Some of the comments on the article about being cheated out of yoga certification reveal a pattern of abuse. Bolding is mine.
-------
https://ondinawellness.com/the-shadow-side-of-self-proclaimed-light-leaders-or-how-i-got-scammed-by-epic-academy/Sara on July 10th, 2019 6:08 am
I had a very horrible experience with Epic Academy back in 2015. I went as a “student” of Amber’s and during that time thought I was going to be treated to a month of health and wellness, but instead found myself working for Amber’s retreat with Dashama, having a
terrifying Ayahuasca experience that I suffered with PTSD for 3 years after, and also I paid for all of this. I paid to work, to “learn” her social media tactics. Learned during that time
how unhealthy amber is herself (didn’t have a period and was also always starving). And now when I go check her page on social media, I simply see that she is aging rapidly. I finally got out of the vegan/raw vegan diet about 2 years after that and my health began to improve finally. Learned so much from that experience but I do wish there were a way to warn anyone so dreamily influenced by her “exciting announcements.”
....katie on May 18th, 2020 12:12 pm
Not at all surprised to read this. Even through her glossy marketing, Amber reads as a troubled person filled with tension, speaking through an almost unmoving jaw. Interesting the word “narcissistic” is mentioned in your blog here as, well, sometimes they are just obvious to spot.
It’s kind of sad JP got hooked in here, as he seems like a sweet down to earth guy. I was surprised to see he, often insightful through his humor, is missing the obvious here.
Her latest rant is on the conspiracy theories surrounding the coronavirus. Scary. Sounds like you learned some things and good for you for enlightening anyone else considering signing up for something as nightmareish as this.
....Mary on July 27th, 2020 12:05 pm
I’ve been absolutely shocked by this women recently. She claims to be this wholesome person who wants everyone to be equal, happy, and healthy. She is what I would call, purely performative. I had a horrible interaction with her when I sent her an IG message that I’d like to see more support of the BLM movement from her platform. She completely went on the defensive and said I was attacking her, for providing some feedback as an audience of her content. This was in a response to a video she posted of
her husband giving a speech on 2nd amendment rights, because they don’t want to wear masks. Talk about wreaking of white privilege. Black people are literally fighting for their right to live, and she is complaining because she has to wear a mask during a pandemic. I won’t be supporting her any longer. I’m sorry that happened to you, but after my observations of her over the last several months I am not surprised at all.
Apollo on September 30th, 2020 10:45 am
Thank you for sharing.
I worked with amber in Costa Rica. And she is indeed an abusive narcissist.
Read about my post on her and JP Sears here.
https://www.facebook.com/727155181/posts/10164188874065182/?extid=kEgDsSG4FM3gvG5W&d=n....Lydia on October 1st, 2020 4:03 pm
I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences on here. I initially started following JP Sears on IG, just because I thought he had a few funny, cynical videos, and found Amber through him. I was interested in her Costa Rican retreat, so I contacted her and got a welcoming response. I thought it over and decided that I wasn’t so keen on the idea of doing an indigenous retreat of sorts with someone not of indigenous origins, so took a pass on the experience. I also started noticing that
JP Sears posts started taking on a weird conspiracy theory tilt, which was pretty weird since I just assumed he was an intelligent guy. But in retrospect, they both seem like they’re fulfilling some need for attention through their social media platforms. Anyways, sorry to hear about the very shitty experiences of being taken advantage of, and thank you for sharing as a warning to others to exercise caution when looking into personal growth retreats and how potentially manipulative they can actually be.
....Tony on November 16th, 2020 8:27 am
Hi to those who can’t see Apollo’s FaceBook post. Hopefully this comes through (credit Apollo, not me):
Anyone else tired of JP Sears?
I don’t care who you are…..If you’re spreading hatred, I’m calling you out.
I used to think he was funny at first but he’s drastically changed over the years. His comedy is just angry and mean now, full of passive aggressiveness and self-righteousness.
My first red flag about
JP was when he made fun of the locals and got RAN out of Costa Rica. Literally.
Costa Ricans were so offended by him that he got death threats and had to escape.
And now unfortunately he’s become just another “new-age turned right-extremist hybrid” who’s promoting BS conspiracy theories and bad science.I understand that he’s trying to escape his comedy box and wants to be seen as a social activist/freedom revolutionary in order to be taken seriously for the first time in his career….but to put it frankly, he simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about and is just parroting debunked internet documentaries.
He had ONE video removed from Youtube for violating their policies and
he suddenly became a conspiracy theorist and is now right up there with Alex Jones, “fighting for our freedom”.This prime example of white privilege was acting like he was being oppressed simply for having one video removed. Cry me a river.
