The Gateway: Teal Swan

Part 2: Origins

Jennings travels to Utah, where Teal grew up and began her spiritual career. He learns more about the upbringing that shaped her teachings on suicide, and he meets the people who were closest to a Teal follower who took her own life. 
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The Gateway is a six-part series about Teal Swan, a new brand of spiritual guru, who draws in followers with her hypnotic self-help YouTube videos aimed at people who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Some followers move to Teal’s healing center, a spiritual startup where they produce content and manage social media accounts. Teal insists her therapy saves lives, but her critics say Teal’s death-focused dogma is dangerous. Gizmodo reporter Jennings Brown traveled to rural Utah and to the forests of Costa Rica, with extensive access to Teal and her inner circle, to understand Teal's teachings and investigate the deaths of some of her followers.