Retaliatory Consequences for Speaking the Truth About John Friend & Anusara
As a result of speaking the truth about John Friend’s (“JF”) wrongdoing and disclosing the truth to the Anusara community about JF’s unwillingness to transfer power to the teachers, I have been retaliated against during the last five months as outlined below. I share my original resignation letter under duress of April 29, 2012 and this supplemental letter with updates with the public to provide important information to anyone who is interested in learning more about Anusara and/or John Friend from the perspective of one of his students and teachers for over 13 years.
May 8, 2012
I am deeply disheartened and stunned by what has transpired during the last three months in our community and during the last week since I submitted my resignation letter under duress. My community, I ask for you to stand with me, protest and demand that John Friend (“JF”), Anusara Inc. (“AY”) and Wendy Willtrout, (“WW”) Operations Manager of Anusara, legally and fully recognize me as a certified teacher and grant my certificate with no conditions. Further, please demand that AY inform the community of the complete truth about what is going on to safeguard each and every member of our community. Respectfully, Janet “J” Vecchia.
The following is my letter in response to WW letter of May 6, 2012.
Dear Wendy,
Retract Statements to Deny Anusara Certified Teacher Status
I am writing in response to your letter that I received on Sunday, May 6, 2012. I request that you recognize me with the legal status of an Anusara (“AY”) certified teacher in full and give me my AY certification certificate. In other words, I request that you retract your qualifications and conditions of giving me my AY certification certificate as expressed in your letter. The story regarding myself has significant and grave consequences to the entire AY community because it revolves around the legal authority and power of AY to provide certification status to teachers. Ironically, this is the crux of the battle that the Leadership Committee (“LC”) has been embroiled in with JF for months-trying to wrest control of the legal right to certify and license teachers. My story also illustrates JF & AY attempts to use its power to deny me certification status for speaking the truth.
I am genuinely grateful that AY has reconsidered its initial decision to deny me my certification certificate. As a result of my request for reconsideration and the support and outrage expressed by the AY teachers and community about the denial of my certificate, AY has agreed to grant me what I accomplished and paid for dearly. However, the conditions you place on my certificate result in it being a disingenuous act. Your veiled letter of apology states on behalf of AY that you have changed your decision and will grant me my certification certificate but you proclaim that AY does not recognize me as a certified yoga teacher and AY instructs me that I am not to refer to myself as a “former certified Anusara teacher.” This decision does not grant me my certificate that I earned. AY appears to take right action in your agreement to grant me my certificate, then AY misuses and abuses its power again by denying me the legal authority of a certified Anusara teacher. Rather, this decision reveals JF & AY pattern of lack of transparency and disingenuous and manipulative communication that has polluted our community.
AY Motivation for Denying My Certificate
Respectfully, we will have to agree to disagree about the reasons why AY initially chose to deny me my certification certificate. As a currently licensed (inactive) attorney who practiced employment law for over twenty years, I do not appreciate or condone the ill-advised legal advice you choose to act on to deny me my certificate in response to my compelled resignation. To be clear, I resigned under duress and in protest from AY due to the ultimatum of AY to pay dues and agree to terms of a nonexistent licensing agreement or have my license rescinded; and in protest regarding the scandal about John Friend and AY and the public disclosures about John Friend’s pattern of unethical behavior and repeated abuses of power, his failure to admit his wrongful actions and hold himself responsible and accountable for such actions. The fact that you consulted an attorney and informed me of the decision to deny me my certificate within one-two days of receiving my compelled resignation raises significant questions about the true motivations behind your swift actions. In contrast, I paid for my certification certificate during the second week in February and now, almost three months later, AY has failed to deliver it to me.
