NAFPS Forum

This description of Bear Walker's background includes interesting language about sacred ceremonies and teachings.

QuoteBear Walker is an Anishinaabe medicine man raised in Thunder Bay area of Northern Michigan. He offers the sacred ceremonies and teachings of his First Nation to non-native peoples that he learned from his grandfather. His goal is to inspire people will learn how to live in balance with Nature with love, forgiveness and respect. Bear specializes in cellular health and overall well-being.

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Source: Balancing 4 Life Restorative Wellness Center - Wellness Evaluations with Dr. Bear Walker
Date: November 14, 2025
Direct Link: https://www.balancing4life.com/event/wellness-evaluations-with-dr-bear-walker-5/
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/9yose
Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20260907221544/https://www.balancing4life.com/event/wellness-evaluations-with-dr-bear-walker-5/

I've included two excerpts from a post on the The Wellness Watchdog's Substack. The post is highly complimentary of Bear Walker and he's referred to as a doctor. It's concerning that he was planning to launch a policy reform association.

QuoteDr. Bear Walker is more than a doctor—he is a visionary healer, educator, and advocate for systemic change in wellness and healthcare. As the founder of Circle of Health, Dr. Walker has dedicated his life to weaving the timeless wisdom of his Anishinaabe heritage with the transformative power of modern healing technologies. Through this fusion, he has created a holistic approach to health that addresses the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of the human experience.

Dr. Walker's unique practice, which incorporates the Medicine Wheel and the 8 Sacred Stones, is earning recognition not only among celebrities and policymakers but also as a beacon of hope for individuals seeking true, lasting healing. His partnerships with The BioHaus and a groundbreaking association that aims to make policy reform in the healthcare space, set to launch on January 20th, are further elevating his mission to make comprehensive healing accessible to all.

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Source: The Wellness Watchdog's Substack – Dr. Bear Walker: The Modern Healer Bridging Indigenous Wisdom and Cutting-Edge Healing Technologies
Date: January 14, 2025
Direct Link: https://thewellnesswatchdog.substack.com/p/dr-bear-walker-the-modern-healer
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/g2LWw
Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20260908032633/https://thewellnesswatchdog.substack.com/p/dr-bear-walker-the-modern-healer

QuoteThe Policy Reform Association: A Vision for Holistic Public Health

Dr. Walker's commitment to systemic change extends beyond the clinic. On January 20th, during the U.S. presidential inauguration, he will announce the launch of a new Policy Reform Association. This initiative will focus on integrating holistic wellness into public health systems, ensuring that the principles of balance and interconnectedness are reflected in policies that affect schools, hospitals, and underserved communities.

Key Objectives of the Policy Reform Association

1. Holistic Health Access: Advocating for public health programs that integrate Indigenous practices and modern biohacking technologies.
2. Trauma-Informed Care: Addressing PTSD, chronic stress, and mental health issues through culturally rooted, evidence-based approaches.
3. Educational Empowerment: Creating workshops and curricula that teach the Medicine Wheel alongside modern wellness practices.
4. Equity in Wellness: Prioritizing access to comprehensive healing for marginalized and underserved populations.

This initiative aligns with Dr. Walker's vision of healing not only individuals but also the collective systems that influence health and well-being.

Dr. Bear Walker: A True Healer and Educator

Dr. Walker is not merely a doctor; he is a healer, deeply committed to the spiritual and physical well-being of his clients. His ability to listen, teach, and transform makes him a sought-after guide for those navigating the complexities of modern life.

As an educator, he empowers individuals with tools and knowledge to take charge of their health. Through workshops, retreats, and seminars, he teaches the Medicine Wheel and Sacred Stones as a practical framework for understanding and navigating life's challenges.

