W5 Investigation Examines Liana Shanti Cult Allegations and $56 Million Defamation Award A five-part CTV News W5 series examines self-described spiritual teacher Liana Shanti, her fabricated credentials, financial manipulation, and a $56 million defamation judgment won by three Canadians. CTV News W5 has published a five-part investigation titled Fake Filtered Cult Leader examining self-described spiritual teacher Liana Shanti, whose online presence attracted followers worldwide. The final installment, published November 7, 2026, features W5 host Avery Haines speaking with former students about how they were convinced false memories of sexual abuse were true. Reports detail how an online persona concealed a criminal history and fabricated credentials while building a global following. The reporting describes a self-described spiritual instructor, convicted felon for concealment of bankruptcy assets, and the losing defendant in one of the largest civil damage awards in Hawaii history.There are many things Liana Shanti is not. She is not, as she claimed in the past, a certified clinical nutritionist. She does not have a doctorate. Some claims are harder to disprove, but questionable, including her claim of being psychic.It is also hard to prove she had a visitation from Jesus when she was two years old. Liana Shanti is not even Liana Shanti. Her real name is Liane Wilson. Shanti is a self-described spiritual instructor, a convicted felon for concealment of bankruptcy assets, and the losing defendant in one of the largest civil damage awards in Hawaii history.Shanti Attracts Followers With WellnessQuestions remain over whether she is a cult leader. Recruitment began with juice cleanses. Shanti attracted followers by preaching detoxes, wellness and veganism. She also sold illuminations, described as astrological forecasts that helped followers navigate their lives.Students were encouraged to listen to Shanti audio recordings on repeat, even while sleeping, according to Liverpool-based cult expert Kacey Baker. For some, they did lose a bit of weight and they did feel revitalized, says Baker, who interviewed more than 30 people including ex-followers for an 11-part podcast called The Instascammer. And it is that initial success that I think may encourage an individual to maybe take the next program, she says.Shanti sessions and courses cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. One mentorship program costs US$111,000. Some students turned to Shanti for advice on marriages, parenting and business, sharing personal details in online chats while Shanti urged them to sign up for more sessions and programs. It almost feels like a dangling-carrot situation where you just have to keep going one step further to get closer to that goal, Baker says.Members excitedly posted about next sessions they were attending. Those who did not were looked down on. People took out loans, went into credit card debt and borrowed money from friends to pay for programs. When students exited the community, some found those conversations were not so secret.Shanti Faces Major Legal Defamation CaseIn August, a jury awarded C$56 million in damages to three Canadians whom Shanti defamed online by calling them pedo supporters, Satanists and child abusers. Shanti says she plans to appeal. These online attacks, filled with explicit details about former followers and their loved ones, including their children, functioned as a way to keep others in line, Baker says.If it happens to somebody in front of you and you think, Oh my goodness, I do not want that to happen to me, that is another way you can be trapped within the group, Baker says. Shanti has described herself as a psychic and a medium, though she backed away from the term in court. I would not call it psychic at all, because psychic implies that there is a future, she testified.Psychic implies that you believe in the time construct, versus if you are able to tap into the now, kind of like in The Matrix, if you are able to just access what is there, it is already there. In court, she claimed to have had a visitation from Jesus in the past. Former follower Amanda Brady says Shanti claim about Jesus had a profound effect.So now we all believe that if we do not stick with her, we are not ascending. We are not getting off this planet. We literally will lose our soul, she says. Baker says former members told her that Shanti claims to be in communication with Jesus since the age of two.Sessions Confirmed Sexual Abuse PastFormer followers said she hosted hours-long Q&A sessions, allowing them to tap into her psychic powers. According to reporting, she used those claimed abilities to confirm sexual abuse in followers pasts. Shanti rewarded certain deeply invested followers with new names, a tactic Baker says can serve to fully embed people into cults. One of the very last pieces of that individual that a leader can take away is their name, Baker says.You are then totalistically within the cult. For Amanda Brady, there is no doubt. She says Shanti is absolutely a cult leader. That is my firm belief, says Brady, who left the group after what she says was a heavy financial and emotional cost.The reporting highlights the profound impact on personal lives and mental health of former members. In court, Shanti said she is not a cult leader, because to be a cult leader you have to exercise coercive control with a known outcome. I literally teach the exact opposite, she said. She added, I have never heard of any cult leader that does not even meet any of the people in their supposed cult.Internet Expanded Reach For Cult LeadersThey are usually gathering together. Perhaps that was true in the past. But the internet has dramatically expanded opportunities for cult leaders, Baker says. Shanti allegedly convinced dozens of Canadians to move to Florida, claiming Canada was unsafe.Brady moved to Florida after she says Shanti convinced her that Canada was dangerous. Baker says the dynamics keep individuals trapped by making the consequences of exit seem catastrophic. Psychic claims were used to deepen dependency. Brady says the belief system convinced members they would lose their souls if they did not remain with Shanti.The W5 investigation concludes by emphasizing the importance of verifying credentials of spiritual leaders. The case is a reminder of how online personas can mask criminal histories and exploit vulnerable individuals seeking guidance and community. The reporting says you can be recruited from your bathtub, underscoring how the internet has expanded the reach of such groups.