Cult Chat

It's been an avalanche of cult awareness across New Zealand! From international experts and the Decult Conference to training, survivor support events and a dinner party with a special guest, the Cult Chat crew have been in the thick of it! We share the highlights and standout sessions from a whirlwind month, plus why psychoeducation is such a game-changer in cult recovery. Understanding what...

Cult Chat talks with Ryan Carey about Victoria’s groundbreaking Inquiry into the Recruitment Methods and Impacts of Cults and Organised Fringe Groups . It’s a lively, hopeful conversation about what could come next: bespoke laws targeting coercive behaviours, properly funded support for people leaving high-control groups, and education aimed at preventing harm before people become involved.

They call her the “Cult Assassin” - and for good reason. Attorney Carol Merchasin has helped take on powerful cult leaders through the courts, using legal remedies to expose abuse and force accountability. We talk about why coercive control is having a global moment, what stronger legislation could look like, and why lawyers, advocates, survivors and policymakers need to work together. Carol also...

What makes someone become a cult leader? Do they deliberately set out to harm others, or can destructive leadership develop over time? And are some people more vulnerable to cult recruitment? Caz shares insights from the 2026 ICSA Conference, including conversations with Maria Esguerra, Heidi Hewett and others. We explore emerging research on cult leaders, recruitment, vulnerability, coercive cont...

Former Gloriavale member Serena Pilgrim and lawyer Steve Patterson join Liz Gregory to unpack a damning new Employment Court judgment finding the Labour Inspector made “numerous reviewable errors” when investigating serious concerns about child labour, forced labour, servitude and slavery at Gloriavale. The Court describes decisions as “irrational” and “manifestly unreasonable” — but what did thos...

Today’s episode is our 100th and we are so excited! In the spirit of the celebration we run through how we got to where we are, some interesting facts about the show and we share some behind the scenes secrets. We read out some feedback from our listeners, talk about some key events, share a blooper or two and look to the future. This one is silly and light hearted and there is even a cake. (Confe...

Part 2: Former Gloriavale member John Ready continues his powerful reflection on Devotion: The Gloriavale Story , asking whether the documentary revealed the truth - or simply another perspective. He explores coercive control, accountability, repentance, and the journey of rebuilding life after leaving a high-control group. Liz, Lindy and Caz then unpack John's insights, debate the documentary...

Following the release of the newly released 3-part documentary series "Devotion: The Gloriavale Story", former member John Ready joins Liz Gregory to unpack the documentary’s themes, messages and claims. Together they explore whether high-control organisations should be allowed to rehabilitate their public image before genuine accountability has occurred. John reflects on the pain experi...

In this second episode, we go beyond the documentary and talk to Christine Marie about how Short Creek, home of the FLDS (polygamous Mormons), changed after Warren Jeff was imprisoned, and what the risks are when closed communities start to open up. We talk about the power of non-judgmentally loving people who are nothing like you. Christine and Liz discover their shared experience as outsiders su...

Have you watched Netflix’s documentary series Trust Me: The False Prophet? You may find it helpful in advance of this week’s episode with Dr Christine Marie, who featured in the very successful 2026 documentary. She shares her journey of documenting and eventually exposing the sexual abuse of under-aged girls in Sam Bateman’s offshoot FLDS polygamous cult, and the legal case to follow. It's a...

This week we interview therapist & cult expert Rachel Bernstein (LMFT), who will be keynote speaker at the upcoming Decult Conference. Join the Cult Chat trio for this heart-warming episode with Rachel as she shares wisdom from over 30 years working clinically with cult survivors. The conversation ranges from how to support families to deal with loved ones in a cult, to the unexpected strength...

In this important episode Caz chats with Dr Natalie Fabert, psychologist and academic, about her interest in cults and those harmed by them. You’ll learn about the prevalence of Complex-PTSD in cult survivors, why therapists need to see cult-impacted people as a distinct population, and how therapists can start to develop skills to support them. They discuss the course she has designed for mental...

