Was I in a Cult?

Hi faithful listeners -  We're going to have to delay release of this episode until we get a behind the scenes technical issue sorted out. Please don't look behind the red curtain.

Transcribed - Published: 25 May 2026

NOTE: This episode discusses sex, sexual exploitation, coercion, and sexual abuse.  What happens when female empowerment, Silicon Valley startup culture, spiritual enlightenment, and clitoral stroking walk into a fluorescent-lit conference room? You get OneTaste. In this episode, we sit down with Bloomberg investigative journalist Ellen Huet, author of Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult, to unpack the rise and fall of OneTaste, the orgasmic meditation company founded by Nicole Daedone that promised connection, healing, and transformation through a 15-minute partnered orgasm practice called OM (Orgasmic Meditation). But behind the language of liberation and "turn-on" were allegations of sexual coercion, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, forced labor, and a belief system that taught members their discomfort was just something to push through on the path to enlightenment.  Ellen walks us through how her 2018 investigation helped expose the darker side of the company, the criminal case that followed, and why OneTaste's story is not just about sex. It's about power, belonging, manipulation, and the very human longing to be seen.   FIND ELLEN:  Instagram: @ehuet  Book: Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult  Bloomberg: bloomberg.com/authors/ASmGayS_jTQ/ellen-huet__ ___________________________________ FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)   HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 25 May 2026

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses sexual assault. Not in graphic detail, but please listen accordingly. For 19 years, Lizzie Ens lived in one of the most conservative Amish sects in America: the Swartzentruber Amish. Last week you learned about her upbringing and all facets of living a life off the grid with no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and very little autonomy over her own life. In Part 2, the horse-and-buggy postcard version of Amish life disappears fast. Lizzie takes us inside the bizarre dating ritual called "bundling," and into the darker corners of the community — sexual assault, shunning, suppression, and the impossible weight of knowing that leaving means leaving everything behind. Including her twin sister. Eventually, she realizes something terrifying: if she doesn't escape now… she may never escape at all.   What follows is one of the wildest escape stories we've ever covered. __________________________________ RESOURCES: RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) Bailing Out Benji __________________________________ FIND LIZZIE: Instagram: @lizzieens_wellness / TikTok: @lizzieh_wellness Book: Amish Renegade: The Anthropology of an Amish Girl Turned Global CEO Website: undietyou.com _____________________________________ FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 18 May 2026

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. __________________________________ FIND LIZZIE: Instagram: @lizzieens_wellness / TikTok: @lizzieh_wellness Book: Amish Renegade: The Anthropology of an Amish Girl Turned Global CEO Website: undietyou.com _____________________________________ FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)   HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 11 May 2026

Four hours into a hostage situation between a man and a woman, the man walks out the door. In that moment, the woman's primal instinct kicks in: "Grab your kids and RUN."  Later, she learns that action may have saved her life. He wasn't just leaving. He was going to get a gun. And the man? It was her husband. At 33-years-old, Tia Levings walked away from the Christian Patriarchy system that dictated her body, her voice, and her life for 13 years. If there were ever a guest who embodies the entire ethos of this show, it's Tia Levings. A badass is an understatement. Now a New York Times bestselling author of "A Well-Trained Wife" and featured in "Shiny Happy People," Tia joins us to unpack:  'Trad wives' and how this movement is far from just churned butter on Instagram. The wedding night she finally has language for. The daughter she lost. How, and more importantly why, the Christian Patriarchy movement has surged over the past decade. And her new book. "I Belong to Me." The survival guide she wishes she had access to when she first got out. It's now our #1 recommendation for anyone leaving a high-control group. A non-judgmental, non-preachy, non-guru self-help book? Who knew?! Tia is brilliant, funny, and unflinchingly honest. And if you leave with one thing, let it be her words: "If you can't speak in your power, you can't f*ck in your power."  NOTE to our Patreon subscribers: You can watch the full, unedited two-and-a-half-hour interview with Tia now on our Patreon. Thank you for being on this journey with us. FIND TIA: Website: tialevings.com Socials @TiaLevingsWriter: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Substack: tialevings.substack.com — where she does real-time religious deconstruction TIA'S BOOKS: "I Belong to Me: A Survivor's Guide to Recovery and Hope After Religious Trauma" "A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy" (now in paperback)   FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)   HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 4 May 2026

**PLEASE NOTE: This episode originally aired in Oct 2024. Since, there have been quite a few updates to both the cult and story. Tune into the episode to hear more.** ____ When her mother fell sick, young Angela had no idea that she would spend her childhood growing up in a dangerous cult. Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual movement-slash-religion-slash-cult, known for its Shen Yun dancers and its ties to 'The Epoch Times' entangled her family in its facade of meditation and enlightenment. In this two-part episode, Angela recounts her experience in a world where karma is not just a bitch, but a force that can dictate life and death… with suffering seen as a path to salvation and modern medicine demonized as an obstacle to spiritual purity. And just when you think it can't get any wilder, the Capitol Insurrection storms into the story…  This is Part 1 of Angela's powerful story.  _____ FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 13 April 2026

**PLEASE NOTE: This episode originally aired in Oct 2024. Since, there have been quite a few updates to both the cult and story. Tune into the episode to hear more.** ____ In Part 2 of Angela's story, the realities of Falun Gong's grip on her family deepen. Angela reflects on the emotional toll of a cult that prioritized spiritual salvation over physical health—even as her mother's condition worsens. But escaping isn't easy when your family remains deep in the cult's ideologies… Angela's journey out of this cult is filled with heartbreaking revelations and the resilience that defines a true "surthirver." _____ FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 13 April 2026

