A respected holistic healer and raw food pioneer has come forward with explosive claims against self-styled wellness influencer Victoria Everest Ekong.
The healer is accusing Ekong of hijacking his Instagram account, business operations, and personal brand after posing as his trusted assistant.
In an emotional interview with The Shade Borough, the unnamed elder — described by fellow wellness advocates as a “teacher of healers” — detailed how his relationship with Ekong, who managed his online presence for nearly a year, turned into a digital and financial nightmare.
“As of April 2024, Victoria took over management of my Instagram to assist me with marketing,” he said. “She had control of my computer, my phones — everything. She was doing all of the communication on Instagram, not me.”
According to the healer, Ekong initially presented herself as an angel investor and marketing strategist, helping him grow his Instagram following from roughly 690,000 to one million followers within months. But beneath the success, he says, was manipulation, overreach, and eventual betrayal.
“Everything she does is AI — ChatGPT and all that. Those weren’t my recipes,” he explained. “She said, ‘You’ve got a lot of money on the floor, I’ll help you pick it up.’”
By early 2025, the partnership had soured. When he refused her demand for a 30% commission on his 21-Day Juice Fast program, he claims she locked him out of his own Instagram account, changed the payment links in his bio, and rerouted incoming funds to her own platform.
“When I went to change my password, I realized she had already changed the link in my bio,” he said. “The money was going to her. That’s when I knew I’d been scammed.”
A Digital Coup in the Wellness Space
The story has shaken the online wellness and vegan community, where Ekong — who often brands herself as a “spiritual healer” and “AI-driven business mentor” — has built a following through glossy self-help content, luxury travel, and collaborations with holistic figures.
Wellness influencers @doctorholistic and @vegansoulicious reacted to the news on Instagram, writing:
“Mind blown 🤯 We have to protect our elders better than this. Over four decades of healing and teaching. The world is being flooded with divine light, so all darkness will be exposed.”
A Pattern of Controversy
This isn’t the first time Victoria Everest Ekong’s name has surfaced amid controversy.
In previous years, she’s faced public criticism over alleged romantic disputes, unpaid collaborations, and accusations of exploiting spiritual branding for personal gain. In one case, she went viral after being accused of admitting on video that she made false rape allegations against a man. The footage, recorded in a gym by a man known on social media as Gucci Walker, purportedly shows Victoria Ekong confessing that both claims she lodged were untrue.
Critics have accused Ekong of constructing her public identity around proximity to respected figures in the holistic and wellness world, often leveraging those relationships to boost her credibility and social capital.
“Her image was built around standing next to people with real legacies,” one longtime wellness advocate said. “That’s how she legitimized herself — through association.”
Exploiting Trust in the Age of Influence
The victim’s testimony offers a sobering look at how spiritual credibility and digital savvy can collide with exploitation in the influencer economy.
Older holistic practitioners — many of whom built their followings through decades of in-person teaching — are increasingly turning to younger digital managers to modernize their platforms. But without legal safeguards or clear contracts, the results can be disastrous.
The healer, who has since regained control of his social media accounts, says the incident taught him a painful but necessary lesson.
“She positioned herself as my confidant, my sister. But she hijacked everything — my work, my relationships, my peace,” he stressed.
