Wisdom Seekers, today I’m aiming to bring you some new discernment. A form of Worldly Wisdom that’s surprisingly rare. To gain this wisdom, you need not be an empath. You need not even believe in the idea of “empaths.”

Right from the outset I thank empath “expert” Madison Arnholt for indirectly inspiring this article. (You’ll see. And soon.) Here’s where we’re going, folks.

Powered by Energy Spirituality® Energetic Literacy

Worldly Wisdom Can Help You in Two Ways

What does it take to assess the credibility of an expert? Assuming that an expert’s intentions are honorable, as I’m sure Madison’s are, it can help to gain today’s Worldly Wisdom with the flavor of my speciality, Energy Spirituality®.

In case you’re new to my blog, welcome. And in case you’re wondering, Energy Spirituality means spirituality that works now. At a time when so many people are more spiritually awake than before; at a time when we’re seeking to use our full potential in life; I just might be able to help.

Whether you’re an empath or not – I can think of two ways that, by read here, can upgrade your Worldly Wisdom.

• As a consumer, what if you’re seeking help from a professional expert of some kind?
• As an entrepreneur, what if you aim to expand your audience, and do this without resorting to gimmicks? Just telling the truth, is it even possible for you to stand out in already-saturated marketplaces?

How Madison Arnholt Indirectly Inspired This Article

Madison is a confident young woman who offers her services as an empath “expert.” I met her because her article for empaths appeared near the top of my first page of hits, after I googled a topic of interest.

After thinking about her article, I realized something: Worldly Wisdom skills can help you to sort through competing experts, helping you in two very different ways. Complementary ways.

Before we get to our main event in this offbeat article, let’s take a closer look at what’s in it for you. Seems to me . . . .

These Days, All of Us Need Worldly Wisdom

We may need it more than ever in this time of AI and endless hype. At this time, many people are barely paying attention to reality. Often we can benefit from good skills of energetic literacy to help us tell, accurately,  what’s going on with them.

To make things worse, whatever our field of interest, we’re bombarded incessantly with shameless self-promotion.

It sure helps for us to use our Worldly Wisdom, and level up our skills with that, as this article aims to help you do.

Since so many unqualified “experts” have very clever ways to persuade us to trust them.

In particular, we really-really can benefit from discernment skills (like good skills of energetic literacy). I’ve used that discernment in order to write this article. It would takes more than one quick article for me to teach you energetic literacy, but Worldly Wisdom is something you’ve got already. This article aims to add a bit to yours.

Fact Is, Many of Today’s “Experts” Are Unqualified

Recently, I had a harsh reminder of this. You see, one of the four main specialties in Energy Spirituality is aura reading. That is, energetic literacy.While another specialty is the field of Empath Coaching, which I founded in 2001.

After stumbling upon Madison’s shocking article, something occurred to me. I decided to take a look at what other writers and teachers are offering empaths these days. As a result I published an article questioning, “Can That Empath Teacher REALLY Help You?” Then I spent over a month, taking a consumer’s look at one empath “expert” a day, questioning what 38 of them were really offering.

Only 2 of those 38 experts were, personally, empaths.

That’s right, 36 out of 38 empath “experts” weren’t really experts at what they claimed to teach. They weren’t even beginners, let alone experts.

You can find particulars at thousands of comments at my blogpost about “Can That Empath Teacher REALLY Help You?” Go ahead and read in detail about one unhelpful teaching after another. Doing this research project, one contributing factor immediately became obvious: few of these “experts” had any background knowledge that prepared them to help empaths. For instance, one of them considered herself qualified to publish her book for empaths when her credentials consisted of what? Studying textile design and doing freediving.

Seriously.

Btw, speaking of being qualified, what is this author’s standing to write any article about the standing of an empath “expert”? You have the right to learn about my background, so scroll down to “Rose Rosetree’s Standing to Use Energetic Literacy and to Evaluate Empath Skills“.

Also I’ll give you fellow self-help nerds this happy announcement. After the section called Worldly Wisdom #5, I’ll stop inviting you to comment and go full throttle into a technical analysis of one technique from Madison. Of course, you’re invited to comment about anything in this article, that included.

Read If You’re an Entrepreneur or a Consumer or Both

What Is an Empath, Anyway?

