The Turning - Seasons 1, 2 & 3 - podcast cover

The Turning - Seasons 1, 2 & 3

iHeartPodcasts and Rococo Punchwww.iheart.com

The Turning: River Road (Season 3) is about Lindsay Tornambe who at 13 years old, was chosen by the leader of her family’s cult for a special role. She became one of the youngest Maidens of River Road Fellowship in rural Minnesota. After a ritualistic ceremony that married her and other girls to their leader, she endured more than a decade of mental and physical abuse, hidden from outsiders. 

But Lindsay and a friend decided to escape. They became the whistleblowers who prompted an international manhunt in 2014. It would bring the entire cult crumbling to the ground.

A ten-part series from Rococo Punch and iHeartPodcasts.

The Turning: River Road is part of the iHeart True Crime+ Apple Podcasts Channel—and this summer, we’re offering a 30-day free trial! Get early access, 100% ad-free listening, and exclusive bonus content. Available for a limited time. Open Apple Podcasts, search “iHeart True Crime+,” and subscribe today.

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Episodes

Introducing: DOUBT: The case of Lucy Letby hosted by Amanda Knox

It was a case that shocked the United Kingdom and the wider world. Lucy Letby, a young nurse, was found guilty of murdering premature babies. She was a serial killer whose target was not just the youngest, most vulnerable human beings alive, but also those entrusted to her care. But, is everything as clear as it seems? Host Amanda Knox asks if this case is really as open and shut as the world believes or if – in fact – there is reasonable doubt. Listen here and subscribe to DOUBT: The case of Lu...

Feb 28, 20262 min

Introducing: The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall

We're sharing an episode of a new podcast from CBC, called The Devil You Know. In The Devil You Know, Sarah Marshall explores the tangled web of the Satanic Panic, a journey that will take you everywhere from Victoria, B.C. to rural Kentucky to San Antonio, Texas. This is a show about the people who experienced the Satanic Panic in real-time—the believers, the skeptics, the bystanders, the wrongfully-convicted. What was it like to be a psychologist told to look for Satanists in every case; a mot...

Oct 20, 202539 min

S3:EP 12 - Postscript: Christa

Christa was born into River Road Fellowship. In our final conversation, she remembers how she first realized she was in a cult, and tells us parts of the story we haven’t covered yet. For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 09, 202548 minSeason 3Ep. 12

S3:EP 11 - Postscript: Lindsay

A year and a half after our first interview, we sit down with Lindsay one last time to ask her the questions you’ve been wondering about. For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 02, 202553 minSeason 3Ep. 11

S3:EP 10 - Beyond Fear

PART TEN - “There were moments when I remember being in such a dark place, feeling so hopeless, and the curiosity of the next day I think helped keep me going. It doesn't matter how dark the day is. Just be curious about tomorrow.” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 26, 202547 minSeason 3Ep. 10

S3:EP 9 - Jess

PART NINE - "The trees would be swaying, and you could almost feel the leaves moving. Maybe we would start humming, making up a melody. The worries and the fear just melted away. All the bad things, and all the good things, none of it mattered. I could sit back and relax and breathe. It was this moment of just feeling – safe and almost – loved by her. just a true sister and friend, not feeling judged or afraid. It felt like we were the only two people in the world in that moment." For more conte...

Aug 19, 202534 minSeason 3Ep. 9

S3:EP 8 - The One Thing

PART EIGHT - “It was absolutely the one thing – the one thing, if I can pick one thing – it is the one thing that allowed me to begin to heal.” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a discussion of child sexual abuse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 12, 202543 minSeason 3Ep. 8

S3:EP 7 - Manhunt

PART SEVEN - “When I think of it now, it was almost like he prophesied his own demise. For all those years, Victor was the predator and I was the prey. And then he became the prey." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a discussion of child sexual abuse and self-harm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Aug 05, 202544 minSeason 3Ep. 7

S3:EP 6 - The Choice

PART SIX - “It was like I was kept underground for so long and then just spit out at 23. I call it when I entered the real world. And it was a whole other world than what it had been.” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a discussion of child sexual abuse and self-harm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jul 29, 202531 minSeason 3Ep. 6

S3:EP 5 - Paradise Lost

PART FIVE - "I was totally in. Totally committed. Ready to take a bullet for him if needed." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a discussion of the dynamics of child sexual abuse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 22, 202543 minSeason 3Ep. 5

