Love & Liberate

Guru Culture Exposed: Power, Pedestals & How to Reclaim Your Own Inner Teacher

Emilie Iris

In this episode of Love & Liberate, Emilie explores the rise of guru culture: the glorification of coaches, teachers, therapists, and spiritual leaders as saviors instead of fellow humans. With raw honesty and personal experience she unpacks the risks of putting people on pedestals, the commodification of spirituality, and the cost of outsourcing our truth.

Instead of looking outward, Emilie invites you back to your own body, emotions, and lived experience as the true source of guidance. She reflects on her own tension as a coach who refuses to be anyone’s guru, and offers a vision of interdependence, humility, and embodied truth.

We explore:

  • How guru culture shows up in spirituality, coaching & therapy
  • The harm of outsourcing authority and truth
  • Spirituality as a commodity in a capitalist system
  • Emotions as portals for transformation, not distractions
  • The body as the sacred meeting point of the physical & spiritual
  • Why “fallibility” and mistakes are essential for growth
  • Healthy guidance vs. codependent teacher-student dynamics
  • Questions to ask yourself about your relationship to teachers and coaches

While listening, reflect on:

  • Who have I put on a pedestal in my life?
  • Where have I outsourced my truth or authority?
  • Do I feel equal to the teachers or guides in my life?
  • What would it look like to trust my own body and truth more deeply?

New episodes on Wednesdays
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Instagram: @by.emilieiris
Substack: emilieiris.substack.com
Website: emilieiris.com

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🎧 Here's to love and liberating, one heart at a time.