As a young teenager, Darls Centola was searching for something steady in a chaotic world. What she found was the Jehovah's Witnesses—a religion that felt warm, structured, and safe. What she didn't expect to find… was him. Not the King of Pop. Not the global icon. Not Michael Jackson.  Just Michael.  A shy, curious, thoughtful teenage boy looking to her for religious guidance.  What unfolds is almost impossibly pure. Two kids hiding behind their school not to smoke pot, but to talk about faith and opening orphanages one day—all while trying (and failing) to suppress feelings they aren't allowed to feel.  Because inside their dogma, a crush isn't just a crush. It could get you killed at Armageddon. And as their bond deepens... so does the control.  Until the belief system that brought them together… is the very thing that tears them apart. This isn't a story about fame. It's not a takedown. And it's not a defense. It's about first love.  And a deeply human, intimate look at a version of someone the world thinks it already understands, set against the very real, very damaging impact of cult abuse. And the uncomfortable truth that both light and darkness can exist at the same time. ______________ Today, Darls Centola is a licensed clinical social worker, educator and EMDR consultant with a focus on the impact of spiritual abuse and high control systems.  She has written a memoir about the innocent and heartbreaking time in her life inside a cult with teenage Michael Jackson from the POV of that young girl. A time that didn't just change her life... but may have quietly shaped his too. Purchase Darls' memoir here: "Finding Truth with Michael: A Memoir of Friendship, Faith and First Love" Find Darls' workbook and other resources on her website: findingtruthwithmichael.com  FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2026

If Part 1 was the seduction… this is the unraveling. By now, Celeste is fully in - the "true believer" phase we like to call it. The relationships feel real. The stakes feel real. And the consequences for questioning it? Also very real. Because inside this world, there are rules. Rewards for loyalty. Punishments for doubt. And what once felt magical begins to shift. The cracks start to show. And Celeste is forced to confront a terrifying possibility: What if none of this is real? What follows is a slow, psychological tug-of-war between belief and reality - until one discovery changes everything. After all, the most shocking part wasn't that there were vampires on the internet. It was who was pretending to be them.  ______ FOLLOW CELESTE → Instagram @celestemott | Tiktok @celestemoth FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2026

At 16, Celeste Mott was alone, grieving, and searching - for meaning, for connection, for something that felt bigger than her small, suburban life. And then she found them. An online world inspired by Anne Rice. Dark. Seductive. Intelligent. A place where vampires weren't just characters… they were real. Or at least—that's what they lead her to believe. This was the early 2000s internet— before social media, before real names, before anyone was asking who's actually behind the screen. Message boards. Chat rooms. Total anonymity. The perfect environment for something to take hold… unnoticed. What begins as a message board for Anne Rice fans, transforms into something far darker. Something that on the surface, sounds completely unbelievable. Except not when you know how cults operate.  Because this wasn't just fandom. This was belonging. This was identity. This was… a promise. And like every good cult—it knew exactly what she needed to hear. This is Part 1 of 2.   ______ FOLLOW CELESTE → Instagram @celestemott | Tiktok @celestemoth FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2026

Michelle Dowd was born into a cult that was literally training boys to fight in God's army when the apocalypse came. It started in sunny Pasadena, California when her grandfather - a former Boy Scout leader - decided the Scouts weren't strict enough and built his own organization. Boys were recruited young, drilled like soldiers, and raised to believe they were preparing for the end of the world. Michelle grew up inside the group known as "The Field," running miles before breakfast, enduring military-style obedience drills, selling candy to fund the movement, and eventually living for years on a remote mountain with basically no formal education. What eventually happened is almost unbelievable: a secret college application, a full scholarship, and a cult survivor with no formal education… to becoming a professor teaching critical thinking. Michelle Dowd is now a writer and the author of Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult. _____________________________________ MICHELLE DOWD LINKS → Instagram @michelledowdz |  Subscribe to Michelle's FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Listen to Michelle's book "Forager" on SPOTIFY FOR FREE Pick up a copy of Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult" Michelle's NYT Modern Love essay: "Love in a Time of Low Expectations" *** Tyler's mascot book mention: Where Are the Fighting Giraffes? by David Winder FOLLOW US  For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 9 March 2026

Star Stone walked into a fluorescent-lit room on Market Street in San Francisco where a man who looked like Mark Zuckerberg stroked a woman's clitoris in business casual while thirty people watched. "This is it. This is what I need," she thought. It wasn't. See, Star didn't join a cult (newsflash, no one does). She joined a sex-positive, orgasm-as-spiritual-practice kind of movement founded by a woman, for women. It was called OneTaste. It promised female empowerment. But what it delivered was sexual trauma. Thanks, Nicole Daedone! Star Stone shares her story with the kind of honesty and dark humor that made us fall in love with her immediately. This isn't trauma porn - this is what happens when groups take your desire for connection, belonging, and sexual empowerment and weaponize it. Star was a joy to have on the show. Be sure to check out her solo comedy show, "Cl*t Cult," premiering this April at New York Fringe. And don't worry... she promised to come back and tell us everything that happened at "the Land" after her show premieres. _____________________________________  GET TICKETS TO CL*T CULT April 2–10 at the Wild Project, East Village, NYC  FOLLOW STAR For more from Star → Instagram @starstonespeaks |  FOLLOW US  For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 2 March 2026

In Part 1, David Archuleta was the church's golden boy - the voice, the fame, the perfect Mormon billboard. In Part 2, that billboard comes down. David goes on a two-year Mormon mission to Chile post fame, confronts the darkest chapter of his life, and finally faces the one thing he spent decades praying would go away. Tyler gets personal about his own loss. And David sings for us again.  DAVID'S NEW MEMOIR DEVOUT  is now available.  FOLLOW US  For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW DAVID @Davidarchie  GET THE BOOK DEVOUT by David Archuleta - available everywhere books are sold. Audiobook includes a bonus EP of original songs. (Squeal!) SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988. The Trevor Project is available 24/7 at thetrevorproject.org/get-help or text START to 678-678.