Here’s my perspective as the founder of Empath Empowerment®. An empath is a person who has at least one consciousness gift for directly experiencing what it is like to be another person.

• Every born empath has at least 1 lifelong gift for directly experiencing what it is like to be another person.
• Altogether, I’ve identified 15 different empath gifts.
• Every born empath is unskilled – not knowing how to make good use of that talent.
• Yet every unskilled empath can learn how to become a Skilled Empath, including learning how to do Skilled Empath Merge.
• There is only one kind of empath, in terms of what it means to be an empath. True, there are different empath gifts. Yet the process of helping an unskilled empath to become a Skilled Empath is identical for every single kind of empath gift.

By contrast, in her article, does Madison bother to define EMPATH? She supplies just one sentence, and it’s more of a question than a proper definition. Still, that’s all she gives her readers. To Madison’s credit she put her limited definition right in the first sentence, so it was easy to find. Here I’ll add italics.

“Have you always thought of yourself as an empath, someone who deeply feels other people’s energy?”

Two Very Different Definitions, Clearly

Seeing that juxtaposition might help you realize: For you as a consumer, consequences flow from how a person defines her or his job.

In contrast to the belief that’s fashionable today, every idea is a good idea, hello! I prefer to pay attention to the truth value of an idea. Some ideas have much higher truth value than others.

What’s Coming Next? What Can Help You?

Regarding empath “expert” Madison Arnholt, in the following four sections, we’ll take a good look at her qualifications.

Toward the end of each of these section, I’ll ask you two questions. One for you as a Consumer and the other for you as an Entrepreneur.

Answer these questions on your own. For even better learning, COMMENT here with your answers.

There’s good reason why this one-person blog has over 163 THOUSAND comments. Very likely, those who respond here gain considerably more than those who don’t. And, of course, I’ll respond personally to whatever you express.

For You as a Consumer

Worldly Wisdom can help you enormously as a consumer. As you go through this detailed look at Madison’s professional skills, remember this: Sure, the person who proudly hangs out a shingle feels ready. But in a Worldly Wisdom way, is that person qualified? As a consumer, you have the right to assess.

For You as an Entrepreneur

• Whether you’re starting your own business
• Or YouTubing
• Or Writing Your Book
• Launching Your Podcast, etc.

No doubt you’re excited to make your mark in your chosen field. It’s tempting to simply authorize yourself. However, long-term, your success will be greater if you ask-and-answer two questions:

1. Are you really qualified to do that yet?
2. Or do you mostly feel qualified?

Also, some of us have the idea that actual skills don’t count for much. Instead, it’s common to believe that success depends on making a lot of noise, having a great personality,  looking perfect – or paying a ton to advertise.

Seems to me, answering the questions that follow can help you entrepreneurs to do what? Choose a more organic, sustainable way to build your client base.

Meet a Sample of Madison’s Work for Empaths

This fresh young face has written an article on “How to Protect Your Energy.” I found her through a Google search on “Protection for Empaths.” As an empath coach, I don’t believe that empaths need protection. Instead, I help empaths by teaching the system of Empath Empowerment®.  My students do just fine, without needing to worry about protecting themselves. Still, I was curious to learn about Madison’s point of view. I sure did.

Worldly Wisdom #1

Madison’s Professional Qualifications 

Frankly, Madison Arnholt shocked me when, at her website, she summarized her professional qualification: She is an intuitive life coach.

That’s it. In case you’re wondering:

“An intuitive life coach is someone who supports you in accessing your intuition and releasing anything seemingly blocking your clarity and peace. Intuitive life coaching is great for someone who knows it’s time to trust the wisdom within themselves, rather than seek wisdom from others.

“My approach to intuitive life coaching isn’t like getting a psychic reading or doing reiki. I’m not here to heal you or tell you the steps you should take. All of the transformation happens from you, within you. I’m just here to hold the space for you . . .”

She has worked with clients – however many – for five years: 5+ years of helping clients around the world.

Regarding her offerings, Madison concludes:

“Each of these offerings are [sic] here to support you in living a more intuitively aligned, joyful & present Life. If it feels aligned, I’m excited to work with you.”

Rose Rosetree Comments

Look, let’s pay attention to this: Madison’s background consists of working as an “intuitive life coach.” Not a certified life coach, but her own intuitive version. She doesn’t even pretend to have any particular expertise at helping empaths.

