Yoga influencer Guru Jagat was bad boss, says ex-worker
A TikToker who used to work for controversial yoga teacher Guru Jagat just called her out publicly.
Guru Jagat, whose given name was Katie Ann Griggs, was a popular but controversial yoga teacher, NPR reported. She died in 2021, at the age of 41, of cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism after ankle surgery.
Jagat was popular among celebrities, with her students including the likes of Alicia Keys, Kate Hudson, Christy Turlington and Russell Brand. Part of her appeal was that despite being a yoga teacher who wore her hair in a turban and chanted Sanskrit, she also cursed and talked about things in class like sex and fashion.
But over time, she embraced far-right conspiracy theories and was defiant of stay-at-home orders during the pandemic, insisting that the virus—which killed millions of people worldwide—was either not real or was manufactured and spread by the government.
In addition to being a practicing teacher, Jagat also had a studio that sold things like crystals, essential oils, jewelry, and clothes.
In the vial TikTok, Charlotte Medlock (@charlotte.medlock) explained that Jagat sourced a lot of merchandise from India at the "cheapest prices" and would resell it at a "huge markup" in the store.
Well, one day, a huge shipment came in that was being unpacked to go on the sales floor. According to Medlock, Tommy Hilfiger's daughter Al picked up a boho dress out of one of the boxes. There was no price tag on the item, but in an effort to make a VIP client happy, the new girl who was working the sales floor that day decided to price it and sell it to her. Everyone is happy, right? Wrong.
"[Jagat] was out of town at the time, and when she found out that this dress got sold, she was pissed," Medlock said. "She starts calling and texting everyone that works at the studio." She yells that that was her dress and that someone needed to get the already sold item back.
The employee who sold the dress quit a few days later after being berated by Jagat. That's when Medlock, who isn't even on the sales team, gets pulled in. Jagat's assistant asked her to go to Tommy Hilfiger's daughter's house on a Saturday to pick up the dress.
"This whole situation is so ridiculous. Why not just let it go? Guru Jagat has a million dresses that look exactly like it, and now we're making ourselves look crazy. Like, this is a bad PR move," Medlock said.
Medlock eventually gave in because she was "desperate" for Jagat's approval.
@charlotte.medlock not exactly VIP treatment
♬ original sound - charlotte
Medlock is full of dread during the entire 45-minute drive there. The only relief was that when she arrived, she didn't have to face Ally Hilfiger; instead, the housekeeper opened the door and handed her the dress.
"I never saw Guru Jagat wear it," Medlock said.
The story time has more than 1 million views and hundreds of comments.
"I would quit my job before I’d go & ask for something back. My social anxiety could NOT," a commenter said.
"No way I just watched that whole thing for that ending," a person wrote.
"The way I knew it was Guru jagat immediately," the top comment read.
The Daily Dot reached out to Medlock and Ally for comment via Instagram direct message.
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