Happy To Disappoint

Ding dong, Disappointments! The year is 2015 and the death of the witch is imminent! We have jumped forward in time, Marilyn is terminal, priorities are shifting, and the initiative has changed. Our lifelong mission to “preserve the word” goes out the window and into some bonfires. Hope you got your tickets to Marilyn’s funeral! Fly to Iowa with us and discover: • Secret notes passed on this weeks...

Welcome back to 2008, where speaking in tongues is IN and the pourings are OUT! In part two of our ’08 trauma dump, we’re zooming in on the doctrinal distractions that were shoved in front of the congregation to keep people from asking too many questions about the latest Uncle Icky affair. How the hell did an evangelical revival in Florida being led by a dude we’ve never head of become Gary’s favo...

Welcome to the best worst year of our lives: 2008! In part one of this 2008 extravaganza, we’re taking a look at the repeat scandal that set off a chain of organizational and spiritual chaos, and some of the prominent figures that rose to power the INSTANT there was a power vacuum. Follow along as we wade through our big feelings about: The 2008 Scandal and immediate subsequent siege--wait, no, “O...

Welcome back to the Hierarchy Lowdown Ho-Down! Today we’re getting a little further into the hierarchy, unpacking the structure of control and its effects from Uncle Icky on dowwwwn! In Part 2 we’re dishin’ some dirt on: Uncle Icky’s interests (ew) The creeps Uncle Icky kept around The structure of control The information-collection system Why it still hurts now (ow) CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNINGS...

Welcome to the Hierarchy Lowdown Ho-Down! This week we will be discussing the top dogs in the hierarchical structure of our cult, THE BIG 3! Strap in for this two-part episode about the head bitches in charge. In Part 1, we dive into: John’s system of control A light introduction to “APCO” Marilyn the usurper and her army of word workers What it takes to be the perfect transcriber Gary oozin’ up t...

WE ARE BACK, YOU BEAUTIFUL DIAPPOINTING BABIES!!! We're still here and we're still healing. Beep beep! Hop on in! In this episode we'll be taking you through the decades to provide context on our cult's history and why we had so much to scream about last season. Aaaaaand why we're still screaming. Follow along as we unpack: Where Cult Daddy John Robert Stevens (JRS) got his secrets What kind of sh...

Alright, Disappointments, here is our full run down of the events surrounding the event that was The Magical Christmas Caroling Truck. Follow along as we do our best to answer questions like: How did it start? Work Nights?!? Who did all that work? What the heck was this thing? Who was invited to the secret Christmas Party? What happened at the secret Christmas Party? CONTENT TRIGGER WARNINGS: Reli...

It’s our Season One FINALE, folks! Our guest this week is a guy we found in a bar that one time: Nick Hays. As the Living Word Fellowship was falling apart, Nick had a backstage pass to all the red flags as he and Leandra started to date, and also, Stasia was there!!! Now he’s here to share his unique perspective as an outsider with inside information on the collapse of a cult. Join us as Nick tak...

She’s BACK, ladies and gentlefriends, and she’s here to tell you some more wild shit in a really calm tone. This week is part deux of our interview with Sandra Alex, and we’re picking up exactly where we left off: with Sandra headed from Rio to Iowa. She’s a metaphorical mother to all, and literal mother to Leandra, specifically. Join us once again as we hold our collective breaths and listen to S...

HTD - The Motherlode! This is IT, Disappointments! The first installment of this mother loving episode is here! Our guest this week is Leandra’s ACTUAL mother, Sandra Alex! We had to break this one up into chunks because it is literal gold. It is: the MOTHERLODE! Join us as our jaws hit the floor over and over and over, while Sandra shares mind-blowing memories like: Getting DOUBLE GROUNDED by her...

This week on HTD we talk to our childhood friend Stephanie Hardman about what it was like growing up in different Living Word Churches and how it impacted us in all kinds of crazy ways! Join us as we discuss: Dads! Being burdened with the purpose of The Living Word agenda Keeping the faith God Lizards that totally did appear As always, thank you and we treasure your attention! CONTENT TRIGGER WARN...

You’re in for a real treat today, folks! Our guest is an intelligent, hilarious, kind-hearted human, an actual internet sensation, and also one of our dearest long-lost friends. It’s Beau Brown!! We are so thankful for the privilege of reconnecting to reminisce about the horrors together, such as: * The Centers of Learning Experience™️ * THE RIVERTON CEMETERY * Cheating on a test and still failing...

THE SUMMER CHAOS CONTINUES! After having a full blown technical melt down for a few weeks in a row, we are proud to bring you a re-RE-recorded Part Deux of our Shiloh summer camp romp. We pick up where we left you last: disoriented, mid-way through camp, and gearing up for another big event. Buckle up as we immerse you in memories of: The Canadian National Anthem The classic “Iced-coffee-no-breakf...

BRACE YOURSELVES, DISAPPOINTMENTS! This week we take you on PART 1 of a journey we’ve embarked on TOO many times… from wherever you are in the world, to a place we ne’r need return: SHILOH SUMMER CAMP! womp WOMP! As is tradition, our Shiloh Summer Camp plans got derailed and delayed, just like our flights to Cedar Rapids. You’ll have to bear with us through some technical difficulties, and let us...

Hello, disappointments! This week we take a deep dive with the resting bitch queen herself, the eldritch terror: Anastasia! From what dimension did she emerge? Where was she in 2018? What about the rest of her life? Join us as we discuss: Cult Royalty: The Carol of it All Shiloh Psalm Trauma Dating?? In This Economy? Other trauma! CONTENT TRIGGER WARNINGS: Religious and Spiritual Ab*se, High Contr...

Ok, Disappointments, hold on to your butts. It’s the Roast of Uncle Icky 360. This week we’re diving into Leandra’s “360 Review” of Uncle Icky as a boss and pastor from back in October of 2018. From inscrutable expectations to labor exploitation, this review gives a peek into Leandra’s experience as an indentured—*COUGH cough* sorry, as an EMPLOYEE of the Living Word cult. FOR COMEDY PURPOSES! And...

This week we have a particularly long episode for you, because we couldn’t part with any of the content we loved it so much. Listen at 1.5 speed if you must, but it is a great time the whole way through because this week our guest is Mike White! Former TLW member and “blow out,” he is also the guest of our sisterbrothermother podcast, Snapping Out Of It! Enjoy the madness as we get into topics lik...

Ladies, Theydies, and Gentlefriends, we present: OUR FIRST GUEST! She is an incomparable multidisciplinary artist, she is the WICKedly talented host of the podcast “Oops I’m In A Cult!” She is the one and only: Charity Navalesi. Join us as we cackle, weep, hyperventilate, and emotionally regulate our way through topics like: The search for healthy healing tools Navigating pesky attachment patterns...

In our very exciting first episode, we'll be giving you, dear listener, some context on who we are, what the heck this show is, and why we can't stop crying at the grocery store! (It’s the trauma.) Tune in to hear us ramble on about all of this and more as we discuss: The cult from whence we came Leaving a harmful environment and the messy feelings that follow The power of sharing stories, even th...

Just a lil blurb about what the heck is goin' on here!