sweat lodge was October 8th. A dozen years later, I’m still peeling back layers of this experience and sharing them, but mostly on other podcasts! Steve’s background as a therapist enables him to hone in on challenging topics with empathy. He speaks with authority to their impact on psychology and mental health, making him the perfect host for this conversation. No joke, by the time we finished, I was tempted to title this episode “Would Someone Please Just Give Me a Red Flag?!?” Conversation highlights: Why I’m rebelling against the status quo in the self help industry.Cult dynamics and toxic leaders in our current social environment.The twists and turns of my journey that led me to “that sweat lodge.”Creativity and photography - learning the rules in order to break them.Societal pressure on women at certain ages from the patriarchal status quo.The real secret of the North American self help movement. It's steeped in privilege.The rapacious nature of “sell them what they want, give them what you think they need.”The clarity that’s come this past year, learning about indoctrination and cult dynamics.Recognizing when we are getting swept away by our feelings, so we can actually see the red flags waving in our faces. Mentioned in this episode: Thank you, Steve for being a kind and empathetic host. My interview of Steve for episode 23 of The Sensitive Rebel is here Connect with Steve McCready Website - sensitiverebel.comWebsite - stevemccready.comInstagram - @thesensitiverebel Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon Supporter – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruCheck out the Leadership Community - freeyourinnerguru.com/communityShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletterInstagram - @freeyourinnnerguru

  7. #igotout: Every Cult Survivor's Story Makes a Difference

    2021-09-30

    #igotout: Every Cult Survivor's Story Makes a Difference

    #igotout is a hashtag, website and movement to make abuses of power unacceptable in all kinds of groups, not just cults. Gerette Buglion and Lisa are two of the founders of #igotout. They believe now is the time for survivors of cult dynamics to share their stories with unflinching honesty. Every story matters, and the ripple effect of speaking up can make a difference. Survivors of cultic abuse can raise awareness of undue influence and coercive control. The goal is to change the cultural acceptance of abuse of power in all kinds of groups, not just cults. Gerette and Lisa join me to share the story of how #igotout was formed, characteristics of cult dynamics in today's society, and how survivors can find support at igotout.org. Gerette Buglion, B.A. in Elementary and Special Ed, is the author of An Everyday Cult. She earned her ‘Masters Degree’ in Cult Awareness Education from the school of life. Gerette co-manages operations and communications of igotout.org, is a spokeswoman and activist for the movement and hosts Writing to Reckon, an online workshop where survivors of cultic abuse write their I got out statement. Lisa owns, designs, and manages the igotout.org website intended to support the #igotout movement, as well as makes most of the material and posts for the social media accounts. She is the main point of contact for #igotout communications through email and messaging on the #igotout social platforms. Connect with igotout.org online: WebsiteInstagram - @igotout_orgFacebook Mentioned in this episode: Article: Elsevier - Aggression and Violent Behavior: Sexual abuse and charismatic cults Books: Gerette Buglion - An Everyday CultSteve Hassan - The Cult of Trump Podcasts: Jen Kiaba - Lessons on LeavingKaila Tova - Your Body, Your Brand Support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon – patreon.com/freeyourinnerguruShop the merchandise – freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletter

    1h 13m

  8. 2021-09-10

    Punching Back at Nine Perfect Strangers

    Host Laura Tucker is a survivor of the fatal 2009 sweat lodge at a self help retreat in Sedona in 2009. Laura shares her response to the line five minutes in to the first episode of Nine Perfect Strangers: "Remember those people who died in that sweat lodge? They thought they were being enlightened, but in reality they were being cooked." This episode includes the article Nine Perfect Strangers Made Me a Punch Line and Now I'm Punching Back - Survivor of That Sweat Lodge Stands Up For Survivors of All Bad Gurus and the conversation that has come to life as a result. Mentioned in this episode: Article: Nine Perfect Strangers Made Me a Punch Line and Now I'm Punching Back Episode 87 - Dr Janja Lalich: When Self Help Turns Cult Ways to support Free Your Inner Guru: Become a Patreon - patreon.com/freeyourinnerguru Shop the merchandise - freeyourinnerguru.com/shop Shop Laura's fine art photography gallery - lauratuckerphotography.com Stay in touch: Subscribe to the Free Your Inner Guru newsletter

    43 min
See All (98)

5
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Welcome to Free Your Inner Guru, the podcast for discerning seekers, with all the community and none of the cult. Hosted by Sedona "sweat lodge" survivor Laura Tucker, Free Your Inner Guru® is known for big conversations about the state of the self help industry, cult dynamics and indoctrination, self growth, creativity and spirituality. Laura and guests share stories and insights from their journey so we can all learn how to connect to our inner wisdom in a healthy and socially conscious way.

Information

  • Creator
    Laura Tucker
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2022
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Laura Tucker, Free Your Inner Guru®
  • Show Website
    Free Your Inner Guru

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