Paved with Good Intentions - THE INSTASCAMMER (Liana Shanti) Ep 2

This episode is about the moment wellness stopped being a personal journey and became a system.

By 2017 the community wasn’t just detoxing together — it had a professional-looking certification programme, the Health Mastery Institute (HMI), with tuition ranging from three to six thousand dollars and the promise of a career and a title: holistic health coach. We look at how a following was turned into a structure, and who it was designed to appeal to.

Sources & credits:
A short excerpt of Liana Shanti’s own publicly published recording is used as her own words for the purpose of criticism, comment and review under fair dealing (UK) / fair use (US), credited below.

• Archive from Liana Shanti, Deep Throat: And By That I Mean Throat Chakra (“Episode Six”), 2023.

About this series:
THE INSTASCAMMER is an 11-part investigative audio documentary from The Cult Vault podcast into Liana Shanti (legal name Liane Wilson), the online wellness figure behind HMI Wellness, the Health Mastery Institute and Life Mastery Network. Built on court records, documents, recordings, former members, experts and the families affected, the series traces how a juice-cleanse following became a coaching business and a closed community. Hosted and produced by Kacey Baker, Vault Productions.

Have you experienced something like this?

Support & resources:
If anything in this episode resonates with your own experience, you are not alone, and help is available.

• Recovering from a cult or coercive group: R.A.I.S.E. CIC (UK) — cultic-abuse support and peer-led recovery — recoverautonomy.org.

• Internationally: the International Cultic Studies Association — internationalculticstudies.org, hello@internationalculticstudies.org.

• If you’ve lost a loved one to a cult or coercion: The Family Survival Trust (UK) — thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/support.

• Childhood or sexual abuse: US — RAINN, 1-800-656-4673 (24/7). UK — NAPAC, 0808
801 0331.

• In emotional distress or crisis (including suicidal thoughts): UK & ROI — Samaritans,
free on 116 123, 24/7. US — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, call or text 988, 24/7.

• Domestic abuse or coercive control: UK — National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge),
0808 2000 247, 24/7. US — National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233.

(If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number.)

Verification & evidence:
Much of what is described in this series is supported by recordings, documents, court filings and public records. If you are a journalist, researcher, or someone personally affected and you would like to verify what you’ve heard, you can reach the production at cultvaultpodcast@gmail.com.

A note on names:
To protect the privacy and safety of contributors and their families, some names and identifying details have been changed. Where individuals appear under their real names, they have consented to do so.