154: Exposing the Dark Side: Web Celebs, Trust Deficits & Marketing That Doesn't Suck with Dr. Michelle Mazur
Tue Feb 03 2026
Mari welcomes Dr. Michelle Mazur - messaging strategist with a Ph.D. in Communication, corporate marketing experience with Microsoft and Burt's Bees, author of 3 Word Rebellion, TEDx speaker, and co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business - to expose the predatory practices destroying trust in the coaching and marketing industry.
After being duped herself (hello, $10k lesson), Mari found Michelle's podcast and finally felt seen. They dive into the biggest red flags to watch for: income claims without context, "experts" who are only 10% ahead of you, manipulative scarcity tactics, and the "one right way" promises. Michelle explains how "web celebs" weaponize parasocial relationships (you know their kids' names but they just want your credit card), why hot seat coaching with strangers you don't trust breaks everything, and the crucial difference between agitating pain points versus empathizing with real problems. Plus, Michelle breaks down her three marketing models based on business type (spoiler: if you're selling $50K contracts, you don't need Instagram), shares Seth Godin's definition of marketing as "the generous act of solving someone's problem," and explains how Expert Up Club's non-prescriptive approach differs from the guru model. The bar for trustworthiness is in hell - just do what you say you're going to do.
Link to Market Like an Expert: https://drmichellemazur.com/mari
Duped Podcast: https://duped.online
Website: https://drmichellemazur.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellemazur
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Mari welcomes Dr. Michelle Mazur - messaging strategist with a Ph.D. in Communication, corporate marketing experience with Microsoft and Burt's Bees, author of 3 Word Rebellion, TEDx speaker, and co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business - to expose the predatory practices destroying trust in the coaching and marketing industry. After being duped herself (hello, $10k lesson), Mari found Michelle's podcast and finally felt seen. They dive into the biggest red flags to watch for: income claims without context, "experts" who are only 10% ahead of you, manipulative scarcity tactics, and the "one right way" promises. Michelle explains how "web celebs" weaponize parasocial relationships (you know their kids' names but they just want your credit card), why hot seat coaching with strangers you don't trust breaks everything, and the crucial difference between agitating pain points versus empathizing with real problems. Plus, Michelle breaks down her three marketing models based on business type (spoiler: if you're selling $50K contracts, you don't need Instagram), shares Seth Godin's definition of marketing as "the generous act of solving someone's problem," and explains how Expert Up Club's non-prescriptive approach differs from the guru model. The bar for trustworthiness is in hell - just do what you say you're going to do. Link to Market Like an Expert: https://drmichellemazur.com/mari Duped Podcast: https://duped.online Website: https://drmichellemazur.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmichellemazur