I’m a labor journalist working on an article about career coaches who position themselves as social influencers — the ones who charge $500-$1,500+, post photos of their expensive vacations and luxury purchases, manufacture scarcity (“only 2 spots left”), and use shame-based marketing to close the deal.

I’ve had some great conversations over the past week, but I’m still looking for people who specifically dealt with these influencer-type coaches — the ones constantly posting videos, flexing their lifestyle, telling you your resume is “HORRIBLE” or “you’re doing it all wrong” or “most of you will still be jobless in a year” while peddling a premium package.

I’m looking to talk with people who:

• Were drawn in by a coach’s posh lifestyle content, relatable demeanor, or “success story” posts
• Paid $500+ for coaching and felt it wasn’t worth the money
• Received generic advice (optimize your LinkedIn, use ChatGPT, shorten your answers) that didn’t justify the price
• Felt shamed or pressured into buying (“invest in yourself,” “one day you’ll get tired of being tired”)
• Watched the coach post constantly but go silent when you needed actual help
• Noticed the coach seemed more interested in collecting testimonials and creating viral content than helping you

Happy to keep things completely anonymous. Comment or DM me if this sounds familiar.