The cult.ture podcast

In this heartfelt and unfiltered episode, Trinity and Derek sit down with Derek's sister Jessica from The Inspired Hustler to explore the emotional terrain of growing up in a controlling religious environment, navigating step-family dynamics and being under care by controlling and abusive parents and the courage it takes to break free even at a young age. From the raw realities of being a young ou...

In this deeply personal and refreshingly candid episode of cult.ture pod, Chad joins Derek and Trent to share his journey of self-discovery, creative exploration, and the emotional complexities of leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. From confronting self-critical patterns through personal pursuits to embracing vulnerability in public conversations, Chad opens up about the challenges and triumph...

Life after leaving a high-control group can feel uncertain but it’s also full of possibility. In this listener-driven Q&A episode, Trent and Derek share their answers to questions like the most meaningful support they've received, the turning points that shaped their journeys, and the message they would give to anyone who feels trapped but longs for a new life.    Support cult.ture pod over on...

They said his name from the platform. They told the congregation he was no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. To them, it was a warning. To him, it was the first public step into freedom. In this upcoming episode of cult.ture, Dustin shares what it’s like to go from being part of a community that claimed to love him, to recently disassociating and choosing to leave the Jehovah’s Witness faith beco...

This episode contains discussions of suicide, sexual assault, and abuse. Please listen with care and prioritize your mental health. In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Derek and Trent sit down with Derek’s sister, Jenn, for a raw conversation about survival, identity, and healing. Jenn opens up about growing up under the shadow of a controlling, ego-driven father and the silent wounds of...

Theocratic Ministry School. New light. Worldly. Spiritually strong. If you know, you know.   This interstitial episode is all about the insider lingo and a little bit of information about core beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, what it meant, what it was used for, and how it shaped the way we thought and spoke. ⁠ In this episode Trinity and Derek decode the language that once defined everything. From...

This episode contains discussions of suicide, sexual assault, and loss. Please listen with care, and prioritize your mental health.    What happens when the very people meant to protect you turn a blind eye to tragedy? In this powerful episode, Trinity and Derek sit down with Natty, who left the Jehovah’s Witnesses—and her family—at a heartbreakingly young age after surviving an unthinkable traged...

What happens when your faith, your identity, and your future are handed to you—and then one day, you wake up and ask, "Whose life am I living?" This week Derek sits down for a solo conversation with Jeremy Van Wert—therapist, psychedelic guide, and former Mormon for a great conversation about leaving high-control religion, navigating trauma, and what it really means to reclaim your mind and to try...

In this episode, we sit down with @gorkmusic — musician, creative, and deep thinker — for a raw conversation about walking away from rigid systems and into the unknown. Gork shares how faith, fear, and failure shaped his path — and how he’s learning to live outside of certainty. We explore themes of identity, masculinity, dogma, and creative rebirth. This is an unfiltered look at what it takes to...

The mic shifts hands this week as Trent interviews Derek about life before, during, and after the world he once believed in. It gets personal, honest, and just a little uncomfortable—in all the right ways. In this episode, Derek — the voice behind the mic — shares just a portion of his own story of growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness, the silence he was taught to keep, and the long road of questioni...

In our very first episode, your hosts take a seat at the table—literally and figuratively—to start unraveling what it means to grow up inside a high-control group. Joined by Trent, a fellow ex-Jehovah’s Witness, we begin with our own stories: childhoods shaped by Watchtower rules, the pressure to conform, and what it felt like to start questioning it all. This is where cult.ture begins. https://ti...

Belief is powerful—but in the wrong hands, it can become a tool for control. In this teaser, step into the shadowy world of cults, where manipulation masquerades as salvation and escape is never simple. This is a preview of the real stories to come—interviews with survivors, skeptics, and those who dared to walk away. Brace yourself—once inside, the fog of deception isn’t so easy to leave behind....