The Burros of Berea Podcast

We break down NXIVM by using the B.I.T.E. Model and use Allison Mack's rise and fall within the company to diagnose cult behavior and how someone can go from victim to predator.

In this episode we learn of what happened to the leaders of NXIVM and their sentences. We also listen to the survivors and their families. This trial and the investigators who gathered the evidence utilize all that they learn to make adjustments to law enforcement and judicial laws. Then we look at the most obvious questions, how did this happen, will this happen again, and most importantly, can i...

After a few whistleblowers from inside NXIVM go public, the pieces the Federal government needed to take down the cult come into place. This is about the intuitive FBI special agent, Michael Lever, who was able to connect the dots on their enterprise, as well as the Assistant U.S. Attorney, Moira Penza, who singlehandedly prosecuted NXIVM by trying it as a RICO case, much like she had with the Maf...

Rick takes you through a branding ceremony of the secret society of women inside NXIVM known as DOS. Then he breaks down how this once elite group began to crack and ultimately fall under the pressure of former members, Sarah Edmonson (pictured below) and Mark Vicente, as well as the mother of a NXIVM insider, Catherine Oxenberg.

Alison Mack had spent her life in front of cameras and was beloved by millions as the fun loving character, Chloe Sullivan, on the hit TV show, Smallville. Then she was introduced to Executive Success Programs. This is the story of an unassuming woman who longs to take the journey to find her authentic "self" and unearths a monster inside that she never knew existed. Get ready, folks. This is trul...

Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman take Executive Success Programs and amp it up to NXIVM. This is where all the culty stuff starts taking shape.

Rick Welch delves into one of the most shocking American Cults. It isn't religious, but rather a corporate achievement system designed around executive success. Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman develop the Executive Success Program (ESP) that helps manipulate the mind to integrate reality at its fullest potential. The students who invested their time and money believed they were introducing a power...

In our final episode (at least I thought it was) Elaine and I sat down with some of you over Zoom and discussed the study and what we all got from it. It was during that talk that several things from YOU helped me see even more in this amazing book of the Bible. So although this study has come to a close, I can see that there will be future episodes added randomly after further research. I appreci...

In our final episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job, we stand up with Job and gird ourselves alongside him as God speaks from the whirlwind. Beginning with creation itself, and all of the wild beasts out of man's control, God shows Job who He truly is. Then in a shocking ending, we see something that we never noticed before. We are so thankful that you have been on this journey with us...

This week in Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job , we reached a pivotal moment in the story as Elihu's final words prepare the way for God's appearance. What began as a discussion about suffering quickly unfolded into something much deeper. We explored why Satan dominates the opening chapters of Job only to disappear entirely from the narrative, and why the real focus of the book is not on the...

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job we explored this most important transition in the entire book as Elihu shifts the conversation away from Job's courtroom arguments and toward the character of God Himself. We examined Job chapters 33 through 36, including Elihu's powerful teaching on suffering, obedience, the Mediator, the Ransom, and God's purpose in affliction. Along the...

Elaine and I just wrapped one of the most fascinating studies we’ve had yet in our journey through the book of Job. What began as a discussion about Elihu suddenly opened into something much bigger. We found ourselves tracing patterns from Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Elijah, John the Baptist, and even the coming of Christ himself. The deeper we dug, the more it felt like Job was telling the story of...

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job, we finally arrive at the emotional summit of Job’s final discourse in chapters 29 through 31. Job looks backward at the man he once was, respected at the city gate, defender of widows and orphans, voice for the weak, and a man convinced that God’s light rested upon him. Then the contrast crashes down around him. The same man who once comf...

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job , we step into one of the most profound turning points in the entire book. Job 28 shifts the conversation away from arguments and into something deeper, something almost haunting in its simplicity. Humanity can dig into the earth, uncover hidden treasures, and master the physical world, yet wisdom remains just out of reach. It cannot be mi...

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job , we found ourselves laughing (as usual) through accents and listener comments before diving into something much deeper, the kind of depth that only the book of Job seems to demand. Hearing from listeners like Justin and Deana reminded us why we do this study in the first place. It is not just about unpacking ancient text, but about discov...

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job , we step into the quiet collapse of Job’s friends and the rising clarity of Job’s voice. As we walk through Job 25 and 26, we watch Bildad’s final words that seem to say everything, but end up saying nothing. They are true statements about God, yet completely disconnected from the suffering man sitting before him. What emerges is a powerf...

We complete this series exploring the gospel according to Koresh. What did he actually teach? And why did his followers stay? If you enjoyed this series and would like to hear others like it, we hope you'll visit our collections on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/theburrosofberea?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Thanks for listening!

In this episode, we focus on the aftermath of the Waco siege, what happened after the fire, and how its legacy shaped law enforcement, American culture, and extremism. If you'd like to hear the full series or others similar like Shadows of Jonestown or The Sky Watchers, check out our Patreon collections at: https://www.patreon.com/theburrosofberea?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Thanks for liste...

Experience the minute by minute final moments between Mount Carmel and the U.S. Government while the entire world watches. If you'd like to hear the full series, check out our collection on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2125848?utm_campaign=collectionshare_creator&utm_content=android_share Thanks for listening!

We examine the 51-day stand off, Koresh's demands as "the Lamb", and the Federal Government's response. If you'd like to hear the full series, check out our collection at: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2125848?utm_campaign=collectionshare_creator&utm_content=android_share Thanks for listening!

We look at life inside Mount Carmel and the behavior, information, thought, and emotional control of Koresh. To hear the full series, check out our collection on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2125848?utm_campaign=collectionshare_creator&utm_content=android_share Thanks for listening!

While in Jerusalem, Vernon Howell receives a vision and transforms into David Koresh. To hear the full series, check out our collection on Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2125848?utm_campaign=collectionshare_creator&utm_content=android_share Thanks for listening!

In this series, Rick Welch dives into one of the most infamous cults born on American soil, The Branch Davidians and their leader, David Koresh. But, before there was a David Koresh, there was Vernon Howell. To hear the entire series now, visit our Patreon page and listen to the collection absolutely free. Visit www.patreon.com/theburrosofberea Thanks for listening!

In this episode of Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job we dive deep into Job's response, not necessarily to Eliphaz himself, but to the whole of the group. We begin to see how God's Oral Law was not only present among the covenant line, but also had descended down through Abraham's other children outside of the promised seed line. This study of Job Chapter 24 is one of the most challenging, ye...

This week on Rick and Elaine Discuss the Book of Job , we come back into the ashes with Job in chapter 22-24 and found ourselves standing at one of the most interesting defenses in the entire book. As Eliphaz makes his harshest and most personal accusations yet, we watched Job stop defending himself before men and begin pressing more deeply into the mystery of God Himself. What unfolds in Job 22–2...