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Source: The Wellness Watchdog's Substack – Dr. Bear Walker: The Modern Healer Bridging Indigenous Wisdom and Cutting-Edge Healing Technologies
Date: January 14, 2025
Direct Link: https://thewellnesswatchdog.substack.com/p/dr-bear-walker-the-modern-healer
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/g2LWw
Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20260908032633/https://thewellnesswatchdog.substack.com/p/dr-bear-walker-the-modern-healer

Alan "Laughing Bear" Walker, also known as Bear Walker, claims to be an Anishinaabe medicine man. He operates a business, Circle of Health Wellness, in Farmington, Connecticut. Based on information obtained from publicly available records, Alan "Laughing Bear" Walker AKA Bear Walker is a white man named Paul Manning. I'm going to refer to him as "Bear Walker" throughout the rest of this post as it's the name he's using publicly.

This article written by Bear Walker provides a good overview of his claims and beliefs:

QuoteI was blessed to grow up with the master of ancient wisdom my grandfather, an Anishanabe Elder. His simple wisdom and insight were a huge part of my early training and he never tired of my constant questions.  I learned of the sacred teachings of the Medwiwins in the Anishanabe tribe. The closest name or word for Medwiwin in today's language would be Shaman. So my beloved Grandfather taught me the ancient ways of the medicine wheel which are the basis of all our teachings.  The medicine wheel was a gift from Great Spirit to our tribe. From the earliest time we used the wheel to mark time and honor the four directions and the four elements: fire, earth, water, and wind/air. From these ways we find our balance.

In addition to English, my grandfather had difficulty understanding time. He never wore a watch, and was never on time. He couldn't get the concept of time for money, ten dollars for an hour's work. But "in the moment" was a sacred concept.

It had to do with being inside of the center of time. It had to do with slowing the speed of time down, and going into the gap. We also honored what he called a golden moment. We would often meet at sunrise sitting in the silence waiting for the first spark of light, and I still remember the magic feeling of the golden moment. We would sit there on a rock overlooking the water. As the sun slowly but magnificently rose, we were in the center of the golden moment. We could feel the vibration, see the color, smell the crisp power, hear the complete silence and taste the sweetness of the golden dew.

No matter where I have traveled since, and I have traveled all over this amazing earth, the beauty of the concept of the golden moment has always been a part of everything I do. You are probably asking by now, what does all this have to do with transformation from the 4th to 5th dimension? Well, I will tell you.

First, let's be clear on what I mean by 4th dimensional bodies. We all know what the 3 dimensions are, right? Height, width, and depth. You know, 3D people. The fourth dimension is the experience of time or maybe better said "the illusion of time." But then again maybe all of the four dimensions are illusions!

After my first 18 years of being with my grandfather and his simple but profound ancient teachings, I started training with some of the most advanced teachers in the world, specializing in cellular biology and quantum physics.

My studying took me from northern Michigan to Toronto, then Pittsburgh, ending up at NASA working with computers that interface with our body, reading the electrical impulses that our bodies put off (galvanic skin resistance), and transferring these impulses to binary codes that computers understand.

From The Quantum Perspective

Bodies are made of cells. Cells break down to energy, waves and particles. In simple terms:
- everything is made of atoms,
- atoms are made of energy
- energy comes from consciousness.

All energy starts in the center. Whether we speak about zero point gravity, quantum atomic potential, or being in the moment, the power is in the center of the wheel and you can get to the center by slowing everything down. You can move from a 4th dimensional experience to a 5th dimensional transformation by slowing it down. Deepak Chopra uses the word "the gap." This is also an ancient teaching of the Vedic masters. It's in the gap, at the center of the wheel, that we connect with unlimited potentiality. So many of you have had that experience. For me, it was the golden moment I described earlier. It can happen gardening, during yoga, or even driving. You might say something like, where did the time go, or wow, how did I get here? You went out of 4th dimension illusions into 5th dimension potentiality. It is amazing!

Over my many years of practice I have seen people helped by various incredible remedies, herbal medicine, proper nutrition, special diet, and so on. I am now and will continue to be an advocate for all of these. However, I firmly believe that the future of medicine will be in the aiding of all people to connect to the 5th dimension. By doing so, we will activate and accelerate our DNA to take us where we were created to go. I have compared where we are now to having a Lamborghini and driving it around in first gear while applying the brake. The 5th dimension transformation is putting the car in 5th gear with the pedal to the metal, so to speak.

