Was I In A Cult?

Fresh to the workforce, Amber answered a job posting for a dental assitant: “No experience needed!” Looking for something reliable to support her new life as a single mother, she was thrilled when she got hired.

Little did she know, her new job would be more than just dental work…

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We’ll be back in a few weeks with SEASON 3. Thank you for all your love and support! We appreciate you more than you know.

Colorado is known to draw the hippies, the free-thinkers, the adventurous… so when a group of alternative medicine devotees convinces our guest that they can cure her severe back pain, she’s open to suggestion.

But soon, she finds herself sleeping in a van and questioning everything that got her to this point.

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Russell D. Johnson’s story continues. A journey into and out of a martial arts cult.

…PART TWO…

So Russell survives his emergency, life-threatening arm surgery, but shockingly, that won’t be the hardest thing.

So the next question becomes… Can he survive the stalking and death threats that occur after he speaks up and out against the cult?

Well, if anyone can, it’s our unassuming Bruce Banner…

'Cause watch out ya’ll… he’s about to “HULK SMASH!”

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It’s the 1970s and Kung Fu is all the rage. So when 16-year-old Russell Johnson looks to channel his (inner) rage, he signs up for a local class to learn how to become a peaceful warrior.

Only what he doesn’t know is that what he signed up for would one day almost cost him his life…

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So you’ve survived an abusive cult. 

Now what? 

What exactly are the legal options available to you?

An investigative litigator who represents victims of cultic and religious abuse, Carol Merchasin, sat down with us to discuss just that. 

She is our hero. 

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Tamara, the beloved, has just been upgraded from the commune to the big house on the hill with the leader and his multiple wives.

But it isn’t long before she realizes that the reason she thought she was brought to live with them is not the reason she is there at all…

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Raised by two Jewish parents, Tamara and her family are splintered when her father finds a new religion. Five-year-old Tamara is now forced to live two separate worlds. One with mom, going to public school… and one with Dad on a strict religious commune.

When gifted the name “Beloved” by the leader, it’s not exactly the honor she was expecting.

Imagine having to ask a group of eco-farmers for permission to have sex. And when granted permission, your options of consummation include… the back of a van or the loft of a goat barn. 

Well that’s what happened when Helen Zuman, a spelling bee whiz looking to explore her interest in eco-farming, visited Zendik Farm in North Carolina shortly after graduating from Harvard. 

A two-week experience turned into years of her life. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you spell… C-U-L-T. 

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Cults can be well-known, they can be obscure, and sometimes they can be hiding in plain sight. So when poet laureate Diannely’s family joins a seemingly “typical” church in Haverhill, Massachusetts… how does it become a cult?

Let’s let her tell you. 

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The final part of Hoyt Richards’ incredible journey into and out of a UFO doomsday cult. 

The damning Vanity Fair article throws Hoyt’s family into chaos as they attempt to intervene. And right when you think he might finally be getting out, his fellow “spiritual brothers” go to extreme lengths to keep their financial backer from leaving. And it works…

Until it finally doesn’t.

Thank you again, Hoyt. He is a brave and inspirational human, and we loved having him on the show. 

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The now quasi-famous group takes it to the next level. They get a name, a book, a show, a hit song, and a distant star doomsday getaway. Hoyt, meanwhile, becomes his own star, modeling for millions but returning home to sleep on the floor.

All is going well (or so they think) until the group puts a well-known phrase to the test. Is there really no such thing as bad press? 

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It was 1978, and the effortlessly handsome Hoyt Richards was a 16-year-old football talent summering in Nantucket. Chasing girls and free beer was about all on this young boy’s mind.

So when he meets a man on the beach who was rumored to throw great parties, Hoyt thinks nothing of it. 

Little did Hoyt know…he had just come face-to-face with a budding cult leader that would take his life in a direction he never could’ve dreamed.

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Liz and Tyler pop by to update you on their lives, and to reassure you that they will be back!

Arianna was a recent college graduate with dreams of one day opening her own marketing company. So when a LinkedIn opportunity for a social media marketing assistant fell into her lap, it felt too good to be true. 

Soon, she would be brushing shoulders with millionaires, in hopes that some of their mojo would rub off. After all, she had big plans for her future and a self-made father to prove herself to. 

But, you know what they say about things being too good to be true…

They usually are. 

