Parenting Severe Autism

The Tea-Uncovering Fraud and Unjust Exclusion in a Wellness Program I Trusted

Subscriber Episode • • Shannon Chamberlin • Episode 68

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We pull back the curtain on a wellness program I once endorsed and explain why I no longer support it. If you joined this program and felt targeted, I am so sorry.

This is my personal lived experience of being discriminated against by the creator of the program. Just 4 days ago, I was unfairly banished without clear reason, and the program I paid for was taken from me, while they kept my money.


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SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome to the Parenting Severe Autism Podcast. I am your host, Shannon Chamberlain. I'm so happy that you're here with me today. This is a little bonus episode. It is not about parenting. This is the tea. There's something I need to straighten out, and I'm just gonna air it all out on here because I mean, have you ever noticed in your position, parenting severe autism, that you don't really have a lot of people to talk to about your stuff? So why don't you grab a cuppa and join me for some coffee talk with that severe autism broad? Yeah. Here we are. If you are listening to this episode right now, that means that you have paid a subscription fee for my podcast. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm very grateful for your subscription. Thank you so much. And I hope that you enjoy this episode because it's not really good news stuff, but it's not about being a mom and you know having severe autism in the household and stuff like that either. I mean, we don't always want to talk about that, do we? About five months ago or so, I did an episode where I shared or promoted a mentor that I had been working with. It was a program for health. The entire episode was kind of geared toward how we need to take care of our mental health and our nervous system and things like that. And I had found a program that I was using. So I'm not gonna name the names in this episode because I'm gonna dish instead, and I don't want to seem like I'm purposely bashing anything. So at the time when I did the episode, I was super impressed with everything, and the person and the program had showed up in a way that really seemed aligned with what I needed, and what I needed at that time, I was so desperate for that I was ignoring some red flags. And since that time, I have had direct experiences, conversations, and observations that have shifted my view entirely. So while I was blind to some major red flags at the time, manipulation behind a paywall, degrading comments around spending and treatment that just made me feel like I was only valuable if I paid lots and lots of money. I am now very aware of the red flags. And I no longer endorse this person or their program. There is an AI that that person actually developed that I really love. I think it's really awesome. I'm sure down the road other people will create something that's very similar. But at this time, I will say that the AI is fantastic for everything you need it for. But if you have ever followed that person because of something I said, just know I see it now. I correct it now. All of this started right after I did that episode. As a matter of fact, I asked that lady if she would mind if I talked about her on my podcast, and she sounded excited and told me to let her know when the episode was out because she wanted to listen to it. So I'm gonna read you a message from her that was sent, I guess, immediately after she heard the episode. She says, Sister, it's time to play bigger. Then she said, Shannon, first of all, wow, my husband and I both sat and listened to your podcast, and we were floored. Your voice, your delivery, the depth of your storytelling. You have one of the most captivating voices I've heard in a long time. It's the kind of voice that demands to be heard, not just in a podcast, but in a powerful paid platform. There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be making two hundred thousand dollars minimum right now with what you already have. Let's be honest, you're playing small, and I say that with love. You are that powerful. And the only thing standing in the way of your next level is the belief that your circumstances limit your earning potential. I know moms with special needs children, single moms, moms with Hashimoto's, chronic conditions and more who are making serious bank. That belief that you can't, it's not truth. It's conditioning, it's survival programming. And I get that, but I also know this, you're not here to survive, you're here to lead. And yes, maybe you're triggered right now, that's okay, but I'm going to say it straight. The way you speak, the way you connect, the way you articulate what others are too afraid to even whisper, you're meant for so much more. This is why I want to personally invite you to join Matrix. You don't need another course. You need the container that calibrates you into your next level. The strategy is one thing, but your voice, your story, and your mission, that's your bankable brand. You just need to be in the right room to monetize it. Also, I'd love your permission to promote your podcast. What you shared has the potential to shift people deeply, and I want more people to hear you. Let me know. With admiration and full belief in you, signed her name. So at first I was like, oh wow, that's really nice. You know, I mean, what great things. All this praise, it's amazing. I never expected that. I never was looking for that. I just wanted to share the program and I thought that was really cool. And then it went into the the sales thing. Now she didn't put a price on there, but I looked into it, and Matrix is not free. So I kind of started to get insulted, like, I think I I think I don't like this. And I just responded to her. I'm gonna read you my response and then her response to me. I replied with that little teary-eyed emoji, and I said, Thank you so much for your feedback. It's so valuable to me. You absolutely have my permission to promote the podcast. I would love to join Matrix, so as soon as I can get done paying off something, it will be my top priority. And then she replied, You don't need to quote unquote pay something off to move forward. You need to move in alignment with the woman you already are, the one who spoke truth into that mic and gave other women permission to rise. That version of you, she's not waiting. She's not negotiating with fear. She's creating new outcomes because she finally stopped rehearsing the old ones. You've already proven that your voice moves people. Now it's about letting that power move you. Matrix isn't just a program, but it's a container where women finally stop circling their potential and start banking on it. When you're ready to step in, not quote unquote someday, but as the woman who's done playing small, the space will hold you fully. And I meant what I said, your voice is bankable, but only if you use it at the level it was given to you for, with full belief in who you already are, signed her name. And then, almost two weeks after those conversations took place, I saw her post a live stream recording that she had done. She did it on Instagram, and in my own words, she was trying to be me. She was