For over 20 years, Anne Peterson devoted herself to Landmark, the training and development company she believed was transforming lives. She even helped launch the public reemergence of the guru behind the organization, Werner Erhard. But ultimately, Anne faced a reckoning. The organization and Erhard were corroding the message that initially sparked her passion. After years of rationalizing away red flags, the harm beneath the surface became undeniable. Anne now focuses on helping others navigat...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 27 min
Kendra Lee Bryan is a 2-time cult survivor and host of the popular (CULT)ure Shock Show on YouTube. Kendra describes herself as an investigative humorist who casts a snarky spotlight on cults, crime, and crooked culture through a piercing lens of levity. Her humor, intelligence and passion for cult education are driven by her own cultic experiences and make her an excellent host. In this episode, Rachel and Kendra delve into the complexities of emotional abuse, the importance of self-trust, and ...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 19 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive Bonus Episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination Rachel dives deep into the concept of DARVO - Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender - a term that sheds light on the manipulative tactics often used by abusers to deflect blame and undermine their victims. In this enlightening bonus episode, she breaks down each component of DARVO, illustrating how these tactics are employed and thei...
Sep 06, 2024•6 min
R. Scott Okamoto is a fourth-generation Japanese American author, musician, and college professor from Pasadena, California. Scott is the host of the Chapel Probation podcast and the author of the new book, "Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University." His work provides a wry and ironic insight into how America's evangelical schools encourage rigid social structures and white cultural power, rather than fostering a life of the mind. Rachel and Scott ...
Sep 04, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Named as one of the "top 10 religion newsmakers" of 2022 today’s guest, Christa Brown has persisted for two decades in working to peel back the truth about clergy sex abuse and coverups in the nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. She was one of the first to go public with substantiated child molestation allegations against a Baptist minister, along with documentation that others knew, and she has consistently demanded reforms to make other kids and congregan...
Aug 28, 2024•1 hr 15 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive Bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this insightful solo Bonus episode, Rachel delves into the pervasive issue of victim blaming within various contexts, including new-age thinking, large group awareness training, the self-help movement, religious organizations, and abusive relationships. She explores how these environments often manipulate individuals into believing they are respo...
Aug 23, 2024•4 min
Aimee Byrd is an author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster. She has written several books including Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and Sexual Reformation. Her latest work, The Hope In Our Scars peels back the Christian church’s underlying and pervasive theology of power, to face the shame that lurks there. Having trodden her own path of disillusionment, Aimee invites the reader to find faith amidst the chaos of the church’s status quo. Rachel and Aimee discuss a wide range of topi...
Aug 21, 2024•57 min
Elle Hardy is an Australian-born journalist mostly based in New Orleans. She has covered stories from every continent on earth, from North Korea to the backwoods of Alabama. Her writing credits include The Guardian, The Times, GQ, Vice, and more. Elle also appeared alongside Rachel, in the documentary Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed, which uncovered the scandals of the “hip celebrity church”. Elle also went on to co-host the podcast series False Profits A personal journey into the heart of Hillso...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this insightful bonus episode, Rachel delves into the complexities of life after leaving a cultic group or controlling relationship. She discusses the common challenges faced by survivors as they navigate their newfound freedom and the potential need to return to therapy after resolving the immediate needs of post-cult trauma. Rachel emphasizes t...
Aug 09, 2024•7 min
Annie Dawid is an award-winning author and professor who teaches creative writing at University College, of Denver. She is a professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. Her latest novel PARADISE UNDONE: A NOVEL OF JONESTOWN is a historical fiction of the infamous tragedy that took place in Guyana 45 years ago, it is a sensitive account of 4 people whose lives were deeply impacted by cult leader Jim Jones. The book was published on November ...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Joel Looper is an adjunct professor at Baylor University and the author of the new book, Another Gospel: Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity in which he offers his fellow evangelicals a unique theological argument for resisting Christian nationalism. Using church history, Scriptural reasoning, and even analysis of Russian Christian nationalism. The book argues that another gospel, (which is actually not the gospel at all), has colonized American evangelicalism, explainin...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this solo bonus episode, Rachel shares her insights into the disturbing world of the 7M TikTok cult popularized in the recent Netflix documentary "Dancing For The Devil" Led by Robert Shin, this group has exploited young dancers, manipulated their dreams, and torn families apart. From brainwashing to financial exploitation, the stories of former ...
Jul 26, 2024•6 min
Daniel Schricker is a composer and writer based in Adelaide, Australia. He completed undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Adelaide, being awarded a PhD in 2020. In addition to his doctoral research in music composition, his academic interests include cults and fringe religious organizations. Some of his recent writings explore the theological and psychological aspects of high-control groups, leading to guest appearances on cult-themed podcasts in Australia, the UK, and Sou...
Jul 24, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Returning guests, Stacie Stukin and Phillip Deslippe are joining the show once again to speak about their newest investigative piece on the troublesome boarding schools of the 3HO community. Stacie Stukin is an arts and culture journalist from Los Angeles. She was a contributing editor at Yoga Journal and has also written about yoga for the Los Angeles Times and Time Magazine. Over the years, she’s had the opportunity to write about Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, including a majorly im...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 12 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this continuation from a previous bonus episode, Rachel explains how mantras and repetitive meditations can both heal and harm. She shares her insights by exploring the work of Elizabeth Clare Prophet and the Church Universal and Triumphant who is infamous for her hypnotic monologues. Thanks to all of our patrons for making this episode possible!...
