Episodes

  • Introducing Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment

    Introducing Guru: The Dark Side of Enlightenment
    Jun 15 2020
    A search for spiritual guidance leads a group of strangers to seek help from a self-help guru. He’s part of a growing number of entrepreneurs giving workshops and seminars all over the US in the 2000s. His unorthodox methods and blend of self-improvement philosophies and economic advice have won praise from Oprah and others. His career seems to be taking off, but his ever more extreme methods push his pupils to their limits. What are they seeking? What does he offer? And what happens when it all goes too far, and people die. Listen on Apple Podcasts starting July 1st. Available exclusively on Wondery+ or on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or Amazon Music Unlimited subscription.
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    2 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Spiritual Warriors | 1

    Spiritual Warriors | 1
    Jul 1 2020
    Ginny and her daughter Kirby attend an event featuring self-help superstar James Arthur Ray. Ginny has some concerns about him, but Kirby is drawn in. She spends her life savings to travel for a week-long event in the desert. But when things turn deadly, Ginny is left to figure out what went wrong.
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    34 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Black Bags | 2

    Black Bags | 2
    Jul 1 2020
    Eight rounds. Scalding fire rocks. Oppressive heat. What happened to Kirby and the other participants at “Spiritual Warrior”?
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    33 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • James’ Good Story | 3

    James’ Good Story | 3
    Jul 3 2020
    When Detective Ross Diskin first arrives in Angel Valley in Sedona, he wonders if what he’s seeing is the result of a mass suicide . Now, his search for answers will take him from Angel Valley into James’ history. And it will lead him back to one particularly famous talk show host.
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    37 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • “Remember, You Must Die” | 4

    “Remember, You Must Die” | 4
    Jul 8 2020
    Ginny flies to Arizona seeking justice. But will a jury decide what happened in Angel Valley was an accident or a crime? Binge ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/guru Support the show by supporting our sponsors!
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    35 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • The Business of Redemption | 6

    The Business of Redemption | 6
    Jul 22 2020
    Ginny gets an unwelcome interruption before Thanksgiving. And a fan of James Ray’s faces a stark choice.
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    31 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Seeking Safe Self-Help | 7

    Seeking Safe Self-Help | 7
    Jul 29 2020
    Matt Stroud, Ginny Brown and Laura Tucker sit down with Laura Beil, host of Dr. Death and Bad Batch, for a live Q&A at the GURU virtual listening premiere.
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    37 mins
    Free with 30-day trial
  • Cult Buster | 8

    Cult Buster | 8
    Aug 5 2020
    Matt Stroud speaks with cult expert Rick Ross about his controversial “cult busting” career and how it led to his involvement in the James Arthur Ray case.
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    37 mins
    Free with 30-day trial