Cult Hopping Chronicles pt. 2: Unraveling The Threads Of Control with Cara Cordoni
IndoctriNation
IndoctriNation
4.8 • 566 Ratings
🗓️ 7 May 2025
⏱️ 84 minutes
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Summary
In this powerful conclusion to Rachel's conversation with Cara Cordoni, the complexities of navigating high-control environments are brought to light. Cara, a seasoned leadership coach and survivor of multiple cult experiences, shares her harrowing journey through the International School of Temple Arts (ISTA) and the manipulative tactics employed within such groups. Picking up from the previous episode, Cara details her experiences with coercive practices that blur the lines of consent and personal agency.
Throughout their discussion, Rachel and Cara unpack the psychological impact of being pushed into uncomfortable situations under the guise of personal growth. Cara reflects on her initial excitement about ISTA's promises of sexual and spiritual liberation, only to find herself entangled in a web of emotional manipulation and boundary violations. They delve into the dangerous dynamics of groupthink, the pressure to conform, and the insidious normalization of harmful practices that can lead to profound emotional distress.
As they explore the aftermath of these experiences, Cara emphasizes the importance of community support and the need for accountability within such organizations. She shares her work with 3SC, which aims to collect harm reports and advocate for safer practices in spiritual spaces. This episode serves as a crucial reminder of the resilience required to reclaim one's voice and agency after experiencing manipulation and coercion.
For anyone seeking to understand the nuances of consent, personal agency, and the potential dangers of high-control groups, this episode offers invaluable insights and a call to action for greater awareness and advocacy.
Listen To Cara's First Episode Here:
Read the New Yorker Magazine Article on ISTA here:
https://www.thecut.com/article/the-neo-tantric-sex-group-that-promised-to-change.html
You can learn more about Cara's advocacy work at the 3SC community here:
Learn more about Cara's leadership coaching and support groups at:
https://www.caracordonicoaching.com/
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https://linktr.ee/indoctrination
Watch full video episodes of IndoctriNation here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNAi0T2hzH9dM029dkTfj635PzuXl67jS
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to indoctrination, a weekly conversation series about protecting yourself from systems of control. |
| 0:11.2 | I'm your host, Rachel Bernstein. |
| 0:13.6 | Hi, everyone. Today on the show, we have a returning guest. We have part two of my conversation with Kara Cardone. Kara is a certified |
| 0:24.2 | leadership coach with 20 plus years of experience. She lives in Northern California and she survived |
| 0:31.4 | multiple cult experiences, including joining Ista International School of Temple Arts in 2021. |
| 0:41.9 | After discovering reports of harm within Ista, she co-founded 3SC, |
| 0:47.6 | Safer Sex Positive and Spiritual Communities, |
| 0:50.4 | which collected 50 plus harm reports and achieved some reforms in the group. |
| 1:00.0 | Kara now facilitates survivor support groups and is launching a podcast. Today's episode will |
| 1:06.5 | focus more on Kara's experiences with Ista. So if you have not already heard the first episode with |
| 1:13.7 | her from last week, please go back and listen. |
| 1:20.5 | Here's part two of my conversation with Kara. |
| 1:50.1 | Okay. with Kara. It is my pleasure to have Kara Kordoni back with us today. She's a fan favorite at the podcast, and in part because of how well you speak and put the thoughts together, but also because you've had different experiences that have led you sort of one |
| 1:57.1 | experience into the next. And there's this interesting sequence to it that I think is really |
| 2:02.8 | illuminating and also answers the question for a lot of people. Like once I was involved in this, |
| 2:09.2 | how come I got involved in something else or a relationship that felt like that? And what piece was |
| 2:14.3 | I not getting from experience to experience about what to watch out for? |
| 2:18.6 | Or what was I still searching for? |
| 2:20.8 | What was I not noticing? |
| 2:22.4 | I mean, it's all very interesting and it's all very human. |
| 2:25.7 | And so I love that that's also woven in to what you talk about. |
| 2:30.8 | So I would love for you to take a few moments and introduce yourself. |
... |
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