Speaking of Cults

This week I am joined by Susan Dones, a former member of NXIVM and one of the first people to whistleblow to the authorities about the shady practices of Keith Raniere and Nancy Salzman. We go deep into her story and what Keith and Nancy were like and how the coercion in that group worked. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #377: The NXIVM Experience with Susan Dones appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

I am joined again this week by Dr. Alex Wills to discuss how emotions are a key tool of manipulation by cult leaders and “gurus” and why understanding your own emotional life and dealing with your emotions is the only way to avoid being controlled by others. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #376: Emotional Intelligence and Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week, I am again joined by Jon Atack so we can cut through all the nonsense out there about “brainwashing” and talk about how this really works, despite the claims of religious studies scholars and cult apologists that there’s no such thing. There is and it’s a very serious problem and in this podcast we break it all down. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #375: What Brainwashing Really is About appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I had the opportunity to interview cult survivor Daniel Barban-Levin and director Zach Heinzerling about the new documentary they produced called Stolen Youth which just dropped on Hulu. This is the story of how eight college students from Sarah Lawrence University were enthralled and trapped in a sex/abuse cult run by Larry Ray, the father of one of the eight. It’s a harrowing story and in this talk we discuss the story and its aftermath, including the very happy ending of Ray ending up in prison for the rest of his life and recovery for each of the victims. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #347: Stolen Youth – A Cult Story appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m dropping the podcast a couple of days early, a special interview with journalist Tony Ortega about his bombshell conversations with Lisa Marie Presley. She was a fighter and she worked behind the scenes to help expose David Miscavige and Scientology’s abuses. We break it all down here. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #373: Lisa Marie Presley and Scientology ft. Tony Ortega appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m offering something slightly different from usual in describing some valuable life lessons I’ve learned since leaving Scientology which I thought other people might appreciate as well. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #372: 10 Things I’ve Learned Since Leaving a Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome Dr. Alex Wills, psychiatrist and author of the new book Give a F*ck Actually. We discuss emotional health, some science-based ideas on how one can deal with difficult emotions and delve into emotional manipulation as a coercive method. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #371: Emotional Health and Giving a F*ck appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week, Jon Atack and I do a follow-up discussion to our last podcast about L. Ron Hubbard and the occult origins of Dianetics and Scientology. This information sometimes makes ex-Scientologists uncomfortable because it’s basically so diabolical, no one wants to think they were part of something that bad. But Jon and I had a good time discussing some follow up thoughts on Hubbard and mysticism. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #370: Hubbard, Scientology and Mysticism appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

To kick off 2023, I’ve put together a no-nonsense podcast with my “collected wisdom” of the last 10 years on how to stay out of getting involved in a destructive cult or predatory relationship. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #369: How to Stay Out of a Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am breaking tradition with our usual “year in review” episode because this month marks the 10-year anniversary of my leaving the Sea Org and embarking on what would become my escape from the destructive cult of Scientology. In this podcast, I offer some backstory and some of my best life lessons/recommendations for anyone else who has had to do the “hard reset” on their life. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #368: Cult Recovery After 10 Years appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back John P. Capitalist to cover in some detail how authoritarian governments around the world solve the “dictator problem” by adopting cultic methods to control their population and thereby stay in power. We especially detail China’s recent history and the way President Xi has adopted the Cult Leader Playbook to maintain his position. This is a deep dive into a very important subject and one I hope my viewers will enjoy and learn from. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #367: China’s CCP and Nation-State Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back Christian Szurko, a practicing cult recovery specialist who helps me take perhaps our deepest dive yet on what it takes to help someone recover from a cult or coercive experience. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #366: Going Deep on Cult Recovery appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

