Liana Shanti Truths
Former Student

Joanna Foster / Anna Killen

Why did Joanna later blame Liana after signing a letter that said her family crisis predated Liana—and that Liana did not tell her what to do?

“It was this incident and conversation with the principal (and not any dialogue or suggestion with or by Liana) that cemented my mistrust in my parents around my children.”Joanna Foster’s signed letter to a federal judge
Joanna Foster, also known as Anna Ross Killen
Joanna Foster / Anna Ross Killen
Who is Joanna Foster?

The documented history behind the reversal

Joanna Foster—whose messages appeared under the name Nahele Hi‘iaka and who now goes by Anna Ross Killen—spent years in Liana Shanti’s community and one year in her closest-proximity mentorship. Her own dated words describe what she experienced before, during, and after that work.

Stage 01

Before Liana

  • BEFORE LIANA, Joanna wrote that her daughter—then only three—suddenly began soiling her pants several times a day and wetting the bed after attending Howlett Academy, even though she had been toilet-trained for more than a year.
  • BEFORE LIANA, Joanna wrote that Matt saw their three-year-old spread her vaginal lips in the bathtub in a way he found alarming. Joanna said the child then disclosed that an older student had molested and frightened her in a classroom bathroom.
  • BEFORE LIANA, Joanna said the school principal repeatedly asked whether the child’s grandparents could be responsible. Joanna’s signed letter says that school incident and conversation—not any dialogue or suggestion from Liana—cemented her mistrust of her parents around her children.
  • BEFORE LIANA’S INVOLVEMENT, Joanna wrote that she had already “strongly suspected” her father, Robert Foster, had abused her two eldest children; she said they later disclosed abuse to her. In separate messages, Joanna said all three of her children had experienced sexual abuse involving him.
  • BEFORE LIANA, Joanna described the alleged family method in her own words: “My mother would distract the parent and my father would abuse. And I let it happen. I didn’t stop it. I didn’t protect my precious children.”
  • BEFORE ASKING LIANA FOR HELP, Joanna described her daughter being yelled at and bitten by a cousin almost weekly, shamed by Joanna’s husband, exploding in rage, hitting Joanna, Matt, and her brother, screaming that she hated them, and previously pulling knives on another child.
  • BEFORE LIANA, Joanna said she had already confronted her mother at age nineteen about her own alleged sexual abuse by Robert Foster. She wrote that her mother denied it and that her father replied, “that wasn’t me,” before leaving.
Stage 02

What Joanna said about Liana

  • Joanna called Liana’s high-end mentorship “a loving and safe container” and “a very safe and sacred place.”
  • She thanked Liana for helping her “gain a deeper understanding of myself,” go deeper into her trauma faster than ever before, and “see and put the puzzle pieces together.”
  • Joanna wrote that the mentorship left her clearer, changed her relationship with Matt, and helped her identify what she called “the rewiring of my brain from one of pain to pleasure.”
  • She told Liana, “I feel like I can speak my truth with you” and said it was safe to explore, be wrong, and discover because Liana would not hold it over her.
  • She wrote, “I feel more free. I feel more stable. I feel more patience. I feel love,” expressed “profound gratitude,” and offered to support Liana when she was in need.
  • In her signed letter, Joanna credited Liana’s work with helping her become independent and financially independent, own two businesses, feel proud of her parenting, become kinder and more peaceful, and improve her circulation, anemia, fatigue, and energy.
Stage 03

What Liana actually told her

  • Joanna wrote to a federal judge: “She does not give advice or tell people what to do.”
  • When Joanna asked for help with her daughter, Liana encouraged ten or fifteen minutes of consistent, safe, pressure-free time alone with her each day: color together, take a walk, play, listen, and give her somewhere emotionally safe to land.
  • Joanna later acknowledged, “I have yelled a lot at Matt in the past.” She said something Liana shared made her recognize the effect of that behavior, then wrote: “I have stopped.”
Stage 04

Then she reversed the story—and her alliances

  • Paul Thompson is Joanna’s brother-in-law, married to her twin sister, Jess. Joanna wrote a signed letter to a federal judge specifically to challenge Paul’s claims about Liana and to document what Joanna said she had personally witnessed inside his marriage.
  • Joanna wrote that Paul called police during a rage after an argument with Jess, that Jess left the marital home while three months pregnant, and that Paul then drained approximately $5,000 from their joint account and changed the locks.
  • She said Jess repeatedly described severe verbal abuse and fear for her own and her children’s safety; Joanna drove more than three hours to check on her, later called police for a welfare check, and learned that Paul had confiscated Jess’s phone.
  • Joanna also wrote that a seventeen-year-old nephew said he felt unsafe around Paul and that Paul later “jokingly” tried to run him over with a jet ski. In other public accounts, Joanna called Paul a “financial parasite,” said he had hidden his sons from Jess for four months, ran a swingers club, and nearly punched Joanna in the face.
  • Then Joanna reversed course, realigned with Paul, and now publicly supports the same brother-in-law she had spent years describing as abusive and dangerous.
  • The source article says the shift followed Child Protective Services removing two foster children from Joanna and Matt’s home after saying it had “concerns,” according to a direct message from Matt. Matt claimed the dispute concerned their diet and educational choices.
  • Joanna later publicly reframed her departure around Liana’s supposed “financial advice.” Liana says she never managed Joanna’s investments, chose securities for her, directed her retirement money, or made investment decisions for her. Joanna’s earlier record says Liana refused to tell her what to do, while Joanna praised Magnetic Money Manifesting and wrote, “I love this program so, so much. My life changed.”
  • Her earlier words remain dated, signed, and preserved.

