Project Hope Podcast

Megan and Dom Benninger speak about their religious backgrounds and their journeys together through a religious cult, a charismatic nondenominational church, and a Southern Baptist church that all exhibited signs of spiritual abuse. As survivors, they have dedicated their lives to preventing spiritual abuse in institutional settings and serving others who have also been abused under the guise of C...

Megan and Dom Benninger speak about their religious backgrounds and their journeys together through a religious cult, a charismatic nondenominational church, and a Southern Baptist church that all exhibited signs of spiritual abuse. As survivors, they have dedicated their lives to preventing spiritual abuse in institutional settings and serving others who have also been abused under the guise of C...

Gabrielle Locke graduated from Seattle University in 2019 for Journalism and has been actively reporting as a freelance writer. She is currently getting her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, as she feels called to bring others healing. She lives in Seattle, Washington with her parents and two sisters close by. Along with painting, meditating, hiking, and writing poetry and stor...

Debbie is the first parent and family member with a loved one in a group of high demand, that I've had the opportunity to interview on the Project Hope Podcast. Debbie is not just a mother but also served as a United Methodist minister for 40 years. She is currently retired and lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband John. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading to children through the SM...

Anna Fienbork was born in Austria, grew up and lived in Germany and the US, and is currently living in Bavaria. Her career has led her from studying Art History, to theatre, to studying again with a focus on education and working with the hearing impaired and children with special needs. What initially drew her to the group of high control that she became deeply involved with was the emotional-spi...

In this episode you will heard Mari speak about life after leaving the Ruach Center community. She also shares about her journey of emotionally leaving the group, beyond the physical leaving, and how she built a new life with creativity, community, and a commitment to integrating grief.  As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Mari was raised in Miami, and currently lives with her family in the Pacif...

I initially met Michael Maciel when he packed up his things and joined us in Oakland, CA to become a part of the Order of Christ Sophia (aka. OCS and the Centers of Light). Unique to Michael's story is that he had already been ordained a priest in an mystical school that was the predecessor to the OCS, called the Holy Order of MANS (aka. HOOM). In this discussion, we dive into his history prior to...

I have known Marialicia Gonzalez for 22 years. She was the person who invited me to my very first Order of Christ Sophia event. When the teachers leading the group divided, she went with Peter Bowes who renamed his group, Ruach Center. This group is still functioning and Peter Bowes continues to lead the organization. Mari's story around her leaving is both heartbreaking and eye opening as it prov...

Helen Zuman is the author of Mating in Captivity (She Writes Press 2018), a memoir of her five years, post-Harvard, at Zendik Farm, a cult with a radical take on sex and relationships. After leaving Zendik in 2004, she helped expose its twisted innards via her Zendik FAQ. More recently, she's shared her story at the conferences of the International Cultic Studies Association, the Communal Studies...

Laura Hartzell Pitney was a part of Andrew Cohen's following and the EnlightenNext community for 10 years. She also worked for EnlightenNext for those years in various roles, helping to launch their online audio offerings, fundraising, and her final role was functioning as Director of Development. I am so moved by Laura's story and appreciative of all she's shared so personally. Part of what I rea...

Joel Pitney is a writer and founder of the company Launch My Book, Inc. He was a part of the EnlightenNext community and worked very closely with Andrew Cohen for 10 years. He also wrote for What Is Enlightenment? Magazine, a publication that was a widely distributed and highly renowned publication in it's genre. Joel is currently writing a book about his experiences at EnlightenNext, tentatively...

Victoria shares the story of her healing journey from the church she grew up in and the pastor currently leading Truth House Ministry Church. Trigger warning: sexual abuse I believe that one of the most powerful things about this interview is that, through Victoria's sharing, we really get to understand the courage it takes to speak out as a survivor of sexual abuse but to also have the layer of s...

In 1989, at the age of 22, Alexandra Amor moved to Vancouver, BC and joined what she thought was a meditation class. Ten years later, she escaped what she describes as having become a mind control cult run by a self-serving guru. Leaving behind all her friends, her spiritual community, her sense of self, and the man she loved, Alexandra moved out into the world searching for healing, and to unders...

It was an absolute pleasure to discuss Jamie DeWolf's lineage with Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, his great grandfather. Jamie offers so much, guiding us through his history within his family and the incredible insights he's developed throughout the years as he sorts through his own conclusions and decisions about life. This is part 2 of our interview at the Project Hope Podcast! Check out Jamie'...

It was an absolute pleasure to discuss Jamie DeWolf's lineage with Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard, his great grandfather. Jamie offers so much, guiding us through his history within his family and the incredible insights he's developed throughout the years as he sorts through his own conclusions and decisions about life. This is part 1 of our interview at the Project Hope Podcast! Check out Jamie'...

Elise Borow shares her survivor story, shared verbally for the first time on this podcast and it is certainly filled with hope! Elise is a beautiful soul, mom of 3, and survivor of trauma and abuse. She was raised in a high demand religious environment, was sent to the New Haven Treatment Center as a teen, and found her way back home to herself through her own inner spiritual calling. In her own w...

Andey Fellowes came across Teal Swan during a vulnerable place in his life. In this 2 part interview, we explore Teal Swan's following as well as Andey's personal experience as part of the Teal Tribe. We begin to unpack how he became deeply involved as well as his path to leaving. Andey provides us with insight into the world of internet cults through his own experience and also speaks to many of...

Andey Fellowes came across Teal Swan during a vulnerable place in his life. In this 2 part interview, we explore Teal Swan's following as well as Andey's personal experience as part of the Teal Tribe. We begin to unpack how he became deeply involved as well as his path to leaving. Andey provides us with insight into the world of internet cults through his own experience and also speaks to many of...

Jennifer reads the story of how she got into the Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) aka Centers of Light. Jennifer brings her personal story to listeners so that you can get to know her as the host of the Project Hope Podcast and in hopes that her story might help others.  Jennifer is located in Los Angeles, she works with survivors of coercive control and represents clients as an expert witness in case...

Pamela Dyson (aka Premka within the Kundalini Yoga community) released a book at the beginning of 2020 called Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage. The book has since sent the Kundalini Yoga community into a time of reflection and story sharing as many accounts of abuse have been uncovered since Pamela opened up about her personal experience with Yogi Bhajan.  For more information on Pamela and her...

Jennifer reads the story of how she got out of the Order of Christ Sophia (OCS) aka Centers of Light. Jennifer brings her personal story to listeners so that you can get to know her as the host of the Project Hope Podcast and in hopes that her story might help others.  Jennifer is located in Los Angeles, she works with survivors of coercive control and represents clients as an expert witness in ca...