Transcribed - Published: 23 February 2026

David Archuleta was seventeen years old, Mormon to his core, and singing in front of thirty million people on American Idol. America saw the golden boy - the angel voice, the humble smile, the kid who made grown adults cry on national television. What they didn't see was the father who controlled every note, every decision, every version of David he was allowed to be. "I basically was his puppet."  Behind the fame was the sweetest kid grappling with his own sexuality because his church told him who he was allowed to love, and who he wanted to love wasn't on their yes list. David believed that if he just prayed hard enough, God would "fix" the one thing about himself he'd been taught to hate. Spoiler: God had other plans. Today is Part 1 of his story... it wrecked us in the best way.  Part 2 is available NOW exclusively for PATREON members.  DAVID'S NEW MEMOIR DEVOUT  is now available.  FOLLOW US  For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW DAVID @Davidarchie  GET THE BOOK DEVOUT by David Archuleta - available everywhere books are sold. Audiobook includes a bonus EP of original songs. (Squeal!) SUPPORT THE SHOW Get PART 2 of David's story RIGHT NOW a week EARLY by joining our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2026

When you're numbered among the Lord's anointed, you're supposed to feel special, but for Jeremy Tucker, he was just another mindless cog in the machine of the Kingdom of God. It didn't matter though, he would work hard to do his part, until that hard work nearly cost him his life...   FOLLOW US  For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Rate, review, share. Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com From guest producer Lindsay Hansen Park.   https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/ https://sunstone.org/sunstone-history-podcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@lindsayhansenpark?lang=en

Transcribed - Published: 9 February 2026

Her stepfather told her: "Your child will be a fourth generation Scientologist whether you like it or not." That was the threat. This is the fight. In Part 2, Liz Gale tells us what happened to her brother - and what finally made her walk away from everything. Her family. Her inheritance. Land her ancestors homesteaded on the Oregon Trail. All of it. Gone. Because she finally said… Oh, hell no. You got me, but you don't get my kids.  This episode is a warning. Scientology is still ever-present. They're in your kids' schools. They're hiding behind interfaith councils and "study technology." And the biggest thing standing in their way? Apparently mothers who trust their intuition. Mama bears, this one's for you. FOLLOW US  For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW LIZ GALE  Find Liz on TikTok → @liz_liz_gale_gale & Instagram. Her book Confessions of an Ex-Scientologist Pothead is available now. SUPPORT THE SHOW Rate, review, share. Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 2 February 2026

This week we're back on Scientology. And until they stop destroying families and draining bank accounts, we'll keep talking about it. Liz Gale, a third generation ex-Scientologist and author of Confessions of an Ex-Scientologist Pothead, grew up privileged in the church in the 80s and 90s - Scientology royalty, some could say, connected to the Miscavige family, boarding schools, the works. But privilege doesn't protect you when the doctrine teaches your mother that loving you too much is dangerous. That comforting you when you're hurt will damage your soul. That sending you away at eight years old is the most maternal thing she can do to protect you from traumatizing you more. This is a story about what happens when a "religion" crawls between a mother and her child and severs the most primal bond we have. Liz is funny as hell. She's also been through hell. And she's not done talking. This is Part 1 of 2. Listen, then call your kids and tell them you love them. FOLLOW US  For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW LIZ GALE  Find Liz on TikTok → @liz_liz_gale_gale & Instagram. Her book Confessions of an Ex-Scientologist Pothead is available now. SUPPORT THE SHOW Rate, review, share. Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2026

So… remember that acting class? Well, turns out this "human behavior expert" has her eyes on a much larger prize. I mean, you can't be the next Tony Robbins while just teaching scene analysis. In Part 2 of Liz's story, Sandy's world shifts into trying to become what it's been after all along: a spiritual self-help empire. Except this one is built on word salad, public humiliation, and the slow, steady squeeze of control. (Spoiler: Her goal never "manifested")  In this shift, the class expands beyond Los Angeles… all the way across the world to India. Because when you're in a class to learn scene analysis, the obvious next step is a spiritual retreat. The language changes. The pressure shifts. And suddenly, "transformation" comes with a hefty price tag. A world where boundary crossing is reframed as growth and the cost of admission is total and complete loyalty. And if you can't afford it? No worries. Just sell your car. One student did.  And if you learn nothing else - as Liz would tell you, when someone slaps you in India, kick 'em in the cooch. _______ FOLLOW US For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing - shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse - please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult - we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 19 January 2026

Either Liz finally stepped up to the mic to tell her own story… or Tyler finally cornered her and hit record. Either way — it's happening. After moving to Los Angeles with a toxic boyfriend, Liz leaves behind the Chicago comedy scene and finds herself nudged into a Hollywood acting class — one he introduces her to via a "free" class that's anything but. What starts as a supposedly legit acting class quickly earns a reputation as "the place where comedy goes to die." And yet… it's somehow worse than that. Because this "class" slowly morphs into a spiritual self-help cult. Yes. An acting class cult. No, she did not see it coming. And neither will you. In Part 1 of Liz's story, we dive into how this Chicagoan accidentally wandered into the hollyweirdest chapter of her life. _______ FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse — please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult — we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026

Four years after we first met her in our studio - just days after her victim impact statement in Alison Mack's NXIVM trial - Jessica Joan is back. Since we last spoke, Jessica shared her story on the Hulu docuseries "How I Escaped My Cult", and a lot has shifted: in her healing, in what "justice" means, and in what accountability actually looks like over time. This follow-up conversation was prompted by our recent interview with journalist Natalie Robehmed, host of the podcast "Alison After NXIVM", where listeners hear Alison speak publicly about NXIVM and her life post-prison. After that episode, it felt important to come back to Jessica - to hear directly from someone harmed by Alison, and to explore the messy questions of empathy, forgiveness, and what we're really asking for when we say we want "accountability." FOLLOW US For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FIND JESSICA Get your copy of The Untouchable: Jessica Joan & the Downfall of NXIVM Check out her new website: www.thisisjessicajoan.com Instagram/TikTok: @thesirenandthesunflower SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing - shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse - please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult - we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 5 January 2026

**NOTE: This episode originally aired in 2021** Welcome to the worst cult ever (in our humble opinions). This is a story of incredible resilience, bravery, and inspiration. Being born into a cult always comes with its challenges, but learning how to have an original thought in your mid-20s is a rare struggle that most people are fortunate enough to never have to face. This is just one of many obstacles Angel had to overcome as she ventured out of the cult and into the world.But when you've spent over 20 years of your life in a cult and it's all you know, the real world isn't always as sparkly as you hoped. FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FIND ANGEL Instagram: @whatisangeldoing Youtube: @AngelDeSantis SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse — please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult — we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2025

