Radical Honesty Institute Parts Ways With Founder Brad Blanton
With this statement, we are sharing the conclusion of the Radical Honesty Institute (RHI) Accountability Circle’s review of accusations brought against Brad Blanton. This review began in 2023, when we received a formal complaint from many members of the Radical Honesty community. The Ethics and Accountability Circles were created to investigate the complaint. Their investigation included reviewing individual complaints, conducting interviews, and obtaining statements from individuals who were personally affected by or witnessed Brad's behavior over the years.
We are deeply grateful for those who bravely stepped forward with their experiences and concerns. Your courage has been vital in helping us create a better, more ethical space for all. If you would like to report an incident please use any of the methods on our Speak Up! page.
For the past two years we, as the owners of RHI, have worked to acknowledge our responsibility as leaders of the Radical Honesty community, carefully investigating all complaints raised by participants, Trainer Candidates, and Trainers. Through this process, we have re-evaluated both the concept and previous practices of Radical Honesty, leading to the development of our new Code of Ethics. This updated code places particular emphasis on power dynamics—an issue that Brad sometimes deliberately ignored. He did not acknowledge or attend to the depth and breadth of the power and authority given to him by participants that came from his position as author, workshop leader, employer, etc.
We recognize that Radical Honesty emerged in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s as a response to mainstream therapy practices, which were implementing stricter safeguards for client protection. In contrast, Brad sought to lower the boundary between therapist and client, believing that honest personal contact would enhance a client’s development.
However, disregarding power imbalances causes significant harm, particularly in situations involving sexual attraction. Brad used his power for sexual gratification and failed to acknowledge the impact of his power on those who sought his support.
Our investigation uncovered disturbing misconduct, including but not limited to:
Normalizing verbal abuse, misogyny, and racial and sexist slurs.
Financial exploitation of followers and employees, particularly women.
Dealing inappropriately with behaviors such as sexual harassment, assault, and other abuses.
Soliciting clients, participants, and employees for sex, including offering money for sex.
Promoting a disregard for ethical standards, fostering a cult-like culture within the Radical Honesty community.
We want to make it unequivocally clear that we reject this behavior and that we have updated our practices.
We invited Brad to engage in a joint reflection on these past practices and our current assessment, aligning with the evolution of Radical Honesty principles. At first, he declined. However, after RHI Owner and President Maggie Doyle visited him at his home in Virginia to inform him of our decision, he began the process of reflecting on his past behaviors.
We are publicly distancing ourselves from Brad's version of Radical Honesty as a company. Moving forward, Radical Honesty will be guided exclusively by the principles outlined in our new Code of Ethics—there will be no parallel versions.
As a result, we are revoking all of Brad’s Radical Honesty privileges:
He may no longer use the Radical Honesty trademark to publish new written works or to sell services such as workshops or coaching sessions.
He will no longer be listed on our platforms or associated with our current work in any capacity, except that we will continue to acknowledge him as the founder of Radical Honesty and list some of his books, alongside others, as recommended reading.
Brad will always remain the founder of Radical Honesty, and we are grateful for the fundamental principles that he helped spread. We remain committed to Radical Honesty as a means of personal empowerment and growth through honest expression and transformative communication.
Owners of Radical Honesty Institute, LLC
March 20, 2025
Brad’s Response:
Ok. I’m fired. And I don’t blame you. I accept most of your conclusions and will be available for anyone who wants to process with me.
Brad Blanton
March 11, 2025