We are magnificent powerful beings! Let us awaken to the power we were meant to have. It has been said many times that we are in the age of information. Let's take that word apart 'in form', or 'holding form' is 4th dimension. We now are moving into the age of inspiration or 'in spirit', 5th dimension. What an amazing time this will be! Let all of us use our power from our centers to move into these sacred times!

A special thanks to Makenzie Walker, my daughter, for her excellent typing skills.

Mequwitch!

-Muckwa Mousa

Bear Walker

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Source: Merlian News "Transforming 4th Dimensional Bodies into 5th Dimensional Beings: Finding the Portal/Gap to Bring about Transformation" by Bear Walker
Direct Link: Transforming 4th Dimensional Bodies into 5th Dimensional Beings: Finding the Portal/Gap to Bring about Transformation
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/nveHl

I recommend listening to at least the first 10 minutes of Bear Walker being interviewed on this podcast, as well:

Source: Bear Walker on Super Human Radio (August 18, 2012)
Direct Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88ZI-pIX3ZY

Here are direct and archive links to Bear Walker's Circle of Health website:

Circle of Health Website – Homepage
Direct Link: https://www.circleofhealth.com/
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/hnwOm
Circle of Health Website – About Bear Walker
Direct Link: https://www.circleofhealth.com/bear-walker/
Archive.today Link: https://archive.ph/GZ8ob

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Real Name & Genealogy

I found Bear Walker's profile on a popular people search website. His profile contained a long list of "also known as" names which included Paul Manning. Information provided by Bear Walker in the podcast linked above led to a Paul Manning with the same date of birth as Bear Walker. A yearbook photo of Paul Manning is attached to this post to show the resemblance to Bear Walker. It's clearly the same person.

Who is Paul Manning?
Paul Manning was born to Harold Jennings Manning and Juanita Joyce (Mayo) Manning in April 1957 in the lower peninsula of Michigan. He attended Midland High School in Midland, Michigan

PARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Harold Jennings Manning
B: 3 Mar 1929 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA
D: 4 Dec 2008 – Panama City, Panama, Panama
Juanita Joyce Mayo
B: 9 Sep 1931 - Michigan, USA
D: 29 Sep 2001 - Pasco, Franklin, Washington, USA

PATERNAL GENEALOGY

FATHER OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Harold Jennings Manning
B: 3 Mar 1929 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA
D: 4 Dec 2008 – Panama City, Panama, Panama

PARENTS OF HAROLD JENNINGS MANNING,
PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Benjamin Wade Manning
B: 19 Mar 1893 - Michigan, USA
D: 1 Nov 1961 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA
Esther Collins Richardson
B: 4 May 1898 - Michigan, USA
D: 8 Dec 1967 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA

PARENTS OF BENJAMIN WADE MANNING,
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
George William Manning
B: 19 Aug 1850 - Canada
D: 4 Dec 1916 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA
Eliza A. Boyd
B: 20 Oct 1854 - Canada
D: 14 Jun 1916 - Green, Alpena, Michigan, USA

PARENTS OF ESTHER COLLINS RICHARDSON,
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Walter Seymour Richardson
B: Jun 1859 - Maine, USA
D: 21 Aug 1938 - San Benito County, California, USA
Lizzie Ardella Kneeland
B: 29 May 1866 - Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, USA
D: 20 Jan 1918 - Michigan, USA
 
MATERNAL GENEALOGY

PARENTS OF JUANITA JOYCE MAYO,
MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
George A. Mayo (Mailloux)
B: 21 May 1905 - Garden, Delta, Michigan, USA
D: 20 Nov 1984 - Petoskey, Emmet, Michigan, USA
Loie Isobel Baldwin
B: 13 Feb 1907 - Michigan, USA
D: 25 Mar 1979 - Alpena, Alpena, Michigan, USA

