If you have your own story of being in a cult or a high control group or if you've had

experience with manipulation or abuse the power that you'd like to share, leave us a message

on our hotline number at 347-86 trust. That's 347-868-7878 or shoot us an e-mail at TrustMePod

at gmail.com. Trust me, do you trust me? Trust me, I'm like a smart person. Yeah, I've never

lied to you. I never have lied. If you think that one person has all the answers, don't!

Welcome to TrustMe, the podcast about cult, extreme belief, and manipulation from two historians

who've actually experienced it. I am low-levelonc, and I am Megan Elizabeth. And guys, we changed it

to manipulation. We thought it would better capture the broader scope of what we're trying to talk

about here. It's not just abuse of power. It's also all forms of manipulation. So we did a little name

change. Maybe name change. I like it. I like it too. Let us know if you approve, rate us five stars.

Today, our guest is Joanne Viaga, survivor of the branch dividends and the Waco massacre.

We're going to discuss her earliest memories of living on the compound in Waco, Texas,

what cult leader David Kuresh was like in person, and what it was like when the siege began,

and why fear wasn't the emotion she felt when she saw all the dead bodies. She'll tell us how her

mom bravely acted to protect her and get her safely out, even though it went against everything

they'd been taught, the terrifying transition period afterward, and learning about the fire that

killed 76 people, including her own parents, plus what her life's like now and how she's thriving,

despite being told by adults that she wouldn't. This is a very emotional interview. Be warned,

but she's amazing, and I can't wait to get into it. So we thought, instead of doing

cultiest thing this week, we would just kind of give a little background on the branch dividends,

because some of you young folk might not be familiar with this, at the time very significant

culturally, the story, 1993, y'all are two young, you're born in like 2000, 2003.

...