The Trust Drought: Feel like most of what you see online is BS? Same. Here’s some real talk.

There’s a reason trust is so low online right now—especially in the coaching and personal development space. And I don’t need to spell out why, do I?

You’re seeing the same things I am:

• the overnight-success coaches that keep popping up
• the ones claiming to make six-figures a month working three minutes a day
• copy-and-paste websites pushing magic-bullet strategies to 'make money online' in your pajamas 

A quick scroll through social media says we’re doing it wrong if we’re making any sacrifices and not working 52-second days in our pajamas, ideally from the beach while our kids build sandcastles.

Funny, I don’t smell the ocean... I smell BS.

It’s not that you’re cynical. You want to believe in people. You just don’t want to be duped, and you don’t want to waste your time, your money, or your energy. You want to avoid the knee-deep BS that seems to be all over the interwebs—coming from both well-meaning and not-so-well-intentioned people—so you’ve decided all of it is nonsense. 

That’s the trust drought.

Why it matters

Maybe you are someone who wants more—more income, more freedom, more fulfillment—and you’ve flirted with the idea of building something of your own. Maybe you’ve even considered investing in someone or something to help you do it.

But maybe not.

Maybe you’re just minding your own damn business, but you keep scrolling into yet another post about a “new coaching biz.” Then your neighbor suddenly “helps women scale.” And your old coworker starts promising financial freedom in 90 days if you just follow her 3-step system.

And you're like…

Wait. You were broke and unhappy three weeks ago, and now you’re a Millionaire Mentor helping women unleash their inner unicorn so they can spend 27 hours a day with their kids and never get out of their pajamas?

Every day there’s a new secret formula. A new overnight success story. A new woman declaring she can help you transform because she made a Canva graphic and said something about “alignment.”

And listen, I’m not knocking the dream, or the industry. I’m genuinely cheering for every woman who has the courage to go for something! But… it’s out of hand.

It’s time for some real talk, y’all. Because even if you’re not buying this stuff—or even looking for a coach, mentor, or program—you’re still watching it. And the more of it you see, the more it quietly shapes what you believe is (or isn’t) possible—for everyone, including YOU.

All of the nonsense is making women feel like the life they want isn’t actually real or possible. Like it’s all fake. However well-meant it is (and some of it truly is), the BS is so thick we’re starting to drown in it. It’s causing doubt, discouragement, and disbelief in the very women it’s meant to inspire.

Not just for the women trying to build something—but for the women trying to believe in something.

So yeah, it matters. So let’s talk about it.

Real business vs the Everyone-preneur

A lot of what you’re seeing online right now—especially on social media—about income and freedom isn’t about business, regardless of what kind of -preneur their bio says they are. In a real business, posting on social media (aka marketing) is just one part of the equation. There’s also fulfillment. Delivery. Real businesses deliver real products or services to real customers. If that’s not happening, it’s not a business "opportunity."

And most of us can feel that in our gut, right? Our internal BS radar starts beeping the second we land on those posts. But the more often we see it, the more we start to doubt ourselves. And the more it spreads, the harder it becomes for people doing real work, in real businesses, to earn trust.

That’s the trust drought.

*Quick side note on affiliate marketing: Affiliate marketing is a great model—when it’s legit. Here’s what AM looks like: You genuinely love a product or service. You share it. You earn a small commission from the company that delivers it. Everyone wins. But what’s happening a lot right now? People are “affiliating” funnels that just sell the same funnel… to the next person… who sells it to the next. No real offer. No product. And definitely no real transformation—for anyone. Just a chain of people reselling the same website.

And what about all these “coaches”?

Umkay, and let’s just say the next thing: what’s with all these “coaches”?! At this point we’ve all seen someone go from burned-out employee or stay-at-home-mom to “empowerment coach” in a month. Suddenly, everyone with an internet connection and an IG handle is a “coach” selling the path to financial freedom and self-love.

And now, with AI, they can sound polished and insightful, without any actual expertise. On the internet, the “coaches” mostly all sound the same. But in real life, you’d know the difference in 15 seconds (that’s generous—probably less).

My journey into coaching went something like this:

I spent three years in a mastery training program, studying under a licensed psycho-somatic therapist and earning coaching certifications. Over the last few years, I’ve worked with around 100 individuals—in intensives, private sessions, and programs—learning how to help women create the internal shifts they need to get the external results they want. Transformation isn’t an IG buzzword to me. It’s a skillset—grounded in science and psychology, artfully refined by working with real people.

Before I ever coached a single client for a fee, I walked my talk. During the three years I spent learning the art and science of transformational coaching, I met with my own coach weekly and did my own transformational work.

And before that—almost a decade before—I left corporate to create more income and more freedom for myself and my family. I built a six-figure business that’s still thriving today. I created the result I now help other women achieve before I ever offered to help them do it.

