Cults to Consciousness

**Content Warning: Child SA, abuse, r*pe, suic*de ideation** We have learned about people who grow up in abusive environments who don’t have a good chance of breaking that cycle while they are still in the cult bubble. But what about the people who understand abuse not only goes unnoticed in these cults, but is even celebrated, and they join for this reason? Hannah’s story illustrates how when the...

**Content Warning: Frequent mentions of child SA & r*pe among other forms of abuse & suic*de ideation**Mary Byler’s story is horrific and shocking, yet one of the reasons she is being so brave in sharing her story, is because it’s not uncommon. The Amish are often romanticized for their “plain” lifestyle, yet people don’t understand or know about the sheer terror facing the women and child...

**Content Warning: Child SA, Incest, Rape** Along with extreme sexual distortions and a severe lack of sexual education, the Old Order Amish are taught that pregnancy means women have “The Sickness”, and that any talk of sex is forbidden until marriage. Having left the Old Order Amish 25 years ago, Eli Yoder, has helped 200+ people flee the Amish community. In today's episode, we discuss the dark...

People in the "modern world" tend to romanticize the Amish. They seem to live simple lives and keep to themselves with their big families and old traditional ways of doing things. This may be true AND it's possible that a world of secrets, abuse and lack of care for those suffering mental illness are also extremely common. Joined by ex Old Order Amish, Eli Yoder, we discuss the dark corners of the...

An unsuspecting Aussie girl was intentionally recruited and manipulated to eventually become one of cult leader's Jung Myung Seok thousands of spiritual brides. The the self proclaimed reincarnated Messiah and convicted r*pist was in jail when she met him through the plexi-glass in Korea. Forced to restrict her food intake to please Jung, she lost so much weight her health deteriorated and she was...

After 1 year of horrific cult stories, we thought it would be nice to celebrate these brave souls with all of their best advice and funny statements through their “Linda, listen” moment. An empowering statement, be it sassy, inspirational, funny or all of the above. This video can also serve as a recap of what we have been up to all year and give you a peek into each episode which you may have mis...

Fresh out of the sheltered sexuality of Mormonism, Kirsten had just gotten a divorce and badly needed a job. Convincing herself that she just didn't know what "normal" body positivity and sexuality looked like, she got a job at a nudist, sex club that lured people in by pretending to be a zen, meditative, buddhist retreat. For the first time ever, someone is speaking out against the One Love Templ...

Brigham Young was the second prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and who Brigham Young University was named after. Brigham is known for a LOT of heinous actions against the saints, so it shouldn't come as a surprise when learning about the abhorrent policies of the school. Since Kirsten went there, it's only gotten slightly better. Find out what these students have to go thr...

BONUS EPISODE! Disney, don't come after us! In making the new Little Mermaid movie, we get you were tied to the 1989 classic, which was tied to the 1845 fairy tale, but we couldn't help but notice all of the CULTY parallels. From an oppressive polygamist father with an "us vs them" mentality, to a banished sea witch with her own agenda of ownership and rule, literally taking Ariel's voice and leav...

**Content Warning: Child Abuse/Suicide Attempt** The book that is linked to 3 deaths of children, completely warped Kendra's life. Her parents took the abusive techniques to "train" their 7 children to the extreme. Fighting for her life everyday, trying to understand what she did to deserve this pain, when she turned 18 she ran. Little did she know, she ran right into the arms of another predator...

Blamed and shamed for sexual sin she never committed, Jess was forced into multiple IBLP training centers for “bad girls” where she was put on a no-speak order for weeks at a time. Punished for asking for basic needs during extreme manual labor in the intense heat, she constantly felt to blame for not measuring up to impossible standards. Her story is one of perseverance and strength as she finall...

When a young boy's family joins the Institute in Basic Life Principles cult (as seen on the "Shiny Happy People" doc), his life gets a lot more complicated. Shamed for having a girlfriend at 16, his family moves him out of state then sends him away to an IBLP training/rehabilitation center for "bad kids". The goal, to break his mind, body, and soul into submission. After leaving the cult at 18, he...

Finally! The details about our extra, over the top, Old Hollywood wedding at the Historic Los Angeles Movie Palace built in 1931! It was incredible and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We both were able to showcase our talents in unique ways and offer a production and wild experience for our guests! Make sure to keep your eyes on the screen for this one. There are a LOT of photos and...

