When a Public Figure Misappropriated My Work—and her PR Team Branded Me “Crazy” to the Media

There’s no playbook for what to do when a public figure mistreats you, steals your work, and/or weaponizes their wealth and influence to silence you, unleashing a PR-fueled smear campaign designed to reduce you to a damaging cliché: the “crazy woman.”

I never imagined I’d be writing this. I’ve spent years building a career rooted in creativity, integrity, and a genuine desire to uplift others. As an entrepreneur, author, and wellness advocate, I’ve poured my soul into everything I’ve created—especially my work for children. But when that work is taken—without permission or acknowledgment—by someone with far more media access, and I’m painted as unstable for daring to speak up, the damage runs deeper than most people can imagine. What’s even more disturbing is the ease—and pride—with which they carry on, as if causing harm were just part of doing business to stay at the top. It borders on evil, in my opinion.

What has shocked me most in all of this isn’t just the theft itself—or even the orchestrated smear campaign. It’s the thoughtless ease with which some people accept false narratives, without question or curiosity. It’s the tabloid writers who pile on salacious twists to an already distorted story, showing no regard for the truth or the real damage of how their carelessness can affect someone’s life and reputation.

Clearly, most of these journalists know better, because three of them reached out to me to share the slanderous things being said about me to editors at major news outlets by a specific PR team. They shared that one publicist in particular was planting the notion that I was “crazy,” and “not a reliable witness.” A unreliable witness to my own experiences? Interesting.

More recently, I was contacted by an investigative journalist from the Daily Mail who expressed interest in my legal case against Lauren Sanchez. I provided him with factual documentation, including the official legal complaint prepared by my attorney. However, when the article was published, it took a strangely sensational turn—complete with a fabricated “dance-off” that never happened and was never referenced in any legal filings. What should have been a serious and fact-based report was twisted into something resembling a scene from Desperate Housewives, undermining the legitimacy of my case and reducing it to tabloid spectacle, without any regard for my legal matter, reputation or relationships. When I confronted the writer, he blamed the editor for inserting the false detail. Though a minor correction was eventually made online, the editor denied any responsibility—gaslighting me in the process and effectively covering her tracks.

Positively, in my current situation, the vast majority in the general public are the ones cheering me on, seeing through the phony, manufactured persona this particular individual hides behind—even if media outlets, editors, and writers continue to be swayed by her access to wealth, and her PR team's promise of future stories. Still, the most surreal part has been witnessing journalists—people who built careers on seeking truth—abandon their integrity entirely. And I mean, entirely. As if my mental health, my motives, my identity were just disposable props in their clickbait headlines.

Realizing first hand just how careless most news agencies have twisted the truth—especially in my case—I no longer read any news outlet besides the BBC. It's the only one that hasn’t yet traded its integrity for clicks or celebrity access.

I have documented, factual, shocking evidence proving that my original intellectual property—creative concepts developed years ago and shared in confidence—was later published, mass-marketed, and credited to someone else. The timelines, messages, and receipts all support my story. I have filed formal complaints and presented my case clearly. And yet, again and again, I’ve watched media outlets disregard it all, choosing instead to amplify a well-funded PR narrative built to discredit me. The last thing I ever wanted to do was spend my time and energy initiating a legal battle—but I refuse to let this person get away with what she’s done. Her actions were not only unethical, they were carried out with a shocking level of carelessness and disregard for the harm they caused.

Smear campaigns and false gossip can have a profoundly damaging effect on a person’s mental health. Being publicly misrepresented—especially through deliberate lies or distortions—can lead to anxiety, depression, and a deep sense of isolation. The psychological toll is especially severe when the misinformation spreads widely and quickly, leaving the target feeling powerless to correct the narrative.

We've seen a significant rise in related mental health challenges among teenagers over the past decade, largely driven by social media and online harassment. When lies are repeated loudly and often, they can drown out reality, leaving the target to live amongst projected delusions. The psychological toll is compounded by the betrayal of watching others—including media outlets—willingly participate in that harm for profit or influence.

Let me be clear: I have not been without my personal struggles in recent years. Like many others, I’ve walked through betrayal and trauma. Finding the courage to speak up about the mistreatment I endured—often behind closed doors, at the hands of well-known public figures—was anything but easy. My initial words may not have been perfectly polished. I was raw. I was hurting. I had been holding in so much pain for so long that when I finally spoke, I wasn’t prepared for the tidal wave of emotion that surged—or the cruel distortions and slander that followed.

But imperfection and emotion does not erase truth.

I am a human being whose voice has been deliberately mischaracterized through a calculated smear campaign—engineered by a PR team working behind the scenes to discredit me, distort the truth, and paint a sociopathic, social climbing woman as a philanthropic socialite.

This isn’t just about me. It’s about a culture that allows fame and fortune to purchase credibility, while silencing truth-tellers with damaging default labels like “crazy” or “unhinged.” It’s about the danger of the media’s appetite for salacious drama, even if it comes at the cost of someone’s reputation, mental health, or livelihood.

To anyone who has experienced this kind of betrayal, I stand with you. And to the media: You can do better. People deserve better.

I will continue to speak my truth—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. And I’ll keep defending my work—not just for myself, but for every creator who’s ever been erased by someone with more access to wealth and power, who is more connected, and more motivated and willing to lie.