PARENTS OF GEORGE A. MAYO,
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Joseph Mailloux
B: 2 Nov 1860 - Québec, Canada
D: 1 Dec 1932 - Garden, Delta, Michigan, USA
Julia Lamotte
B: 27 May 1869 - Québec, Canada
D: 26 May 1955 - Garden, Delta, Michigan, USA

PARENTS OF LOIE ISOBEL BALDWIN,
GREAT-GRANDPARENTS OF BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING
Ray Baldwin
B: 8 Apr 1889 - Bronson, Branch, Michigan, USA
D: 11 Mar 1957 - Genesee County, Michigan, USA
Effie Lucinda Higbea
B: 6 Aug 1888 - Corunna, DeKalb County, Indiana, USA
D: 11 May 1962 - Genesee County, Michigan, USA

GENEALOGY SUMMARY
I'm only posting Bear Walker's great-grandparents at this point in time but can post additional information if requested. He is predominantly Irish and French-Canadian. BEAR WALKER AKA PAUL MANNING IS NOT ANISHINAABE.

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CLAIM: MEDICINE MAN GRANDFATHER

Bear Walker's most specific (and bizarre) claim is that his grandfather was an Anishinaabe medicine man. This grandfather supposedly lived on the reservation and provided care to the tribe.

Bear Walker talks about being a teenager while spending time with his grandfather. His paternal grandfather, Benjamin Wade Manning, died in 1961 which rules him out.

Paternal Grandfather of Bear Walker
Benjamin Wade Manning
B: 19 Mar 1893 - Michigan, USA
D: 1 Nov 1961 - Alpena County, Michigan, USA

That leaves his maternal grandfather, George A. Mayo, who didn't die until 1984.

Maternal Grandfather of Bear Walker
George A. Mayo (Mailloux)
B: 21 May 1905 - Garden, Delta, Michigan, USA
D: 20 Nov 1984 - Petoskey, Emmet, Michigan, USA

I've attached George A. Mayo's obituary. Bear Walker says his grandfather didn't understand English...or time. George A. Mayo was a metallurgist and denoted as "white" and an English speaker on all records. He doesn't even slightly fit Bear Walker's description which rules him out.

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Clearly, Bear Walker is lying about being Anishinaabe. He never lived on the reservation and his grandfather wasn't a medicine man.

I think there is more to uncover about Bear Walker in regards to his medical claims and business. I found a reference to a hearing in the Connecticut State Board of Naturopathic Examiners minutes but can't find the outcome of the hearing:

Connecticut State Board of Naturopathic Examiners – Meeting Minutes (2012)
- Direct Link: https://portal.ct.gov/dph/-/media/departments-and-agencies/dph/dph/phho/naturopaths/minutes/stateboardofnatureopathicexaminersminutes2012pdf.pdf?rev=0d35a05b1eaf48a5be0708f9d0089d86&hash=85F9688CB913E3EC5DEC0D8BF3F3C49F
- Internet Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20251101074048/https://portal.ct.gov/dph/-/media/departments-and-agencies/dph/dph/phho/naturopaths/minutes/stateboardofnatureopathicexaminersminutes2012pdf.pdf?rev=0d35a05b1eaf48a5be0708f9d0089d86&hash=85F9688CB913E3EC5DEC0D8BF3F3C49F

This article is about the matriarch of the group, Mary Smith (Marilyn Jean Hinkle/Shona-hah Smith/Gray Dove https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/274352639/mary-smith ) and her family.

INDIAN DOLLMAKER CARVES NICHE FOR HERSELF WITH AN EYE FOR DETAIL
June 4, 1995 | Seattle Times, The (WA)
Author/Byline: TOM VOGT | Page: B4 | Section: LOCAL NEWS
ARIEL, Cowlitz County - Shona-Hah prefers old faces. Creased by the years, weary and wrinkled, they have stories to tell.

