The woman who was scolded by a life coach about the amount of food on her “low vibration” plate in a now-viral video says the internet just doesn’t understand their mentor-mentee bond.
Tammy Price, 34, called Stormy Wellington her “big sister” in an interview on Tuesday with The Daily Beast.
Over the weekend, Price posted a TikTok of Wellington reprimanding her for accepting a full plate of food at a cookout. In the video, a group of women sit on sun loungers, nodding as “Coach Stormy” examines Price’s plate, piled high with a burger, a hot dog, corn on the cob, and other comfort foods.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I would never eat a plate that looked like this. You could not pay me $1 million to do that to myself,” Wellington tells Price in the video. “I deserve better than that. That’s low vibration.”
@tammyprice_ Don’t accept what they put on your plate.. #twtt #coachstormy #EndlessJourney ♬ original sound - Tammy with the Tea ☕️
Wellington then goes one step further, saying that her own plate of food looks like “royalty,” while Price’s serving is the sign of a “hood rat.”
In the video, Price appeared to internalize Wellington’s lesson. “Coach Stormy is teaching me, don’t accept what they put on your plate,” she says in the clip. On Instagram, she added in her caption of the same video: “I would rather be the rich student than a broke friend! I learned so much from my Coach yesterday! Humility is the key here @coachstormy perspective is everything.”
But while Price saw Wellington’s advice as enriching—a motivational message, even, about not settling for what people give you—social media deemed it wholly unnecessary. The video very quickly made the rounds online, racking up over half a million views on Price’s TikTok and tens of thousands of retweets on Twitter since Sunday. Within days, the phrase “low vibration” appeared in an endless stream of memes mocking Wellington’s self-important tone and garden-variety wisdom. Even Chrissy Teigen and Keke Palmer got in on the joke.
“What’s crazy is nothing she is saying even remotely makes sense. Girl we all eating chicken wings on some Target china in lawn chairs with your cooter hanging out…where is the tiara?” actor Kalen Allen tweeted. Palmer chimed in, “Guess I’m a ‘hood rat.’”
What bothers Price, she tells The Daily Beast, is that the video is being considered outside of the context of her and Wellington’s close relationship, which she credits with helping her go from a homeless woman living in her car to an entrepreneur with a $1.2 million home.
“I’m like, ‘OK, whatever, whatever.’ ‘Cause it was very low vibrational, and if you ain’t got nobody telling you that you’re overeating, and you’re a health and wellness coach, and my plate looks like this, hey, suit yourself,” she explains.
Both Price and Wellington sell teas and vitamins for Total Life Changes, a multi-level marketing company based in Michigan. (The company was the subject of a class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan in February 2021, which claimed that the company’s hemp-infused raspberry tea actually contained THC, causing plaintiffs to lose their jobs after testing positive for marijuana. The plaintiffs moved their claims to mediation, and the lawsuit was dismissed later that year.)
Wellington, the "coach," has expanded her empire with a pricey skincare line, a private mentorship community that costs $69 a month, and getaways like the one Price attended over the weekend, which cost guests up to $10,000 (though Price clarifies she didn’t have to pay to attend this excursion, explaining, “I don’t have to do that anymore”). Wellington did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily Beast.
The two became close back in 2015. That year, Price and her husband separated and subsequently lost their home. To make matters worse, her father died shortly after. Spending nights in her car with her three children, Price says she felt hopeless. Her ex-husband found Wellington’s content online and encouraged Price to reach out.
“I have nothing else to lose. I’m at the lowest point in my life. I’m going through depression,” Price says of her mindset at the time. “[Wellington] said, ‘You not depressed, you need to detox. You need to find yourself.’ And I did just that.”
The saleswoman brought Price into the fold at Total Life Changes, helping her kick-start her network and advising her through her weight loss journey. Price says she lost 60 pounds in five months, becoming a sort of spokesperson for Total Life Changes.
At the retreat on Saturday, the group kicked off the day with prayer, meditation, and a vegan breakfast. After hearing from a few speakers and going for a walk, they settled down for a barbecue, with Price handing over her plate to the catering staff for a serving.
What transpired has ignited the internet’s hatred of food-shaming and the legitimacy of life coaches. It has also left some of Price’s own friends and family concerned.
“People are reaching out from everywhere like, ‘Are you OK?’ Blink twice,’” she says.
In a follow-up video filmed after the first one went viral, Wellington reiterates her concern for Price: “If I don’t watch out for you, you have no mama and no motherfucking daddy, so if I don’t watch out for you, who the fuck gonna look out for you?”
Price, for her part, is standing by her mentor. Speaking to The Daily Beast, she giggles at the amount of attention spent on her relationship with Wellington.
“I lost over 80 pounds and my plate is stuffed. It just makes sense,” she says. “A lot of people don’t know that that’s just how she talks. It’s not easy being Coach Stormy’s student.”