Sentenced to 120 years in prison for racketeering, sex trafficking, and many more nefarious sexual offense counts, Keith Raniere once led the MLM cult, NXIVM, which at its height had 700 active members. Along with Sarah Edmondson, Mark Vicente helped recruit members, and then ultimately helped bring it down. Their departure from the cult is documented in the HBO documentary series, The Vow. In tod...

With the explosion of cult documentaries in the last 10 years, and the subsequent exposure and awareness it's brought, viewers are rushing to watch as many possible. But there may be some shocking ones you may have missed! In this episode, Dr. John Dehlin (Mormon Stories podcast), and I, break down our top 10 must watch cult docs of the past decade. Click here to watch on YouTube(Clickable Chapter...

**Content Warning: mentions of child SA** Emily Elizabeth Anderson—a featured survivor on the cult documentary “Shiny Happy People” exposing the IBLP— is an example of how abuse thrives within these extreme fundamentalist Christian teachings. She endured trauma after trauma which caused her body to shut down with Crohn’s disease. Once she recognized the abuse at the hands of her father and Bill Go...

**Content Warning: various mentions of CA** Upon watching the Shiny Happy People documentary, I realized they essentially had all the same rules as the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints group (FLDS) aside from practicing polygamy. Joined by Sam and Melissa from @GrowingUpinPolygamy , we dissect all the ways the IBLP (Institute in Basic Life Principles) mirror the FLDS.Click here to watch on YouTube...

**Content Warning: Brief mentions of child ab*se, domestic ab*se, suic*de ideation** The Institute in Basic Life Principles is an extreme Christian fundamentalist set of beliefs that took hold on society when The Duggars (from TLC’s “19 kids and Counting”) made it popular. These beliefs look “Happy and Shiny” from the surface, but deep inside rots the truth about the misogynistic, abusive and oppr...

The Kingston Clan is known for their incestuous polygamy in an effort to keep their "bloodline" pure. From deformities and infertility, to racism and coercion, take a peek inside "The Order"—an extremist off shoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormonism) with Amanda Rae from the TV show "Escaping Polygamy".Click here to watch on YouTube(clickable chapter markers available...

"The Order" or the "Kingston Clan" is known for their incestuous practices of polygamy in an effort to keep their "bloodline pure". They are a fundamentalist branch of Mormonism in Salt Lake City where marrying 1st cousins and even half siblings is seen as perfectly fine. Amanda Rae, who was raised in this group, escaped at 17 and was seen on the TV show "Escaping Polygamy" helping others to do th...

**Content Warning: brief mentions of suicide ideation 1 hr 34 mins in** Within mainstream Mormonism is a fundamentalist group that takes the "Latter Days" incredibly serious. They are loosely known as the Doomsday or Prepper Mormons. Rachel lived in extreme poverty, rarely received any medical attention, had no power or running water and had no idea she was in a cult until years and years later. N...

**Content Warning: Mentions of SA** Raised in Scientology, at 12 years old, the church accused her of “Instigating” her own S.A., then sent her away to a Scientology boarding school, where the abuse continued. For the first time, Daisy opens up about her horrific childhood growing up in Scientology. Learn why scientologist perpetrators are often unpunished, while the victims suffer in silence. Lis...

Once excommunicated from the Jehovah's Witness faith, Rome's life completely changed. Shunned from his mother and other family members, he meets India, who slowly helps him deconstruct and acclimates him to a world full of Holidays and birthday celebrations. A beautiful love story of patience, understanding and acceptance. Click here to watch the episode on YouTube(clickable chapter markers availa...

**Content Warning: Brief mentions of Suic*de Ideation and R*pe**Daniella Mestyanek Young finally escaped the Children of God sex cult at age 15 desperately trying to acclimate to life in the US and starting school for the first time. Her accolades and honors would land her in the US military which not only compounded upon her growing mound of trauma, but eventually leading her to an impossible bre...

***CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of child sexual assault/physical abuse, child trafficking and sex***Please listen with care. This episode is very heavy and potentially triggering. This is, however, an important story to tell. Daniella Mestyanek Young was born and raised in the Children of God sex cult, who's goal was to raise sexually liberated children with little to no secular education. This is th...