Cult Chat

Are cults simply harmless fringe groups with unusual ideas, or something more? Are they always religious? Are they always harmful? Who gets to decide if the word cult is applied to a group, and what if people disagree? Are there some objective measures we can use to define cults? Today Lindy, Liz and Caz talk about some of the different ways cults are defined, drawing on common definitions and exp...

How many lawyers does it take to overthrow a coercive controlling system of oppression? Twenty? A hundred? Listen to today’s bonus episode to find out the answer to this age old question as Liz asks the Gloriavale Leavers legal team - Brian, Dennis and Steve - the hard questions about the recent employment case. This bonus episode is being released in response to the July 2023 girls employment cou...

Discover what drives Liz Gregory, founder of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust, as she shares her journey from being a teacher and business owner to unexpectedly providing support to survivors of a cult. Liz firmly believes that by thoroughly understanding the root causes of problems, we can develop more effective solutions for the future. Uncover the source of Liz's unwavering energy as s...

Caroline talks about how her family became involved in Centrepoint, the time she spent there as a 7 year old, and the silence that surrounded the topic after she left. She explains the slow waking up to the impacts Centrepoint had on her life, and how she started to uncover the history which eventually led to her starting the Centrepoint Restoration Project. She discusses the motivation which drov...

Listen to more of Lindy’s story, as she shares what it was like to grow up in the Exclusive Brethren, the unexpected outcomes of asking too many questions, and the difficult process of leaving.  We talk about the long-term impacts that former members of high-demand groups can have, especially in groups that practice familial shunning.  Lindy shares with us about the heartbeat of the Olive Leaf Net...

Meet Caroline, Liz and Lindy on this first episode as they talk about how they met and introduce us to their own projects in the cultisphere: the Centrepoint Restoration Project, Gloriavale Leavers Support Trust, and Olive Leaf Network. The trio talk about what listeners can expect from Cult Chat; cult awareness, impacts of coercive control, cult recovery, and questions about accountability. Show...