trying to talk using some of the same words that I used in that very episode. And the subject of her live stream was Hashimoto's and special needs kids, or special needs children and hashimoto's, something like that. And I that's what I talked about in my episode, and I was instantly pissed. But I thought, well, maybe I should get my ego in check. But I honestly felt a little bit of plagiarism going on there. I'm glad that I was an inspiration to her. The interesting thing is she never once mentioned my podcast, where she said she wanted to promote my podcast. That would have been a perfect time to do that. But during that entire live stream, she did not once mention my podcast or give me any credit for the idea that she had to even do that live stream. I tried to have my spouse listen to it because I was so mad, but he said that he couldn't listen to it because we got about three minutes in and he was so turned off by the amount of cussing. He's like, she's acting like she's 15 and she just got the book of cuss words. You have to really take it far to offend one of us with cuss words. I cuss like a sailor, but it's time and place, you know, and when you're trying to get a point across about special needs parenting and Hashimoto's thyroiditis, it's not really the best time to throw the F bomb and the MF bomb and then not have any words to follow it up. It was just cuss words and then um, um, and just a lot of dead air. It was a little embarrassing. We were like embarrassed for her, but you know, hey, everybody's different. That's not anything to do with the program. It was just a little comment because I felt that it was a bit of a ripoff of my content, and she didn't do it any justice with the way she was speaking. It just made me start thinking that maybe I should run this through AI. So her AI that she developed was not yet released. It was running into some snags. So in the interim, we were all using different. I was using Chat GPT, other people were using um Claude, and other people were using PI. I prefer Chat GPT. I tried PI and I don't think I could even get Claude, but I decided to put it in to the Chat GPT. And I just copied and pasted the messages that I read to you, and then I also added a little bit of my own feelings, and I told the AI that I got fired up about that live stream she did, not because she's my competition, but because she thinks she can help me and she thinks that I deserve better, but I think that all she wants is my money, and I think I already have the mindset. I just don't know how to set myself up to earn that way. So then I told the AI, I need you to assess her first message, her second message, and her behavior, and then assess mine as well and tell me what the fuck is going on. So the AI says, first of all, Chat GPT decided to label it praise or pressure. So I thought that was very telling. Then it says, that pivot from praise to pitch is a textbook high-ticket sales funnel move. The moment someone expresses transformation, these coaches pounce, not always maliciously but opportunistically. When she said, you're not here to survive, you're here to lead, that's not coaching, it's a sales tactic. It creates a you versus your fear loop that only their program can resolve. Then it says, I received her praise with humility, I affirmed my own desire to grow, and I didn't overpromise. It says, I also showed financial clarity. That wasn't fear, that was maturity. I have other obligations, and that's not limiting beliefs, it's reality. Then it goes on to say, her second message is the pressure layer. This is where the red flags fly. It quotes her, you don't need to pay something off. And it says, this is culty boss babe bullshit. Financial trauma is real, acting like responsibility is resistance is spiritual bypassing dressed up as strategy. Then it quoted her saying she's not negotiating with fear, and it says, again, false dichotomy. Being discerning is not fear, you're already brave, AF. And it goes on to say this was not empowerment, this was manipulative pressure to override your instincts and make an emotional purchase to prove your power. Then it goes on to address her behavior on Instagram trying to be me. It says that I witnessed her trying to replicate my voice, and that is telling. She doesn't just admire me, she envies me. It says her delivery flopped because it's not hers. That fire I speak from comes from a real place, lived experience, sacred rage, embodied insight. It says she's not channeling my energy, she's mining it. It's parasitic, it's not sisterhood. It goes on to say, trust what you saw, she is not your mentor. Thank her for her support, keep it classy, but do not get emotionally entangled or financially entangled. If she promotes your podcast, great, that's her honoring your work. But do not give her your voice to borrow. That was my first experience of being displeased. All I did was try to talk about how great her program is, and I just don't like greed. Hey, I'm a capitalist, I want money too, but you know, I just thought that was bullshit. I was already in a program anyway. So a couple other things happened afterwards, and this is where I get concerned about whether any of my listeners got into the program because I was talking about how it was a thousand dollars for the one-year-long program, and it was twenty-two dollars that got me hooked in the first place. I started noticing shortly after that episode aired that this woman was starting to make very negative comments in the online classroom about people who have paid the thousand dollar fee because it's her lowest price program, or it was at the time. And she acted very insulted and like people who pay that amount are not as worthy as people who pay for higher price programs. Every time I heard her talk about it on her socials or saw her type it out on the classroom, I just cringed because I thought, shit, I wonder if any of these women signed up after listening to the episode that I praised this program on because she is not showing any respect or gratitude for any of these women that she's talking about. And I'm embarrassed because if she is talking about any of the women who are listening to my podcast, she has no idea what the fuck we go through. She has no right to degrade us like this and talk like we don't deserve more respect. You know, you still got a thousand dollars out of us. You should see our lives is how I wanted to, you know, I just what the fuck is wrong with this woman? And it was embarrassing, but she wasn't naming names, but she does like to air that laundry out in this classroom. And I thought, you know, I thought this was like a supposed to be an uplifting place where you're learning how to heal your nervous system. And, you know, you're working on yourself, you're trying to work on relationships, you're working on just all the stuff. It's basically therapy, but it's health, it's wellness, it's exercise, it's weight loss, it's hormonal balance, it's all kinds of stuff. And then it's this negative stuff about people who don't pay more than a thousand dollars and then have questions, god forbid, about the program once they're signed up and they don't understand something, then they want to make sure that they're getting what was listed on the sales page. She just seemed really annoyed with this spending bracket with the people in the group that