Sweat lodge robbed her of her mom, but not memories

Andrea Puckett turned 26 on Oct. 8. That's the day her mom, Liz Neuman, stepped inside a 415-square-foot tent in Arizona for a sweat lodge ceremony that went horribly awry.

Neuman, 49, fell into a coma, dying nine days later never regaining consciousness.

The soft-spoken and poised Puckett rejects some people's contention that her mother knew precisely what she was risking. "My mom would never have put herself in a life-threatening situation on my birthday," Puckett said over tea on Monday. "When people say she should have known better, I say, no. These people weren't sheep. They were all leaders, independent and strong-willed. He really had to do a lot to take advantage of them."

He is motivational speaker James Arthur Ray, who pleaded not guilty Thursday in Arizona to three counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Neuman, of Prior Lake, and two other participants. Upwards of 65 people paid $9,000 each to participate in Ray's five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event at a retreat center near Sedona.

Ray faces from three to 12 1/2 years in prison on each count. Puckett hopes for the maximum. "I just don't want him to hurt anyone else." She knows that a trial is months, if not years, away, so she's working on patience. A self-described introvert, she's also growing more comfortable in the national media spotlight.

Mostly, she just misses her mom.

"Evenings are the toughest," said Puckett, who works for a Bloomington-based wellness program and as a personal trainer. "That's when things are quieter and I think about her more."

About eight years ago, Neuman "became much more dedicated to living a healthy life," her daughter said. She lost nearly 30 pounds and found her way to Ray, his seminars and books, his charisma.

Puckett said her mom volunteered at his events in Arizona, Las Vegas, San Diego. Hawaii. Puckett attended a few seminars herself, to learn more about the man her mom admired.

"He's a great speaker, interesting, physically fit, good-looking. Definitely, that's his draw. He makes you feel good, inspired," Puckett said. "He's all about life-enrichment and balance."

And ego. Ray's website boasts that the "internationally renowned Personal Success Strategist" is, no less, "transforming the way the world thinks."

His most recent book, "Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want," reached No. 5 on the New York Times best-seller list its first week. But at least one participant in the sweat lodge ceremony said that Ray prodded everyone to buy multiple copies for family and friends so that he could make the NYT list.

The next call she got was from relatives in Arizona. There had been "an accident." Two people were dead, 18 others were hospitalized. Interviews revealed that the two-hour ceremony degenerated into chaos as people became sick but were allegedly encouraged to stay the course in what Puckett calls Ray's "mind-over-matter exercise."

She and her husband, Justin, flew out to Arizona the next day. "The nurse said [my mom] was in critical condition," Puckett said. "I tried to think positively, but I forced myself to imagine not coming home with her. I was right. She was the most critical."

Ray's lawyer called the deaths "a tragic accident," but said the case has no business in criminal court.

The family, including Neuman's former husband with whom she remained good friends after their divorce five years ago, is doing the best they can. They had an "anti-Thanksgiving" in November with pizza. Christmas was a quiet affair, held at Puckett's house instead of at her mom's. She made a beef roast and lefse. "I know my mom was watching over me," Puckett said, "because I didn't screw up."

Puckett is back pursuing her MBA at night from Carlson School of Management, after dropping her course work last fall. She and Justin walk the two dogs (theirs and her mom's, whom she adopted), see movies, and wait.

"Some days, I do pretty well. Other days, I feel torn apart. I'm trying to live a positive, happy life, and use what she taught me."