Today I have a special, early podcast release of an interview Tony Ortega and I did with the jury foreman of the Danny Masterson rape trial. Last week this resulted in a deadlocked jury and mistrial, still awaiting determination as to whether there will be another go-round. The daughter of the jury foreman reached out and helped arrange this interview after the trial and I am thankful for her support. This interview gives real insight into what went on behind the scenes and a clear idea of how future legal efforts can be improved. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #365: The Danny Masterson Jury Foreman Speaks appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Alexander Barnes-Ross, a former Scientology staff member in London who has some things to say about his short but deep experience with Scientology getting in, being kicked out, returning and getting kicked out again. It’s another survivor story with a lot of lessons for all of us. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #364: Fear and Loathing in Scientology London appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Jon Atack to finally put in one place the explanation of how Scientology is based purely and wholly on L. Ron Hubbard’s occult beliefs and how Scientologists themselves not only have no idea this is true, but actively resist ever even finding out about it. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #363: The Occult Foundation of Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by attorney, author and advocate Andrew Seidel to discuss his latest book, American Crusade, and how a minority religious extremist group known as Christian Nationalists are taking powerful and decisive steps to unduly influence our government and religious freedom. This is one of those topics that is controversial because people confuse our criticism of Christian Nationalists and extremists as somehow taking an anti-religion stance and become personally offended that anyone would be “against religion” when that has nothing to do with the dangers of what is going on. I hope you’ll give our chat a listen. We had a fun and enlightening discussion which I found quite enjoyable! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #362: Christian Nationalism and the Supreme Court appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back former Scientologist Ian Rafalko, a man who has fascinating stories to tell about growing up in a Scientology household that was anything but a pleasant experience. In this second interview, we discuss his time on staff and in training at Flag’s central headquarters and the lingering effects of Scientology to this day. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #361: Second Generation Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome Spencer Schneider, a cult survivor, lawyer and life guard trainer from New York who wrote the fascinating book Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos and Survival.” This story demonstrates how some preconceived notions of how cults operate are totally wrong and the red flags are not always as obvious as you think. Spencer does a great job describing what his cult experience was like and how he got out. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #360: Sex, Lies and a Manhattan Cult appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’ve invited DC lawyer Ciprian Ivanof back to the show to discuss some ins and outs of what has happened in the first two weeks of the Danny Masterson trial in Los Angeles. Tony Ortega has been offering amazing on-the-ground reporting and much of our commentary looks at what he’s been reporting of the victim testimony and how the defense & prosecution have reacted. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #359: Some Comments on the Masterson Trial appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome guest John Christansen, the man who helped ex-Sea Org member Katherine Olson to escape Scientology and go to the Aftermath Foundation to create a new life for herself. We go into all the details of what this entailed and it’s not exactly a nail-biting account, but all the basics I’ve been talking about for years are covered and I hope this helps anyone out there struggling with how to help their friends or family who are trapped in a cult now. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #358: Helping a Scientologist Escape appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m very happy to welcome Mike Rinder, former Sea Org executive and Emmy-award winning co-host of Scientology and the Aftermath, now doing media for his new memoir, A Billion Years. We had a great conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #357: A Billion Years with Mike Rinder appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back DC lawyer Ciprian Ivanof to help me dissect some legal points and predictions for the upcoming trial of Scientologist Danny Masterson, an event five years in the making that finally begins next week. We truly hope the victims get the justice they deserve. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #356: Scientology and the Masterson Trial appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

We all know Scientology is a really bad thing but what about growing up in a Scientology household? What’s that like? What happens to kids who never asked to be indoctrinated into an extremist, authoritarian belief system that seeks to control every second of their lives? In this podcast, Ian Rafalko and I discuss this in some detail and give a firsthand view of what the children of Scientologists have to go through. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #355: Being a Second Generation Scientologist with Ian Rafalko appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

Well it only took us a year, but educator Pat Hendrickson and I have put together a part two of our talks on how to go about getting an education after leaving a destructive/coercive situation. In this week’s show, we discuss my journey into higher education, what it entailed and how people can take advantage of resources all around them to learn, grow and recover. This podcast is mainly intended for cult survivors but anyone can take what we discuss here to help others with higher learning. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #354: Getting an Education After Leaving a Cult (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