Further, AY deliberate action in denying me my certification certificate was completely lacking in integrity. Rather, it was petty, mean-spirited, vindictive and retaliatory. Or, as Ross Rayburn, a leader in AY and an integral person with the LC stated last week: “I agree with you
Anusara Document Concedes Certificate is a Diploma
Your position that “it is policy [of Ansuara Inc.] to send out certification certificates once all associated fees and dues have been paid and once the licensing agreement has been signed. Once these actions have taken place, only then is the teacher recognized as an Anusara yoga teacher and both certified and licensed.” These statements completely contradict the information in the Anusara certification application that I received. In the Certification Application, it clearly states that the certification “certificate is similar to a diploma that the teacher earns by completing all the certification requirements of Anusara Yoga. There is no language that certification is contingent on licensing. Again, we will have to agree to disagree on the legality of these actions. As an attorney, I am intrigued by the legal issues that unfold as a result of life experiences for all of us. The fact that AY makes certification contingent on the payment of dues and execution of a nonexistent licensing agreement raises some interesting and perhaps novel legal issues to examine and resolve if need be.
A Time of Exceptions for AY
I do wholeheartedly agree with you “that [Anusara Inc. is] in an unusual period of time with regards to the policies for Anusara yoga, this is truly a time of exception.” I am willing to make an exception to our usual policies and send you your certificate, Janet. I hope this makes you feel honored for the time and effort you put into the process of certification.” To be honest with you Wendy, how it makes me feel is AY is returning something that is legally mine and that was never AY to take-a certificate and status as an Anusara certified teacher that I achieved and rightfully own.
Also with regard to this being “truly a time of exception for Anusara,” please remember the exceptional circumstance that confronts AY is that there was no licensing agreement for me to sign in February when I accomplished my certification and there continues to be no licensing agreement for any teachers to sign. You hold tight to the fact that I did not sign a licensing agreement to deny legally recognizing me as a certified teacher but none existed. This is an absent and void condition that AY was incapable of enforcing.
I spent nine years of my life (from the time of my first teacher training until completion of my certification), and thousands of dollars to achieve Anusara certification status. In these exceptional times, there was no licensing agreement-therefore the only term I did not meet is payment of dues. Also, please remember that I resigned under protest and in response to the ultimatum that AY subjected to the teachers. This resignation under duress creates another exception why the enforcement of payment of dues is inappropriate. It is unconscionable and offensive given the debacle John Friend has created that you would place restrictions on my certificate, especially since the only plausible condition is further monetary gain to AY in payment of dues from the teachers.
Other exceptional circumstances resulting from the John Friend scandal are that: John Friend has stepped down from running the organization; he has not been teaching for three months and; he has allegedly agreed to set up a new separate school run by teachers but refuses to transfer any power to allow this to happen. These exceptional circumstances have greatly tainted and damaged the reputation of the brand name Anusara throughout the country and the world. Damage to the reputation of Anusara is also having significant adverse financial consequences for teachers everywhere.
Recognize Janet (“J”) Vecchia as a Legal AY Certified Teacher in Full
Your comments about the conditions of my certificate raise more questions for me. You provided me with the following examples limiting my speech of what I am not to say my certificate represents: “[p]lease be clear that you have not completed the requirements for certification that everyone else who has been certified has completed, since you did not pay the dues and intend to sign the license agreement, and therefore you are not and never were “certified” with Anusara yoga. Please do not hold yourself out as an Anusara yoga instructor, a former certified Anusara yoga instructor or advertise your classes and events as Anusara yoga. Please know that I make these last 2 statements for clarity and legality’s sake.” I disagree with your position again. On the one hand, you write to inform me that you will give me my certification certificate and on the other hand, announce that Anusara Inc. does not recognize me as a former certified teacher. You offer an olive branch that is in truth a bush of thorns. I had every intention of paying my Anusara dues and executing a licensing agreement when it was available for review prior to the John Friend scandal that erupted three months ago. But for the John Friend and Anusara Inc. scandal and ultimatum for teachers to pay dues or lose our license, I would have remained in Anusara Inc. and been a certified Anusara yoga teacher. Another novel intriguing legal issue is whether you can prohibit me from stating that I was a former “certified” Anusara yoga teacher. Your direction to not call myself a “former certified Anusara yoga instructor” begs the question of whether it is legally appropriate for Anusara Inc. to have certification be contingent on payment of dues and execution of a nonexistent licensing agreement.