I do think it’s telling that, on her website, she doesn’t name a single empath teacher of any kind.

Something else in her bio may indicate a certain lack of respect for rigor, intellectual property, and credentials: Madison doesn’t capitalize “Reiki.” As you’ve read above, “My approach to intuitive life coaching isn’t like getting a psychic reading or doing reiki.”

Haven’t you heard of Reiki, Blog-Buddies? Who hasn’t heard of Reiki? Who doesn’t know that Reiki is a distinctive system for energy healing? Being thousands of years old, it predates American trademarks. At least we can show respect for Reiki traditions by capitalizing the term.

Questions for You. Add Your Worldly Wisdom

AS A CONSUMER

What do you think it means that Madison doesn’t acknowledge any books or teachers or learning that equipped her to help empaths?

At best, her blogpost includes a pretty shocking left-handed compliment to other empath teachers. If you’d like to know what I mean, just ask.

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

There’s a long history of entrepreneurs NOT acknowledging anyone. Maybe it can help them seem fabulously brilliant. On the other hand, what do you think of Entrepreneur Madison saying this about her objectives when helping her empath clients?

“Welcome to a space where your joy, wellbeing and alignment are not an afterthought, but put first.” So she has nothing to teach?

Worldly Wisdom #2

Using Her Appearance as a Sales Tool

Madison’s bio is hard to find. What’s easy to find? Her photo.

She’s wise to display it so prominently. She’s a good-looking woman. Let’s consider that this photo may serve as Madison’s main sales tool.

Selling Points for Madison’s Credibility

Just from showing us her photo, what do we learn about Madison Arnholt?

– She’s thin.

– And young.

– And White.

Hey, There’s More, Too

In the generous set of publicity photos at her website, Madison proudly bares her midriff.

– She’s also wearing a gold stud on her pierced left nostril.

Evidently, Madison’s empath credentials are plenty for Google. At my search on “Protection for Empaths,” Madison’s article shows near the top of the first page of hits.

Questions for You. Add Your Worldly Wisdom

AS A CONSUMER

What is Madison’s standing to help empaths? Should her appearance be enough make her credible with readers her age and younger?

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Has Madison presented any qualifications as compelling as how confidently she displays her demographics, and midriff, in her photograph?

Could this be an effective way to inspire trust in potential clients?

Worldly Wisdom  #3.

Her High-SEO Article on Protection for Empaths

Here’s your link to read what Madison has to teach. Go, Empath Curious readers.

By all means, read what she has to say. What do you make of it?

Maybe you’d like to pause here and share your reaction to her publication. Then you can return to this article. I’m eager to find out what you have to say.

Questions for You. Add Your Worldly Wisdom.

AS A CONSUMER

Did Madison’s ideas go down easy? Sounding very familiar? For example:

“Your freedom is in feeling and releasing the feelings inside of you.”

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Does it matter if Madison’s ideas sound very, very familiar? Is that the best way to build a service business?

And then if she looks better than the competition, she wins clients?

Worldly Wisdom #4.

Sample: How Madison Helps Empaths

The following is one of several methods taught in this article, all of which are supposed to protect empaths. This time, Madison doesn’t give generalized advice but a step-by-step technique.

Step #1. Become aware when your energy/emotions shift in response to someone else.

Step #2. Directly feel the energy/emotion inside of you.

Locate where it is in the body and feel the sensations directly.

Become aware of and directly feeling the feelings in you (not through thinking about them mentally or staying stuck in the story of “they drained my energy”).

This is what allows emotions that were previously trapped in the body to transmute back into free flowing energy. 

Step #3. See what your intuition guides you to from there.

You will be able to act from clarity and freedom rather than emotional wounding/reaction.

Through this process, your freedom is no longer dependent on others.

Questions for You. Add Your Worldly Wisdom.

AS A CONSUMER

Does this look to you like an effective technique? Has Madison earned the claims she concludes with? Namely:

• You will be able to act from clarity and freedom rather than emotional wounding/reaction.
• Through this process, your freedom is no longer dependent on others.

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Now it’s your turn, my fellow entrepreneurs. Please share your assessment of this technique.

Does it seem responsible to you, or more like something that Madison slapped together? (Please COMMENT before reading our next section. Then you’ll see why your assessment is worth making.)

