An online life coach group using LinkedIn to reach hundreds of middle-class candidates is being accused of exploiting, fleecing and abusing vulnerable victims.
Former members said Lighthouse International Group ‘groomed’ them with promises they would find personal fulfilment and a dream career through its up to £100-an-hour mentoring programmes.
But they say they ended up in thrall to its leader Paul Waugh, who lives in a £2 million country estate, drives a Range Rover with plates bearing the initials of his group and boasts of ‘numerous’ celebrity friends and of being ‘very connected’ in government.
Mentors are given to new recruits who, often because they have suffered from depression, divorce or other abuses, may be vulnerable. They are then encouraged to talk about their innermost secrets in recorded sessions that are kept by the leaders.
However, these relationships become abusive and members are allegedly pushed to ‘invest’ thousands more pounds. This is often done through taking loans that force them deeper into debt.
Some members asking for their money to be returned were reminded their innermost secrets had been recorded in coaching sessions — which made them feel as if they were being threatened.
Paul Waugh (pictured) is accused of abusing, and fleecing vulnerable victims who joined his life coaching group: Lighthouse International Group
In one case, a mother says she remortgaged her family home to help raise over £200,000 for her two sons to invest in the group, which they were promised would be repaid. According to her, she has not been paid a cent back.
According to ex-members, they were advised to stay away from critics of Lighthouse by their leaders. They also encouraged men to sue women and kids to sue parents.
A member of an environmental consulting firm questioned the merits of mentoring. She said that she felt ‘terrified’ after Waugh called her repeatedly with abuse over a two hour period.
When she later politely emailed requesting a refund on her £25,000 investment, Mr Waugh refused and reminded her that the group had recordings of her describing the ‘long-term sexual abuse’ she suffered as a child — which she felt was a threat.
Lighthouse denies that was their intention. It stated it referred to the recordings in order to “remind”. [her]Lighthouse’s extensive work with Lighthouse was remarkable.
She was told by her mentor that during his ‘negative’ behavior with Lighthouse clients and members for many years, Mr Waugh helped him to get chaperon help. He also checked his texts because “Paulie could not trust me and I couldn’t trust myself.”
Ex-members said Lighthouse implied part of their cash was going into African water purifying programmes — but it never produced firm evidence of this and the published company accounts give no indication of where the cash has gone.
Primary school teacher Jo Holmes asked for a receipt for her £19,000 ‘investment’ and evidence of what it had been spent on, only to receive a reply from Mr Waugh calling her a ‘psychopath’ and ‘malevolent’ and implying her behaviour made her a danger to the children she taught.
She posted her concern about Lighthouse later online in an effort to warn others. The group then complained about her to her school’s headteacher and threatened legal action.
Mentored in anxiety and depression by a computer graduate, he shared his worries with others when he left. Lighthouse leaders sent him messages, first suggesting that he was experiencing a “paranoid episode”, then warning them they would place a restraining orders against him, and finally, saying they would give police the ‘various recordings, communications, and conversations’ from his mentor.
Although the organization claims it has mentored individuals suffering from the worst abuse, the senior Lighthouse counsellors have not been trained in any field, and they have never received an academic qualification. Instead, the counselors claim their only knowledge comes from the “university of living”.
Following peer complaints about the destruction of lives by unregistered and inexperienced mentoring, counselling and coaching groups in recent decades, parliament has now heard the calls for regulation.
Graham Baldwin from Catalyst (a charity dealing with victims of psychological manipulation and abusive groups) said, “In the past one year, 10% of our calls were about Lighthouse. From families and individuals.
“They are, in my view, one of the most dangerous and egregious groups that we’ve encountered in our 30 year experience in this field.”
Lighthouse, founded by Mr Waugh in 2012 to “inspire and empower” through mentoring and coaching programmes that combine spirituality and self-help. Waugh often refers to self-improvement books and the 1989 bestseller The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People as part of his philosophy.
He also regularly discusses the teachings of Christ — though Mr Waugh told the Mail he often stresses to members that they should not ‘idolise’ him or paint him as a modern-day ‘fat, bald Jesus’.
According to the group, it claims that thousands have been helped in personal and professional life. The organization has international ambitions, with plans to open offices in India and China. Lighthouse Kidz is a sister organization that claims to assist children and parents. It has received glowing coverage from The Guardian.
One senior member of the main team stated that one goal is to have a “Lighthouse beacon” in all UK schools and for teachers to report to it.
But a 48-year-old consultant who borrowed £10,000 to invest in the group after joining in 2019 said she eventually felt she had to move abroad to escape them.
This woman didn’t want to be identified because she had to discuss childhood sexual abuse. We were encouraged to use LinkedIn to make connections with others. It is similar to multi-level marketing.