He bashed the platform that made him who he is, all while selling supplements and sponsorships on it. His videos now reek of “sell out”.
Fun Fact: Private businesses don’t owe you free speech. Governments do. But I digress??.
JP Sears is in essence supporting the group that was specifically created to get Trump reelected.
He’s using his platform to spread misinformation under the guise of sarcasm. He literally makes fun of the demographic that made him who he is and has recently turned into the very thing he makes fun of. In the same way he once made fun of Instagram models with big egos that put on a fake image on social media….and then he went on to marry one. But more on that later.
He hides behind his satire conveniently getting to choose when it’s “just” comedy and when it’s not, based on the backlash he gets. And he’s the king of backpedaling. His comedy is designed to give him the space to say he was just kidding as a way out. But it’s manipulative as hell.
I’m pretty involved with the media. And I can say that most people in the comedy world and entertainment industry don’t consider him a real comedian. He just found a temporary niche. Unfortunately it turned him into a spiritual snob who is now just projecting the judgements he carries of himself onto others. But people have woken up and there is a mass exodus from his type of offensive humor. People are just over it. He’s lost tons of followers this year and ironically is now the one being mocked.
Him making fun of people for having emotional reactions while simultaneously offending them on purpose just to bring himself attention….and then making a video about how people are offended over everything…..feels a lot like how an abuser operates. It’s Gaslighting 101 and is designed to constantly put him and his opinions on a pedestal while putting the views and experiences of other people down. He positions himself as an expert on every social issue and thinks his uneducated opinion is worth more than it is. But he just churns out these videos left and right now as click bait for profit.
His most recent video made fun of homeless people in California suggesting they ENJOY being homeless and are “just camping”. JP is a cisgendered white male who has a history of making fun of poverty in his videos, including the Costa Rica one. He never discusses root causes or adds any insightful commentary or cares about social issues. Instead he spends all his time criticizing the entire world from the outside looking in. Sorry…….but JP is entitled and arrogant and is making a living from making fun of people, including communities of color, and his act is simply getting old and played out.
His comments threat is now FULL of right-wingers making fun of the left.
He’s also anti-science on several different issues.
He even made fun of people for wearing masks recently….Even though he spent his whole life hiding behind one under the guise of humor. I get it though. Narcissists could never understand the concept of an individual sacrificing for the greater good. But let’s remember that over 1 million people have died from Covid and if everyone took JP Sears non-scientific advice, it is estimated there would have been 40 million dead. JP always touts the 99 percent survival rate but this doesn’t consider the long-term organ and lung damage that many survivors are dealing with after. *He JUST
released a video suggesting the Flu more deadly than Covid and it’s a gross display of a lack of critical thinking. If something is slightly less deadly, but WAY more contagious, then it’s simply more deadly. Once again, 1 million died WITH lockdowns in place. The flu happens with NO lockdowns in place and still doesn’t come close to COVID numbers. The flu doesn’t kill 10’s of millions of people anymore like COVID would have if we didn’t do the lockdown. JP is highly irresponsible promoting his anti-science rhetoric. His videos are a slap in the face to the millions of people who lost someone to COVID and the many more who are still suffering from symptoms and long-term lung damage. JP has zero empathy for these people and is down a crazy Qanon conspiracy hole.
Also…..I STILL care even if it is “mostly the elderly who die”. Do you know the difference between 65 and 75? It’s watching your grandkids grow up. Just think about how much life you’ve lived in the last 10 years and how many memories you made. His lack of empathy or concern is troubling and they’re even having large gatherings in the middle of a pandemic.
I get that we shouldn’t take everything seriously, but I do believe that we should at least take some things seriously. And him constantly making fun of people is no different than a school bully. He reminds me of that kid who just wants constant attention in class by being an annoying troll. He presents things as jokes, but they’re actually just jabs and come off as condescending. He calls anybody who challenges or criticizes his work a hater and redirects the conversation to make it seem like he’s innocent and spreading love and that they’re all fools who are choosing fear. Oh the irony. This is why you rarely know where he actually stands and that’s part of what is so deceiving about it.
But he clearly is projecting his own shortcomings onto those he makes fun of and calls “sheep”…..considering that he’s actually the one who got EASILY brainwashed by this terribly edited Plandemic fraud……The same pseudoscience film that claimed that covid is “activated” by wearing a mask. (You can’t make this crap up). And JP promotes this attention seeker Mikka as some kind of hero instead of as the fear-mongerer that he is.
I hope all of yall take a stand against all these self absorbed new age/right wing hybrids promoting Qanon-backed concepts and who are using their platforms to take advantage of people’s fear and ignorance during these uncertain times.
*And based on all the hundreds of shares and comments this post has received, it seems like many of you are. So keep up the good work!
I have to say that I’m in complete shock hearing about all the racist, sexist, and rude encounters so many of you have had with him. Things that I had no idea about.
I’m sorry but if you want to be a public figure, it kinda comes with the territory. “With great power comes great responsibility”.
Besides…Is anyone else super bored with the whole mocking people as a form of comedy thing? It’s just not funny.
It’s literally the exact same formula every video. We get it. Everybody sucks but you, and every element of spirituality is a joke to you. Exploiting life-changing spiritual principles as clickbait just so you can pay your rent. You should be real proud.
*please note that if you DO have a problem with transparency and public figures who have a platform being called out, then you probably shouldn’t follow me on here (and maybe never use Yelp or review sites ever again for that matter). Because personally, I feel that more people should be speaking out as a service to the collective, even if it leads to bruised egos.
Personally, I’ve experienced some of the most growth in my own life after I was called out. I’ve actually come to appreciate those moments. But this isn’t about me.
And I’m not saying that JP is a bad person. But I am calling out his irresponsibility and actions, and how money and fame has clearly gotten to his head.
It’s just faux pseudo-spiritual psychology being exploited for profits. This isn’t a call to cancel or ban him. You have the right to watch him express his views and I have a right to express why I feel his views are harmful.
And for the record, I used to be friends with and even have a 1 hour interview with JP Sears. I even lived with his wife in Costa Rica and did her marketing. (She admitted in private to friends that she was only using JP for his fame).
I share this so you know this isn’t just a random opinion from someone on the outside looking in. This is a repeated direct experience that I, and many of my friends, have had with the both of them. This is all from direct experience over many years.
It’s sad to say this….but she’s just as narcissitic as he is. And both of them have unfortunately gotten worse with time and have hurt many people.
I watched Amber abuse her interns and staff during her retreats. Preaching about peace and healthy relationship strategies in public, all while
her and her ex-partner, Daniel Jebb Finnerty, physically beat each other regularly. There was tons of physical violence and verbal abuse going on and it was pure toxicity behind closed doors.
She also preached about healthy eating while she was actively struggling with an eating disorder. This isn’t to shame any of that but to just call out the hypocrisy of these “influencers” being more obsessed with their image than improving their actual lives.
If this was just coming from me, I’d say to not trust it. Maybe it’s just personal right? But this view is shared by many other people saying the same thing. Not just people online but 100s of people who had direct experiences with the both of them. This post is about warning people and protecting my tribe, even if it’s at the cost of myself being attacked. I’m sure their supporters will say that I’m a jealous hater and call me other names to try to discredit this post. But I know where it’s coming from and the numbers don’t lie.
The truth is that she has scammed many people, including my friends. Some who lived with her for months.
You can read about the Amber Sears BS here.
https://ondinawellness.com/the-shadow-side-of-self-proclaimed-light-leaders-or-how-i-got-scammed-by-epic-academy/What’s sad about how she traumatized that woman is that I witnessed something similar in Costa Rica.
At the end of the retreat, when everybody was already torn down and vulnerable …Amber Zuckswert up-sold them on a random
ayahuasca ceremony. Keep in mind that this wasn’t advertised and I would say that 90 percent of the people there didn’t even know what ayahuasca was. They were all asking questions about it and it was clear they never even heard about it or knew how intense of an experience it was. She downplayed it and just said it’s sacred plant medicine that will heal them.
Most people ended up going with no idea what they signed up for and came out of the Costa Rican jungle completely traumatized.
Amber has zero ayahuasca or psychological training and only cared about exploiting people’s insecurities for profit. Kinda like JP Sears. Actually….JP and her belong together in a very twisted strange way. Definitely winners of the “Most narcissistic couple in the new age community” awards.
Stop putting these toxic people on a pedestal.
JP Sears. Elliot Hulse. Etc….
They’re using you for likes and views and only care about money, fame, and validation.
*I highly recommend listening to the Conspirituality Podcast to get more insight on this whole extreme right and left crossover happening.
Also….Here’s are a couple good articles to read for further analysis on JP:
(expired SSL cert warning):
https://morefreedomfoundation.com/2020/05/12/awakenwithjp-believes-too-much-media-who-bill-gates/Tony on November 16th, 2020 8:30 am
From Apollo’s writeup above:
“At the end of the retreat, when everybody was already torn down and vulnerable …Amber Zuckswert up-sold them on a random ayahuasca ceremony. Keep in mind that this wasn’t advertised and I would say that 90 percent of the people there didn’t even know what ayahuasca was. They were all asking questions about it and it was clear they never even heard about it or knew how intense of an experience it was. She downplayed it and just said it’s sacred plant medicine that will heal them.”