A comet. A cultural fever. And a cult's failed prophecy.  In 1973, as the holidays approached and the world felt increasingly unstable, a comet named Kohoutek was predicted to light up the sky in way never seen before… right at Christmas. The media obsessed. The artists sang. And David Berg, an apocalyptic sex cult leader, saw confirmation that judgment was imminent. Christmas would be the end. In this episode, we trace how the Children of God turned a celestial event into The Christmas Monster, sending families fleeing the United States, scattering members across the globe, and quietly erasing the idea of home altogether. We speak with Perry Bulwar, who was recruited into the cult as a teenager and lived inside it for over twenty years. He takes us through belief, fear, failed prophecy, and the moment a pop song cracked the spell. It's a holiday story - just maybe not the kind you're used to. ___________ FOLLOW US For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult PERRY'S BOOK Get your copy of "Misguided: My Jesus Freak Life In a Doomsday Cult" SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing - shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse - please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult - we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2025

This week we head to Nashville, Tennessee — where a cosmetology school promising structure, opportunity, and "professionalism" turned out to be something else entirely. Our guest, Sophia, thought she was paying over $20,000 to learn how to do hair. Instead, she walked into a system obsessed with obedience, image, and silence — where being late cost money, smiling was mandatory, and your body, time, and labor were constantly monitored. Add in "motivational" rituals, public humiliation, and unpaid work dressed up as "education," and suddenly this isn't just cosmetology school… it's giving cult. FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW SOPHIA Find Sophia on Instagram & TikTok → @styledby.sophiaelise If you're in Nashville, go get your hair done and TIP WELL!  SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — shining a light on manipulation, coercive control, and cultic abuse — please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want even more? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? If you've been part of a cult, high-control group, or something that didn't look like a cult until way later — we want to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2025

This week, Liz and Tyler head straight into the sweaty "this-is-definitely-not-a-cult-except-maybe-it-definitely-is" world of Ashtanga yoga.  Our guest, Magnolia Zuniga, was one of only 20 women in the world to become a Certified Ashtanga teacher. She spent 22 years inside the system — traveling to India, waking up before the crack of dawn, giving up apartments, and building her entire life around the practice and the man who created it.  Then, on her very first day studying with master Pattabhi Jois — the "grandfather" of modern yoga — she witnessed something that shattered everything she thought she knew.  What followed was years of confusion, devotion, cognitive dissonance, community pressure, and the slow unraveling of everything she believed Ashtanga Yoga to be. FOLLOW US For more culty content, nuanced conversations, and uncomfortable truths told with care — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult FOLLOW MAGNOLIA YouTube: @MagnoliaSezSo Instagram: @magnoliasezso Magnolia's Newsletter SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — shining a light on manipulation, coercion, and the messy psychology behind it — please rate, review, and share the podcast. Want to support our work even more so we can keep bringing you more cult-busting content? Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude. HAVE A CULTY STORY TO SHARE? We'd love to hear from you. Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

When we got the email inviting us to interview journalist Natalie Robehmed about her new CBC + Campsite Media podcast, Allison After NXIVM, we weren't sure what to do. Talking about Allison Mack — someone who caused very real harm, including to people we've had on this show - is complicated.  And honestly? We didn't want to accidentally platform or sanitize that harm. But then we listened. And what we found wasn't a redemption story. It was complexity. It was discomfort. It was a journalist tracing how someone can be both a victim and a perpetrator. In this conversation, Natalie takes us behind her interviews with Allison: childhood exploitation, Hollywood pressures, the hunger to be "the best," and the dynamics of NXIVM's inner circle that turned all of that into something horrifying. We're not here to tell you how to feel about Allison Mack. But we are here to sit in the space where victimhood and violence blur - the space where a person realizes the monster they were running from is the one they learned to be. FOLLOW US For more culty content - follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult LISTEN TO "ALLISON AFTER NXIVM"  Hear Natalie's full 7-part investigation into Allison Mack (or search Allison After NXIVM wherever you get your podcasts. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing - shining a light on manipulation, coercion, and the messy psychology behind it - please rate, review, and share the podcast.  Want to be part of our inner circle? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these stories alive. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you - drop us a line at info@wasiinacult.com.

Transcribed - Published: 1 December 2025

She survived a violent polygamist cult. She survived a husband who collected wives like property. She survived the blood atonement doctrine that stalked her childhood like a shadow. But this is the part of Pamela Jones's story where she does the impossible: she runs. In this final chapter of our three-part series, Pamela plans an escape nearly as dangerous as the life she's leaving behind—nine children in tow, no legal paperwork for half of them, almost no money, and the very real fear that leaving could mean death. This episode isn't just about leaving a cult. It's about rebuilding an identity from scratch. It's about motherhood as revolution. It's about reclaiming a life she was told she never owned. And it's the story of what Pamela built on the other side—freedom, love, a business, and a legacy that's inspiring other women to walk out of the same darkness she escaped. Her transformation is staggering. Her resilience is unforgettable. Her ending is exactly what she deserved. Pamela's memoir, The Dirt Beneath Our Door, is linked in the show notes. _____________ FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing (and want to help us keep shining light on the dark corners of control and charisma), please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. Want to go deeper down the rabbit hole? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these stories alive. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you — drop us a line at info@wasiinacult.com. CONNECT WITH PAMELA JONES You can follow Pamela Jones — speaker, author, survivor, and all-around badass — here: Her Book: The Dirt Beneath Our Door Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook

Transcribed - Published: 24 November 2025

In Part Two of Pamela Jones' extraordinary story, the so-called "escape" she dreamed of at fifteen turns into a new kind of prison. After growing up under the violent rule of the LeBaron brothers — a murderous offshoot of Mormon fundamentalism — Pamela marries young, believing it will be her salvation. Her husband David doesn't just take her innocence — he takes her freedom, her home, and her dignity. She raises babies on rationed potatoes, lives under the threat of blood atonement, and tries to stay safe inside a community run by fear, hierarchy, and men who call their control "God's will." But years later, and many sister wives later, something in Pamela begins to shift. A spark. A voice. A quiet rebellion forged from decades of silence. This is the part of her journey where the cracks in the doctrine begin to show… and where Pamela realizes the only person coming to save her is herself. Next week: the escape — across a border, across a belief system, and into a life she was never meant to reach. ____________ FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing (and want to help us keep shining light on the dark corners of control and charisma), please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. Want to go deeper down the rabbit hole? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these stories alive. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you — drop us a line at info@wasiinacult.com. CONNECT WITH PAMELA JONES You can follow Pamela Jones — speaker, author, survivor, and all-around badass — here: Her Book: The Dirt Beneath Our Door Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook

Transcribed - Published: 17 November 2025

She was born into one of the most dangerous polygamist cults in modern history — led by the infamous Ervil LeBaron, aptly nicknamed "The Mormon Manson," a man who believed in murder for salvation. Her father had eleven wives, fifty-seven children, and a thousand secrets. This is Pamela Jones. She was six when she became a caretaker. Eleven when she learned to fear bullets. And fifteen when she thought marriage might save her. It didn't. But what makes her story unforgettable isn't just the horror she survived — it's the woman she became after it. In this first episode of her stunning three-part story, Pamela pulls back the curtain on the LeBaron cult and shows us how she found light, power, and freedom in the rubble. Because sometimes, the ones born into darkness become the ones who burn the brightest. FOLLOW US For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing (and want to help us keep shining light on the dark corners of control and charisma), please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. Want to go deeper down the rabbit hole? Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these stories alive. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you — drop us a line at info@wasiinacult.com. CONNECT WITH PAMELA JONES You can follow Pamela Jones — speaker, author, survivor, and all-around badass — here: Her Book: The Dirt Beneath Our Door Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook

Transcribed - Published: 11 November 2025

**Note: This episode originally aired in September 2021. Stick around til the end for a catch up interview with Daniel 4 years later.** With rockstar aspirations, Daniel O'Brien wasn't looking for anything but a good time. But when heartbreak rocked his world, he tripped into something that lifted his spirits and rallied his hopes - the Jehovah's Witnesses. Before he knew it, Daniel had traded his guitar for a green Bible and found himself rapidly rising through the ranks of the religion. A wife, and two kids later, he was a fully indoctrinated, high ranking Elder in the church. But when Daniel realizes that he's part of a life much different than the one he originally signed up for, he knows that he must leave. The only problem is... he can't. _____ FOLLOW US For more culty content, follow us on Instagram & TikTok: → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. And if you'd like to go a step further, join us on Patreon. You'll get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these conversations going. → Join us on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you. → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2025

When Raidah left medical school in Sydney to spend the summer at what was promise to be an Islamic utopia in Jordan, she thought she was taking a break to heal. Instead, she found herself inside a high-control religious community led by Nuh Ha Mim Keller — an American-born Catholic convert who reinvented himself as a Sufi sheikh and built a devoted following of Muslims living in Western countries. Through his English-language books, lectures, and retreats, Keller promised these diaspora Muslims a spiritual home — a refuge from Western chaos and Islamophobia. But what Raidah found instead… was a cult. _____ FOLLOW US For more culty content, follow us on Instagram & TikTok: → @wasiinacult FOLLOW RAIDAH SHAH IDIL Follow Raidah on Instagram → @raidahwrites Check out her debut novel How to Free a Jinn — available now from Allen & Unwin (ANZ and Asia) and Simon & Schuster in the U.S READ Storm Without a Port (PDF) — the 77-page survivor testimony compiled by former members of the Jordanian Sufi cult. Visit In Shaykh's Clothing — a resource for Muslim survivors of spiritual abuse. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. And if you'd like to go a step further, join us on Patreon. You'll get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these conversations going. → Join us on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you. → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 27 October 2025

Today's story isn't about a reality TV show—though a lot of people think it starts there. In truth, it began long before the cameras, before the matching outfits and the too-perfect smiles. You know the TLC series 19 Kids & Counting—the Duggars and their seemingly perfect world built within the IBLP. But there was another Duggar—of sorts. Not a sibling. The cousin. Amy. Or as America came to know her, "Crazy Cousin Amy." Except she wasn't crazy. Isn't crazy. Not even close. She just wasn't in their cult—the IBLP. What no one saw, though, was that Amy—an only child—was surviving her own hell at home. Her new memoir, Holy Disruptor, is a story of breaking cycles, setting boundaries, and finding herself in the aftermath. Today, she joins us to talk about her journey—from the quiet terror of her childhood to life in the public eye, through the scandals that shattered her trust, and toward a life built on truth, healing, and peace… even when it means disrupting "family." And no, she wasn't in the IBLP, but by the end, she may just find herself wondering… "Wait—was I in a cult?" ______________ FOLLOW US For more culty content, follow us on Instagram & TikTok: → @wasiinacult FOLLOW AMY DUGGAR KING Folly Amy @amyrachelleking  Get her new memoir: Holy Disruptor — available wherever books are sold. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you believe in what we're doing — please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know. And if you'd like to go a step further, join us on Patreon. You'll get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our gratitude for helping us keep these conversations going. → Join us on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We'd love to hear from you. → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 2025

Nine years. One strip-mall church. A duffel bag full of cash, a freezing pool full of goldfish, and a pastor who convinced everyone he had a direct line to God. This week, Alisha takes us inside Church of the Harvest — a charismatic California congregation that promised purpose, purity, and a path to the pulpit… but delivered something far darker. Hazing disguised as holiness, unpaid labor disguised as "discipleship," and extreme control disguised as dating.   Because when your pastor asks you to "volunteer" full-time, pay tuition to do it, and maybe jump into a swamp at 3 a.m. to save metaphorical fish — you might just be in a cult. ______________________ FOLLOW US For more cult content, behind-the-scenes chaos, and occasional sermons from our strip-mall pulpit: → @wasiinacult on Instagram & TikTok SUPPORT THE SHOW The best way to support our ministry of exposing culty bullshit? Rate, review, and share the pod — it's free, legal, and no one will ask for your debit card "in faith." If you do want to tithe a little, join us on Patreon — we promise not to call it "tuition". You'll get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our undying gratitude (no altar required). → Become a member on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We want to hear it. → info@wasiinacult.com Follow Alisha:   TikTok/IG @Spillingthekoolaid &  IG: @Ezbakealisha