This brave, inspiring woman is here to share her very important story of what exactly happened when she got involved with this Nashville “Millionaire’s Club.”

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Arianna on Instagram: @ariannasprabary

Arianna on TikTok: Aristrawberry0

A humble upbringing is an understatement for Dan McIntrye. Canada born and bred, Dan’s cult journey took him from guitar god, to free desserts to cult escape, only to land him right in the arms of… another one?  

A double survivor. A triple thriver. And one extremely nice guy. Damn, Canadians, you really are as kind as they say.

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She’s a hustler, baby. And she just wants you to know. 

Roberta Blevins was taught to be a self-starter. Inspired by her self-made father, she knew that if you put your mind to it, anything can happen. And it’s true. Anything can happen. But that’s the problem with anything. Anything sometimes includes MLM’s. Multi-level marketing (schemes). 

This is a story of a dynamite go-getter and how she crawled her way into a box of fart leggings and eventually… crawled her way out. 

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Follow Roberta’s Anti-MLM Movement: 

Instagram - @therealrobertablevins @lifeaftermlmpodcast

Listen to her podcast “Life After MLM”:

Lauren’s initial years of her life, for lack of a better word, were quite normal. Along with her five siblings, she lived a very comfortable life in Corona, CA. Then one day, her once atheist father found religion.

And that discovery took him on a journey to finding “the truth”. A truth that would one day take the family all the way to Egypt.

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Follow us: @wasiinacult instagram

TITLE: Thou Shan’t Be Named: “Non-Church Church” 

Non-Denominational Christianity. Sounds innocent enough, and for many non-denominational churches, it is. But for others, the non-affiliation creates a dangerous pathway to a choose your own adventure “religion.” For Shannon Payton, it was an adventure all right, but not one she necessarily would’ve chosen…if, of course, given the choice. 

Shannon has lived more of her life inside the cult than out, but this social media comedian is just starting to scratch the surface of having her voice heard. A voice, of course, that wasn’t allowed to be heard for most of her life. 

And trust us, it’s a voice worth hearing.

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There are many a Christmas tale that we all know and love, but this one, dear listener, we can (almost) guarantee… that you have never ever heard this one.

’Twas the night before Christmas and through the town’s center, not a creature was stirring, not even a cult member…

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! From our family, to yours.

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Hollywood is filled with the rich, the famous, and the people looking to take advantage of both. Because everyone in Hollywood is either someone, knows someone, or claims to be able to help you become someone. So when actress Lindsey McKeon, and singer/performer Jessica Sutta, stumble into an impressive acting class led by a teacher claiming to take their work to the next level, they don’t bat an eye. 

But it would be years of financial and emotional abuse disguised as self-growth before the two of them would realize… holy sh*t — their teacher turned “guru” is in fact… a cult leader.

Welcome to the worst cult ever (in our humble opinions). This is a story of incredible resilience, bravery, and inspiration. Being born into a cult always comes with its challenges, but learning how to have an original thought in your mid-20s is a rare struggle that most people are fortunate enough to never have to face. This is just one of many obstacles Angel had to overcome as she ventured out of the cult and into the world.

But when you’ve spent over 20 years of your life in a cult and it’s all you know, the real world isn’t always as sparkly as you hoped.

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Insta: @whatisangeldoing

Los Angeles, CA is full of dreamers. After all, dreams are what people move to the City of Lost Angels to chase. But did anyone know that an acting teacher can turn into a cult leader? Is that even possible? Apparently stranger things have happened, because the answer is… Oh hell yes she can. Two former students studying under an acting coach turned self-help cult leader are here to share their harrowing stories of showing up with their dreams in their hands… but unfortunately, giving them over to the wrong “guide”.

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Some experts come by their expertise by way of education. Some by experience. Others, by both. As is the case with today’s guest. Dr. Janja Lalich joins us to share her experience in a 1970s Marxist Cult, as well as enlighten us with her expertise on the subject. 

She’s been there, done that, and has more than lived to talk about it.

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Janja's Twitter: @Janja_Lalich

When you're numbered among the Lord's anointed, you're supposed to feel special, but for Jeremy Tucker, he was just another mindless cog in the machine of the Kingdom of God. It didn't matter though, he would work hard to do his part, until that hard work nearly cost him his life…

From guest producer Lindsay Hansen Park.