I'm in, because she does have many. So I was embarrassed and turned off by that, and it it just kept going on. So if any of you were involved in that and you felt targeted, I am so sorry. I mean, I saw it too. I want you to know you are not alone, you are not imagining it. I saw it too, and I thought it sucked. I thought it was very low class and very ungrateful. I mean, you know, she should be thanking her lucky stars that anybody signs up. Anytime you're a creator, every time if if somebody buys me a coffee for a dollar for doing this podcast, you know how grateful I am. I call their name out, I send them a message. I mean, it just for a dollar, and I don't get that whole dollar. Okay, so moving on from that, there was an eight-week trainer, like a physical trainer coaching program that was included with my purchase of the 12-month program that I was in. I guess it was like in a telegram group, and I don't know if it was an actual person or if it was a bot or an AI. I'm not really sure. And the reason I'm not sure is because I only received about four actual communications, and I ended up realizing that I was not onboarded correctly because I didn't receive the instructions that were necessary for me to have this one-on-one. And I thought that I was doing it because, in addition to the classroom and the AI prompts and the the Telegram one-on-one group, there was another app. It's a little workout app. And you would go in there and it had, I don't know, a hundred workouts that you could have access to. And the one-on-one coach was supposed to be responding to your responses to the workouts. And when you get into that workout app, at the end or beginning of every week, it wants you to take pictures, like in a bikini, to show your body and show your progress. And you can opt in to do measurements and uh track that way, or you can just track by pictures, or you can just track by data that you type in. But I chose to just do pictures and I was doing it diligently every week, and um the workout was not right for me, and I knew it, and I was waiting to hear from somebody, but I was doing my best in the meantime. So I did hear from a trainer within the first couple of weeks, and it said, Hey, we're gonna, I think it said, we're gonna cut your calories because I was trying to increase my calories, as you you might remember that story that I told back then, but I was trying to increase my calories because I was working out really hard and I didn't think I was eating enough. And I just, with the lifestyle that we lead with taking care of kids like ours, I don't have the brain power left to try to figure out macros and micronutrients as well and calories and divide it all up. I just I don't I don't have it, and I just need someone to do it for me. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. That's the life I have, and that's why I was so excited about the stupid AI stuff. So anyway, I received a message from a trainer, the one-on-one thing, that said, hey, we're gonna cut your calories. I think they took me down to 1200 calories, and we're gonna change your workout to something um lighter and put me in more of a recovery type of program instead of a balls out exercise program, which I was grateful for because I have Hashimoto's. I'm not supposed to work out that way, and I just couldn't believe that they even said that. So I wasn't doing the entire workout because I don't, I just I know better, and I thought that was pretty irresponsible on their part to start me off with something that was so off track for me, knowing ever all my health information. I communicated back to them to double check about the calories and the workout. I had some questions, and they did not get back to me right away. So anyway, I was diligently putting in my pictures and doing the workouts every week. I would check in every week with the telegram coach. I would say, hey, I did this workout. I increased or decreased weight, I increased or decreased reps, and you know, all that stuff. I just gave a full report inside the telegram and it was my private, it was like a private telegram chat just for me and this coach. Then I would say, you know, my pictures are in the app and all that stuff, and I wouldn't hear back for like 20 days most of the time. I didn't hear back. I ended up getting a conversation going in the classroom because I kept communicating and kept receiving no responses or minimal responses. And then I would get a response in like 20 days after a message, and they would say, Oh, hey, sorry, took me so long to get back to you. You're doing a great job, and that's it. And I wasn't, I didn't feel that this was one-on-one coaching, you know. So I went to message at one point and I got a message back pretty quickly all of a sudden, and it said, Hey, this container is closed. Eight weeks is over, sorry. And so I went in and tried to talk to the creator on the platform. She has indicated in the past that if you have questions, she wants it in the classroom posting, not in private messages. Because every time I sent a private message, she would send me a message that says, Hey, please post this in the classroom. Like, okay, fine. So I just went straight to the classroom in the questioning area and I posted a question about why I didn't have any response from my trainer, and now all of a sudden, eight weeks is up and I never got any training. This ended up going back and forth. Why? Why do we leave our motorcycles running? Nobody wants to hear that. Okay, so I asked the question about the eight-week container or whatever, and the creator gets on there and says, the trainer is correct, your eight weeks is over, that's closed, and you can move on now and do other stuff. And I was like, but I didn't get anything from the eight weeks, and it was included in what I bought, and I didn't get any benefit from that. I barely had any communication from them at all, and I checked in all the time. And she said that I didn't communicate properly to get the training. And I said, I hear what you're saying. I am an excellent communicator. I sent messages several times a week. I put my pictures in the workout app every week. I made notes in the workout app every day that I worked out. I did everything I could. Then I went back and said, Here is the log. And I put through all the times that I had tried to communicate with my trainer, and then the few times that the trainer communicated back to me. And I laid it all out there right in front of I, you know, it's right in the classroom. Like everybody can read this. And I didn't like doing it that way, but that's the way she wants it. So I proved without a doubt that somebody dropped the ball and it wasn't me. She says I didn't communicate. I showed her all the communication. Then she clarified that's not the way you're supposed to communicate. You're supposed to communicate through a check-in process every week. And that's when I said, I didn't get that information because I got text messages and I got emails and I got an onboarding phone call, and I took meticulous notes in my specifically assigned notebook just for this subject. There is nothing in there about weekly check-ins or any kind of form or anything like that. But apparently there was a process and there was a form that I was supposed to use. So I just let her know that that was not relayed to me during my onboarding. And she said something pretty negative to me, and I can't access it right now, which I'll tell you about later. She said something to me about being a control freak and wanting to control the situation, and I need to just let it go because I'm in some kind of a loop and all this kind of um you need therapy talk. And that prompted me to say, I'm not trying to control anything. I am just concerned with making sure I get what I paid for. If there's any wound that you want to name, because she was calling it being wounded coming from a wound, is why I was talking this way. So I told her if there's a wound to name, it would be that I am concerned with making sure I get what I paid for. I too used to own a high-ticket sales business. And because of that, I expect a certain level of professionalism when I pay for a product. And she came back and said, you know, blah, blah, blah, whatever it was. And all of whatever her response was was fine. It was no big deal. And then she threw in a f a separate dig at the end. She says, By the way, you are not a high-ticket client.