S3:EP 4 - Predator and Prey

PART FOUR - “He would say, 'Lindsay is the old flesh, and you need to become a new man in Christ. Lindsay has to die.'” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a discussion of fatphobia, extreme dieting and disordered eating behaviors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 15, 202546 minSeason 3Ep. 4

S3:EP 2 - Summer of Love

PART TWO - “He was more important than their husbands. He was more important than their children. He was more important than anything.” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a description of child sexual abuse. Please listen with discretion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 08, 202550 minSeason 3Ep. 2

S3:EP 3 - The Maidens

PART THREE - “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.” For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . Content note: This episode includes a description of child sexual abuse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 08, 202545 minSeason 3Ep. 3

S3:EP 1 - The Camp

PART ONE - "I never thought it would develop into what it was." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 08, 202536 minSeason 3Ep. 1

Introducing The Turning: River Road (Season 3)

When the most vulnerable within a community go unprotected, how can they find the strength to push their way out? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 01, 20252 min

The Swans of Harlem | Part Two

Today we present the second of two episodes featuring Karen Valby, author of The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History. The book records the largely forgotten stories of five Black ballerinas who changed the art form. Their stories are surprising and vivid and poignant… and totally worth your time if you enjoyed our most recent season of The Turning. In our second episode of the series, Karen Valby speaks with former ...

May 07, 202435 minSeason 2Ep. 14

The Swans of Harlem | Part One

As we work on Season 3 of The Turning, we have something special for you: two episodes featuring Karen Valby, author of The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History. The book records the largely forgotten stories of five Black ballerinas who changed the art form. Their stories are surprising and vivid and poignant… and totally worth your time if you enjoyed our most recent season of The Turning. On the first episode, Kar...

Apr 30, 202448 minSeason 2Ep. 13

S2 Ep Bonus - Behind the Scenes

A grab-bag of stories and extras. For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 09, 202343 minSeason 2Ep. 12

S2: Ep Bonus - A Day in the Life of a Dancer

The countdown to curtain begins. For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 27, 202330 minSeason 2Ep. 11

S2:Ep 10 - Révérence

PART TEN - "If it is going to stick with us forever, it matters that we get it right." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 21, 202354 minSeason 2Ep. 10

S2:Ep 9 - Pas de Deux

PART NINE - "I remember thinking, am I the only one like me who's ever walked these halls?" For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 14, 202344 minSeason 2Ep. 9

S2:Ep 8 - American Ballet

PART EIGHT - "Blackness is a vehicle. It's a vehicle to get people where they need to go." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscrip ts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 07, 202349 minSeason 2Ep. 8

S2:Ep 7- The Line

PART SEVEN - "Who decided this? ... Did the skies open up, and the ballet God said, 'This is how it has to be'? No, it's just what we've all been programmed." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 202353 minSeason 2Ep. 7

S2:Ep 6 - A Golden Year

PART SIX - "It feels like this hazy distant silhouette of a thing that doesn’t feel real, like a wild dream that I can’t fully recall." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 202343 minSeason 2Ep. 6

S2:Ep 5 - The Prince

PART FIVE - "Gone unchecked, bad things can happen. And they did." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 14, 202345 minSeason 2Ep. 5

S2: Ep 4 - The Muses

PART FOUR - "Balanchine was so fond of perfume that leaves the scent of that dancer behind, and it still permeates." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 07, 202347 minSeason 2Ep. 4

S2: Ep 3 - Risk All

PART THREE - "There are no windows, because we don't need windows, because the outside world doesn't matter. He was God in the theater. Ever observing, ever present. Are you a patriot? Are you a citizen? Are you willing to do whatever I ask you to do?" For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jan 31, 202341 minSeason 2Ep. 3

S2: Ep 2 - Ritual Healing

PART TWO - "I would experiment a little. I would go to the theater, and the lights would go down, and I would say, 'Okay, I'm going to give you my mood. I'm going to give you all these troubles, and you do something with it,' said I to the stage. And then I would walk out, and I felt like somebody had rinsed me." For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Jan 24, 202338 minSeason 2Ep. 2

S2: Ep 1 - Only I Can See You

PART ONE - "He used to say, 'What are you looking at dear? You can't see you. Only I can see you.'" For more content, follow us on Instagram @RococoPunch TRANSCRIPT - https://www.rococopunch.com/turningtranscripts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 24, 202345 minSeason 2Ep. 1

Introducing S2: The Turning: Room of Mirrors

A closed, elite group asks for sacrifice and extreme devotion from its members. It produces elegant dancers, but at what cost? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 17, 20233 min
Hosted on Omny Studio
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