Cults to Consciousness

At only 17 years old, Ceci was assigned to become a plural wife and instant mother to 5 children before having her own child 5 months later. She then became 1 of 5 plural wives in this Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint (polygamous Mormon break off) community led by Warren Jeffs who is now in prison for CSA. Warren had a tendency to separate families for seemingly no reason and one night, she was tol...

Raised primarily in rural China, Faith Jones went a myriad of ab*ses before finally escaping The Children of God cult to pursue higher education. The cult is known for its far too liberal views on s*xuality which ended up being forced polyamory and free love, even extending to the young members of the communes. She grew up singing on the streets or performing in restaurants to make money for “the...

Spending most of his young life in India, Philip endured unspeakable things at the hands of his own parents and other adults in the COG cult. These principles and disciplinary actions were taught directly by the leader David Berg, who twisted the Bible to hurt a lot of people, including the young. This is a graphic story of what he faced and how he managed to escape and create a new life. Find Phi...

Growing up abroad in the COG cult meant that Daniella Mestyanek Young was isolated from birth to be a subservient, s*x item for the men in the group. At 15, a few months before she was about to be "on the menu" she realized she needed to get out. We talk about how difficult it can be when leaving a cult and rediscovering one's identity along with learning how the world works. Daniella Mestyanek Yo...

Chelsea Goodrich endured years of CSA from her Mormon Bishop father John Goodrich. Chelsea and her mother Lorraine went to the Mormon/LDS church for help in prosecuting him, but they let her down at every turn, despite making it seem they wouldn’t. What seemed like a good faith payment for Lorraine’s rapidly deteriorating health due to all the stress, ended up being disguised as a gag order given...

After years of committing CSA with his own daughter, Mormon bishop John Goodrich confessed his sins to a higher authority called the Stake President. However, the information was never passed to his wife, Chelsea’s mother, or the authorities, and the CSA continued. Years later, Chelsea confided in her mother about what had happened in her childhood which led to a series of more unfortunate events....

Born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Katie's home life was less than perfect. However, her parents remained very loyal to the teachings and the gospel of the LDS Church. After years of SA from an older brother, Katie's sister reported it to the Bishop during a confession. The Bishop advised to keep it a secret from everyone, including her parents, as the shame the pe...

**Content Warning: rape and self harm** It's well known that pre-marital s*x among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a huge sin. This is the shocking story of what happened to a member of 18 years old, who's "virtue" was stolen from her. Not only did she have to recount every detail of her traumatic experience alone to multiple men, she was eventually disfellowshipped f...

Her father, who got many ideas from his time in the Embassy of Heaven cult, claims to be a prophet. In his paranoia and attempts to escape the US government, he moved his family from state to state and then eventually to Ecuador. Determined it was the right thing to do as ordered by God, his family was completely isolated from proper education and mainstream society. At 18 years old, just 7 months...

**THIS EPISODE IS MEANT TO BE WATCHED- THIS IS TO INFORM YOU TO HEAD OVER TO YOUTUBE TO SEE THE WHOLE THING AFTER THE INTRO**CLICK HERE TO WATCHWe can't wait to share with you footage from our Old Hollywood Glamour themed wedding, set in the Historic 1930s Movie Palace! It was a dream lost in time. First, you'll see our actual 5 min wedding film created by the ever so talented couple at Amora Cine...

Jehovah's Witnesses make it a point to separate themselves from "worldly" things which creates a social isolation within mainstream society. Unfortunately, this rule applies to members of all ages. Owen Morgan shares his experience growing up being completely cut off from having friends who were outsiders and explains how JWs now use animated propaganda to perpetuate these rules to young people. F...

Creative expression is part of our human nature. When belonging to a high control group, one of the first things that is sacrificed is individuality, freedom of self expression, and education about the world outside of the group. Scott was always craving creativity, especially when it came to music. After breaking through the chains of Jehovah’s Witness restrictions, he found continued solace in m...