We’re joined by Prof Robin Boyle-Laisure, of St John's University, New York,  to discuss how cults intersect with trafficking and modern slavery. In this wide ranging conversation we discuss legal reform, different laws which have been used to bring down cults internationally, and some of the common methods used by traffickers and cult recruiters to groom and entice children and young people....

In this second part of a two-part conversation, we hear from Anton again. In this episode he describes how he starts to see the control exerted over him by the group he has joined at university, the International Church of Christ, and what prompts him to  make the decision to leave. He describes the process of extracting himself and starting over, and shares with us some insights about what studen...

Lindy introduces us to Anton, former member of the International Church of Christ, a group he encountered while studying at Auckland University. Anton tells us in part 1 how he was recruited into this controversial group, and slowly his life became entirely focused on their activities. Join us as we talk red and green flags, thought reform criteria, and we explore some of unique situational factor...

Find out why we didn't deliver an episode this week...

This week on Cult Chat may surprise our listeners as we talk about energy healing, claims of flying, and deaths tied to a group hidden in plain sight in Te Anau, New Zealand. RNZ journalist Phil Vine joins us after his hit podcast series The Lodge , his deep dive into Phenomena Academy. We unpack the wild claims, what drew people in, and the real impact on those involved. Because this didn’t happe...

Caz interviewed Dr Alexandra Stein last episode about her phenomenal book “Terror, Love & Brainwashing” and it was such a powerful topic that Lindy & Liz wanted a chance to talk about it too. Join our hosts as they discuss how the themes of fear, isolation and engulfment can be applied to the cults we are familiar with in New Zealand.

In this episode of Cult Chat, Caz interviews Dr Stein, PhD,  about the hidok of the same title, they explore how leaders manipulate attachment, deliberately induce fear and dissociation, and engineer coerced disorganised attachment to bind followers to the group. A powerful discussion of how love and terror are weaponised—and how understanding these dynamics helps people break free.

In this episode of Cult Chat, we catch up with Dr Kyle Eggleton and Tristan Phipps to talk about recent developments within the 2x2 (the Truth, Church with no Name). The conversation ranges from advocacy work and unexpected fan mail to the beginnings of a thoughtful discussion on how high-control groups impact men. A relaxed catch-up that opens the door to deeper conversations still to come

Imagine your former group launching a legal challenge over your use of a cartoon mascot, just as you begin speaking out about the abuse you experienced at the hands of an elder in the same group. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. In today’s episode, Cheryl Hope Bawtinheimer and Braden Simmons, former members of the PBCC (Plymouth Brethren Church/Exclusive Brethren) join us to explor...

In this interview, Lindy Jacomb sits down with Heidi Clemons, Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC®) and founder of Managed Expectations, to unpack the often-overlooked topic of financial trauma. Heidi explores how financial trauma affects former cult members on their path to self-efficacy and recovery, and shares practical tools, insights, and first steps for getting support if money has become a...

What do cult recruitment tactics and a high-end kitchen gadget have in common? More than you might expect. In this episode, we unpack Cialdini’s Seven Principles of Influence , using Liz’s enthusiastic love of her new Thermomix (and some playful attempts to persuade Lindy to buy one) as a light-hearted case study. We then turn the lens to how these same persuasion techniques are deliberately used...

Why are the Cult Chat trio recording this week's episode on a beach? What have glamping and fire-dancing got to do with cults? Something? Nothing? Join us as we chat from a summer beach location while reflecting on our learnings from 2025. We get an update from Liz on the Gloriavale School closure and the criminal conviction of the cult’s leader, and we share our hopes for the 2026 NZ cult awa...

What is awe, and how is this emotion exploited by cults? How is awe related to infatuation, to the experience of falling in love romantically, and what has it got to do with babies and cults? How can humour be used to breakdown the residual after effects of awe for those who have left cults? Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dr Yuval Laor about these emotions and how they are manipulated...