The Rudder Disclaimer

Legal

Disclaimer

10 September 2026Effective
10 September 2026Last updated

Read this before you apply. It sets out plainly what The Protocol, Wise Counsel, The Crowned Retreat, and every other program, book, episode, and piece of writing published by The Rudder actually are — and what they are not. Nothing here is buried and nothing here is softened.

01What this is

The Rudder runs coaching programs. A coach is a man who has walked a road, built a structure for walking it, and holds you to that structure while you walk it yourself. That is the whole of what is on offer, and it is not a small thing.

Coach Lamar Pinson is not a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed therapist or counsellor, registered dietitian, attorney, or financial adviser. He holds no clinical licence in any jurisdiction. Nothing published by The Rudder — on this site, in a session, in a book, on the podcast, or in any group — is professional advice of any of those kinds.

02Information on this site

Everything published on our sites, in our emails, on the podcast, and in our written work is for general information only. It is offered in good faith and it is written carefully, but we make no representation or warranty of any kind — express or implied — as to its accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness.

Your use of the site, and your reliance on anything you read here, is at your own risk. We are not liable for any loss or damage of any kind arising from that use or reliance.

03This is not medical care

We do not diagnose. We do not treat. We do not prescribe. We do not order or interpret laboratory testing, and no blood panel, hormone test, or clinical assessment forms part of any current program.

Body composition, weight, sleep, and training figures are tracked so that you and your coach can see whether the structure is working. They are progress markers in a coaching program. They are not a clinical assessment, and no one on our side is qualified to read them as one.

Talk to your own doctor before you change how you eat, how you train, or how you sleep — and particularly if you are managing any condition, taking any medication, recovering from injury, or have any reason at all to think a change might affect your health. If your doctor tells you something different from what you hear from us, follow your doctor.

04Medication

We do not advise any man on his medication. Not to start it, not to stop it, not to change a dose, not to taper.

Some men who come through our programs go on to reduce or come off medication. Where that happens it is directed by their prescribing physician, and it is their doctor’s decision and theirs — not ours, and not a goal of the program. Where such a story is published with that man’s permission, it is his account of his own life. It is not a claim about what our coaching does, and it is not a suggestion that you do the same.

Stopping or reducing prescribed medication without medical supervision can be dangerous. Speak with the doctor who prescribed it before you change anything.

05Mental health

Coaching is not therapy and it is not a substitute for mental health treatment. The work asks men to look honestly at their lives, and that is valuable — but it is a different thing from clinical care delivered by a licensed professional, and it does not replace it.

If you are living with a diagnosed mental health condition, or you think you might be, work with a qualified professional. You can do both. Many men do. But do not use this instead of that.

06Training and physical risk

Physical training carries risk of injury, and in rare cases of serious harm. That risk is yours to weigh.

  • Get cleared first. Before beginning any training program, get medical clearance — especially if you are over 35, have been inactive, carry any cardiovascular, metabolic or joint condition, or are recovering from injury or illness.
  • Stop when your body says stop. Chest pain, dizziness, breathlessness beyond normal exertion, or sharp pain means stop and seek medical attention. No session, streak, or standard is worth your health.
  • You train yourself. Sessions are delivered remotely. No one from The Rudder is present to supervise your form, spot you, or intervene. You are responsible for how you execute the work.
  • Retreats. Physical activity at any retreat carries the same risks, in an unfamiliar environment. Additional terms apply and are provided before you attend.

07Results you see published

The results shown on our sites and in our advertising are real, from real men, published with their permission. They are also, by definition, the ones worth showing.

  • These are not average outcomes. A man who is featured is a man whose results stood out. Publishing him is not a claim that you will match him, and you should not read it as one.
  • What actually determines your result. Your starting point, your consistency, your age, your circumstances, your health, and how much of the structure you actually run. The program supplies the structure. You supply the execution, and the execution is most of it.
  • Nothing is guaranteed. No specific outcome — physical, mental, spiritual, relational, or financial — is promised, implied, or guaranteed by enrolling. Men who complete the work and get little from it exist. So do men who do not complete it.
  • Historical figures. Some published results date from earlier versions of our programs and include figures from testing participants arranged independently at the time. That material does not reflect what any current program involves.
  • Compensation. Where a man featured has received anything of value for his testimonial, that is disclosed alongside it.