Transcribed - Published: 13 October 2025

Last week, we met Paige: a bright-eyed engineer who joined SpaceX believing she was helping to save humanity. In Part 1, we followed her through the seduction — the mission, the 80-hour weeks, the Elon slogans on the walls, the slow loss of self until the job became the identity. This week, the mission meets the myth. Paige helps organize an open letter — a polite but radical act of collective dissent in a cult-like workplace. And almost everyone is too scared to sign it. What begins as a measured plea for change becomes a window into just how deep the fear-mongering and punitive control at SpaceX really run. And soon, Paige learns what every defector from a high-demand system eventually does: that questioning the leader isn't seen as courage — it's seen as betrayal. ____ FOLLOW US For more cult content, behind-the-scenes chaos: → @wasiinacult on Instagram & TikTok SUPPORT THE SHOW The best way to fuel our mission? Rate, review, and share the pod with your people — word of mouth is rocket fuel. And if you want to help keep the mics on (without betting on stock options that never vest)? Join us on Patreon. We don't drain bank accounts — we just give you ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our undying gratitude. → Become a member on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We want to hear it.  → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2025

An ex–SpaceX engineer asks our favorite question: when does mission become mindset—and then eventually something more? Paige was convinced she was helping save humanity by working at SpaceX. In Part 1, she traces the seduction: the purpose, the perks, the "Elon Algorithms" plastered on the wall, the complete devotion, the loss of individuality into one group identity, the isolation, the uncompensated labor, the belief that you are better than the rest… it all started to feel less like a workplace and more like… something else. Today, we follow Paige's journey into the belly of the rocket factory. And next week? The fallout. When speaking up against the culture didn't just cost her a job… it made her a target. ——— FOLLOW US For more cult content, behind-the-scenes chaos: → → @wasiinacult on Instagram & TikTok SUPPORT THE SHOW The best way to fuel our mission? Rate, review, and share the pod with your people — word of mouth is rocket fuel. And if you want to help keep the mics on (without betting on stock options that never vest)? Join us on Patreon. We don't drain bank accounts — we just give you ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our undying gratitude. → Become a member Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Whether it's a startup, a church, or just your weird improv troupe — we want to hear it. → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2025

What if the yoga class you signed up for wasn't yoga at all, but the doorway to something much darker? In this episode, Angel takes us inside Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi — a strip-mall wellness studio that seemed harmless enough. Until it wasn't. Instead of stretching, you're told to march in circles, punch your stomach, chant about your mother's failings, and spill your deepest traumas to a room full of strangers. What Angel didn't know was that Body & Brain isn't just a quirky yoga chain. It's a nationwide empire with 70+ locations, millions in revenue, luxury retreats in Sedona — and a founder who flew private while his followers drowned in debt. And that's just the beginning. Dig deeper and you'll find that Body & Brain is nothing new at all… it's the rebranded face of Dahn Yoga — one of the most notorious modern cults. ________ FOLLOW US For more cult content, behind-the-scenes chaos: → @wasiinacult on Instagram & TikTok FOLLOW ANGEL Insta: @mtan_gel SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support this show by rating, reviewing, and sharing it with your people — word of mouth keeps us growing. And if you really want to help keep the mics on? Become a Patreon member. Unlike Body & Brain, we don't drain bank accounts — we just give you ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our undying gratitude. → Join us on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Want to share it? We wanna hear it. → info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 22 September 2025

She thought she was enrolling in a Bible college. Instead, she was signing up to give her identity, her labor, her choice—and her fire—to a man who called himself the Holy Ghost Bartender. At "River University," worship looked like laughing fits and collapsing bodies. Romance was arranged. Submission wasn't suggested—it was glorified. And your soul? That was just a tally mark on a clipboard. For Sarah, what started as a mission from God turned into a 12-year descent through emotional control, spiritual abuse, and religious labor trafficking. ___ FOLLOW US for more culty content, behind-the-scenes chaos, and updates from our unholy quest to expose charismatic conmen: → @wasiinacult on Instagram & TikTok SUPPORT THE SHOW: Rodney's followers emptied their bank accounts at the altar. We just ask you to visit Patreon. If this episode hit you—or made you question the price of obedience—share it, and leave a review. To our Patreon members: You're the real holy fire. Thank you for keeping the mic on and the bullshit detectors charged. Want ad-free episodes and exclusive extras? → Join us on Patreon. HAVE A CULTY STORY? We wanna hear it. → Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 15 September 2025

A limo to Atlantic City. Pizzerias with back rooms. Garbage bags vanishing across boroughs. Comedian Barry Rothbart grew up believing his dad didn't just live large—he made life larger. Then the tapes surfaced. This isn't a mob story. It's what happens when your identity is forged from someone else's legend—only to discover the legend was a lie. As Barry unravels the mythology, his father's world curdles into something darker… and uncomfortably familiar to our show. For the full, uncut conversation, hop over to our Patreon. ____ FOLLOW US for more culty content and behind-the-scenes chaos: Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW: Barry's dad kept his money in stacks above the bed. We prefer Patreon. If this episode hit you—or made you think twice about charisma, cons, or cult leaders—share it and then leave a review (but take the cannoli).  A huge thank you to our Patreon members—your support keeps us making episodes like this one. Want ad-free shows & exclusive extras? → Join our Patreon. CHECK OUT BARRY: Barry Rothbart's investigative series Searching for Allan Rothbart is exclusively on Audible. It's equal parts mob tale, family reckoning, and cult-like indoctrination story. Don't miss it. You can also follow Barry on social media → @barryrothbart HAVE A CULTY STORY? We wanna hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 8 September 2025

What happens when your entire life revolves around likes, follows, and perfectly staged smoothie bowls? For Lee Tilghman — better known as @leefromamerica — it meant rising to the top of Instagram's wellness world… and losing herself in the process. This week, we explore what it means to devote yourself to the cult of social media: when every thought and action becomes about what to post, when friends are replaced by followers, and when your online identity becomes the only one you know. From the outside, the influencer life looks aspirational. But Lee asks: at what cost? ____________ COME SEE US LIVE!! Los Angeles • September 9, 2025 With special guest: comedian Moses Storm @ Dynasty Typewriter VIP "Meet & Greet" tickets available! Not in LA? No prob — livestream available too! FOLLOW US for more culty content and behind-the-scenes chaos: Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW: The average person spends over 2 hours a day on social media. If this episode resonated—or even made you rethink your daily doomscroll—share it, leave a review. Hug a friend IRL.  Huge thank you to our Patreon members—you keep this thing going. Want ad-free episodes & exclusive content? → Join our Patreon. Have a culty story? We wanna hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com And if you want more from today's guest, Lee from America: Her brand-new book "If you Don't Like This, I Will Die" is out now Find Lee → @leefromamerica

