Cult Chat

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...

Lindy has an interesting chat with Rose Stanley about burnout, boundaries, the need for a sane spirituality and how to rebuild with clarity, courage, and compassion. The Cult Chat team then joins the discussion to unpack what healthy spiritual life really looks like. This episode offers a gentle, practical guide to staying sane and whole in faith spaces.

This week we meet Jonas, stand-up comedian, former Jehovah’s Witness, and goat-farmer living in Norway. Laugh along with the Cult Chat trio as they learn what it is that goats and worldly people have in common, and exactly how Jonas decides which parts of being in a cult are ok to joke about. This episode comes in advance of Jonas’ trip to New Zealand in January where he will be staging a peaceful...

Why are there often more women than men in cults, and is it harder for women to leave? What is reproductive coercion? How is it used in cults to control the freedoms and choices of women? Join the Cult Chat trio for this important conversation as they explore the unique vulnerabilities that women have in cults and how these vulnerabilities are often targeted and exploited. Trigger warning - discus...

Get ready for a challenging but extremely important conversation with Debbs Murray, founder of Eclipse Family Violence Services. Caz and Debbs chat about the overlap between the world of family violence and cultic harm and how coercive control presents  similarly and differently in these parallel contexts. Trigger warning - discussion of suicide and sexual violence. Show Notes Website: https://www...

Join us for Part two of our brave interview with Veronica and Lindsay as they share what life was really like for women growing up in the 2x2's (The Truth, The Way, The Church With No Name). Hear their stories of rules (but no rules), control, silence, resilience, and freedom. Then listen in to the Cult Chat Trio as they discuss the interview.

Join us for a brave discussion as Veronica and Lindsay share what life was really like for women growing up in the 2x2's (also known as The Truth, The Way, The Church With No Name). These women are among the first in New Zealand to speak publicly about their experiences inside this secretive religious group. Hear their stories of rules (but no rules), control, silence, resilience, and freedom. Par...

John Lennon’s famous song "Imagine" paints a vision of a perfect world — and cults often promise something similar. So in the spirit of fairness, this week, we take a surprising detour to explore the good things and the benefits that members say about life inside: belonging, structure, shared ideals, and hope for something better. These dreams are powerful — and they can make leaving har...

Following their conversation with Dr Steve Hassan in part 1 about cult apologists, our hosts kept talking!  In this part 2 of the conversation they talk about the importance of survivor voices in research, and why historically some researchers have appeared to listen to cult leaders rather than cult survivors. They share some illuminating facts about specific cult apologists, and how a minimising...

This week we invite Dr Steven Hassan to join us to discuss the cult apologist movement. Dr Hassan is the author of the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control and the Influence Continuum. In this fascinating conversation we unpack the history behind this propaganda movement, why survivor voices are not welcome in their narratives, and examine why high profile cult apologists like Professor Eileen Bark...

What do cults and extremist terrorist organisations have in common? How are recruitment methods similar, and what are some of the vulnerabilities that such groups exploit in order to attract and retain conscripts? These are some of the questions which Caz and Dr Cyrus Abbasian, London-based psychiatrist, discuss as they explore this topic, covering neurodivergence, mental illness and coercive cont...