Guru explores the underbelly of the self-help industry, focusing on one man in particular: James Arthur Ray. Ray was a figure larger than life, who Oprah even endorsed, before three people died while on his retreat. The mother of one of the victims comes on the podcast to describe how her late daughter, Kirby Brown, was lured in by Ray's promise to help her find purpose in life. Ginny Brown, Kirby's mother, tells how Ray started off slowly to gain followers' trust and eventually got them to perform dangerous tasks. The podcast leaves the listener with a question: what qualifies someone as a self-help guru? And are these gurus responsible for what happens to their followers?
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