Worldly Wisdom #5.

My Assessment, as an Empath Coach

Let’s start with her Step #1. “Become aware when your energy/emotions shift in response to someone else.”

Madison appears to give her empaths the assignment of monitoring their energy and/or emotions. Not just once during a day, not just twice, but all that empath’s waking hours.

In my view, this kind of monitoring counts as Spiritual Technique Time. Right away, Madison is advising her students to blow right past (my recommendation of) 20 Daily Minutes of Spiritual Technique Time. Inadvertently, she’s advising her students to move into the consciousness lifestyle of Psychological Overwork or else move into the consciousness lifestyle of Spiritual Addiction.

Meanwhile let’s think a little more about Madison’s Step #1. It’s pretty drastic. And why only do this,”when responding to somebody else”?

Another Possible Point of Interest

Giving this pretty drastic advice, I wonder if Madison Arnholt has inadvertently revealed something about herself: The habit of self-absorption.

When you’re with other people, Blog-Buddies, don’t you pay attention to what these people actually do? What they say? From a very human perspective, empath or not, aren’t you curious about other people?

Madison seems awfully comfortable about instructing empaths to talk to other people yet remain self-absorbed.

A Teacher with Professional Skills Would Explain WHY to Do Her 3 Steps

I wonder, why doesn’t Madison do this?

Your thoughts? Doesn’t a professional teacher explain what to do and also why to do it?

At Section #6 below, I’ll give the full Empath Coach treatment to the rest of this shoddily constructed technique.

At this point, please share your thoughts on any part of my assessment so far. For instance, do you consider it valuable to pay attention — for more than 20 minutes in one day — to your emotions and energies? Do you currenly believe in doing that?

Also, what is your opinion of a teacher referring to your “energy/emotions”? As though ENERGY and EMOTIONS are interchangeable.

Questions for You. Add Your Worldly Wisdom.

AS A CONSUMER

What do you think about all that detaching and paying attention to energies or emotions?

This would, in my view, propel Madison’s students into the consciousness lifestyle of Psychological Overwork or else move them into the consciousness lifestyle of Spiritual Addiction.

AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

If you teach skills as part of your professional work, do you think this technique has merit? Or is Madison’s teaching kind of haphazard?

Even if you know nothing about the specialty of teaching empaths, what should be obvious? Nothing about this technique makes it particularly helpful for empaths.

At this point, everyone, I’ll stop asking for reactions from you as either a CONSUMER or an ENTREPRENEUR. Remember, though, you’re invited to leap in with your reactions whenever you have something to share.

More Worldly Wisdom

Does Madison Have the Aura of an Empath?

Auras are where empath gifts show. Let’s assume that the person writing this article has at least Stage 3 Energetic Literacy and, in addition, has learned how to accurately research a person’s score on the Energy Spirituality SENSITIVITY SCALE.

For research purposes, I’ll use the same photograph of Ms. Arnholt that I’ve referred to earlier.

Is Empath Coach Madison, Personally, an Empath?

Blog-Buddies, if you guessed NO, you’d be right.

Not that I recommend guessing about such things, of course.

And What’s Her Score on the Energy Spirituality SENSITIVITY SCALE?

Madison Arnholt’s score on that Sensitivity Scale is 1. She is a Highly-Highly Literal Person. By contrast, an empath scores 20.

More Worldly Wisdom

How about Ms. Arnholt’s Consciousness Lifestyle?

Since we’re all living in the Age of Awakening, each of us has a “consciousness lifestyle.” Some of these are more helpful than others, when it comes to having clarity about objective reality.

While researching Madison’s teachings, I thought, why not? I went ahead and explored her consciousness lifestyle as well. According to that research, Madison is living in the consciousness lifestyle of Psychological Overwork.

So she’s one of many people living among the rest of us, living with her head up in some psychological clouds. Not making much contact with regular human objective reality.

In my experience as an empath coach, it’s of the utmost importance that empaths learn how to function well in objective reality. It’s like this saying in one of my four Empath Empowerment Books, “The Empowered Empath: Owning, Embracing and Managing Your Special Gifts“:

Unskilled empaths are LESS effective than non-empaths.

Skilled empaths are MORE effective than non-empaths.