Transcribed - Published: 1 September 2025

Michael grew up believing his hometown in Germany was just that — a quiet, picturesque community with cobblestone streets, tidy homes, a school, and a grocery store. At its heart stood the church, looming over daily life. But what looked like small-town order was really something far darker. Built in the aftermath of World War II, by leaders with lingering Nazi ties, the town was engineered for control: walls without walls, designed to keep its people in and the rest of the world out. Years later, in a casual conversation with a sibling, the truth unraveled: This wasn't just a devout community. It was a cult. COME SEE US LIVE!!! Los Angeles • September 9, 2025 With special guest: comedian Moses Storm @ Dynasty Typewriter VIP "Meet & Greet" tickets available! Not in LA? No prob — livestream available too! Special Thanks: Big thanks to Maura Streppa for her gorgeous rendition of "Die Gedanken sind frei" → Follow Maura on Instagram @maurastreppamusic Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult Support the Show: If this episode moved you — share it. Leave a review. Scream-sing Die Gedanken sind frei in your kitchen. Thank you to our Patreon members — we appreciate the hell out of you. Want ad-free episodes & exclusive content? → Join our Patreon. Share Your Story: Had a culty experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 25 August 2025

It was one of the coolest jobs you could get in the 2000s. The swoopy bangs. The gold lamé leggings. The sexually charged ads. American Apparel wasn't just a brand — it was a vibe. And today's guest, Zsuzsi was on the front lines of it all. From art school to assistant manager to overseeing a hot New York City store, she was living the dream… until it started to feel more like a fever dream — and eventually, a cult.  Today's story is about what happens when the "American dream" disguises exploitation in trendy cotton basics — and how one man's charisma fueled a culture of unchecked abuse, manipulation, humiliation, and grooming… all hidden behind the label "Made in the USA." And the worst part? He's still at it. ___ COME SEE US LIVE!!! Los Angeles • September 9, 2025 With special guest: comedian Moses Storm @ Dynasty Typewriter VIP "Meet & Greet" tickets available! Not in LA? No prob — livestream available too! Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult Find Zsuzsi: @hdbyz & @hellozhia / https://www.hdbyz.com & https://www.hellozhia.com Support the Show: If you learned something, felt something, or are angry too and want to make a little noise — share this episode. Leave a review. Send it to a friend. And maybe… make a call to: (213) 275-3120 Just for some light, constructive feedback. Thank you to our Patreon members — we appreciate the hell out of you. Want ad-free episodes & exclusive content? → Join our Patreon. Share Your Story: Had a culty experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 18 August 2025

**Note: This episode originally aired in February 2022** COME SEE US LIVE!!! In LA on Sept 9, 2025 with special guest, comedian Moses Storm @ Dynasty Typewriter. LINK TO TICKETS!!  A humble upbringing is an understatement for Dan McIntrye. Canada born and bred, Dan's cult journey took him from guitar god, to free desserts to cult escape, only to land him right in the arms of... another one? A double survivor. A triple thriver. And one extremely nice guy. Damn, Canadians, you really are as kind as they say.  —— COME SEE US LIVE!! In LA on Sept 9, 2025 with special guest, comedian Moses Storm @ Dynasty Typewriter. LINK TO TICKETS! VIP meet n greet available… see you then! Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Dan's story got you thinking—rate, review, and share. Thank you to our Patreon members!! We appreciate you. And if you would like ad-free episodes and exclusive content, consider joining our Patreon. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 11 August 2025

This week, meet Jim Picariello, who, in the early '90s as a hopeful college kid hyped up on way too much coffee, thought he was signing up for a meditation class… and ended up in a tech-driven, enlightenment-seeking, quasi-Buddhist spiritual cult. Yeah… this one was a new one for us too.  Led by Frederick Lenz - aka Rama - aka Zen Master Rama - aka the most spiritually enlightened dude who could glow gold - shapeshift into Egyptian gods, and… also totally needed your entire paycheck in order to - oh wait, hmm, we forgot… but we're sure it was very spiritually necessary. ___ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Connect w/ Jim:  Instagram: @jimpicariello Bluesky: @jimpicariello.bsky.social LinkedIn: Jim Picariello Support the Show: This show runs on listener energy (and we promise we don't drain it like a cult leader). If Jim's story got you thinking - rate, review, and share. Big love to our Patreon members… you're the real gold. And if you want ad-free episodes and exclusive content, come join us on Patreon. Enlightenment not included. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us: info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

Last week, we met Jorjina Broadbent — mother of twelve, former sister-wife, and low-key badass hiding in plain sight. This week? She stops hiding. We pick up where we left off: deep inside the world of Warren Jeffs' FLDS cult — a place where girls are married off as teens, obedience is salvation, and hairstyles left something to be desired… like choice. But for Jorjina, something inside her starts to shift. As the leash tightens and the rules get crueler, the exit comes into view. What follows is a breathless series of near-escapes, terrifying threats, and secret plans that might as well have been scribbled on fast food napkins. Also, Tyler's gorilla-style documentary filmmaking at its most high-stakes gets to be part of it all.  How will she make it out? And all her children? Get the popcorn ready…  This is Part Two of Jorjina's extraordinary story. ___ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult WATCH THE FILM: Sons of Perdition (Tyler's baby) Stream on Amazon, Tubi, Apple TV, YouTube TV, Sling, Plex FREE for Patreon members! Help Jorjina get some Abba shoes! (Venmo @Jorjina-Broadbent) Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Jorjina's story moved you—please rate, review, and share. Thank you to our Patreon members!! We appreciate you. And if you would like ad-free episodes and exclusive content, consider joining our Patreon. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

