Jodi Hildebrandt's Manipulation: A Former Client's Perspective on 'Evil Influencer'

The Netflix Documentary 'Evil Influencer'

• 🎯 The documentary "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story" shifts focus from Ruby Franke to Jodi Hildebrandt, a life coach accused of child abuse and manipulation.
• 🔍 The film explores how Hildebrandt allegedly gained influence, isolated Franke, and created an environment conducive to abuse within her home.
• 🎬 Directed by Sky Borgman, the documentary traces Hildebrandt's rise, interviewing former clients who describe her methods of isolation and using religious guilt.

Jodi Hildebrandt's Counseling Methods

• 💡 Stephanie Collins, a former client, details her experience with Hildebrandt starting in December 2018, initially recommended by her LDS bishop.
• 🗣️ Hildebrandt presented herself as charismatic and having all the answers, quickly taking Stephanie's side against her husband, which initially felt validating.
• 👥 Sessions included individual and group meetings, introducing concepts like boundaries and codependence, but later devolved into public shaming and aggressive calling out of members for not meeting specific tracking standards.
• 📞 A requirement to make daily phone calls to group members to discuss triggers became time-consuming and uncomfortable, especially when asked to publicly confront another member.

Impact on Relationships and Personal Life

• 💔 Hildebrandt encouraged Stephanie to stay with her husband, labeling him as "living in truth" and even encouraging Stephanie to be with him despite her reservations, leading to arguments during sessions.
• 🚫 Stephanie stopped seeing Hildebrandt in the summer of 2019, feeling she was no longer benefiting and that Hildebrandt wasn't supporting her decisions, leading to accusations of being a "control addict."
• 😔 The revelation of Ruby Franke's arrest in 2023 was shocking but not surprising to Stephanie, feeling it was validating to see others acknowledge something was off about Hildebrandt.

Hildebrandt's Alleged Continued Patterns

• ⛓️ The documentary director alleges that even in prison, Hildebrandt reportedly continues to form small groups and counsel other inmates.
• 🧠 Stephanie believes this is consistent with Hildebrandt's personality, suggesting she is delusional and unable to accept responsibility, which would dismantle her sense of self.

Systemic Issues and the Mormon Community

• ⛪ Stephanie points to a problem with therapy, particularly in Utah's Mormon community, where trust is often based on church membership status.
• 📈 Hildebrandt leveraged her influence within the church, reportedly seeking to integrate her methods into broader church doctrines, which scared Stephanie due to the church's significant influence.
• ⚖️ The system, including licensed therapists and the church's trust in individuals like Hildebrandt, is questioned for failing to prevent the abuse.

Aftermath and Moving Forward

• 💔 The Frankie family has seen significant personal milestones, including Ruby and Kevin's divorce finalization, Kevin gaining full custody, and his remarriage.
• 📝 Ruby's daughter, Sherry, has written a memoir, and son Chad also got married, indicating efforts to move forward.
• 🌱 Stephanie worries about the abused children but is happy for the older Frankie family members who are healing and moving forward.
• 💡 Stephanie feels her experience, though less drastic than others, helped her learn to identify manipulative behavior and trust her own intuition.
• 🎬 Stephanie met with Netflix multiple times for the documentary but was not included, possibly because her experience was not typical of the extreme abuse cases highlighted.