Why is it during this time of exceptions that AY is so quick to make excuses and concessions for dramatic changes in AY when it is self-serving but it clings tightly to alleged bureaucratic policy in refusing to recognize me as a certified teacher? Placing these significant restrictions on my certificate is simply another example of manipulation and abuse of power by AY to punish me for challenging AY’s retaliatory action in withholding my certification certificate.
Punitive & Retaliatory Measures for Speaking the Truth to the AY Community
During these exceptional times and AY crisis, why would AY place any restriction on my certificate? Especially given that JF created this scandal that has wreaked so much havoc, pain and loss on every member of our community. Perhaps in addition to challenging the denial of my certification certificate, it is because I disclosed the truth to the AY about what has been transpiring; I broke the web of silence, disclosed the lack of power of the LC and the unfriendly takeover by the LC. The repercussions of going public with this information are truly stunning and disheartening to me and for each member of our community.
Disclosures and Retaliatory Actions
From my limited communications with a spokesperson from the LC, it appears that John Friend and AY are determined to keep the larger community in the dark about what is transpiring and as a result, the LC members’ hands are tied to communicate openly and candidly with the community.
The following is the chronology of what I disclosed in the last week and the repercussions that resulted. This chronology clearly demonstrates JF & AY pattern of manipulation, lack of transparency, abuse of power and retaliatory actions with regard to members of the LC and the community at large. Although the LC are courageous souls and highly committed to this community, they are at the mercy of JF. His misuse and abuse of power have severely curtailed the LC’s capacity to act with any authority and prohibited the LC from open communication with the community. Everyone is afraid of JF and his wrath. Building a new school based on fear, mistrust and lack of power has no hope of success.
On Wednesday, April 24-Friday, April 26th, I wrote several e-mails to the LC at kulaevolution.com. I raised numerous questions to determine what was going on with the LC, whether JF transferred power to the LC, the purpose of Anusara Inc., I requested a grace period for teachers to pay dues, questioned what the dues were going to be used for and numerous other questions. Many of my questions went unanswered.
In my compelled resignation letter, I shared with the community some of what was disclosed to me by the LC spokesperson who responded to my e-mails. I repeatedly asked the LC and AY to tell the truth to the community about what was going on. In my e-mail on Friday, April 26th to the LC spokesperson (3 days prior to the deadline to pay dues), I stated:
“[y]our statement that ‘[p]lease know Anusara, Inc. is a completely separate entity from the LC, and although [Wendy] says she will support the LC, she is giving the LC no power to do or ask for anything’ is extremely illuminating. Basically, what it reveals is that the LC is allegedly separate from Anusara Inc. but as a separate entity, the LC has no POWER… That Anusara Inc. is controlling the LC and that JF has not turned over any power or authority for the LC to create an independent school, isn’t that accurate? [I further stated to the LC spokesperson]: [i]n your first response to me, you asked me to keep confidential your response. Why? I assume you were referring to your statement that negotiations are in process to have the LC be given full rights to the Anusara licensing of teachers. Why does this have to remain confidential?
Having this information become public does not risk the success of these negotiations. It is not like this is a corporate takeover scenario. In fact, sharing this information with the larger community could be construed as a sign, the first sign that JF is genuinely willing to turn over some power and authority to the LC. To date, it has all been smoke and mirrors… (Up until now, I have not shared any of your responses with any one else.) At this point, I do want to share the answers you provided to the larger community. Out of respect to you, I wanted to share this with you first.
For me, I needed more information to help me make a decision about the status of the new proposed school, its current power, authority and capacity to lead, so I could try and make a decision about whether I wanted to continue to be a part of a proposed Anusara school. Don’t you think all of the other teachers have a right to the information you shared with me? Why not publish it to the larger community? If we are being forced to decide by Monday whether we are going to pay our dues or have our license rescinded, isn’t it important for each teacher to be aware of the information you shared with me that has not been disclosed to the larger community? Isn’t that the ethical thing for the LC to do?”