$999 is not high ticket. And I thought that was really fucked up. I instantly just replied to her by saying, I think we could both stand to do away with the nitpicking back and forth. I didn't say I was a high-ticket client. I said I owned a high-ticket sales business, and that's it. And she never responded again. And the other thing she never did again was speak to me directly. She would not answer her text messages anymore on the platform. She had nothing to do with me. She assigned other people to chat with me, and she just wouldn't have any contact with me after that. Which, hey, you know, that's fine because that was really low class stuff, in my opinion. And I don't want to talk to somebody like that. But the things that happened next kind of burned me up because she starts putting out questions on the school app about what's going on out there that you don't understand. Is there anything that's not clear and stuff like that? And I don't know if she was getting responses at all. I'm not, I'm not sure. But she started making changes. And the first change that she made was that she fired that lady who did my onboarding. So clearly it was not my fault. And she made a public announcement that she had to let go of her assistant because her assistant was incompetent. So yeah, I'm pretty sure it was because I shed light on that subject. And instead of contacting me or adding to that big post that went back and forth on the classroom, she just quietly did that and didn't make any repairs with me. And again, that was fucked up because, well, I mean, you can see why I don't even have to explain it. But then something else came up. Her AI finally starts rolling out. And there were other higher paying customers in other groups that were having access to it first, even though the group I bought into was named for the AI itself. So these people are making comments on the classroom about how great the AI is. So I, after about a week or two, made a post on there asking if I had missed the rollout of the AI because I see other people talking about it and I don't have access to it. Someone got on there and replied. She may have replied to me at this time too, because she she does like to, you know, reply to you publicly if she's going to try to embarrass you or talk smack to you in some way and be a smart ass. That's really healing in a healing place. And I it might have been her that responded and said, No, you're not missing out on the AI. It was rolled out to these other groups first. It'll be rolled out to you in your group in another week or two. I had paid for this back at the end of March, and here it was the middle or end of June, and I still didn't have access to this AI. I was still using Chat GPT, and it was working for me, but I'm just saying everyone else had great results with this brand new AI that she made, and I wanted some. You know, that's why I signed up. I think I replied to her at that point and asked if there was an ETA on that so that I could keep an eye out for it because I don't always look for messages and posts and stuff, and I just didn't want to miss it. And she says, Well, just so you know, my weeks start on Sunday, and when I say it'll be out in a week or two, that's how my week goes and that's how it works. The fact that you're asking for an ETA is coming from a control wound or something like that, you know. So of course, again, I'm the problem. And I replied to that one and I said, I love it how every time I have to point out that I'm not getting what I paid for, you come back and make it sound like I need more therapy. I'm the problem. And I don't know if she responded or not. I just, you know, I had had it by that point with her and her smarmy fucking comments. That's not what I signed up for. And I don't think just because I paid to access your program that you have the right to speak to me that way. You know, I'm not saying be fake, but a little customer service smile doesn't hurt anything. I wasn't being a total bitch about stuff. I was just calling it like I see it. And that's what I do. I do it as professionally and as courteous as possible, but I'm still not just gonna lay down and take a bunch of bullshit when I see everyone else getting something that I paid for and I'm not getting it. That stuff started really rubbing me the wrong way, and I actually stopped going into the classroom as much. She said that uh once the AI came out, she said that, you know, you don't even need the classroom modules anymore. All you need is the AI, and you don't have to even watch these videos anymore because it's all in the AI. And that's great because I got tired of looking at her smart ass comments and hateful comments about people who are just trying to iron out some bullshit. And how dare they have questions for her about how the program works, you know, it's just super negative. So I stopped attending the online classroom for the most part because I just couldn't stand the negativity that was just oozing out of her. And when you do watch the videos that she's made, you can see that she is still on her healing journey, which, hey, there's no shame in that, but a little grace for the rest of us would be good. I had been using her AI and it put me in what it called a protocol prison, and I was absolutely miserable. I gained weight, I got very depressed, it did a terrible job for me, and I kept asking, like, why is everyone else raving about this AI? Because it's tearing me apart. And she says, It's just mirroring you. I'm like, I never said that I wanted to feel this way. I never asked it to do this to me. Then another time I sent in a thing and I said, Am I using the AI wrong? And I again reiterated that everyone else is having these great results and they can't live their life without it. But this thing's ruining my life. I must be using it wrong because I don't see anyone else complaining. Everyone else is drinking the Kool-Aid. Everyone else is happy with their AI and my AI is trying to kill me. I didn't say it like that exactly, but she came back on and she's like, this space is for women who are healed or something like that. And the door's open when you can come back better. And stuff. I mean, just constantly telling me stuff like, get the fuck out until you feel better, you