Growing Up in Scientology and the Aftermath Foundation with Aaron Smith-Levin

Cult Conversations: The Influence Continuum with Dr. Steve Hassan

Dr. Steven Hassan

Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Education

4.8 • 684 Ratings

🗓️ 26 December 2022

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Being raised in an authoritarian cult and exiting is usually a very difficult and traumatic experience. Many people have learned about the cult of Hubbard, Scientology, and Aaron Smith-Levin signed a billion-year commitment when he entered the SeaOrg- the elite troops of the cult. There have been many books, podcasts, and documentaries about Scientology. Aaron started a very successful YouTube Channel Growing up in Scientology and is the vice president of the Aftermath Foundation, a non-profit aimed at helping former members to recover. Three former Sea Org members who were inducted as children are currently suing the cult and David Miscavige, its head, for labor trafficking. Join us for this fascinating interview! Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Dr. Stephen Hassan with another episode of the influence continuum,
0:10.0	and I'm very excited, Aaron Smith Levin, to have you.
0:15.0	You interviewed me, and now I get to reciprocate and have you on my channel.
0:22.5	You're a very dynamic, interesting guy.
0:26.1	We're gonna get into that.
0:27.4	You were raised in Scientology.
0:30.5	You were a staff member, C.org member,
0:33.5	which is a billionaire commitment.
0:35.2	We'll have you talk more about that. You had held various positions
0:40.4	in Philadelphia, Clearwater, Los Angeles, and you left the Sea Org in 2006, officially left in 2014.
0:50.9	But I've gotten to know you because you started the growing up in Scientology YouTube channel,
0:57.5	which is very, very successful, good for you.
1:01.5	You're the vice president of the Aftermath Foundation,
1:04.9	and that is connected with Leah Remini and Mike Rinder and the A&E Special
1:10.4	and their IHeart Media radio show, et cetera.
1:14.6	And you live in Clearwater, Florida, the belly of the beast, so to speak, with your wife and
1:20.2	three daughters.
1:22.3	And I'm thrilled to have you, Aaron.
1:25.2	So welcome to the influence continuum.
1:29.3	Thanks for having me on. I'm happy to be here with Aaron. So welcome to the influence continuum. Thanks for having me on.
1:37.3	Happy to be here with you. Yeah, pleasure. So I'm going to start with the basics, which is assume my listeners don't really know anything about growing up in Scientology. Give us our listeners a window into that world, please.
1:47.9	Well, okay, so I'll try to give that glimpse from the perspective of the child and not an adult
	...

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