And she helps tell them. She coaxes their stories out of wood, then fills them in with cloth and leather and human hair. When she's done, the result is a 12-inch doll portraying a Native American; an old Indian, usually.

"I don't like to carve young people," she said in her studio near Ariel, northeast of Woodland. "They don't have much to say.

Older people have a lot of history on them."

That includes the Clark County dollmaker. Her father performed in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Born in 1911, Mary Smith is three-quarters Cherokee and one-quarter French. (Shona-Hah is Cherokee for Gray Dove and it is the name she uses professionally.) She says she was born in Oklahoma or Missouri. Their dirt-floor cabin straddled the state line, and "I don't know which state I was born in," she said with a smile.

She lived on a reservation until the age of 4, then grew up on a Wyoming cattle ranch. At 6, Mary survived being struck by lightning.

"Shoshone and Arapaho would come down to touch her," Don Smith, her son, said. "They thought she was blessed. That's some heavy-duty blessing."

Don Smith was seated at a nearby table, bent over a block of cedar that will become shorebirds nesting on an ocean-side rock. He is better known as noted story-teller and mask-carver Chief Lelooska.

"Almost everybody here has more than one name; it's hard for the post office to sort it out," said Patty Fawn, Mary Smith's daughter.

BEEN ARTIST MOST OF HER LIFE

Three of Mary Smith's four children are artists with work on display at the Lelooska Gallery. Mary Smith has been an artist for most of her life, although she might dispute that description.

"She doesn't consider herself an artist," Fawn said. "But people who collect her dolls fight over them."

One collector calls Mary Smith the modern equivalent of Charlie Russell.

"He was the best of the Western artists," said Ken MacRae of Enumclaw. "She has more skill, she's better at what she does" than anyone else in her line of work.

"Most people call them dolls, but I call them little people," said MacRae, who has been collecting Smith's work for 30 years. "She doesn't know she's the artist that she is."

"I carve to help make a living for my family," Mary Smith said as her son's knife released more fragrance of fresh-carved cedar into the room. "It's a necessity. Isn't that what drives us all?

"I just remember the crazy jobs I took," said Smith, who just turned 84. "I carved a lot of flying horses for Mobil Oil managers.

I've done velvet paintings. One woman, whose husband was an importer, had her house fashioned in Chinese style and wanted dragons on her drapes."

After the woman bought two huge pieces of velvet for the drapes, "We painted gold dragons on black velvet," she said.

"I carved 100 horses with saddles so we could put a roof on our house here," she said.

DIDN'T KEEP COUNT OF PIECES

Smith has no idea how many Indian dolls she has produced, although she kept a log for several years.

"You can see the price go up, too," Smith said. The early works in the log went for about $250 in the mid-1970s. One of her latest creations is "The Journey," showing an old woman and her dog on a trek. It is on display next door at the family gallery with a price tag of $1,250. MacRae said four of Smith's dolls were selling for $1,800 apiece at a recent Indian art show in California.

Each transaction in Smith's log also described the type of Indian, and what he or she was doing.

"I like to have them doing something - making baskets, cutting up a salmon. One played the violin," Smith said. Her current creation is an Indian woman carrying her grandson in a blanket backpack.

"Like a lot of people raised traditionally, an Indian lady is never idle," Don Smith said. "That's why the dolls do something."

Each Indian also represents a particular tribe.

"We always try to put them in authentic costumes," she said.

"Seminoles are the worst - those costumes. And they'll drive you crazy with their hairdos."

"Nobody anywhere is making them as accurately as she is," MacRae said
 

The Lelooska Foundation of Ariel, Washington is active. They own four real estate parcels totaling 796,830.

Artwork of the family continues to sell at high prices.

Don Morse Smith "Chief Lelooska" was the main public performer and carver. His brother Fearon M Smith "Chief Tsungani" has now taken on that role.

Don Smith used various heritage identity claims:

three-quarters Cherokee and one-quarter French-Irish

Cherokee

"Mixed blood" Cherokee heritage

Wiummasgum Clan of the House of Lelooska

grandson of a fierce Apache

grandson of a full-blooded Cherokee

adopted by the Nez Perce

Some images on the forum were lost during the website transition; I'll work on replacing what I can here.