But when she raised concerns about the mentoring with other members, Mr Waugh turned on her and during a two-hour call branded her ‘nasty’, ‘pernicious’, ‘selfish’, ‘horrible’, ‘vindictive’, ‘broken’, ‘very damaged’, ‘stupid’, ‘dishonest’, ‘duplicitous’, ‘misleading’, ‘f*****g deluded’, ‘seriously f****d up’, ‘sinister’, a ‘cynical little old witch’, a ‘weasel’, a ‘negative, self-defeating, self-sabotaging automaton’, ‘the worst, weirdest, sickest f**k’, having ‘an ego like a feral dog’ and being an ’emotional, mental and spiritual toddler’.
The man also reminded her that all conversations she had at Lighthouse were taped, and that every journal she has ever kept was stored.
And he told her that if she had behaved with her children the way she had been behaving in the group he would immediately have reported her to social services — where he claims to have connections. He railed at her for crying for herself, and said: “It’s all in you.”
It was terrifying, said the woman. They must be stopped.
Fiona Ballantine Dykes (Deputy Chief Executive) of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy stated that she was concerned about vulnerable individuals seeking help with mental health.
“We fear that clients who work with non-registered therapists may be more at risk because their practitioners won’t have to adhere to the ethical, training and proficiency standards required by a recognized professional body.
Lighthouse wrote 17,000 words to respond to Mail. He said that the claims were false and baseless and described it as a “healthy community” that doesn’t tolerate bullying or abuse and also claimed it was the victim of harassment and telemarketing from former members with whom it had financial problems. Lighthouse stated that the group provided ‘life coaching’ and not therapy. It also supported stronger regulation of the ‘personal growth industry.
According to the report, police visited Lighthouse members twice after receiving warnings from relatives about being’manipulated’ and ‘held hostage’ financially. However, officers did not take any action on both occasions.
Lighthouse stated to Mail initially that police were investigating former members. However, when it was asked what forces it spoke of, Lighthouse said they had yet not reported the matter to police.
Boss who is proud to brag about his wealth
Paul Waugh describes himself online as having a lot of impromptu dances and outbursts full of laughter.
Lighthouse International Group’s leader is full of fun things to do. He lives in a £2 million, six-bedroom, secluded country home — complete with a sauna — set on the northern edge of the Cotswold Hills and drives a Range Rover.
He is the father of two at 57 years old. After moving from South Africa in 1999 to the UK, he has been a regular player at his local club.
Mr Waugh has told Lighthouse members he is very connected in government — both in the Commons and the Lords — and has helped to get laws passed.
He claims that he has become so wealthy personally, other countries have “courted” him in an effort to convince him to move to their country and get his money.
Mail reported that current Lighthouse members said Mr. Waugh generously supported their financial needs in times of crisis and that they have greatly benefited by his mentoring.
Given his expertise, on the open market, his time would be worth up to £5,000 an hour, he adds.
The property that Paul Waugh uses, he moves around a lot but is mostly in this £2million house on the edge of the Cotswolds
He describes himself in YouTube videos as deeply spiritual and with an ‘incredibly sophisticated, advanced understanding’ of the world compared to other people.
He believes this sets him apart among the new group members. Some of them, he claims, are of “exceptionally low emotional intelligence” and don’t know how to achieve success in life.
He explains that his purpose in life is to enable and unify them into a genuine status of family, community, and self-reliance through coaching, mentoring, and coaching.
But recordings shown to the Mail show that when people start questioning the value of the group’s methods, Mr Waugh’s happiness vanishes and he turns to abuse.
According to their ‘evolvement’, Mr Waugh classes members at levels 1-4.
However, former members stated that only him and his partner had ever been’very top level 4′. Others were more ‘bullied’ and ‘intimidated.
Waugh said that some Lighthouse family members were hostile to him. In a YouTube video, Waugh denounces the ‘toxic parents’ trying to keep their children away from Lighthouse.
“I could not believe the family narcissism. He said that it was a serious problem. ‘It’s huge.’
Money can be a source of conflict. From four ex-members and the relatives of two members, the Mail has identified at least £300,000 given to Lighthouse, all without a formal written agreement because the group says it operates on ‘trust’.
The group claims that they were told part of the money was being invested in Africa’s clean water project. Lighthouse insists this plan is an important tenet on their website.
Lighthouse members wrote in January: “We are currently launching an international initiative to look after our kids, giving them hope as well as a glass water.”
Lighthouse said that they have ‘never claimed to provide funds for clean water in Africa’, and that this initiative was an aspirational longer-term goal.
They said members’ investments funded their ‘growth and development’ through mentoring and training, and that members who chose to leave were not legally entitled to a refund.
Paul Waugh is still uploading content onto Lighthouse International Group’s YouTube channel
He and the other members of this group are directors at registered companies Lighthouse International Group Holdings, The Lighthouse Self-Leadership Society and Lighthouse Kidz. [sic], all of which have shown £0 in every return filed with Companies House since their incorporations in 2012 and 2013.
Lighthouse stated that it did not have any fixed or property assets, and therefore is not required by law to publish profit and loss statements.
The statement stated that any income had been reinvested into cost-covering research.
Mail was told by the Mail that some cash was invested in’research papers, retainers for PhD student’.
But when asked at which universities, it said it did not fund any PhDs.
