Swartzentruber Amish — PT1: "Promoted to Housework"
Was I in a Cult?
Liz Iacuzzi
4.5 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Many people picture a peaceful, technology-free life of butter churning, candle making, and horse-drawn buggies. But for today's guest, the reality behind the plain dresses and pastoral image was far more restrictive, and far more dangerous.
Lizzie grew up in one of the strictest Amish sects in the country: the Swartzentruber Amish. No electricity. No indoor plumbing. No music. No photographs. No Rumspringa. And absolutely no preparation for life outside the community.
In this first part of a two-part conversation, Lizzie shares what it was like growing up under intense control, the rigid rules imposed on women, and how isolation and fear kept members obedient. She also opens up about the early cracks in her belief system—and the impossible choices that eventually led her to attempt an escape.
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FIND LIZZIE:
Instagram: @lizzieens_wellness / TikTok: @lizzieh_wellness
Book: Amish Renegade: The Anthropology of an Amish Girl Turned Global CEO
Website: undietyou.com
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Libson or its affiliates. |
| 0:08.3 | Guest accounts are personal recollections shared from their own perspectives. |
| 0:12.5 | References to specific individuals, organizations, or groups are presented as commentary, opinion, and personal experience and should not be interpreted as definitive statement of fact. |
| 0:22.7 | This podcast is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. |
| 0:34.5 | Welcome all to was I an occult. |
| 0:37.9 | This is the show that features badass people telling badass stories about, well, you know, just being badass, I guess. |
| 0:46.8 | Sounds like a good show. |
| 0:48.2 | I over here, I'm Wazai Kuzi, I'm kind of a badass. |
| 0:52.8 | Yeah, and I'm Tyler Mism, and I'm just kind of bad. |
| 0:56.7 | And I'm an ass. |
| 0:57.6 | You're just a badass. |
| 1:01.4 | Put together. |
| 1:03.3 | Today, we have a cult that we have long wanted to cover on this show. |
| 1:08.7 | I think since, I don't know, forever. |
| 1:11.2 | Yeah, since the Amish. |
| 1:12.5 | Yes. |
| 1:13.6 | We're in season five now of the show, |
| 1:15.1 | and we wanted to cover it in our first season. |
| 1:17.1 | We've been trying to track down someone who is Amish, |
| 1:19.4 | because I personally find the world and their beliefs |
| 1:23.5 | and how they live quite fascinating. |
| 1:25.9 | Yeah, because many people know the Amish, as, you know, a group who live in the woods, |
... |
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