Butterflies and Bravery

Send us Fan Mail Learning to laugh at your life experiences can be a helpful and healing tool. Bringing some levity to the subject, Jemima and Whisper share random hilarious memories, tidbits of their lives growing up in the Children of God cult. Dropped cakes, vodka, Russian toasts, and more.  Support the show Support The Show: https://paypal.me/bnbdonations?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Visit...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever heard a story that crept into the depths of your soul and gripped it mercilessly? Anthony Catalano had always dreamed of being a filmmaker, but didn't know where to start. For years he searched for the perfect project. When he listened to the heartbreaking story of Ricky Rodriguez’ final hours on "Last Podcast on the Left," Anthony knew he had found hi...

Send us Fan Mail Leaving the Children of God at 11 years of age wasn't the end of Joe's nightmare. Growing up with an abusive step parent made it almost like he had never left the cult. Life as an adolescent "on the outside" was a culture shock for Joe. Having lived in India during his childhood, returning to school in Australia was a whole new world he had never experienced. J...

Send us Fan Mail “It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others.” --Dalai Lama  (Content Warning: Suicide & Suicidal Ideation) Losing a friend or partner or mother or daughter is one of the most difficult things a human can experience, and yet it is something almost every one of us will face during our lives. Having lost...

Send us Fan Mail Meet Petra Velzeboer.  From rock bottom to mental health leader.  Hear her tell in her own words how she went from what could have been the end of her life, to leading not only a prosperous life herself but blazing the trail for mental health in the workplace.  Leaving the Children of God, pregnant and penniless,  Petra tells us her gripping story of survival and success.  After b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we interview Sandy Ellis who joined the Children of God as a young teenager in Australia.  Unknowingly suffering from depression she was incredibly drawn to the group of foreigners who came to her school singing and smiling, preaching a message of love that knows no boundaries.  She dropped out of school and joined the cult.  Little did she know, this would be the...

Send us Fan Mail Would you ever be able to lock up your father? Or another relative?  In this episode we talk to Verity Carter who faced just such a dilemma.  The recent 5 part Discovery+ docuseries "Children of the Cult" follows her unimaginably agonizing  journey escaping the cult she was born into, to fighting for justice and everything in between. Verity's tenacity, resilience a...

Send us Fan Mail Would you ever be able to lock up your father? Or another family member?  In this episode we talk to Verity Carter, who faced just such a dilemma. The recent 5 part Discovery+ docuseries "Children of the Cult" follows her unimaginably agonizing journey from escaping the cult she was born into, to fighting for justice and everything in between. Verity's tenacity, res...

Send us Fan Mail Do you remember getting your drivers license?  What was it like for you?  Did you finally feel free to go where you wanted and do what you pleased?  After leaving the cult they were born and raised in, Jemima and Whisper both had a defining moment of freedom when they finally learned to drive.  Reflecting on major mental turning points, in this episode the hosts share more glimpse...

Send us Fan Mail Florence was one of the later group of children born into the Children of God cult, and the youngest sibling who lost her oldest sister in the same horrific accident we learned about in an earlier podcast episode, The Accident that Changed Everything. Born into a family of artists and entertainers who used their talents to make animal balloons, Florence left the cult as a young te...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we are joined by Daniella Mestyanek Young, one of the first of the third generation of the Children of God cult.  Born in the Philppines to a 15 year old mother with a father older than her grandfather, she experienced an intense amount of cultural ambiguity from a very young age. After being excommunicated from the cult, the only world she had ever known at the ag...

Send us Fan Mail Dating and sex can be a complicated navigation already, but what happens when you add in a traumatic past or sexual confusion?  Whisper and Jemima continue their discussions of experiencing life since escaping the notorious Children of God cult that they were born into. They both get vulnerable with a conversation about dating, sex and finding healing from sexual abuse on their ow...