More Worldly Wisdom

Perspective on Madison’s Technique

Look, I’ve worked as a teacher of personal development for over 50 years, beginning with training I received from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation Program. As an adult, I worked for him and learned from him. Only in 1996 did I found Energy Spirituality®.

Over the decades, as you can imagine, I’ve seen spiritual teachers and self-help  experts come and go. Likewise, I’ve seen many fads have their moment; later, people may have wondered, “Why was I doing that, exactly?”

Clearly, Madison is too young to have lived through many of the New Age Years. That is, from 1980 until the Shift into the Age of Awakening, on Dec. 21, 2012.

By contrast, I lived through all those years. During the 1980’s, I studied with a lovely teacher of personal development who talked beautifully about “holding a space.” Energy sensitivity was emerging for everybody who wanted it. Of course, seekers of spirituality were drawn to this kind of language.

But in the year 2025? Madison Arnholt uses “hold the space for you” in her website’s description of her work.

Other Exciting Discoveries During the New Age Years

Back in the day there was also a prevalent belief that if we just paid attention to our energies, or our emotions, we would heal them. For example, bestselling author John Gray,  in 1993, published a book called “What You Feel, You Can Heal.”

Lo and behold, in her technique for empaths, Madison claims that feeling your emotions “allows emotions that were previously trapped in the body to transmute back into free flowing energy.” So very New Age Years!

In general, Madison is recycling ideas that have been mainstream for so many decades. Do these ideas actually work?

What has your experience been? Please share.

In Conclusion

Madison brings a fresh face to her website. However, nothing she teaches is original. Or even current.

Unfortunately, these ideas have been circulating in pop culture for decades, although they don’t necessarily help anybody, let alone empaths.

Rose Rosetree’s Standing to:

Use Energetic Literacy and to Evaluate Empath Coaching

First, Rose’s Standing to Use Energetic Literacy

In this article, Rose Rosetree used the system of Aura Reading Through All Your Senses® to research being an empath. Sadly, the usual self-reported questionnaires and psychological assessments are inadequate for discerning who is, or isn’t an empath.

Seems to me, empaths are unusual because of what their consciousness spontaneously does. Doesn’t it make sense that, to learn about an empath’s consciousness, it takes good skills of energetic literacy?

Of course, I couldn’t resist using my energetic literacy skills to evaluate Madison’s score on the Energy Spirituality SENSITIVITY SCALE.

Strong skills of energetic literacy matter, in order to evaluate an empath’s progress. And, if needed, for problem solving. Both empath talent and  empath skills involve consciousness. To guide born empaths into becoming Skilled Empaths requires quality skills.

Based on Madison’s article, it’s likely that she has progressed only up to Stage 1 Energetic Literacy. As the founder of Energy Spirituality®, my skills are at a somewhat higher stage of energetic literacy. 

Finally, as promised:

Second, Rose’s Standing to Evaluate Empath Coaching

Do you like videos? These three short videos is a great way to start off this introduction.

Video 1. About Empath Coaching with Rose Rosetree

Video 2. More about Rose’s System of Empath Empowerment®

Video 3. Empath Coaching with Rose Rosetree

In 2001 I published the first book in English for empaths. Several edits later, it’s called Empath Empowerment in 30 Days. Read one short chapter a day, do up to 10 minutes of homework. In a month, you’ll be a Skilled Empath, not just a person born with empath talent.

Foreign rights to my books for empaths have been sold in Spain, Japan, Russia, and Turkey.

In 2011, I trademarked the first system for empaths in America, Empath Empowerment®. It works. 

See hundreds of sample aura readings and Skilled Empath Merges for free. Click onto this resource, and have fun.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Comment Updates – Week of 10-20-25

Last week we reached a new milestone for comment conversations: 163 THOUSAND comments.

Lively Comments Are Happening at the Following Articles

To help you stay current, below you’ll find this: The comment number for this week’s first addition. Then you can start exploring what is freshest, most new at this blog. Here goes.

Aura Reading a Franciscan Nun

Additions start at Comment #134

Covid Is Still Here. How to Protect Yourself

Additions start at Comment #1179

Heal Your Life. A CREATIVITY SECRETS Workshop Announcement

Additions start at Comment #110

Worldly Wisdom for Entrepreneurs, Empaths, and More

Additions start at Comment #1