09/27/2026
Such a worthwhile read for those in the ‘wellness’ realms.
Deconstructing Hierarchical Systems In Spiritual & Wellness Culture
I want to highlight something Heather Plett wrote on Substack, in response to a comment I put on one of her posts. Her essay about yet another fallen guru (Francis Weller) is called "Our leaders will continue to abuse power if we uphold systems that allow them to. Reflections after another spiritual teacher has been accused of sexual misconduct." You might know Heather for her viral blog post from 2015 "What it means to “hold space” for people, plus eight tips on how to do it well," which is how I learned about Heather's work. Since then, we've had some back and forth dialogue about holding space, the responsibility of leaders who take on that harrowing and holy task, and how to respond to what's happening now.
I want more people to read her fantastic Substack essay, so here's Heather:
In a recent post, I referenced the work of two people whose work I have long admired, Francis Weller and Malidoma Somé. I have since learned that both men have been accused of sexual misconduct by women who were their students.
I have never studied with or met either of these men, and I don’t know the women involved, so I can’t speak to the specifics. Others who’ve had more direct contact are writing from that perspective (specifically related to Francis Weller), and I will leave it to them to grapple with what needs to be done to support the women, make repairs in the community, and hold leadership accountable.
I will say, though, that I am saddened and frustrated that, once again, we’ve seen a person in a position of influence in the spirituality/healing spaces abuse the power they attained in those spaces. It’s happened with alarming frequency that someone whose work I’ve referenced has been accused of abusing power (usually related to sexual misconduct) and I have to wrestle with whether to continue referencing their work. Because I believe in centering the victims first and foremost, I usually err on the side of caution and refrain from referencing them.
Yesterday, I wrote this comment on a post that Lissa Rankin wrote about Weller:
Much as I did in the wake of the revelations around Deepak Chopra and the Epstein files, I keep asking myself what we’re doing wrong in this industry and how we can build it better for the future. One of the things I come back to again and again is that when we build hierarchical structures that concentrate the power in one person, we are building potential for abuse of power into the system. We, in the spirituality/wellness/personal development spaces need to start modelling other structures and accountability systems that are more matriarchal in nature.
Lissa’s response was this:
We’ve been talking about creating circles of teaching or circles of accountability and circles of wisdom, but it’s really hard! When I try to take myself off the stage and center the circle, people often just stare at me, waiting for me to tell them what to do. I’d love to be part of a non-hierarchical circle, but the only way that’s actually worked for me is in my mastermind, where we’re all leaders and we take turns leading. If you have any good ideas, I’d love to hear them!
Yes Lissa, I have ideas. As a systems thinker who’s spent years in leadership in both government and non-profit, who’s written two books and taught workshops worldwide, who’s developed leadership training programs meant to disrupt old leadership paradigms and build new ones, who has first-hand experience of sexual abuse and other abuses of power, and who intentionally gave up half her intellectual property and entered into a partnership when building a global training business, I’ve spent a LOT of time thinking about this. I’ve also spent many hours wrestling with these ideas with Krista, my business partner, in order to build a business differently than what we’ve seen modelled for us in this industry. (You can see some of those conversations on our Coffee Break series on YouTube.)
I believe that it’s time for us, who are leaders in this field (writers, teachers, influencers, organizational leaders, activists, etc.), to put our money where our mouths are and to co-create systems and cultures that don’t bake the abuse of power directly into the system. It’s not enough to simply critique those who abuse power and then fall back into the same systems that will allow it to happen over and over again.
*You can read the rest and join the conversation on Heather's Substack. I'll post the link in the comments below.
