S24 Ep1: Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Something Was Wrong
Broken Cycle Media
4.1 • 26K Ratings
🗓️ 10 July 2025
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Maia Szalavitz’s website: maiasz.com/
Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids here: maiasz.com/books/help-at-any-cost/
*Sources:
Asheville Academy faces $45,000 in fines after state investigation into child safety violations, Spectrum Local News spectrumlocalnews.com/charlotte/supreme-court/news/2025/06/18/asheville-academy-violations
Asheville Academy Gives Up Its License Following Two Suicides in May, Asheville News asheville.com/news/2025/06/asheville-academy-gives-up-its-license-following-two-suicides-in-may/
Asheville Academy violated NC law, will face fines after child suicides report says, Yahoo News .yahoo.com/news/asheville-academy-violated-nc-law-184725552.html
BHAD BHABIE - Breaking Code Silence - Turn About Ranch abuse Dr. Phil | Danielle Bregoli youtube.com/watch?v=GteqbsYGv1I
Bhad Bhabie Says She Was Abused at Troubled-Teen Camp She Was Sent to by Dr. Phil: 'No Sympathy', People people.com/music/bhad-bhabie-says-she-was-abused-camp-she-was-sent-to-dr-phil
Breaking Code Silence Takes On the Troubled Teen Industry, Treatment Magazine treatmentmagazine.com/breaking-code-silence-takes-on-the-troubled-teen-industry/
A Death in the Desert, Los Angeles Times latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-15-tm-20285-story.html
Dr. Phil Has Responded To Bhad Bhabie's Allegations Of Abuse And Then She Replied With Another Video, BuzzFeed buzzfeed.com/ryanschocket2/dr-phil-responds-to-bhad-bhabie-allegations
Dr. Phil responds to 'Bhad Bhabie' claims of abuse at troubled teen camp, News Nation facebook.com/watch/?v=2501186526842381
Cults and the Law, ICSA articles3.icsahome.com/articles/cults-and-the-law
The Cult that Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry, Mother Jones motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/
Ex-Counselor Convicted of Neglect, Desert News deseret.com/1996/11/7/19275546/ex-counselor-convicted-of-neglect/
Father Sues Challenger Over Daughter's Death, Desert News deseret.com/1991/7/24/18932325/father-sues-challenger-over-daughter-s-death/
Five Facts About the Troubled Teen Industry, American Bar Association americanbar.org/groups/litigation/resources/newsletters/childrens-rights/five-facts-about-troubled-teen-industry/
Former North Star Counselor Sentences to a Year in Jail, Desert News deseret.com/1996/12/21/19284306/former-north-star-counselor-sentenced-to-a-year-in-jail/
Here’s what Paris Hilton says about Utah in her new memoir, ‘Paris’, The Salt Lake Tribune sltrib.com/news/2023/03/14/heres-what-paris-hilton-says-about/
House passes bill backed by Paris Hilton to reform youth treatment facilities, AP News
apnews.com/article/paris-hilton-child-abuse-youth-facilities-congress-8729a53bbf17b25ae2726040ce3cc203
Jury Acquits Cartisano of All Charges, Desert News deseret.com/1992/5/28/18986401/jury-acquits-cartisano-of-all-charges-br/
Keeping 'Cult' Out of the Case, Cult Education Institute culteducation.com/group/1274-straight-inc/19713-keeping-cult-out-of-the-case.html
KIDS Centers of America, Breaking Code Silence breakingcodesilence.org/kids-centers-of-america/
Lawsuit claims staff at former St. George youth center abused, impregnated teenage girls, KUTV kutv.com/news/local/lawsuit-claims-staff-at-former-st-george-youth-center-abused-impregnated-teenage-girls
Nine charged after teen's camp death, Tampa Bay Times tampabay.com/archive/1994/10/20/nine-charged-after-teen-s-camp-death/
One school with an alarming death rate has its alumni fighting for answers, The Independent the-independent.com/news/long_reads/new-york-hancock-school-overdose-death-suicide-education-america-a8531006.html
Paris Hilton’s Powerful Speech in DC: Ending Abuse in the Troubled Teen Industry, Paris Hilton youtube.com/watch?v=HcHXWc7N2xc
Paris Hilton testifying today in Sacramento for bill aimed at ‘troubled teen industry’, Los Angeles Times latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-04/paris-hilton-sacramento-california-bill-troubled-teen-industry-residential-treatment
The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping https://www.netflix.com/title/81579761
Rebecca Ehrlich vs. Kids of North Jersey, Inc., et al law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/appellate-division-published/2001/a4975-99-opn.html
Residential treatment school closes in NC after deaths of 2 girls, AP News
apnews.com/article/therapy-school-closes-north-carolina-asheville-academy-9854c3ca7cda11cc06f05d9fccef4112
Romney Cans Golden Goose Over Abuse, Radar Online radaronline.com/exclusives/2008/10/mitt-romney-robert-lichfield-php
Romney, Torture, and Teens, Reason Foundation reason.com/2007/06/27/romney-torture-and-teens
Senate report says US taxpayers help fund residential treatment facilities that put vulnerable kids at risk, OPB opb.org/article/2024/06/12/senate-report-us-taxpayers-fund-residential-treatment-facilities-that-put-vulnerable-kids-at-risk/