This is ABHORRENT. I say this as a person who has employed Ayahuasca in an indigenous context followed by VERY skilled psychotherapy when returning to the states, Ayahuasca is NOTHING to screw around with. It’s been incredibly beneficial to me but how trivially she treats this is absolutely disgusting.
What the world does NOT need right now is more New Age fruitcakes (much less ones that are alt-right) co-opting Ayahuasca. It’s disturbing and gross.
Ondina Hatvany on November 16th, 2020 10:44 am
I agree Tony. Very disturbing what you report here.
Ayahuasca stems from an ancient tradition that needs to be respected. While it is an incredible healing vine, it also has a dark side. Westerners don’t know what they’re messing with when they think they can just use it like a recreational drug. Or worse, just use it to profit themselves, like Amber. Makes me very sad to hear how she’s exploiting this ancient medicine.
ej on December 19th, 2020 7:22 pm
Thanks for your thoughtful and courageous article. I have recently been listening to the Conspirituality podcast and they’ve had several episodes mentioning JP sears. What a scammer and passive aggressive thug.
After his embrace of conspiracy theory I uninvited him and I found your article to be thorough and useful to the wellness community. JP sears and Willets currently here in Austin Texas, and for all their bonhomie, are now building a “community” development near austin. Smells like cult.
Unfortunately like so many online scams, there is no jurisdiction if they occur out of your state or country. the Level of arrogance & con artistry that exists online is unbelievable.
I wish you well and encourage integrity in this unregulated business. I’ve been in the intuition channel and it took me a good 10 years of focussed training to get good.
warmly
ej
....Angie on January 5th, 2021 7:24 am
Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ve never met Amber or had an experience with her…but, I had a similar experience at a retreat in Australia in 2016 with JP and his friends the Eisenman brothers.
I still feel icky when thinking about them and the experience. Honestly, it has made me sick to see JP gain so much online notoriety when I know from personal experience what a narcissistic creep he is.
There were several issues that I noticed with false advertising when I arrived at the retreat. I was told that I would have a shared cabin with one other woman…but, when I got to the place I was put in a small one room cabin with bunk/twin beds with 4 other women. 5 of us were expected to share one bathroom. (I ended up going to the facility directly and paying extra to have my own room)
We were also promised all meals included…I will say most of the meals were delicious…but, it was a skimpy breakfast and no coffee in sight. We were at a retreat center with no cars and almost an hour away from the closest town. So, it’s not like we could just run out and get what we needed. I would’ve been okay going without…except for the fact that JP and the Eisenman’s knew this and had food and coffee in their own cabins and would come out in the morning and prance around with their coffee mugs steaming knowing that no one else had a way to get coffee. Nor, did they offer to share. On the second morning I asked JP where he got his coffee and if I could have a cup. He said that they made it special in their cabin for them only. Mind you…I was a guest that had paid them to be there!
On the third morning several of the attendees and I called a cab to go into town for breakfast and coffee. When we returned we were chastised for leaving the area and breaking the sacred circle. It was so weird…like some kind of a mind control thing they were doing with us.
But, really those were very minor issues that I only bring up because they play into the bigger picture.
The biggest issue was how they
used the retreat to prey on the young women that looked up to them. It was creepy and predatory. Most of the attendees were pretty young women in their 20’s that looked up to them. It got so bad that the girls would go back to the cabins at night and fight with each other over who was getting the most attention from them. JP and the Eisenmans knew this and continued to stoke the fire to stoke their egos.
I ended up calling them out on it…because their whole thing was radical honesty. But, they couldn’t stand somebody being radically honest with them.
When I discussed it with JP…he told me that my problem was that I was too smart. I’m not even sure what that has to do with the issue…but, that’s what he said.
Later, in front of the group he called me out and said that I was obviously jealous because I was older and not getting attention from them the way the younger women were. (I was 40 at the time and one of the older people there) The next morning…they had Diana, Daniel Eisenman’s wife (now ex) come talk to me. She said that they had all discussed my concerns and were convinced that I was jealous and that I needed to work on my problem of jealousy with younger women. I can assure you that nothing was further from the truth. I made several great friendships with the women there that we still maintain years later.
So many other things that came up wit them…but, I guess I will stop sharing now. I just felt like I had to comment. Your experience with Amber resonated with me and I am not at all surprised the two of them ended up together.
I have no regrets about attending the retreat or the time I spent in Australia. I met some great people and learned some lessons about how fake and gross some of these online influencers can be. I feel like the experience helped me grow…and I am much better at recognizing these people for what they are now.
Thanks for sharing your story. More people need to know the truth.