Jul 12, 2024•5 min
Natalie Hoffman is the author of Is it Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman's Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse and her recent memoir All the Scary Little Gods. Natalie is also the host of the Flying Free podcast. She is a mother, grandmother, educator, and passionate advocate for women of faith in abusive homes and churches. Through the Flying Free Sisterhood program, Natalie empowers women to discover and use their God-given voices, gifts, and freedom to c...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Ryan George spent the first 20 years of his life in a cult, attending a series of Independent Fundamental Baptist churches including one where his dad was the pastor, whose word was the ultimate authority. It wasn’t until Ryan was confronted with the truth that his father was a serial sexual abuser hiding his sins behind Bible verses, that Ryan realized his faith was built on a foundation of lies. He’s spent the last 25 years reevaluating what he truly believes, and miraculously, while he left t...
Jul 03, 2024•1 hr 23 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this episode, Rachel dives into the life and influence of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the leader of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Rachel recounts her early encounters with the group and shares a chilling memory of hearing Prophet’s hypnotic mantras, which had a profound impact on her. She also reflects on a conference where she heard Prophet'...
Jun 28, 2024•6 min
Returning guest, Tia Levings writes about the realities of Christian fundamentalism, evangelical patriarchy, and religious trauma. She is also a podcaster, speaker, and content strategist. She’s been quoted in Salon, the Huffington Post, and Newsweek, and appeared in the hit Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People. Based in Jacksonville, Florida she is mom to four incredible adults and likes to travel, hike, paint, and daydream. Her debut memoir, A Well-Trained Wife, is available now for pre-orde...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Returning guest, Jonathon Sawyer is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder. Working with the National Education Policy Center, Jon researches public and private education. Through his in-progress dissertation, Jon explores pressing tensions between the right to religious freedom and the separation of church and state, focusing on taxpayer-supported religious schools. Motivated by life-defining experiences in a school associated with the early years of the New Apostolic Reformati...
Jun 19, 2024•1 hr 27 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this solo bonus episode, Rachel shares her insights on the harrowing experience of testifying about abuse in a courtroom. Rachel discusses the re-traumatization many survivors face when confronting their abusers in court, the emotional toll of recounting traumatic events, and the fear of retaliation. She shares powerful stories from survi...
Jun 14, 2024•7 min
Diana Nowak is a survivor of the infamous troubled teen institution known as The Academy at Ivy Ridge. She is featured in the recently released Netflix docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping which specifically covers The Academy at Ivy Ridge. The series directed by Katherine Kubler exposes the corruption and abuse of the troubled teen industry through the stories of Diana and her fellow survivors who are still haunted by their experiences. In this episode, Diana recounts her traumat...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Tiffany Yecke Brooks is the author of the new book Holy Ghosted: Spiritual Anxiety, Religious Trauma, and the Language of Abuse which equips readers to understand and name tactics of spiritual abuse and manipulation. Each chapter covers a different method of control found in toxic religious communities--including legalism, indoctrination, praise, and fear--and how to identify and respond to it healthily. Tiffany is the lead or contributing author on more than two dozen books, including Gaslighte...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 23 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode by becoming a member at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this special bonus episode, Rachel dives deep into the dark and often hidden world of children’s television. Inspired by the recent docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," she explores the unhealthy culture plaguing TV and movie sets, particularly those involving child actors. From the #MeToo movement to the power dynamics th...
May 31, 2024•6 min
Anke Richter is an international journalist and author based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Before immigrating there with her family in 2003 she was a magazine writer, TV producer, and, business reporter in Germany. Anke has covered everything from the 2011 Christchurch earthquake to the 2019 mosque attack and has traveled widely in the South Pacific reporting on climate change and social issues. Over the last few years, she has been focusing her research on cults, which has resulted in her lates...
May 29, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Judith Castillo is a passionate and determined PhD student at the University of Houston, where her academic focus is on Latino and Women’s studies. Her journey into academia is deeply intertwined with her personal experiences as a survivor of the La Luz Del Mundo cult. Forced into marriage at the tender age of 15 to a member of the cult's leadership, Judith faced unimaginable challenges and coercion. Despite the odds stacked against her, she found the courage to break free from the cult's grip a...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 18 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination This special Patreon exclusive bonus episode with Andrew Pledger was recorded for Andrew’s Beyond BJU podcast which will be released later this summer, but we wanted to offer our Patreon supporters early access as a thank-you for your continued support. In this discussion, Andrew and Rachel aim to define the subtle line between education and indoctrination. Andrew, a cu...
May 17, 2024•8 min
Nikki G. is a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach who helps survivors recover and thrive after Religious Trauma & Cult involvement. She is also a survivor of multiple narcissistic relationships, religious trauma, as well as a former member of multiple cultic communities. Nikki is the CEO of Nikki G Speaks LLC, which exists to support survivors with individual coaching services, an online community, and other various forms of psycho-education related to religious trauma, narcissistic abuse, and c...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Uriah Wesman is a multiple-cult survivor, and one-liner comedian turned comedic storyteller. Early in his career, he was hesitant to speak about the cultic involvement of his childhood, but now after nearly 8 years of performing and producing hundreds of comedy shows he’s found a way to transmute the pain of his childhood into laughter and catharsis. Uriah is now laser-focused on taking those darkest parts of his childhood and bringing them to light with his new one-man show called “Three Cults ...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 19 min
This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this bonus solo episode, Rachel delves into the harrowing intersection of crime and belief, discussing the chilling case of 'God's Misfits.' She examines the tragic murder of two women by a group claiming divine justification for their actions. Rachel goes on to explore the psychology behind using spirituality to rationalize crime, the impact of cultic groups on fami...
May 03, 2024•8 min