State investigation finds licensing violations at Asheville Academy amid student suicides, ABC 13 News wlos.com/news/local/asheville-academy-state-licensing-violations-student-suicides-north-carolina-department-health-human-services-mental-health-certification-section-report-letter-buncombe-county-weaverville
Survival program charged in death of Fla. teen-ager, Tampa Bay Times tampabay.com/archive/1990/08/15/survival-program-charged-in-death-of-fla-teen-ager
The Synanon Case, IRS.gov https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/eotopicb90.pdf
Teen Torture Inc. Is the Latest Documentary to Explore Abuses at Youth Treatment Centers, Time time.com/6997172/teen-torture-max-abuse-documentary
This 1970s Cult Inspired Abusive Teen Rehabilitation Methods Still Used Today, Teen Vogue teenvogue.com/story/this-1970s-cult-inspired-abusive-teen-rehabilitation-methods-still-used-today
How the Brainwashing Label Threatened and Enabled the Troubled-Teen Industry, Journal of American Studies researchgate.net/publication/379883774_To_Use_This_Word_Would_Be_Absurd_How_the_Brainwashing_Label_Threatened_and_Enabled_the_Troubled-Teen_Industry
Troubled-teen industry oversight bill sails through Congress, NBC News yahoo.com/news/troubled-teen-industry-oversight-bill-222536418.html
The Troubled Teen Industry’s Troubling Lack of Oversight, Penn Carey Law
law.upenn.edu/live/news/15963-the-troubled-teen-industrys-troubling-lack-of
The Troubled Teen Industry Timeline unsilenced.org/troubled-teen-industry-timeline/
Virgil Miller Newton, Surviving Straight Inc. survivingstraightinc.com/MillerNewton/MillerNewtonTimeline.pdf
Unexpected Turn Of Events With Teen After Appearance On ‘Dr. Phil’ youtube.com/watch?v=L_kiav0p5Iw
Utah Criminal Code le.utah.gov/xcode/Title76/Chapter5/76-5-S206.html
What You Need to Know About the Troubled Teen Industry, The Law Offices of Lisa Kane Brown lisakanebrown.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-troubled-teen-industry
WWASP, Unsilenced https://www.unsilenced.org/timeline/wwasp/
Why has the USA not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?, medRxiv medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.05.24312304v2.full
Wyden Investigation Exposes Systemic Taxpayer-Funded Child Abuse and Neglect in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities, United States Senate Committee on Finance
finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-investigation-exposes-systemic-taxpayer-funded-child-abuse-and-neglect-in-youth-residential-treatment-facilities
3 Plead Guilty to Negligence in Teen's Death, Desert News deseret.com/1996/9/28/19268520/3-plead-guilty-to-negligence-in-teen-s-death/
*SWW S24 Theme Song - U Think U by Glad Rags: https://www.gladragsmusic.com/
The S24 cover art is by the Amazing Sara Stewart
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey friends, before we get into this next season, I wanted to share a brief update with you. |
| 0:05.1 | As some of you may have seen on the podcast's Instagram, something was wrong, has left Wondery slash Amazon music. |
| 0:12.9 | For those who are a little confused, Wondery was bought by Amazon in December of 2020. |
| 0:18.8 | Our contract with them ended midnight on July 1st, 2025, and we are not |
| 0:24.6 | resigning. While I am extremely thankful to Wondry and all of their hardworking employees, |
| 0:31.1 | it was never my goal to partner with a Basos-owned network. And prior to Wondery, things happened in 2020 to 2022 that I had no |
| 0:41.3 | control over at a previous network. I was forced to rehome the show for three years, give that |
| 0:49.5 | previous network a huge piece, even though they had breached the contract and paid me late throughout, |
| 0:55.9 | or lose everything. This was one of the most difficult and stressful times of my life. |
| 1:01.7 | I was terrified of losing something was wrong, which means so much to me and our community. |
| 1:08.2 | I was forced to sign a $4 million NDA or lose everything. I had no access, |
| 1:15.6 | no control, and my options were literally move the show or lose it forever. But now we're going back to our |
| 1:23.5 | independent routes. We are betting on ourselves. Turning down money in this economy and the |
| 1:29.3 | state of the world is a massive risk, but I believe in the Broken Cycle Media team and myself. |
| 1:35.8 | Something Was Wrong will still be available on all the same platforms this season, with the |
| 1:40.7 | exception of the Wondery Plus app. And great news. |
| 1:44.6 | As part of this transition, we're getting rid of the early release model. |
| 1:48.8 | So now all of our listeners can access new episodes at the same time. |
| 1:53.3 | We are working on a more inclusive and less expensive subscription offer in the future, |
| 1:58.8 | and we will bring you more information on that soon. |
| 2:01.9 | Again, I want to thank Wondry and their staff for being amazing partners. |
| 2:06.8 | Thank you to you and our community, who have supported us and gave me the benefit of the doubt |
... |
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