Truth 2x2 Cult Kids

Raised to be a 2x2 Worker, Rell Oliver-Braddock has found faith big enough for her queer family, feminism and in a compost heap. Join us for a conversation with Rell that meanders down the many paths of a rich life, and that follows Rell's quest to find where faith sits within her values of community and justice. Learn about Rell's journey out of the Two by Twos/2x2s in Australia. Truth 2x2 Cult K...

One of the biggest things that my healing journey entailed was actually learning this body belongs to me. I belong to me. Kristin Warnaca is a sex therapist and a former member of the 2x2s. She joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on sex and relationships: how they are constrained within the 2x2s; the effect that has on former members; and the wide world of pleasure that is waiting for anyone wh...

The groundbreaking Victorian inquiry has enabled cult survivors to pinpoint common experiences despite diverse beliefs. On this episode I speak with Clare Heath-McIvor, a podcaster and writer on Christian nationalism. Claire is also the founding member and president of Survivors of Coercive Cults and High Control Groups . She's the co-author of Beyond Belief a paper submitted to the Victorian gove...

Asking for help can be hard - even more so from a therapist - and even more so if you've been raised to distrust therapy. Sam Sellers is a cult survivor and a trauma therapist who specialises in religious trauma and cult recovery. She shares her knowledge on how to find a good therapist and how to communicate what you need. Trigger warnings: religious and spiritual abuse and control, SA, CSA, fami...

When Tristan Phipps left the 2x2's he shut off that part of his life to himself and to those around him. A mental health crisis forced him to acknowledge what had happened and to break out of the isolation of the masculine role he had been raised with. His efforts to help other cult survivors has become a key part of his own deconstruction and healing. Tristan's social media Fear2Freedom Masculini...

For the 2x2s, suffering is a badge of honour. But what happens when this turns into the suffering Olympics?   This is the final of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   Have you experienced the Suffering Olympics? Share your thoughts on socials. ------> Truth 2x2 Cult Kids Podcast Socials Links: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok...

For the Truth 2x2s, joy is a specific, attainable and predictable state. But is this truly joy?   This is the ninth of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   What was your experience of how ‘joy’ was understood within the group? Share your thoughts on socials. ------> Truth 2x2 Cult Kids Podcast Socials Links: Tiktok: http...

Within the 2x2s 'spirit' (a willingness to follow arbitrary rules) is privileged over everything, even safety.   This is the eighth of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   Trigger warning: this discussion raises issues of family violence, CSA, SA and bullying.   If you are comfortable doing so, please share your though...

The Truth 2x2s’ expectation is that we will forsake worldly things, the world, and ourselves.   This is the seventh of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   Trigger warning: This language reflects expectations within the 2x2s I found particularly onerous as a woman. This episode might be hard to listen to if you're an ex-mem...

The 2x2s value their ‘peculiar’ difference from society, but is being peculiar the same as being blessed?   This is the sixth of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   How do you feel about the 2x2s’ ‘peculiarness'? Share your thoughts on socials. ------> Truth 2x2 Cult Kids Podcast Socials Links: Tiktok: https://www.tikto...

‘Gratitude’ is a mindfulness practice. What if, instead of finding positives, you were forced to embrace the negatives?   This is the fifth of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's. Trigger warning: discussing this language took me right back to my time in the group, so please be prepared that this episode might be tough to listen t...

Have you ever felt the people around you just don’t matter? This is how 2x2s are ‘supposed’ to feel about outsiders.   This is the fourth of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   How do you feel about the 2x2s’ use of language to create an in-group that sees itself as separate from the world? Share your thoughts on socials....

Would you rather be a sheep or a goat? If you are a woman, the 2x2s require you to be not just a sheep, but a lamb.   This is the third of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   Trigger warning: This language highlights aspects of the 2x2s I found particularly uncomfortable as a woman. This episode might be hard to listen to...

Outside the Truth 2x2s, peace might be a feeling you seek. Inside, it is a tool to be feared.   This is the second of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's.   Trigger warning: the discussion of this particular language reminded me of difficult parts of my time in the group, so this episode might be tough to listen to if you're...

When you hear the word 'willing' what does that mean to you? 'Willing' has one meaning in the 2x2's and another outside. This is the first of ten short episodes examining the misuse and tangling of language and vocabulary in the Truth 2x2's. Trigger warning: discussing this language took me right back to my time in the group, so please be prepared that this episode might be tough to listen to if y...

Kyle is host of YouTube channel/podcast Cowtipper Vern and one of the four moderators and founders of the ex 2x2 Facebook support group. On his YouTube channel Kyle explore topics around 2x2 culture – deconstruction, behaviour, language, story telling. Kyle explores here what Truth 2x2 culture looks like and some of the challenges we face defining language and beliefs, in a culture where very litt...

A parliamentary inquiry into cults and fringe groups has recently been announced in the state of Victoria (Australia). This inquiry has spurred a group of survivor advocates to join forces and work together to form the Victorian Cult Survivors Network. In this episode host Laura McConnell together with Renee Spencer and Clare Heath McIvor discuss their journeys into cult survivor advocacy and thei...

In this episode with Alex we explore racism, white saviourism, compulsory heterosexuality and queerphobia inside Truth 2x2s. If that wasn’t enough complexity to manage for Alex and I – we also discuss Pentecostalism, and the shapeshifting Alex had to manage in order to be a devout Truth 2x2 at home and a good Pentecostal at school. Alex certainly navigated theological whiplash. The impact of colon...

We explore the similarities between the Truth 2x2s and a breakaway group, the Barlows, with Candice Curran. Welcome to Episode 2 of Truth 2x2 Cult Kids Podcast, with guest Candice Curran. Trigger Warning (TW) that this episode contains reference to sexual abuse, family violence, coercion, spiritual and religious abuse.   Candice was raised in the Bob Barlow Group, a breakaway group of the Tru...

TW: This episode contains references to CSA. Maria Hutchison is a survivor of the Truth 2x2's from New Zealand. She now lives in Melbourne Australia. She founded With Freedom Coaching, working as an addiction counsellor and coach. She experienced abuse inside Truth 2x2's, which was swept away and silenced. Maria works with trauma survivors, leveraging her deep lived experience of trauma and recove...

This is an introduction to the Truth 2x2 cult, an overview of group, its history, culture and common behaviours. The 2x2s (also known as The Truth, The Way, The Fellowship, The Friends and Workers, Non Denominational Christians) are a secretive fundamentalist christian group who claim to have no name. They often describe themselves as a 'home based bible study' and will say they take no name, as '...

Welcome to the Truth 2x2 Cult Kids Podcast, by your host Laura McConnell Conti This is a short intro to the podcast, what you can expect and some background on your host. The next eposide will be focused on the background of the Truth 2x2 Cult. Show Notes: Links to my work: Substack: https://substack.com/@fierceladyfeminist Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@truth2x2survivor Instagram: https://www.in...