We’re back and with a bang – a 2-hour discussion with Jon Atack to talk turkey about narcissism, what it is and what it isn’t. This being a chat with Jon, we cover a wide range of topics beyond just narcissism, but all of it interesting. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #353: Deconstructing Narcissism appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back John P. Capitalist to discuss recent news about internet-based cults converting over into real-life activities and the opportunities which led to these destructive groups ensnaring unsuspecting victims into their insane ideologies and practices, including radicalized terrorism. We touch on a lot of topics in this one related to cults, economics and the current world situation. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #352: The Internet and Cults of Opportunity appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I’m joined by my good friend and former Scientologist, Mark Turi, to discuss issues we’ve encountered in ex-cult or ex-religion groups, social media and personal interactions with ex-cult members who can still carry the effects of the trauma and abuse they suffered and the habits they developed to deal with that, ourselves included! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #351: Extremist Thinking and Ex-Cult Members appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome back Sarah Landry to give us an update on her former guru, Nithyananda, and the fact that he’s currently on the run from the law yet boldly trying to start his own country with UN approval! We get into the details of this thanks to Sarah’s persistent endurance to expose this “god man” for the sexually abusive fraud that he is. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #350: The Hindu Cult of Nithyananda – An Update appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome Julie Bogart, educator and critical thinker, to discuss her views and work on teaching critical thinking. In the process, we ended up having a far-ranging discussion about education, thinking, faith and facts. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #349: Teaching Critical Thinking appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Dr. Alexandra Stein, author of the book Love, Terror and Brainwashing and a fantastic expert on the subject of attachment theory as it relates to cultic/abusive relationships and connected with complex PTSD. If that all sounds like psychobabble, no worries because we take these academic concepts and translate them into English for you in this week’s show so you can understand why cultic relationships are really bad for everyone concerned. We hope this one helps! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #348: How Cult Relationships Work appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by licensed therapist and cult exit counsellor Rachel Bernstein to discuss some of the basic principles behind cult recovery and where we think people might best start. This video is meant for those who are even in a cult now and are thinking about getting out or escaping but don’t know what to do. We hope this one helps. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #347: Cult Recovery 101 – Some Basics appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week, I welcome back my anonymous guest, identified merely as The Insider, who has some very interesting things to say about current inside events within the Church of Scientology today. We go further into more details of the seeming crash and burn of Scientology which we started in part 1. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #346: An Insider’s View of Scientology (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am again joined by John P Capitalist (a pseudonym), a skilled Wall Street analyst who has worked with me in the past to analyze some of the more egregious business nonsense that the Church of Scientology gets up to. This week we discuss the recent troubles we’ve been hearing about and how much of a factor these may (or may not) be in Scientology’s eventual demise. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #345: The Future of Scientology’s Demise appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am again joined live for the third and final installment of my long-form interview with Sea Org escapee Katherine Olson. Here we discuss the specifics of her escape, the help she received from an old friend leading to her reaching out to the Aftermath Foundation. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #344: Katherine Olson Escapes Scientology (Part 3) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am again joined live in the studio by Katherine Olson, a woman who escaped from the Sea Org a little less than a year ago and has a wealth of information and very personal story to share about her 26 years in Scientology. In this second of what are going to be three parts, we discuss her time in the Sea Org and path to disillusionment and eventual escape from Scientology. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #343: Katherine Olson Escapes Scientology (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