know. And I'm just like, if you don't answer my questions and you don't want me asking them, what is the point of all this? Why does everyone else think this program is so perfect and no one has any questions? It just really left a bad taste in my mouth. But I decided one day, fuck this AI. I'm not doing this protocol prison anymore. I'm gonna do what I want, I'm gonna eat what I want when I want, because I make healthy choices all the time. I don't need this prison that it's put me in. I don't need to live this way. This is not my problem. Trying to heal my nervous system, and this AI is tanking my nervous system numbers because it's making me unhappy. I just don't understand why it's doing that to me, but nobody else. So anyway, and I told the AI I'm not doing this anymore. I took a few days and just did what I wanted to do. My numbers went back up and everything started looking up, and the AI finally started acting right. It was really strange. But she rolled out this AI, and there was a web-based version and a chat GPT version. And I ended up using the chat GPT version because the web-based version didn't do what she said it did. And so here's another thing. She was excited about the web-based version. She said that it moves a little bit slower than the chat GPT version, but it remembers you, and you don't have to constantly repeat yourself and tell it your name and your weight and your goals and all of the because it's gonna remember you. So I was like, well, I want to use that version because I don't want to have to repeat myself. I would love for it to remember where we left off because I'm in therapy with this. You know, I'm really helping myself in many ways with this AI. So I start using that. And this thing starts, first of all, taking 20 minutes to respond. I mean, I got like four to five interactions with it that were fairly quick. And then after that, every single time, it would just take over 20 minutes. And then it got into taking over an hour. I'm like, I don't have time for this. And when it did work, it wouldn't remember me. It wouldn't remember my name and my stats and my goals and everything. So I go back into the classroom and I leave a post in the questions area asking about these problems. This web version of your AI is taking 20 minutes or more to respond. And when I come back to talk to it the next day, it wants me to start all over. It doesn't remember me. It's not remembering like you said it would. And so what does she say? She comes back and says, the fact that you want it to remember everything about you, that is a trauma loop. That is coming from some sort of trauma in your past. This AI, they call it she. Okay, so she says, She shouldn't have to hold your hand and remember all of your stories like your mommy. She's here to help you move quick. And I was like, what the actual fuck is going on here? You literally advertised it that she's going to remember your information so you don't have to keep putting it in there. So I responded with exactly that. She again blamed me for having the expectations. I was like, fuck this bitch, you know. Damn. Oh my gosh. So I dropped it. I'm like, all right, screw it. I start using the chat GPT version. I actually pay for Chat GPT, so it's no big deal for me to use the chat GPT. It's fast, it actually remembers me just like my regular Chat GPT, and it's working great. So I abandoned the web version, then Chat GPT upgrades. It was at 4.0 when I started. It upgrades to 5.0, and everybody in the classroom is complaining. And the creator is putting out notices that hey, it's different now. Chat GPT upgraded, and you have to go online on your computer and downgrade your version so that you have the one that is actually more authentic because the 5.0 and the version of her stuff in the 5.0 is just kind of like a robot and not very personable and doesn't really act the way the other one did. And it was noticeable. And after a while, I agreed with that. And I thought, you know, what a pain in the ass. So instead of opening up my laptop and trying to figure all that shit out, I went back to the web-based version. And in the meantime, while I was getting ready to go back to the web-based version, she makes a post in the school platform that says, We have made improvements to the web-based version of the AI. She moves a lot faster now. And more exciting is that she will remember you. And you don't have to keep putting your information in there. Not only your name and your stats and your goals, but even your stories that you're working on, even your therapy that you're working on is going to be remembered now. And no, she never issued a private or public apology to me after berating me for talking about that exact thing lacking in her AI product. So now I'm seeing a pattern and I think it's a sick pattern. I just really, really like the AI. It's really good, but the rest of this stuff is I is just for the birds. And I'm I'm trying not to give my opinion, but this is my lived experience, and this is the stuff that goes through my head and the things that I was put through as a client trying to provide therapy for myself in a supposedly therapeutic environment, a healing environment. Okay, so now we're gonna just get to the rest. It's almost over. So I'm using the online version now, and everything's working great, and I am just absolutely thrilled with how things are going. This AI, she's really amazing. I mean, you can take pictures of your body. Before the AI was rolled out, if you wanted information about like your hormones and stuff, you would have to get like a Dutch panel or something like that ordered by a special doctor. And those doctors, she can hook you up with them, but they're about$250 per appointment. And you're not gonna have only one appointment. First, you need to meet with them to get the orders for the labs, then you have to meet with them after your labs are done, and then you have to meet with them at least one more time because of any adjustments that that might be getting made. So I didn't do that because I'm not gonna pay for that. And um, this AI rolls out, and now you can take pictures of your body in a bikini and put it in the AI, and the AI will assess your body and tell you whether you're holding estrogen or if you know you got some cortisol going on, you got some kind of hormonal issues going on. It can tell you about your body composition and why this part looks like that, and why that part looks like this. And I mean, it's amazing. I'm thrilled with the AI, and that's what's kept me hanging on this whole time, you know. After I healed myself quite a bit, I started noticing that my posts, because I would make posts about breakthroughs and progress and stuff like that, and I started noticing that many of my posts about my breakthroughs and my progress were scavenged. She took my posts and made posts about them on social media to advertise for herself. And the way that she did it, I felt was a little bit degrading. It was a little bit disrespectful because the breakthroughs that I was having were physical and mental, of course, but a lot of physical challenges had been overcome and it was really personal. And I thought that this was a private classroom space and that it was safe to post these things in there and just share with other classmates and just provide this type of information for