Two young teens fell into a forbidden love. After being shunned from their fundamentalist Mormon polygamous community, they had the option to be welcomed back, only if they got married immediately. Seven little ones later, Chris had been living in fear of losing his family since dozens of men were sent away to repent for unknown reasons. One day, the call came. He was being excommunicated. Click h...

Ben grew up in the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) living with 2 moms and 28 siblings. He started working on a construction site around 8 years old and had his own crew by 16, despite only having a 3rd grade education from the private FLDS school. After realizing the outside world ISN’T all evil, he escaped the cult around age 18 and became the go-to person (along...

Kelly recounts her difficult childhood growing up Catholic as an undiagnosed autistic girl. There were good times and traumatic times that completely shaped her life path and who she is today. She spent 3rd grade through high school in a private catholic school mostly run by nuns who weren’t happy about Vatican II and she explains how they often took out their frustrations on the children. Now, as...

Homeschooled in a Traditional Catholic co-op, Anthony was given extreme guidance from a priest which has had negative long term ramifications. He explains the difference between traditional Catholicism and mainstream Catholicism and how one operates using common mind controls tactics. We also discuss themes of how purity culture can be damaging to men also, creating an unspoken dutiful contract be...

From the TV show “Escaping Polygamy”, Amanda Rae is known for calling out The Order, which is the incestuous polygamous cult she was born and raised in. She goes into depth on her channel about the stories of the men who have nearly 200 children with multiple women. However, everyone is dying to know how SHE has been coping since escaping the cult at 18 years old. We explore the all-too-common tox...

After begging for a proper education at 14, Allison had to take things into her own hands. Knowing she was about to be forced into polygamy, she went around her parents at every turn to give herself a different future. One that didn’t involve reproducing with 1/2 siblings or cousins. A road block at every turn didn’t dissuade her from listening to the little girl inside of her who just wanted out....

Manipulated into saying yes to a betrothal to her cousin at 8 yrs old, Michelle knew there was no way she would raise her future family in this incestuous polygamous cult. Her father had 16 wives including half sisters and nieces (one of which was her mother). The horrible treatment in the group caused her to plot her escape and get emancipated at 17. Who knows what would’ve happened if her cousin...

**Content Warning: Multiple depictions of child abuse and infant death** This incestuous polygamous Mormon sect promotes and endorses extreme punishments. Michelle had a father who took pleasure in these punishments. Aside from that, her first job was at 4 yrs old which grew to 3 jobs by the time she was in Jr High. Against all odds, she graduated High School at 15 years old, then college a few da...

*Content Warning: Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence, Attempted Suicide, Rape* Growing up in a cult known for its incestuous polygamy and grooming for marriage at 3, Shanell was set up for failure from the beginning. After being coerced into choosing a husband at 18, she married her first cousin and everything quickly went downhill. Her relationship was so dangerous, her husband went to jail and she...

**Content warning: multiple depictions of child abuse** Growing up with 14 moms and nearly 200 siblings in an insulated community with very strict rules, proves to be extremely challenging and confusing. Shanell wasn’t even supposed to know who her biological father was, but was smart enough to figure it out. Not allowed to go to High School, she had what they considered the “privilege” of getting...

Forced into the Amish lifestyle, Audrey had no choice but to conform to the strict Amish standards. She married young, and later found out her husband had been hurting their daughters in unimaginable ways. Most Amish mothers side with their husbands in this situation, but not Audrey. After taking her soon to be ex husband to court, the entire community shunned and stalked her and her family. Resou...

An expert witness for Amish and Mennonite court cases, Lizzie explains the rules of her intense settlement before taking us through her unbelievable story of disaster, lethal betrayal, tragedy, abandonment and perseverance. She even gives us a glimpse of the strange dating practice which takes place in the woman’s bedroom. Resources: https://www.theplainpeoplespodcast.com/resourcesWebsite: https:/...

*Content warning: SA, beastiality, DV, infant death, miscarriage** Having been blissfully unaware of the methods of control and "ownership" of women growing up in the Amish, Elizabeth was not prepared for the dark and brutal marriage that followed. Her husband forbid her to going to the hospital for her 8 births which left her in questionable and dangerous hands. After she finally got the courage...