08How testimonials are handled

  • Nobody is paid. No man featured on our sites, in our advertising, or in our materials has been paid or compensated in any form for his testimonial. No discount, no free coaching, no consideration of any kind.
  • They are given freely and reviewed before publication. Testimonials are submitted as text, audio, or video, and are reviewed by us before anything is posted.
  • They are the man’s own words. Quotes are published as given. Where a spoken testimonial is quoted, a passage is selected from a longer recording, and obvious slips of grammar or transcription are corrected. Nothing is added, and nothing is edited in a way that changes what the man meant.
  • Length. Some testimonials are shortened where the full version contained material that was personal, off-topic, or of no use to a reader.
  • The views are his, not ours. What a man says about his own experience belongs to him. It is his account, not our claim, and we do not adopt it as a statement about what our programs do.
  • Your results may differ. These are individual experiences. We do not claim, and you should not assume, that every man will have the same one. See section 07.

09Faith and spiritual content

The Rudder is faith-based. Scripture, prayer, and biblical teaching are part of the work, and men come to us because of that rather than in spite of it.

Coach Lamar is not an ordained minister and The Rudder is not a church. What is taught reflects his own study and conviction, and it is offered to you as that. It does not stand in for the counsel of your pastor, your church, or your own reading of Scripture, and it is not a substitute for pastoral care where you need it.

10Not legal or financial advice

Conversations in coaching touch business, money, marriage, and the decisions a man has to make in each. None of it is legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice, and none of it is given by anyone licensed to give it. Take decisions of that weight to a professional qualified in your jurisdiction.

11No professional relationship

Reading this site, watching a video, listening to an episode, reading a book, or emailing us does not create a coaching relationship, a doctor-patient relationship, a therapeutic relationship, or a professional relationship of any kind. A coaching relationship begins when an application is accepted and a written agreement is in place, and not before.

12Third parties and links

Our sites and materials contain links to other websites, products, services, and writing belonging to third parties, including links that appear in banners and other advertising. Those links are not investigated, monitored, or checked by us for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness.

A link is not an endorsement. We do not warrant or guarantee anything offered at the other end of one, and we will not be a party to, or in any way responsible for monitoring, any transaction between you and a third-party provider of products or services.

Payment and financing providers offered at checkout are independent companies. Their terms, their credit assessments, and their decisions are theirs.

13Errors and omissions

We work to keep what we publish accurate and current. We do not guarantee it. Information ages, research moves, our own thinking changes, and mistakes get made. Where you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.

Nothing published here should be relied on as the deciding factor in a decision that matters. Check it against a professional who is accountable to you.

14Views expressed

Guests appear on the podcast, in interviews, and in written work. What a guest says is his own view. Featuring a man is not an endorsement of everything he thinks, and he is responsible for his own statements, not us.

The same applies in reverse. Comments, replies, and posts left by others in our groups, on our sites, or on our social accounts belong to the men who wrote them. We do not vet them and we do not adopt them.

15Quoted and referenced material

We quote Scripture, books, studies, and other people’s work in teaching, commentary, and criticism. Where we do, it is quoted for that purpose and attributed. If you believe your work has been used in a way that goes beyond that, write to us and we will address it.

Everything else published by The Rudder — the writing, the frameworks, the program materials, the recordings — belongs to us. Program materials are for your own use during your program and are not to be copied, shared, resold, or taught on.

16Affiliates and sponsorship

Some links we publish may earn us a commission if you buy through them, at no additional cost to you. Some content may be sponsored or produced in partnership. Where either applies, it is disclosed clearly at the point you encounter it, not buried on this page.

We recommend what we would recommend anyway. A commission does not buy an endorsement, and no product is featured on our side for payment alone.

17Your responsibility

You are an adult and the decisions you take about your body, your mind, your faith, your money, and your family are yours. That is not a legal manoeuvre; it is the premise of the entire program. A man who wants someone else to carry the weight of his choices will not get anything from this work.

To the fullest extent the law allows, The Rudder is not liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from your use of anything we publish or from your participation in any program. Full terms are set out in the Terms.

18If you are in crisis

If you are in immediate danger or having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number now.

If you are struggling with thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988 in the United States to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is free and available at any hour. Outside the United States, contact your local emergency service or crisis line.

Do not wait for a coaching session. Reach a professional today.

19Questions

Write to contact@coachlamarpinson.com if anything here is unclear. Better to ask before you apply than to assume.