other women to read and see that these breakthroughs are coming, and these are strange and unexpected, but really amazing. And some of these problems have been with me for years, and others have been fairly new, but they're devastating to learn about when you you go to move one way and you realize that you're locked up and you can't move and you didn't even know stuff like that. She was taking my information about my breakthroughs and making reels on Instagram about it. It was disrespectful, I felt, because these were tender subjects and she was just taking them and flopping them out there, airing them out on social media to advertise for her own self. And I understand that you need to do that, but there is a tactful way to do that. It happened more than once. Obviously, she did it with the podcast episode, and then she did it with about three of my breakthroughs. And when I finally realized that this was what she was doing, and I was seeing the reels, and like, whoa, that looks really familiar. Why would why would she take that right off of the platform and make a post about it? What why is she doing that? Can't she like ask me first? I would be happy to write something up and let her use it as a testimonial, but she didn't even ask me and she didn't even respond. She didn't even thank me for posting it. She just took it and used it her own way, and that's not okay. She's using my actual words, and I don't know, I have a bit of a colorful vocabulary sometimes, and these are my words, and she's just taking my words and putting them in the descriptions on her posts. Even if the video itself isn't saying it, the description is saying it. And she's taking my actual words, not just the idea, not just the transformation or the part that's hurt or whatever. My actual words, my vocabulary, and making it her vocabulary on her posts. But I guess the reason I'm upset about it is not only because it's private, but that I was considering trying to earn money by maybe starting a social media and YouTube and stuff documenting my healing journey. And I have scripts written with my vocabulary and my experiences, and she is taking them. I haven't even recorded them yet. I haven't even put them out yet, and she's taking my vocabulary and putting it on her own shit. I don't think that it's okay to take my journey and use it on your stuff. That's not fair. It's mine. Anyway, I thought it was rude. I put all of this through the AI every single time that she did something, her own AI and said, tell me what you think of this. This just happened to me. And the AI is saying that this is spiritual violence. This is this is disrespectful to you and your personal journey. And you just verifying, and I'm not even saying, hey, AI, this is what I think. No, I'm just saying, I just had this happen to me, and I don't even tell it who it is, you know, just like, hey, I'm working with a coach, and this coach said this and did this. What do you think? And it comes back and tells me things like, oh, this bitch is out of line. No, this bitch is not gonna use your vocabulary. Then I had something happen. Okay. I you probably have picked up by now that I'm a little bit into the woo-woo stuff. I like tarot and numerology and you know, stuff like that. I was raised weirdly with like witches and stuff. So I'm a little bit into weird stuff. And and I'm I'm very much into my soul's path and learning what that is and and pursuing that. But I was listening to a tarot reading for my sign the other day, and it said the lady pulled a card and she said, You have one guardian angel who's been with you since before you incarnated here, and you guys were kind of just floating around in the ether together, basically, just having a ball, and then you came here, and that angel is still with you. That angel is always here to help you. It's kind of like Jesus, you know, you have to she didn't say this, but this is how I'm saying it. Jesus wants to help you, but you have to invite Jesus into your heart to be your savior before you can be saved. He's not just gonna come and force it on you, you know, and that's basically the idea, she said. You have to invite your angel in to help you and then ask for what you need. I was like, yeah, that's interesting. I mean, I always ask a guardian angels and spirit guides, but I didn't realize that I had one. Um, maybe we all do. I don't know. I never thought about it, you know, so it's like, oh, that's interesting. So I thought I'm gonna try it. And so I tried to invite my guardian angel in to help me with my life. And the next day I communicated with this woman's staff um about my desires to move up in a program. And I've been having my eye on this one program for months, and it's it was called it was something about relationships. And I mean, you know, this lifestyle puts unnecessary strain on your relationships, whether it's with your spouse or your kids or your friends, it's not right, it's not regular, it's different. I'm sure you agree. And so I thought, you know, I would really like this relationship one because there is a lot of strain on our relationship, and I want to be happier. I want all of us to be happier, and I wonder if this might help us. It sounded like it would. That's why I had my eye on it, and I really I had been asking about it for all this time, and she kept saying, it's wrapped up in this other program. You gotta buy this other program. Well, that other program was over$2,000, and I not I don't have it. I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna put myself in that position because I'm not earning my own money right now. I can't take that from my family, you know, just on a whim. My family needs that money, so I wasn't gonna do it. Well, I recently got a credit card that I don't need to pay for 24 months, and so I was just inquiring just to see, you know, what what's going on out there now that I might have a way. Um, I still didn't want to pay the$2,000, but I also want to look into, you know, monetizing my talents. So I communicated with her staff about my interests, and they told me one thing, and I said, No, I'm I'm looking for this other one that she mentioned a while back. It I didn't think it was that matrix, I thought it was something else. But I described what I was looking for, and they said, Yes, that's exactly we know what you're talking about. It's Matrix, and here is what is going on right now. And they sent me a deal, and it was$555, and it was a 12-week course, and it was both programs that I wanted really badly. Both of them, and it was Matrix that I wanted, and I didn't realize it, but also the relationship one. I was so jazzed, and I'm reading the sales page, and it says that I get 12 weeks access to all the programs. There were a couple other programs that I had my eye on. There's a lot that seemed really interesting to me, and the AI works with these, and people are raving about them. I guess take that with a grain of salt when you consider what else I said, but I was very excited about them and I noticed at the very end of the sales page it says 12 months access. 