And I share all that because—you probably didn’t know it. How or why would you? In general, I sound a lot like every other coach out there, including the ones who started “coaching” yesterday, after they completed a course on how to help other people start building the same business they’re still trying to build.

Some coaches are legit. Some are amazing. And some aren’t.

Eventually, the cream usually rises to the top, as they say. But in the meantime, if you genuinely want to change your life and create more of something meaningful to you, you’ve got a thousand voices shouting for your attention, and no real way to tell what's real and what's fake, or enough hours in the day to sort through it all.

That’s the trust drought.

The Strategy Trap

Now let’s talk about yet another reason it’s so hard to trust online right now. 

Once upon a time, you bought a strategy—a course, a program, whatever—from someone who seemed legit. You followed the steps. And… it didn’t work. Or maybe it kind of worked a little—but nowhere near what you hoped.

So now you’re wondering: Was the whole damn thing a scam?

Here’s the truth: It might have been a fine strategy. It might have even been a great strategy. But even the best strategy can only take you as far as your internal wiring will allow.

Most women aren’t stuck because they don’t know how. They’re stuck because of their internal patterns and blocks still running the show behind the scenes—internal wiring that limits their results no matter what strategy they use.

There’s no shortage of (great) plans, templates, or formulas to follow. We’ve got more “how-to” content than we know what to do with. You don’t need more information.

You need to see what’s actually driving your choices, reactions, and hesitations—your old fears, patterns, habits, and stories about what’s safe or possible for you. 

Once you shift that stuff, things change. Your results change. For real, and for good. That’s the kind of work (way) more people need, and that’s exactly what a good coach can help you do.

So what’s an ambitious but stuck gal to do?

If you’re nodding along like, “Yep. It’s mostly BS out there”— Guess what? I think you’re right. I agree. 

And to be clear, I’m not playing holier-than-thou here. I’ve fallen for some of this stuff too! That’s exactly why I’m naming it now. Smart women, full of potential and desperate for change, fall into these dark holes, and so many of them (who are less hard-headed than me) never come back out. They give up.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." —Them

They’re ashamed, so they hide. And settle.

So here’s the whole point of all of this: Don’t shut down.

Don’t decide everything is a scam and give up on the hope that real paths, and real support, exist that will take you where you want to go. Don’t give up on your dream! Don’t decide it’s not possible because there are so many places to trip and fall along the way.

So… where do you go from here?

Stop tripping over the BS and start trusting your gut. If something feels scammy, cheesy, or just off—scroll on. Ignore it, and stop making it mean anything about the legit offers and coaches out there, or your ability to find who and what you need to build your dream. There will always be scams, crappy strategies, and unqualified coaches. Don’t let that shape what you believe is possible.

And when something (or someone) does feel aligned, exciting, or full of potential? Screw the "Must Buy Today" sale, if you're not all in yet, and hit follow or subscribe. Stick around awhile. Watch how they show up. 

• Do they post content that makes you think, reflect, or shift?
• Do they have depth?
• Are they offering original thoughts, not just repackaged language?

Ever since the internet was created, for some reason, it’s been confusing us. But here’s the simple truth: It works the same online as it does offline. Take the same approach online that you would in real life. Spend time getting to know someone. You can…

Listen to their podcast.
Read their blog.
Visit their website.
Check their credentials. They don’t need to be a PhD, but do they have some training?

Ask questions, feel it out. Chat with them. Yes, you can do that online, too. Send a DM. Start a convo. Do they give you the yuck? Do they pitch you within 5 seconds?

Cool. Unfollow. Block if needed. Move on.

The trust drought exists because there’s a lot of BS out there. But that’s not new.  What’s new is how we’re behaving online. We’re wasting our time thinking about magic solutions that wouldn’t pass the sniff test in real life.

And here’s the inspiring and totally grounded truth:

We know more about the brain, and creating real and lasting change, now than ever before. We understand how transformation actually happens—how to rewire the internal patterns and programs that keep us stuck, creating the same limited results over and over again.

That knowledge isn’t just for scientists and doctors anymore. It’s been translated and made accessible, and it’s being brought into coaching and personal development in powerful, practical ways.

That’s where the “magic” happens. Where the art and science of transformation meet real work.

There are coaches who are true professionals. There are programs with real depth and guidance. There are people who can help you make the changes you’re craving. You just have to be willing to wade through the crap to find them.

Yeah, I know, it’s exhausting and frustrating. But it’s worth it. Because your dream is worth it.

Your dream—the life you really want—isn’t crazy. And there's a whole lot of women already living their version of it. All of it is possible and available for you, too—through real, internal change.

That’s the point.

Not everything is garbage. Yeah, a lot of it is. And you don’t have to pretend otherwise. (I don’t anymore.)

So move forward, eyes wide open, but heart wide open, too. Don’t close down.

It’s worth the risk. Promise.

Sending you so much love, light, and fire,
–Ali