I received no response. I sent another e-mail on Sat. April 28th asking the LC to respond to these requests and again, I received no answer. This further illustrates JF & AY repeated efforts to withhold integral information and forbid the LC to tell the truth about what is going on to our community.
On Sunday, April 29, 2012, I resigned under duress and in protest. In my resignation letter, I outlined all of the unethical behavior and abuses of power by John Friend. I also disclosed some of the content of my communications with a spokesperson for the LC;
On Wednesday, May 2, 2012, I was informed that AY was denying me my certification certificate. I submitted another letter to AY on the FB groups and disclosed further information regarding the lack of power and authority of the LC due to JF & AY. In this second letter I questioned: “Am I to believe that this latest development has nothing to do with the contents of my resignation letter I submitted three days ago? Is it just a coincidence that voicing my opinions about JF’s unethical actions, repeated abuses of power and his failure to take responsibility and accountability for his abuses and now being informed that I will be denied my Anusara certification certificate are not related?? Is the fact that I disclosed the major challenges I had with my first certification reviewer, the fact that I disclosed that she was removed from the Certification CT and her relationship with JF related to the denial of my certification certificate???”
On Thursday, May 3, 2012, I forwarded a letter of reconsideration to JF, AY, Wendy Willtrout and the LC asking that my certificate be awarded and that I be recognized as a Anusara certified teacher. In this communication, I quoted the spokesperson of the LC disclosing that it was an “unfriendly takeover” by the LC and other information. I quoted “[p]lease know: we have nothing to do with Wendy Willtrout or Anusara, Inc., in terms of decision making. We are barely in touch with them. We are at odds with them. It is an unfriendly take over… Janet, I feel for you, and I feel for everyone. There isn’t one person in this community who hasn’t gotten shafted by John Friend’s actions.”
That same evening I received an angry e-mail from this spokesperson in response to my above disclosure claiming in part that ” [u]nfortunately, the night before a very important day of talks, [Janet] you did something that could make John [Friend] feel that this is a hostile takeover, and that we are against him. I don’t care if I am asked to step away because this event. I am just truly saddened that you threw your anger in the middle of this and potentially changed the direction of everything.”
I responded to the LC spokesperson on Thurs. night May 3rd by stating “[t]his is a horrific situation for everyone. I am so sorry you are very disheartened by my actions. I am further sorry for the repercussions you must be receiving. To be honest with you, I was thinking that perhaps you wanted me to disclose the parts I did because you wanted the community to know the status of all. It is a very toxic and dysfunctional situation. Don’t you think the entire Anusara community has a right to know the complete truth of what is going on? Lets remember whose actions have created all this egregious pain. Why doesn’t the LC disclose the truth to the community? Doesn’t the community have a right to know the full truth? By not disclosing the full truth, isn’t the LC just perpetuating the pattern of secrets, a lack of transparency and JF’s further abuse of power?”
I further responded in a subsequent e-mail Thursday evening “[w]ow, how was I to know this was the night prior to a day of important discussions with John? If you had shared this information with me earlier, perhaps the events would have unfolded differently…[y]ou yourself called it a hostile takeover in your previous e-mail. Your comment that ‘I threw my anger in the middle of this and potentially changed the direction of everything’ is very disheartening and misplaced. I indeed do no have that kind of power. I am completely in the dark about what is going on. Again, perhaps if I and all other members of our community were provided the full truth of what is transpiring, we would not be in the place we are tonight. I wonder how you and the members of the LC would have responded if you were in my shoes and lacking so much information…”
Saturday, May 5
On Sat. evening I received a troubling e-mail of apology from this LC spokesperson. Again, this person asked me to not disclose what they were communicating to me. The gist of what this person said was that they were sorry for reacting angrily in response to my publishing to the AY about the unfriendly takeover. This person was writing to tell me that they allegedly learned a lot from our communications during the last week-namely that they needed to be much more careful about what to disclose to the AY community. It deeply saddened my heart. Rather than recognizing the toxic affect that the web of secrets, nondisclosures and lack of transparency was having on the community, this spokesperson concluded (as a result of the response of JF & AY I presume) that they needed to be more discrete and covert about their communications. Again, my reaction was the same-deeply concerned that what this person was sharing with me they were not sharing with the complete AY community. I never had any desire or request to receive confidential information. I only asked repeatedly that the complete truth about what was going on be shared with the community. I truly believe that this spokesperson and all members of the LC have the greatest intention to serve and be of value to our community. However, it is now clearly evident that the LC are significantly stymied to lead and compelled to silence in our community as a result of JF’s refusal to transfer power and the control over communications that JF & AY have imposed on the LC.