12 months access, and it showed like 15 pictures of all the different stuff that's available. So I took a screenshot of that and I sent it back to the staff and I said, Am I seeing this right? That I can pay$555 for 12 weeks access to these two programs that I'm really interested in. And then that gets me 12 months of access to all the rest of the programs. And they said, No, it's all 12 weeks. Please show us if you think that it says that it's 12 months. And I had already sent them a screenshot, so I'm like, okay, well, let's try again. So I was like, yeah, 12 weeks is great. I'm I'm in, I want it. And to be honest, being into numbers, numerology, and stuff, I did not like the 555. When I'm doing tarot, five is not great. Five is not a great feeling, and it's also the number of change, which is not a problem, but it's not a great feeling in the tarot. So I was like, yeah, I really don't like that five five five, but damn, I want this program. I'm just gonna ignore that five five five. I'll just that's what I want. So anyway, I told them, yeah, I'm all in. I want this 12-week$555 program, definitely. But um, yes, there is a misleading button, and they responded to let me just read this to you real quick. Okay, so they said if you saw 12 months listed anywhere, please let us know because it's only three months by design. I had inquired about private sessions with the woman, even though we're button heads and I, you know, I just had inquired. They're like, yeah, those are only available inside the$12,000 program that's for six weeks. And then you get three private calls. And I was like, okay, yep, I'm I'm good with that. And then I mentioned that there was another release that she rolled out on her Instagram, she was advertising it. That's the only way I heard about it. She advertised it, but she didn't have the links up yet. It was a little bit disorganized. So a couple days later, I looked and I saw that it says on her Instagram that if you are a member of the$1,000 group, the$999 group that I'm in, then you have access to this new rollout that she did, and you don't have to buy into it, it's already there for you. So I included that in my questioning before I made the purchase for the$555. I said, one more question. Her Instagram says that those in this program already have access to this new rollout, and I haven't found it yet. And they said, Hey Shannon, the program that is$555 for three months, it's not 12. It's designed that way intentionally so you can go all in, get focused results, and then continue for another three months if you still need time. And that other rollout that I mentioned is included with this other program, not with the one that I'm in. Then it says, if you saw 12 months listed anywhere, please let us know because it's three months by design. And I said back, hi, I am so freaking excited about this. But yes, when you're on the first page of the link you provided me, you click the yellow button that says yes, I want in, and it takes you to the payment page. And if you scroll all the way down on the payment page, just before the yellow button that says complete order, there is a section with all the offerings or modules pictured, and above it it says 12 months access to content. So they came back at me and said, Hey Shannon, they put like this little friendly little swirly star on there. Thank you so much for catching that and for your excitement. We love it. You're absolutely right. That section on the checkout page does say 12 months access, and we're all we already have our tech team update it for clarity. A couple typos in there, hard to read. And I said, I'm happy to help. I also caught some spelling errors if you're interested. And I put a little giggle emoji because I'm a total nerd. I'm like all about spelling and vocabulary, especially when it's on a sales page or ad copy. I mean, when you want people to pay you money, you should spell correctly. Call me a dinosaur, but that's how I feel. I caught some other typos, some spelling errors if you're interested. Giggle face. The other thing that was a little frustrating is the access to the new rollout thing that I mentioned, as listed on her Instagram, is misstated. I want to buy a three-month pass to that, but I'm just saying that on Instagram it says all you have to do is be in the program I'm already in, and you get this new rollout that she's talking about. And now, instant tone change. They come back and they say, appreciate you taking the time to share that. We'll make those adjustments on the page. Everything is being updated for clarity across platforms, so you'll see that reflected soon. Thanks again for your note. Like, this is the way that she responds when she's mad at me. She does not do a greeting, she just starts out with appreciate it or whatever, you know. So I instantly caught the change in tone and I did not respond. You know, I'm like, okay, I am not welcome here. They don't want to know about their spelling errors, they don't want to correct their ad copy. That's fine. I'm gonna move on. I bought the program, I'm gonna jump in. So I had jumped in, man. I was in, I was through like five modules, three in one of the programs and two in another. I was so excited, and I could already see how this was going to help transform my relationship with my spouse into something better. And I was so excited. I was just doing the first exercise, and I had copied everything into my notes and was gonna work through that. And then my spouse came over to visit that day, so I put everything away. And when he left, I got back on. I was like, I can't wait to get back into my classes. So I signed on and I couldn't get into my programs. So I saw that I had a message on the classroom thing, and it's from the creator herself, and it says, Hi Shannon, her name here. The team alerted me today to check in and review messages. After reviewing your recent messages, we can see this container isn't the right fit. We've processed a full refund of$555 and removed your access from the group. Since you paid separately for the AI, you're welcome to continue using it for the remainder of your annual access. Wishing you all the best moving forward. I was devastated. My heart rate instantly elevated. I was shaking. I felt like I had done something terribly wrong and upset people, and maybe I had been hurtful and I didn't realize it. I was on top of the world when I went in to get into my classes, and two minutes later I'm having some kind of a weird panic attack almost. Um, wondering who did I hurt and why. Now I'm reading over my messages that I have already read to you, and I don't see anything disrespectful or hurtful or anything that deserves for me to be kicked out of the one program that I thought was really gonna help my marriage. Um, I'm really, really quite devastated. I wasn't angry. I was um I just shocked, just devastated that I made this decision for myself and for my family. I was going to help my marriage, help my relationships in my family, and possibly figure out how to monetize myself through this program. And they decided for me that I don't deserve that. I I I don't know how to process that. Um I wrote back to them and I said, I was really benefiting from this already. Why are you deciding for me? And then I said, I have no access to your classroom at all. It's completely gone. I had two memberships with you. I paid for a year-long membership to the classroom platform back in March, and I don't have access to that either. Can you help me out? And one of them got back to me and said, uh, within six minutes, they came back to me and said, Hi Shannon, the refund