44 episodes

From Little Everywhere and Pushkin Industries, and hosted by Jane Marie, comes the third season of The Dream. Past seasons of this award-winning investigative podcast looked at pyramid schemes and the world of wellness. This season we're getting to know the gurus and life coaches who claim they know the secret to living our best lives. Is it all in our mindset? Or our privilege? Or are we all under a spell? Find out this September.

The Dream Pushkin

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

From Little Everywhere and Pushkin Industries, and hosted by Jane Marie, comes the third season of The Dream. Past seasons of this award-winning investigative podcast looked at pyramid schemes and the world of wellness. This season we're getting to know the gurus and life coaches who claim they know the secret to living our best lives. Is it all in our mindset? Or our privilege? Or are we all under a spell? Find out this September.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    S3 E1: Becoming a #Boss

    S3 E1: Becoming a #Boss

    What's it like to hand your life over to someone who claims they’ll make it better? Jessie Lee Ward, the self-proclaimed “#1 network marketer in the world,” charges her coaching clients thousands of dollars for a trip to Colombia that's described like a work retreat. The reality is more like a brutal 15 hour hike, with late night hypothermia. Is this what it takes to be successful in life and business?
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 27 min
    S3 E2: What Ever Happened to Happy Jane?

    S3 E2: What Ever Happened to Happy Jane?

    Despite regular therapy, Jane is in a funk. She and Dann discuss what's happened to them, and what she hopes (and fears) life coaching might do for her — or teach her to do for herself. Jane embarks on a hunt for a professional life coach of her own.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 31 min
    S3 E3: The MLM-to-coaching pipeline

    S3 E3: The MLM-to-coaching pipeline

    Jennifer Rajala got sucked into the MLM-to-coaching pipeline. A social worker from northern Michigan, Jennifer rose quickly through the Arbonne ranks. She earned the right to lease an Arbonne branded Mercedes. But she still wasn’t making any real money. Then Jenn discovered Rankmakers, the life coaching program that promised to truly maximize her potential.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 42 min
    S3 E4: Think and Grow Duped

    S3 E4: Think and Grow Duped

    Napoleon Hill, ever heard of him? He wrote "Think and Grow Rich," one of the favorite self-help handbooks of all time. His fans include Tony Robbins and life coaches of all stripes. But Napoleon Hill was not a genius of self-help. He was a scam artist who never practiced what he preached. Journalist Matt Novak tells Jane what he’s found (and what he hasn’t) about one of the biggest architects of modern coaching.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 32 min
    S3 E5: I Never Said Hate

    S3 E5: I Never Said Hate

    Now a life coach herself, Jennifer Rajala is lauded at Rankmakers; she’s a hustler who can inspire others to buy coaching packages better than just about anyone else. That is, until she realizes she’s selling empty promises.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 34 min
    S3 E6: The MVP of NLP

    S3 E6: The MVP of NLP

    Neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, is the communication technique used by coaches and cult leaders alike. John James Santangelo—a fan of Napoleon Hill— is an NLP expert who gives Jane a crash course. Jane is mesmerized, and according to Santangelo, might've even been hypnotized.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 28 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
1.5K Ratings

1.5K Ratings

simplymichellerenee ,

Clever and candid

I am loving Jane’s candor and humor along with extensive research and great guests. I am enthralled! Especially after my grandmother sold Avon forever (I never thought of them as an MLM, and I loved the mini-lipsticks!), and my ex-father-in-law is pulled into MLMs constantly. So sad and these organizations infuriate me. Thank you for bringing light to this f-ing horrible excuse for “business opportunities” that take advantage of people just trying to do better.

Jenn187 ,

Jane is excellent as host.

I was pulled in immediately. Jane is engaging and presents the topic in an extremely informative and engaging way. I am fascinated and hooked. So well researched and the production value is top notch. There are so many podcasts available to listeners, but this one stands out and is worth investing your time into. So educational and relevant. Love it!

Gracielyn05 ,

Hooked

I do appreciate this podcast! It came at the right time! I have been questioning the whole coaching thing, MLM businesses that I’m constantly bombarded with on fb and instagram and then finally organized religion/cults! Would love you to dive in the latter some more. Thank you for being authentic and a skeptic.

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