Taryn S.

Summary - nice people, still figuring out how to run a quality program, and are not open to constructive feedback.

What you pay: Monthly $1075USD for 4 months. + an optional $2500USD retreat (the first $500 required for enrollment in the program)

What I learned:

Storytelling (structure, character development, plot arcs, pacing)
This is all available online, or you could buy The High Vibe Hero's Journey for about $15 on amazon.

Spirituality (astrology, psychic information)
Most of the content around spiritual healing, astrology and psychic information is also available online for free if you follow Emily and KristaLyn on their social media or listen to their podcast.

The Mighty Networks private social platform
Their support in the Mighty Networks group offered optional writing prompts, weekly check-ins, and cheerleading. At no point was any form of constructive feedback welcome.

One hour-long Zoom Meetings required mic's off and the chat feature was open (first 2 months 2x/week - a lesson and a Q&A, second two months 1x/week for a Q&A)
The 8 lessons covered content that is available for free elsewhere.
The 16 Q&As were a space for us to ask questions, but the facilitation of them could be improved. Unless our questions were directly related to writing there were left unanswered (left unaddressed in the chat, or dismissed), and our questions about writing were often pushed aside as a "second draft problem" or to "YouTube it" for help (ie how to write an action scene). Not a single Q&A ran for the full hour. They claimed to be "giving us our writing time back." A Q&A of this price tier should include discussion prompting questions from the facilitators, not just an open-ended "how are you doing this week?" or repeating our discussions from the private social media group.

There was also a writing retreat. I didn't attend it because the additional $2000USD was not feasible for me. They initially promised a 4-day retreat, with most meals included, including a workshop a shopping trip and writing sprints. Two months later, when they needed to have an attendance list, the retreat was a travel day (check-in at 4 pm), 2 full days where only breakfast was included, and check-out was early on the fourth day. You also were required to pay for your own travel fees. I couldn't justify these cutbacks without a reduced price tag.

In addition, the retreat - which I paid the $500 deposit for, could have easily been more inclusive via zoom. The attendees were "gifted" a blanket, a bag of custom-blended coffee grounds, and a glass dip pen with ink. Virtual attendees like myself also paid the $500 deposit and received a custom-blended bag of coffee, and a glass dip pen (no ink). One might argue that part of the deposit was to book my accommodation at the BnB where the retreat was to take place, but given that the date that I let them know that I was not going to be attending the retreat was well before the BnB's cancellation policy that doesn't track. In short, I paid $500 for a glass dip pen and some coffee - which I don't even drink (but no alternative "gift" was offered).

The best part:
Included in the course materials were pre-recorded guided channelled meditations that would activate different aspects of writing for you. I found these to be the most helpful and wish I could continue to use them for future projects. However, they've rescinded access to those with the conclusion of the course, claiming that it is their intellectual property. Sure, that sounds legit, until you realize that you can buy a song for $0.99 to listen to forever, or any book you can buy to read as much as you'd like.

In conclusion:
These two are wonderful humans, trying to offer a unique program incorporating their spiritual gifts and writing. The program simply costs too much and gives too little exclusive content.

Their Defense:
Some members of the group and I reached out to Emily and KristaLyn with our concerns and a request for a partial refund. We were stonewalled, they refused to offer a refund (unsurprising), but also were dismissive of our constructive feedback. They claim that their price point is more than fair and cited several other comparable writing programs. When looking into those writing programs, they all had numerous reviews stating that the attendees felt outright scammed. If you're comparing your program to another and claiming yours is better... maybe make sure you're not making the same mistakes as they are?