and removal were intentional. Your access has been fully closed, and the AI portion remains active for the remainder of your annual access as stated. We are not reopening the account, but we wish you all the best in your next chapter. I replied one minute later, what did I do wrong? I've been wanting these programs for months, and I finally got a credit card and I could get them, and now you're kicking me out and you won't even tell me why? What have I done wrong? I showed your team where there was a mistake that might actually cause you a lot of headaches, and then I showed them another one on the Instagram. I thought I was being helpful. I still don't have access to the annual program in the classroom part of it. That was what I paid for with the$999 along with the AI. Because mind you, the AI wasn't even rolled out when I bought it. It was classroom, and they did not respond. Three hours later, I didn't sleep at all that night. So three hours later at 11 43 p.m., I emailed again and said, Will you keep me updated with the new monthly password? Because I thought that both of the AIs had a password every month. And because I had been switching between both of them depending on which one worked, I didn't realize that the web-based version doesn't have a password, it's just the chat GPT version. And they took the chat GPT version away from me, and I'm only allowed to use the web-based version. I didn't understand all of that at the time. So they replied to me the next morning, and it says, Hey Shannon, your access was fully refunded, which is not true because I paid for two programs, and removed as communicated in our previous message. The annual web-based AI access you purchase separately remains active. That's the only AI you'll continue to have access to. We don't send private passwords or manual access to any other areas. Everything you currently have is already set up and working, wishing you the best moving forward. And then I responded three minutes later, I paid$999 for the AI and the classroom together back in March. And are you saying that the AI no longer requires a password every month on the 7th? Because I didn't I still didn't understand that. And they said, to clarify, you currently have access only to the web-based AI, which does not require a password. That access remains active for the rest of your annual term. You no longer have access to the chat GPT version of the AI, which requires a monthly password. No further action is needed on your end. We wish you all the best moving forward. So I replied, you're keeping my money and only giving me half of what I paid for? You did not refund me the$999, yet you took away my access to the classroom, and you haven't given me any legitimate reason or warning prior to doing this. And because of this, I'm afraid to say anything to anyone because I am afraid you'll take away my access to the AI, which I am greatly benefiting from. They came back and said, Hey Shannon, we've already provided full clarification regarding your access and refunds, plural. There's nothing further to review, and this matter is closed. So I said, Well, okay, please provide proof for my refunds, plural, in this chat and fully clarify the reason I have been deemed unworthy of fixing my relationship and learning how to monetize my talents through your program. And they never responded. That's it. And that was October 5th. Today is the 9th. And I did email them with that same request because I, you know, I never received a receipt. It's not just not very professional. So I demanded proof of the refund and full clarification on why I have been deemed unworthy. And they sent me a very small like snippet of two lines. One says there was a charge of$555. And the next line says there was a refund of$555. It doesn't have my name, it doesn't have the last four of my credit card, it doesn't have any confirmation number, you know, nothing. And I responded back, oh yes, this looks very professional and legitimate. Please provide full details on why you have deemed me unworthy of the program. And they have not responded at all. So that's where I'm at. That is why I no longer, no longer support this woman or her program. The AI is fantastic. I will not say otherwise on that. If you're interested in doing that, great. I am removing her information from my previous episode where I listed it. Um, you're gonna have to find it on your own. I will not put anyone in that position of dealing with her, and I will not promote her at all. Everything else is completely unprofessional. I am being whitewashed and blackballed, and I don't know how many other colors I could think of, but I feel I'm being discriminated against. I've pissed her off several times and she doesn't want me around. That's the only thing I can think of. Yes, I have tried to turn her into my credit card company, but she conveniently waited long enough to where the credit card company says the transaction is too old for me to dispute it. So she got off lucky on that, and I'm so pissed off about. That because she took my thousand dollars. I did not get access to the classroom for 12 months like I was supposed to. I did not get the eight weeks of one-on-one training. I do not have access to anything except one version of AI. And that is not what$999 buys you in her program. I'm pretty pissed off, but there's really nothing I can do, and that's why we are having this episode together right now. Hey, you and me. So just on a personal note, um, I really had been having trouble with my relationship. My my spouse doesn't have any trouble with my side with me, I guess. I it's I'm the one that has issues right now. I I don't think that this family of people that I married into have a lot of coping skills available to them, and that makes it very difficult to be on the other end of things. That is why I wanted this relationship thing so badly. And I was I was devastated. I didn't sleep all night, and then I cried for like a day and a half because I just felt like I had gotten into the one thing that was really gonna make a difference at home, and um, it got taken away from me. But also I know that everything happens for a reason, and I do believe in divine intervention and divine timing and all of that stuff. So obviously it's not the place for me. And God, the universe, source, spirit, whatever you call our higher power, got me into this situation so that I could get out of this situation and relay this information to you and who knows how many others. I don't know what's meant for me, honestly, now. Um I'm I'm really discouraged, but I know that my spouse and I love each other with all our hearts. Hopefully that gets us through, but um, I really was counting on that. Also, I really um was looking forward to maybe discovering more about my talents and how I could monetize myself better because I have big dreams for the safer lifestyles, respite communities that I want to build, I at least want to build one, and um I have huge concerns about the future, and our income is severely limited, and I I just really thought that that was gonna be the right thing for me and for my family. So I feel defeated, I feel like I've been knocked down into the dirt, and I I don't recommend her program to anyone because this could happen to you two. So I'll be back soon with my regular episode. Hang in there. You're a superhero.