Here is Joanna’s story in her own words.

On this page

Choose a chapter or read from the beginning
01 · Letter to a federal judge 02 · The safe container 03 · The family problems 04 · What Joanna disclosed 05 · What Liana told her 06 · The later realignment 07 · The money record
Chapter 01 · Signed Letter

What Joanna Told a Federal Judge

In a signed four-page letter addressed to U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway, Joanna described her history, her family relationships, and what she said she experienced in Liana’s community.

Joanna also wrote that the school incident involving her daughter, and specifically the conversation with the principal, “(and not any dialogue or suggestion with or by Liana)” cemented her mistrust of her parents around her children.

She said she had purchased almost all of Liana’s programs and intended to continue purchasing them. She credited the work with her independence, financial independence, businesses, parenting, kindness, inner peace, health, and energy.

Joanna Foster’s signed letter, page 1Signed letter · Page 1
Joanna Foster’s signed letter, page 2Signed letter · Page 2
Joanna Foster’s signed letter, page 3Signed letter · Page 3
Joanna Foster’s signed letter, page 4Signed letter · Page 4
View original signed letter ↗
Chapter 02 · October 17, 2023

“A Loving and Safe Container”

At the end of her mentorship year, Joanna thanked Liana for her time, energy, and wisdom. She said the experience helped her understand herself and go deeper into her trauma.

“I feel more free. I feel more stable. I feel more patience. I feel love.”

She also wrote, “I saw what you are up against and I do not envy your path,” and signed the letter, “With love, Nahele.”

Joanna’s October 17, 2023 mentorship letter, page 1Joanna’s words · Page 1
Joanna’s October 17, 2023 mentorship letter, page 2Joanna’s words · Page 2
“I feel like I can speak my truth with you, even if what I think is true at that moment turns out to be false, it’s ok… So it’s safe to explore and ‘be wrong’ and sometimes discover.”
Joanna’s October 27, 2022 message about feeling safe to speakJoanna’s words · October 27, 2022
Chapter 03 · November 2022

The Family Problems Were Already There

Joanna came to Liana asking for help with serious problems in her family. In her messages, Joanna said her daughter was angry, hitting family members, screaming, expressing hatred, and had previously pulled knives on another child in the family.

These messages establish that the family problems Joanna described predated the help she requested from Liana.

Joanna’s November 2022 family message, part 1Family record · Part 1
Joanna’s November 2022 family message, part 2Family record · Part 2
Joanna’s November 2022 family message, part 3Family record · Part 3
Chapter 04 · Joanna’s Disclosures

What Joanna Said Her Children Disclosed

According to Joanna’s messages, all three of her children had made disclosures involving Joanna’s father. She also described a school incident involving her daughter, repeated biting and yelling by a cousin, incidents involving knives, and shaming by her husband.

“My mother would distract the parent and my father would abuse. And I let it happen. I didn’t stop it. I didn’t protect my precious children.”

These are Joanna’s reported statements, preserved as allegations in the record rather than independently adjudicated findings.

Joanna’s message describing disclosures, part 1Joanna’s disclosures · Part 1
Joanna’s message describing disclosures, part 2Joanna’s disclosures · Part 2
Chapter 05 · The Guidance

What Liana Actually Told Her

Liana’s account says she encouraged Joanna to spend consistent, safe, pressure-free time alone with her daughter each day: color together, take a walk, play, listen, and show through consistency that her daughter mattered.

Spend time with your child. Listen to her. Make her feel important. Be consistent. Create safety.

Joanna said a psychiatrist had recommended the same kind of intentional connection. She later wrote, “I have yelled a lot at Matt in the past,” followed by, “I have stopped.”

Chapter 06 · The Later Realignment

Then She Realigned With the Same Family System

Joanna had described her brother-in-law Paul Thompson in severe and disturbing terms, including conduct she considered abusive, and discussed those claims repeatedly in messages and group settings. The source article states that she later realigned with that same family system.

The article also recounts that Joanna and Matt fostered two children who were later removed from their home by Child Protective Services. According to a direct message attributed to Matt Killen, CPS said it had “concerns”; Matt claimed the issue was their plant-based diet.

Message concerning the removal of foster children, part 1Foster-care record · Part 1
Message concerning the removal of foster children, part 2Foster-care record · Part 2
Chapter 07 · The Money Record

The Public Story Changed

The source article says Joanna later publicly characterized her departure in ways that conflicted with her earlier record, including a claim involving supposed financial advice.

Liana states that she did not manage Joanna’s investments or tell her what securities to buy, where to place retirement funds, or which investment decisions to make. The earlier record shows Joanna enrolled in Magnetic Money Manifesting and credited the abundance work with helping her. Her signed letter separately said Liana did not give advice or tell people what to do and that Joanna learned to make her own choices.

Joanna’s message about Magnetic Money Manifesting and financial resultsJoanna’s money record
The record preserved here is Joanna’s own: what she wrote when she was living it, what she signed, and how those dated statements compare with the later public story.
Expanded evidence exhibit