Bonus Drop: Coercive Control in Cults, Patriarchy in Religion & Survivor Wisdom from Tia Levings

A Little Bit Culty

Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames

True Crime, Society & Culture, Education

4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to another, unofficially titled, Bonus Drop. These episodes are our way of checking in midweek with extra thoughts, headlines, and conversations that keep the Cultiverse convo going strong. And remember: Patreon subscribers get them a day early because that’s how perks work.

In this drop, we’re digging into the overlap between religious trauma, emotional abuse, and the battle for language in the courtroom. Buckle up, because this one covers a lot:

Updates on the NXIVM trial and why proving coercive control is still such a legal minefield
Bill Maher’s spectacularly bad take on the P. Diddy trial, and our thoughts on victim blaming in the media
The political and social reach of religious fundamentalism (spoiler: it’s farther than you think)
And a powerful chat with special guest Tia Levings, who joins us to share her journey from Christian fundamentalism survivor to bestselling author and advocate. Her new book The Soul of Healing is a deep dive into recovery from spiritual abuse—and trust us, you’ll want to hear her take.

Plus: What happens when survivors take back the narrative, and how to spot the signs of patriarchal programming in your own life.

Got thoughts? Send us a voicemail. We’re always listening.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Amanda Zaremba and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, or mental health advice.
0:05.2	The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast
0:09.7	and are not intended to malign any religion group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone, or anything.
0:25.6	I'm Sarah Edmondson. And I'm Anthony Nippy Ames, and this is A Little Bit Calti.
0:30.1	Cults are commonplace now. From fandums to fads, we're examining them all.
0:34.3	We look at what happens when things that seem like a great thing at first go bad.
0:38.7	Every week we chat with survivors, experts, and whistleblowers for real culty stories told
0:43.4	directly by the people who lived through them, because we want you to learn a few things that
0:47.6	we've had to learn the hard way. For example, if you think you're too smart to get sucked into
0:52.3	something culty, you might be prime recruitment material.
0:55.3	And who knows, you could already be in a cult.
0:58.0	If you're not aware of your programming, you're probably being programmed.
1:01.2	So keep listening to find out.
1:03.0	We'll talk about all sorts of topics on the show, but be aware.
1:06.5	This podcast might contain stories that could be alarming to some of our listeners.
1:10.3	So please check
1:11.1	our show notes for more detailed descriptions and take care of yourself.
1:14.5	Subscribe to our Patreon for Thursday bonus episodes, Q&A, and all sorts of exclusive content.
1:19.6	That's patreon.com slash A Little Bit Culty.
1:22.6	Welcome to Season 7 of A Little Bit Calti.
1:25.6	Sicking down to the depths of the ocean. Season 7 of A Little Bit Calti Welcome back everybody to our official bonus drop.
1:44.2	That's what we're calling it?
	...

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