Send us Fan Mail This week we are joined by Miko Hargett.  Freelance writer, wellness advocate, content creator and triple survivor.  Having faced many obstacles after leaving the cult she was born into, Miko lays out some of the life lessons that have been the most significant along the way. Losing both her ta-ta's to breast cancer seemed almost like nothing more than another journey to emba...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Whisper and Jemima continue laughing and crying through their memories of growing up in the Children of God cult. Beginning with just some of their terrifying teenage tales from Thailand,  from eating chicken feed for breakfast to some of the unusual things they were punished for, you get a glimpse into the bizarre things they experienced as teens and young adults...

Send us Fan Mail The daughter of a Polish army colonel, young Dorota seemed to have it all.  And yet a longing remained in her soul for something more.  Leaving the life she knew behind on a whim and joining the cult "The Family International (formerly known as The Children of God)"  at 18 years old seemed like a great way to escape, and for awhile it was.  As her children grew older she...

Send us Fan Mail At any moment our world can change entirely.  One phone call, one second, one incident can shatter the reality that we've built for ourselves.  These occurences are sealed in our memories forever.  From that moment on, nothing is ever the same again. Your coffee tastes different, your pillow doesn't feel the same, even the sky seems to have a different hue. This is refer...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Jemima and Whisper delve a little deeper into their personal history, and what it was like growing up and coming of age in the notorious cult, Children of God. From the unbelievable to the bizarre, country-hopping, spy games, orgies and more.  Listen to their stories as they try to explain the unexplainable, and get vulnerable describing memories they wish they co...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like there are other people inside of you, scratching at the surface desperately wanting to get out? Wanting to be heard? Wanting to express themselves somehow?  Feeling like we left some cards on the table in our last interview with Damien (and briefly Pink), we decided to dive deeper into the little known waters of Dissociative Identity Disorder. We meet a few...

Send us Fan Mail After escaping the abusive Children of God cult, Rose faces homelessness, a crumbling marriage, a daughter addicted to heroin and more.  Tune in as she shares her gripping story about a phone call that would change her life forever. Find out how she survives every parents worst nightmare and goes from wreckless, self endangering behavior to a sober vegan cop.  https://www.facebook...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we dive deep into the unusual mental health condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. Often colloquially referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, the diagnosis of DID has at times been controversial among some mental health professionals. This will change as understanding of this condition develops, but there is no question that the symptoms...

Send us Fan Mail We are celebrating Pride all month by talking with LGBTQ Survivors. In this 5th episode, we talk with Austin and hear the experiences and resilience that brought him to where he is today. Up against a disapproving family, felony charges and a difficult coming out, Austin still finds a way to be true to himself. Support the show Support The Show: https://paypal.me/bnbdonations?coun...

Send us Fan Mail Our first guest, Christina Babin talks about some of her experiences as a child in the notorious sex cult that she grew up in, The Children of God aka The Family.  We dive deeper into some of the aspects of our lives that were touched on in the documentary Christina and I were in, People Magazine Investigates: The Chidren of God.  Her harrowing stories of institutionalized abuse a...

Send us Fan Mail Grief is one of the most difficult human emotions to deal with, yet it's something almost everyone of us is faced with during our lifetime. In this episode, Whisper shares the deepest parts of her heart that have been touched by grief.  A beautiful example of raw human emotions surrounding grief and extreme losses.  And what's the "shoving the rainbow where the sun...

Send us Fan Mail Trigger warning In this episode Jemima bares it all and talks about some of her previous vices, focusing on her meth addiction. She holds nothing back as she takes you down the long dark road she walked. You'll be on the edge of your seat as we delve into the world of drug addiction. Find out how Jemima got clean without attending meetings or having a religious epiphany, and...

Send us Fan Mail In our very first episode, we introduce our podcast, ourselves, and spend way too much time having to introduce our names.  Support the show Support The Show: https://paypal.me/bnbdonations?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US Visit our Website Follow us: Instagram Facebook Twitter