Before he was your favorite podcast host, Tyler Measom was… just a dude with a camera and a crush. It was 2005, and Tyler found himself driving deep into FLDS polygamist territory - with his co-director-slash-maybe-love-interest (hey, Jennilyn) - to make a documentary about the "Lost Boys" exiled from a fundamentalist Mormon cult run by none other than slimeball Warren Jeffs. That little film? Sons of Perdition premiered at Tribeca.  And one of the mothers at the heart of that story? Jorjina Broadbent. This week, Jorjina, mother of twelve (yes, twelve), former sister-wife - joins us to recount what life was really like inside the FLDS: arranged marriage, relentless obedience, magical underwear, and raising a family in a trailer where babies sometimes had to sleep in drawers. And the escape is hair raising. And Tyler was there to capture it. This is Part One of Jorjina's extraordinary story. ___ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult WATCH THE FILM: Sons of Perdition (Tyler's baby) Stream on Amazon, Tubi, Apple TV, YouTube TV, Sling, Plex FREE for Patreon members! Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Jorjina's story moved you - please rate, review, and share. Thank you to our Patreon members!! We appreciate you. And if you would like ad-free episodes and exclusive content, consider joining our Patreon. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual abuse. You've seen them — maybe at the airport with pamphlets, or quietly shopping at a farmer's market. Dressed in starched shirts, tie-back bonnets, pressed skirts. Singing in gentle harmonies. Smiling softly. The Holdeman Mennonites, they'll tell you, are just humble people of faith.  Quiet.  Nonviolent.  Pure. But purity can be a costume. And obedience, a weapon. Today's guest, Billy Holdeman-Bass grew up in that world. And there were things that didn't get sung about. Doors that stayed locked. And a question his mother never answered: "Why do you always follow me to the bathroom?" Behind the hymnals and homemade apple pies lies a truth that can't stay buried forever. In this episode, that truth begins to speak. ________ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Billy's story moved you—please rate, review, and share. Thank you to our Patreon members!! We appreciate you. And if you would like ad-free episodes and exclusive content, consider joining our Patreon. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

Content Warning: This episode contains references to sexual abuse, coercion, and emotional trauma. Last week, we met Zipporah—a woman who spent 44 years inside a Utah cult so small and obscure, most people never even knew it existed. That is, until 1978, when a horrific tragedy made national headlines. The cult was led by Emmanuel David, a self-declared prophet who eventually proclaimed himself God. After his suicide, his wife—his most devoted follower—carried out an unspeakable murder-suicide that took the lives of their children. All but one. Their daughter Rachel survived—and in many ways, because she did, so did the cult. It should've died with its leader. But for a small group of devoted followers, it didn't. Zipporah was one of them. This is Part 2 of her story… how the cult kept its grasp on her for the next 40 years until she finally was able to break free.  ________ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Zipporah's story moved you—please rate, review, and share. Thank you to our Patreon members!! We appreciate you. And if you would like ad-free episodes and exclusive content, consider joining our Patreon. Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2025

In August of 1978, one of the darkest chapters in Utah's history unfolded. A man claiming to be God became the catalyst for a tragedy that left a city shaken and a family shattered. Emmanuel David—born Charles Bruce Longo—founded a small but insidious cult rooted in offshoot Mormon beliefs, prophetic delusions, and total control. Despite the mass suicide—or murder-suicide, depending on who you ask—the cult didn't die with its leader. The remaining believers held on. They kept the doctrine alive. And for decades, they waited for their God to return. Today's guest is one of the few who remained. This is Part 1 of her story. ________ Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Zipporah's story moved you—please rate, review, and share. Want ad-free episodes and exclusive content? Join our Patreon.

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

(Content warning: child abuse, psychological trauma, and forced labor.) What happens when a child escapes a cult… only to be hunted, harassed, and invoiced for the "honor"? In Part 2 of Jamie Mustard's staggering story, we pick up with his teenage years— going deeper into the reality of life inside Scientology's Sea Org—the labor, the fear, the indoctrination, and the slow, devastating unraveling of family. But this is more than a story of survival. It's about a boy who was stripped of education, family, and identity… and still found a way to outsmart the system that tried to erase him. It's about rewriting your future when you were never taught how to read the past. It's about the children who were trained to never speak out—and the rare few who do. An unforgettable chapter in one of the most important cult stories we've ever told. _____ Come See Us LIVE! Join us in Los Angeles on July 10th at Dynasty Typewriter for our first-ever Was I In A Cult? live show—featuring special guest Moses Storm! GET YOUR TICKET HERE! Pre-Order Jamie's Book: Jamie Mustard's powerful memoir Child X drops July 30th. Pre-order now and support his story of survival, resistance, and hard-won freedom. Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2025

What happens when a newborn is handed—by his own mother—into the arms of a cult? On today's episode of Was I In A Cult?, we peel back the celebrity sheen and expose the shadowy depths of one of the world's most controversial organizations: Scientology.  But this time, it's not about celebrities—it's about the kids. Jamie Mustard was born into Scientology's inner sanctum, the Sea Org. Raised without parents, he spent his childhood in filth-ridden tenements, watched over by untrained and often abusive caretakers, and wrote heartbreaking letters to L. Ron Hubbard begging to see his mom again. This isn't the Scientology you've heard about. And this is just the beginning. Part one of a rare survival story—of someone who didn't just escape, but managed to build an aweinspiring life far beyond the trauma. _____ Come See Us LIVE! Join us in Los Angeles on July 10th at Dynasty Typewriter for our first-ever Was I In A Cult? live show—featuring special guest Moses Storm! GET YOUR TICKET HERE!  Pre-Order Jamie's Book: Jamie Mustard's powerful memoir Child X drops July 30th. Pre-order now and support his story of survival, resistance, and hard-won freedom. Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Support the Show: This show is listener-powered. If Jamie's story moved you—please rate, review, and share. Want ad-free episodes + bonus content? Join our Patreon! Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience of your own? We want to hear it. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

**This episode originally aired in May 2023** Fresh to the workforce, Amber answered a job posting for a dental assitant: "No experience needed!" Looking for something reliable to support her new life as a single mother, she was thrilled when she got hired. Little did she know, her new job would be more than just dental work… Follow Us for More Culty Content: Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult Support the Show: Was I In A Cult? is listener-powered. If the show has moved you, made you laugh, or made you question your group chat - please rate, review, and share. Want ad-free episodes + bonus content? Join our Patreon! Share Your Story: Have a cultic experience to share? We're listening. Email us at info@wasiinacult.com

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2025