Behind the Viral Coach Stormy video

The woman, who was scolded by a life coach for the amount of food on her “low vibration” plate in a now-viral video, says the internet just doesn’t understand her mentor-mentee bond.

Tammy Price, 34, called Stormy Wellington her “big sister” in an interview with The Daily Beast on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, Price posted a TikTok from Wellington scolding her for accepting a full plate of food at a cookout. In the video, a group of women sit on lawn chairs and nod while “Coach Stormy” examines Price’s plate, which features a burger, hot dog, corn on the cob and other comfort foods.

“I would never eat a plate that looked like that. You couldn’t pay me $1 million to do this to me,” Wellington told Price in the video. “I deserve better. That’s low-vibration.”

Wellington then goes one step further, saying that her own plate of food looks like a “king,” while Price’s serving is the mark of a “crested rat.”

In the video, Price seemed to internalize Wellington’s lesson. “Coach Stormy teaches me, don’t accept what they put on your plate,” she says in the clip. On Instagram, she added in her caption to the same video: “I’d rather be the rich coed than a broken girlfriend! I learned so much from my coach yesterday! Humility is key here, @coachstormy perspective is everything.”

But while Price saw Wellington’s advice as enriching — even a motivational message not to settle for what people give you — social media deemed it entirely unnecessary. The video went viral online very quickly, amassing over half a million views on Price’s TikTok and tens of thousands of retweets on Twitter as of Sunday. Within days, the phrase “low vibration” was appearing in an endless stream of memes mocking Wellington’s smug tone and garden variety wisdom. Even Chrissy Teigen and Keke Palmer got involved.

“What’s crazy is that nothing she says makes even the remotest sense. Girl we’re all eating chicken wings on a Target china in lawn chairs with your cooter hanging out… where’s the tiara? actor Kalen Allen tweeted. palmers interfered“I guess I’m a ‘crested rat’.”

What bothers Price, she tells The Daily Beast, is that the video is being viewed outside of the context of her and Wellington’s close relationship, which has helped her grow from a homeless woman living in her car to an entrepreneur with 1.2 million dollars to become home.

“I’m like, ‘OK, whatever, whatever.’ Because it was a very low vibration and if nobody tells you that you overeat and you’re a health and wellness coach and my plate looks like this, hey, take care,” she explains.

Both Price and Wellington sell teas and vitamins for Total Life Changes, a Michigan-based multi-level marketing company. (The company was the subject of a class action lawsuit filed in February 2021 in the Eastern District of Michigan alleging that the company’s hemp-infused raspberry tea actually contained THC, which resulted in the plaintiffs losing their jobs after testing positive for marijuana tested. The plaintiffs deferred their claims to arbitration, and the lawsuit was dismissed later that year.)

Wellington has expanded her empire with an expensive skincare line, a private mentoring community that costs $69 a month, and getaways like the one Price attended over the weekend that cost guests up to $10,000 (although Price clarifies that she did not have to pay to take part in this excursion and declares: “I don’t have to do that anymore”). Wellington did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast.

Price and Wellington first became close in 2015. That year, Price and her husband separated and subsequently lost their home. To make matters worse, her father died shortly thereafter. As Price spent nights in her car with her three children, she felt hopeless. Her ex-husband found Wellington’s content online and encouraged Price to come forward.

“I have nothing left to lose. I’m at the lowest point in my life. I’m going through depression,” Price recalls of her mindset at the time. “[Wellington] said, “You’re not depressed, you need to detox. You have to find yourself.” And that’s exactly what I did.”

The saleswoman introduced Price to Total Life Changes, helping her build her network and mentoring her on her weight loss journey. Price says she’s lost 60 pounds in five months and has become something of a spokesperson for Total Life Changes.

At the retreat on Saturday, the group started the day with prayer, meditation and a vegan breakfast. After hearing from a few speakers and taking a stroll, they settled down for a barbecue, with Price handing her plate over to the catering staff for a helping.

What turns out not only ignited the venom of online food shaming and the legitimacy of life coaches, but also left some of Price’s own friends and family worried.

“People are asking from everywhere, ‘Are you okay?’ Blink twice,” she says.

in one follow-up video filmed after the first went viral, Wellington reiterates her concern for Price: “If I don’t take care of you you ain’t got no mama and no friggin’ daddy, so if I don’t take care of you then who the f*ck will take care of you? ”

For her part, Price stands by her mentor. Speaking to The Daily Beast, she chuckles at the attention she’s devoting to her relationship with Wellington.

“I’ve lost over 80 pounds and my plate is full. It just makes sense,” she says. “A lot of people don’t know that she just talks like that. It’s not easy being Coach Stormy’s student.”