For everyone anticipating part 2 of my interview with Katherine Olson, that will be coming next week. Instead, I have an interview with yet another Scientology insider, so much so that he is anonymously doing this interview as he is still a member in good standing of the Church. We go into some real details of the seeming crash and burn of Scientology right now. It’s entirely possible all of this could change, but right now Miscavige is making some pretty surprisingly poor decisions. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #342: An Insider’s Look at Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined live in the studio by Katherine Olson, a woman who escaped from the Sea Org a little less than a year ago and has a wealth of information and very personal story to share about her 26 years in Scientology. We talked for almost 3 hours and only covered about half the tale, so watch for Part 2 next week. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #341: Katherine Olson Escapes Scientology (Part 1) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by Jon Atack for a detailed look into why it is that we think Scientology auditing procedures are inherently harmful to anyone’s long-term mental health and well being. There are few people in the world more qualified than Jon to discuss this with, so I hope you enjoy it! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #340: Why Scientology Auditing is Bad For You appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am doing a deep dive into the book Scientology: A History of Man and the mythology/cosmology of Scientology. It’s not a very deep well but there are some key concepts to go over and I think everyone will find Hubbard’s explanations of past-life horrors to be entertaining and ridiculous. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #339: Scientology’s History of Man and Mythology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome first-time guest Phil Lord, professor of law in Ontario, Canada, to discuss the legal system, Scientology’s shenanigans in and out of court and both the civil and criminal cases against Danny Masterson and Scientology. This is a wide-ranging podcast and I hope you enjoy it! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #338: Scientology, Danny Masterson & the Law appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I thought we’d talk a bit about Scientology, violence and Will and Jada Smith, former Scientologists and purveyors of bad vibes all over Hollywood in the last two weeks. The Scientology connection is hard to ignore but I take some time to address that and also then give you the added bonus of what L. Ron Hubbard had to say about violence (you may be surprised). Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #337: Will Smith, Scientology and Violence appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week we went live in our new studio space to give some information and tips on talking to people who have a very different mindset from yours. There were some great live questions along the way I also got to answer. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #336: Talking to Cult Members (Live) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am once again joined by therapist Rachel Bernstein, a long-time friend and associate who has been on the show many times and helps us this time dissect our emotional needs and how these relate to getting involved in cults and other unsavory ventures. There’s a lot packed in to this episode. If you haven’t checked out Parts 1 and 2, watch those first! Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #335: Cults and Emotional Needs, Part 3 appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am once again joined by second-generation former Moonie (Unification Church) Jen Kiaba, this time to discuss her personal story. This is not for the faint-of-heart as there are details about child labor trafficking and physical abuse in this podcast, but this is as real as it gets when it comes to what destructive cults like the Moonies are doing right now to the children of their members and why they must be stopped. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #333: Growing Up in the Moonies (Part 1) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am once again joined by therapist Rachel Bernstein, a long-time friend and associate who has been on the show many times and helps us this time dissect our emotional needs and how these relate to getting involved in cults and other unsavory ventures. There’s a lot packed in to this episode. If you haven’t checked out Part 1, watch it first! Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #332: Cults and Emotional Needs (Part 2) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I welcome guest Anna Dau who has a story to tell of abuse and escape from an ultra-conservative family situation involving coercive control through religious belief. This is all too common across all landscapes, not just religion, and we hope that getting her story out there will help others in similar circumstances. The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #331: Being Raised by a Narcissist appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I thought I should deliver a rundown on what exactly it was I have been studying for the last 1.5 years in the Psychology of Coercive Control program and what I got out of it as a sort of summary of the whole thing and what this means for my channel. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #330: The Psychology of Coercive Control appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined by therapist Rachel Bernstein, a long-time friend and associate who has been on the show many times and helps us this time dissect our emotional needs and how these relate to getting involved in cults and other unsavory ventures. There’s a lot packed in to this little episode. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #329: Cults and Emotional Needs (Part 1) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week I am joined again by Jen Kiaba, a second-generation survivor of the Unification Church (the Moonies) and a fellow student on the same psychology of coercive control program I am currently finishing up. We had a great chat this week about cults, the rigors of an academic education and a lot more. Enjoy! The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #328: Cults, Education and Controversy appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

This week Jon Atack and I had a critical conversation on the topics of critical thinking, what it is and isn’t and the pros and cons of thinking it’s more than it is; along with human predators, a topic both of us are keen to educate about because we feel this is the way we can help prepare anyone to avoid not just cults but all kinds of trouble in life. Enjoy! Predator poster: https://jonatacksopeningourminds.wordpress.com/home/infographics-and-posters/ The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #327: Critical Thinking and Human Predators appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.