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REWIND: Frank Lyford - Heaven's Gate, Part 1: The Nomadic Lifestyle
Episode 22: Lola & Meagan interview Frank Lyford, survivor of Heaven's Gate who left after 18 years--just a few years before discovering his friends and loved ones in the group had died by suicide. I…
Published on 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Ashlen Hilliard - The Evolution of Cult Intervention Practices
Cult interventionist and founder of People Leave Cults, Ashlen Hilliard, talks about her path to working in cult intervention and recovery, her personal religious experience that led her to this work…
Published on 8 months ago
REWIND: Joann Vaega: Waco Survivor and Former Branch Davidian
You're a child living on a remote compound in West Texas. One day authorities show up at your front door and an exchange of gunfire breaks out. Just as you expected would happen. Survivor of the Bran…
Published on 8 months, 1 week ago
Carolyn Costin - The Link Between Cults and Eating Disorders
FOR OUR 200th EPISODE, we are joined by eating disorder therapist, author, and expert Carolyn Costin to discuss her own experiences that led to her starting her practice, why so many cults control th…
Published on 8 months, 2 weeks ago
Yoni Shrira, Part 2 - Hard Labor, Isolation, Running Away, and a Dark Legacy
Today is part 2 of our interview with Yoni Shrira, former student at the Family Foundation School, also known as Allynwood, the remote troubled teen program known for a series of lawsuits brought aga…
Published on 8 months, 3 weeks ago
Yoni Shrira, Part 1 - The Family Foundation School, Troubled Teens, and Snitching Culture
Today our guest is Yoni Shrira, friend of the show and survivor of the Family Foundation School, a troubled teen sobriety school that became notorious for how many of its former students died after g…
Published on 9 months, 1 week ago
Tory Hess - From Second Life to Wilderness Commune
Today our guest is Tory Hess, former member of a small rural group in upstate New York she calls Crazyland. She tells us about how she always loved reading and fantasy growing up, never went to publi…
Published on 9 months, 2 weeks ago
REWIND: Jay Van Bavel - Groupthink, Social Identity, and Cult Psychology
Groups!... I did it again. Jay Van Bavel, NYU Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, Director of the Social Identity and Morality Lab, and co-author of The Power Of Us, discusses how o…
Published on 9 months, 3 weeks ago
Bethany Joy Lenz - One Tree Hill, a Secret Cult, and Living a Double Life
Today our guest is actor, musician, and now author Bethany Joy Lenz, whom we will just call Joy. Joy was the star of hit TV show One Tree Hill, and today she’s going to talk to us about how she was i…
Published on 10 months ago
Anne - Psychosis, Delusions, & the Cult of Your Own Mind
Today, our guest is a friend who we'll call Anne. We discuss the connection between psychosis and cults, the mental changes Anne experienced when her episode started, the delusions that grew stronger…
Published on 10 months ago