It said other cash went towards business infrastructure costing £10,000 a year, legal expenses, a house in Rugby, Warks, for nine of its members and supporting vulnerable members.
According to it, verbal financial arrangements with members are’sufficient’ and legally binding under UK law.
The report also stated that Waugh was supportive of healthy families and that he was personally dedicated to Amanda and their children.
The Bible says, “He is strong physically, emotionally and mentally.
They threatened my wife with legal action. They have to be stopped
Following her support for her husband’s resignation, Lighthouse leaders called the wife of an ecommerce account manager ‘destructive’.
Richard Thomas from Essex is a father-of-two who became involved with Lighthouse when his former company offered to mentor him.
Shaun Cooper (Lighthouse leader) was mentoring one of his fellow colleagues and he encouraged him to do the same.
The group was eventually sold after the investor made thousands of pounds.
Richard Thomas invested in Lighthouse, but after he became ill he decided to quit and asked for his money back – but he says he was met with threats to sue his wife who encouraged him
According to him, “It took me many months to complete this task because there was not an actual financial agreement.”
“But Shaun replied: “Rich,” Rich, you’ve worked with me for years now and yet you claim that you do not believe me. Do you believe in me?
“So, in the end, I was stupid because I gave over the money.
Thomas stated that after investing, he would be expected to attend up to six hour-long group calls with Paul Waugh (Lighthouse leader).
“We had to hear him bashing on about all the problems in the world.
“There was such love and respect for him among the group. Paul categorizes people according to their level. This is what’s interesting. You can move up from level 1 through 4 if you’re evolved.
Only Paul is at the level of 4. All others are broken.
After Mr Thomas was diagnosed with cancer last year, he began to reflect about his role and decided to give up.
He said, “I returned to Lighthouse with respect and asked for my investment back.” ‘
That request was followed by a message on 11/11/2011 in which Cooper blamed his decision on the “animosity” and “destructiveness” of his wife toward the group.
He said that if Lighthouse was to return the money, his wife would need to file a legal claim to recover it from him.
“Do we have the right to hold?” [your wife]You or that person are responsible? We need your consent to hold her responsible by law.
On November 24, Cooper sent a message to Lighthouse stating that no refund is possible. He also stated that Lighthouse would pass the contents of Mr Thomas’s texts on to their solicitor.
Thomas called the threats contained in the messages ridicule.
He stated, “These people must be stopped.”
Lighthouse claimed it supports ‘healthy families’. They only advise legal action against the relatives or partners of its members when they are in danger or if ‘all other alternatives have failed.
Assailed as hateful, toxic and a liar
A primary school teacher persuaded to take out a loan to fund a £19,000 ‘investment’ in Lighthouse was branded ‘malevolent’ and a ‘psychopath’ when she asked how her money had been spent.
Jo Holmes, 50 years old, was introduced by Shaun Cooper to Lighthouse International Group early 2018.
It would be a great way to help herself and improve her professional relationships with students and colleagues.
She stated, “My marriage was falling apart at the time.”
“Shaun felt like my brother, and that it was his genuine effort to help me.
He suggested that after a while, she invest in the group.
“He suggested that I can build upon my work with teachers and pupils to make a difference and that the charity portion of Lighthouse would invest into purifying water in Africa.
It seemed achievable because a friend had made an investment.
‘I invested £19,000 in instalments, but I had to get a loan out to fund it. They knew that I was a valuable asset because of my home. They saw the long-term, I believe.
“Now, I’m stupid but they make a connection with you, they know all your secrets and you can trust them. They believe in you.
She was made an associate elect by her investment and a member of the ‘business unit.
She was then expected to participate in calls that lasted hours during lockdown. During these calls, Paul Waugh, Lighthouse leader, would give his wisdom and quiz other members.
“I started to question these calls. It was very bullying and I didn’t like how they talked to people. She adds that Paul made me a little scared. He pulled me apart and spoke over me all the time. . . Paul was formidable.
“Paul was so intimidating that you were forced to provide positive feedback.”
After the calls, members were sent edited audio recordings to listen to in the evenings — which they were then expected to provide feedback on so that Mr Waugh could assess their ‘level of understanding’. After speaking with another member who was ill, Holmes started to investigate the group and decided to request evidence to prove that her money had been spent.
After an email, and a phone call, Mr Waugh sent a lengthy message in which he claimed that she was hateful, toxic, and disturbed. He also said it was “downright frightening”. . . You are a teacher with small, innocent and delicate children under your care.
Also, he stated that he had also sent a transcript of their phone conversation to her and to other PhD students. These are those who “work with teachers and their pathology related to their profession for observational analyses.”
Ms. Holmes claimed that it was a clear threat against her professional reputation.
Elle adds that Lighthouse has the potential to change your life as well as the world. It is not clear that any of the global projects they have proposed have actually been realized, and this raises the question about the source of the funds.
Yet, she has not received any money.
Lighthouse stated that the recording was shared in “full compliance” with the law, and Ms Holmes had her details anonymized.
The group accused Holmes of trolling after she left and claimed it had complained to police and school officials.