Sunday, May 6
Five hours after receiving the e-mail from the spokesperson of the LC, I received the e-mail from Wendy Willtrout proclaiming that AY does not recognize me as a certified teacher but they will grant me my certificate.
JF & AY patterns of manipulation, lack of transparency, abuse of power and retaliatory actions to our community must cease. I respectfully request that John Friend, AY and Wendy Willtrout legally and fully recognize me with legal certified teacher status and grant my Anusara certification certificate with no conditions. Please respond to this letter by Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Respectfully,
Janet (“J”) Vecchia
July 9, 2012
To date, I have not received any response to my letter of May 8, 2012 to Wendy Willtrout (“WW”), Manager of Operations at AY to confirm my recognition as a former Certified Anusara Teacher.
I have also not received my certification certificate yet.
On June 8, 2012, WW sent me an e-mail to confirm how I wanted my name written on the certification certificate. (This was information that I had provided to the Anusara office back in February 2012.) She further stated that my certificate would be going out soon to the calligrapher for completion. ( I was told this was done in February and again in April 2012.) In my response to WW, I again stated that I did not need my certificate to be completed by a calligrapher. In fact, it was acceptable to me if she simply write my name in using a pen. I requested that she forward it to me by the end of the week. That was one month ago and still, I have not received my certification certificate.
In my responsive e-mail to WW, I also reminded her that I had not received any response from AY to my letter of May 8, 2012 to recognize me legally and fully as a Certified Anusara Teacher with no conditions. To date, no response has been forthcoming.
It has been over two months since I resigned under duress. The last five months have been filled with significant trauma, sadness, anger and loss for me on both a personal level and as a devoted member of the Anusara community as a result of JF’s actions. I have also learned to be more comfortable with uncertainty and feeling adrift. In addition, more accepting of the fact that these feeling may continue for some time as I fully process and release JF and Anusara from my heart and soul. Yet my decision to resign was and continues to be crystal clear-like the beauty of the sun glistening on a lake on a summer morning, rooted in Spirit, integrity and truth. With each day that passes and I separate more from the dysfunction that JF created, I feel increasingly more peaceful and free.
I share my letters and story because I believe we each have a responsibility to tell our stories to ensure that no more abuses of power and unethical actions are perpetrated on others. May each of us never forget the travesty we have experienced as individuals, the heart wrenching impact it has had on each of us and our families and as members of a sacred community. The grave harm in forgetting is that history will repeat itself. May this experience of the Anusara debacle continue to be great teachings for all of us on how we navigate our shadows and misalignments so as not to cause undue harm to ourselves or others. May we each use our voice to tell our story, to speak the truth and stand in our spiritual power.
Namaste,
Janet “J” Vecchia
September 19, 2012
I did receive my certificate from Anusara Inc. on approximately August 7, 2012. It is the exact identical certificate that other Anusara teachers received who completed their certification. It is dated February 13, 2012-the day I was informed that I was a fully certified Anusara teacher by Anusara Inc.- and it has John Friend’s signature stamp as do all earlier certificates that have been issued. To date, John Friend & Anusara Inc. have not acknowledged in writing in response to the unfolding of events outlined above that I was a legally and fully certified Anusara teacher.