Inside Cult Intervention: Lessons from Joe Szimhart (Part 1)
A Little Bit Culty
Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames
4.6 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 6 October 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this gripping episode of 'A Little Bit Culty,' hosts welcome Joe Szimhart, a veteran cult interventionist with over 40 years of experience. Joe delves into the history and evolution of cult deprogramming, sharing intricate details of his personal journey from an art student to an expert in cult interventions. The conversation covers key figures and movements in esotericism and theosophy, drawing connections between early and modern cult practices. Joe's fascinating anecdotes and practical advice on effective intervention methods offer valuable insights into the complexities of steering loved ones away from high control groups. This is part one of a two-part series.
Timestamp Menu:
- 00:00 Introduction to Cult Intervention
- 00:20 Meet Joe Sim Hart: Cult Interventionist
- 01:29 Joe's Journey into Cults
- 02:53 Theosophy and Esoteric Teachings
- 07:16 Experiences with the I Am Cult
- 12:50 Leaving the Cult and Helping Others
- 23:21 First Steps as an Interventionist
- 29:07 Techniques and Success Stories
- 33:55 Conclusion and Teaser for Part Two
You can contact Joe at jszimhart.com, follow him on his YouTube channel or on X @jszimhart, and check out his memoir, Santa Fe, Bill Tate, and me. Check out his site dedicated to "culty" work: www.cultbehaviorconsultant.com.
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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.
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CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
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Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
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Transcript
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| 0:29.8 | This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, |
| 0:34.6 | or mental health advice. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily |
| 0:38.2 | reflect the official policy or position of the podcast and are not intended to malign any religion, |
| 0:42.9 | group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone, or anything. |
| 0:58.1 | I'm Sarah Edmondson. |
| 1:01.2 | And I'm Anthony Nippy Ames, and this is a little bit culty. |
| 1:06.4 | We woke up from a cult, and that journey was captured in The Vow on HBO and in my memoir, Scarred. |
| 1:18.7 | Now, in this podcast, we break down the shame and secrets that make these experiences so destructive with honest conversations on how seemingly benign groups can cross into the cultiverse and how to spot and recover from trouble if it happens to you. |
| 1:26.0 | Each week, we bring an expert, survivors, and whistleblowers to explore red flags, resilience, and even share a few laughs because sometimes you got to laugh. |
| 1:28.7 | Subscribe to our Patreon for early and ad-free listening, |
| 1:32.9 | some live Q&A and exclusive content at patreon.com slash A Little Bit Culty. |
| 1:35.6 | Welcome to Season 8 of A Little Bit Culty. |
| 1:40.1 | Seeking down to the depths of the ocean. |
| 1:44.5 | Hanging on to win my love Welcome back everybody to help |
| 2:00.0 | There's a good To help people you have seen the show intervention, where a specialist |
| 2:01.8 | tries to help people break free from addiction. |
| 2:04.2 | But did you know, they're interventionists for people in cults? |
| 2:07.6 | It's actually been a thing since the 70s, Nippy. |
| 2:09.9 | Though the methods have changed drastically over the years. |
| 2:13.4 | Our guest today is Joe Simhart, a consultant who specializes in all things culty, and he's |
... |
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