Don Morse Smith "Chief Lelooska" made false claims about his heritage. His extended family continues to do so.

This image described as "Portrait of Lelooska, a Cherokee visitor to the Pendleton Roundup." No one is actually Cherokee in his family.


https://archives.yvl.org/items/e2fa4131-3c59-43cb-9021-0e485ce0929d

One of Thomas Robert Wiggers aka Thomas Whitefeather's top devotees says he is now in Michigan and "he needs to do business and he needs funds to do what he has to do". She is selling beadwork to help fund him, she requests donations of $50 to "help the Chief".

More from that devotee about him: "he teaches of the original original earth law I got two worlds I'm dealing with the evil Corporation and the original law that was supposed to be Meant For Us".

His own posts are also often difficult to decipher:

Quotealso some Iroquois elders said that if i walked out there in so called new york they will say that all of the east coast belongs to the Cheyenne so i did and they did, so once again the defacto corporation has no say

I'm continuing to add posts on Thomas Robert Wiggers aka Thomas Whitefeather because ideally anyone searching for information on him can read through here. This forum is the top place online on him.

In Washington state he has law enforcement charges about every five months.

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More social media comments on Thomas Whitefeather:

QuoteThis dude was kicked off our Rez two years ago during our fire relief work and was told not to come back brought to the bus station by a few of our river warriors .

QuoteHe's creepy.... he tried to give me dried out tree roots and called it Xast Xast..... they we just tree roots.

QuoteHe's been making his way through the valley, stopping in at local businesses (that are our friends) making statements. He was at the Peace Tree Ceremony in Cashmere last month making a speech & handing out medicines. I said nope.
He was here during the wildfire recovery efforts & on the Colville reservation during 2020/2021 & was escorted from there.

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His women devotees sound cultic.

After several news items about Paul McAuley's deportation from Peru, and protests against it, this happened in 2019:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47797618 [Paul McAuley: British environmental activist found dead in Peru]
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/04/peru-iquitos-paul-mcauley-british-activist
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-04/la-salle-missionary-found-dead-in-peru.html
https://lasallian.info/death-of-brother-paul-mcauley-fsc/
https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/36842
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/03/burnt-body-of-british-environmental-activist-found-in-peru
https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/british-missionary-found-dead-in-a-peru-hostel
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/21352592.former-st-josephs-college-teacher-paul-mcauley-found-dead-peru/
https://thecatholicherald.com/article/british-missionary-found-dead-in-peru
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GBPwb5LXko [#EcoMartyr 🌴 | Paul McAuley (England, 1947- Peru, 2019)]
https://www.fides.org/en/news/65829-AMERICA_PERU_Bishops_ask_to_investigate_the_death_of_a_British_Lasallian_religious
https://zenit.org/2019/04/04/perus-bishops-call-for-investigation-death-of-british-lasallian-religious/
https://www.ncronline.org/news/peruvian-authorities-investigate-death-british-brother-amazon
https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/fa/node/5018 [Killing of human rights defenders strengthens call for public policy for their protection]

There is another thread with the same name, including references to 'Mr. Tate':

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=284.0

[Red Nation of the Cherokee]

ETA: Now merged.

Quote from: KellyBrown on September 19, 2026, 12:28:52 AM... she also claims she is a minister on her facebook page.

Where will that be? There seem to be hundreds of 'Kathleen Gardner' on Facebook. I found:

https://www.facebook.com/shaunasay.whitefeather [Shaunasay Whitefeather (Gardner)] [No Posts Available]

https://www.facebook.com/ShaunaSayGardner [Kathleen Franklin Gardner] [Only one Public Post: September 16, 2015]
Married to Scott Gardner Since August 11, 2012
https://www.facebook.com/scottga [Scott Gardner (Creators Raven)] [Last public posts October, 2018]