Guest View: I dated Lauren briefly; her mother tried to recruit me

[One of the advantages of monitoring the comments and eliminating the hostile ones, is finding a gem like this. This one showed up as a comment but is certainly worthy of its own post.]

By Stephen Donnelly

I dated Lauren Salzman briefly when she was working as a rather young acolyte within the Executive Success Program, an executive development program they were trying to sell local companies in the Albany, NY area.

I was, and still am, with the firm Rose & Kieran and our executive management team thought ESP might hold some value for us. After the first couple of meetings it became clear to us we weren’t buying what they were selling. I think the weekly “exercises” they assigned each of us were considered irrelevant, so we severed our business relationship. However, I thought Lauren rather cute, so I pursued a more personal connection.

Almost immediately Lauren starting suggesting I meet her mother, Nancy. I agreed to and Lauren set up an appointment with her at their offices on New Karner Road in Colonie. She introduced me to her mother and left us alone to talk. Nancy started asking me about my upbringing, probing personal questions, etc., which went far beyond the boundaries of normal introductory conversation.

Lauren Salzman [right] with her mother Nancy. Lauren got into NXIVM thanks to her mother and at an age when she was impressionable.

Nancy Salzman [left] with her daughter Lauren. They followed the smartest and most ethical man in the world – their co-defendant Keith Raniere. Consequently, no other men but beta males could be allowed into their organization.

She said their organization needed men like me and she harped on all of her accomplishments in the business world, citing vague examples of how she helped turn ConEd around.

Subsequently, I was invited to their home in Clifton Park. Lauren’s bedroom was upstairs next to Nancy’s. I showed up, we all sat in the kitchen that evening and her mother proceeded to repeat everything she had told me in our previous meeting. It seemed like she was trying to convince me of something. I put up with it because I was more interested in Lauren. Moments later Nancy suggested we go upstairs to be alone. I went to Lauren’s room while Nancy followed behind. We entered Lauren’s room and her mother watched from the hall as Lauren closed the door. Eventually, we started making out on the bed but the entire time I could hear Nancy wandering about in the hallway. I thought it odd, stayed a bit longer, said my goodbyes and took off.

Lauren loved to talk about the different levels of leadership within ESP to which she aspired and almost obsessed about it. However, a couple of days after my visit to her home she asked me to lunch. When I got out of my car at the restaurant parking lot, she walked up to me and flatly stated she couldn’t see me anymore. I asked for a reason. She gave none and walked away.

I always felt her mother was trying to recruit me but couldn’t be sure. Once the issues with this organization came to light, I was convinced of it.

Strange people. Still wish I got in her pants that night, however.