(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...
Jun 23, 2025•52 min
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 abus...
Jun 16, 2025•47 min
**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...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 12 min
When your mother is a self-proclaimed prophet claiming to channel the ascended master that is your deceased father as she prepares hundreds of followers for the end of the world, mother/son time isn’t baking cookies - it’s begging her not to summon nuclear holy fire so you can maybe live another day. In Part 2 of Sean Prophet’s quite literally unbelievable story, we enter the “end times” phase of CUT (Church Universal and Triumphant) - a group that, at its peak, had thousands of members, global ...
May 26, 2025•49 min
Join hosts Morgan Absher and Kaelyn Moore as they take you deep into the world of the most notorious crimes ever — where a single clue can crack a case wide open. From shocking murders to serial killers, Clues dives into all the forensic details and brilliant sleuthing of the world's most infamous cases. CLUES is a Crime House Original, powered by PAVE Studios. Follow and listen now wherever you get your podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at h...
May 20, 2025•6 min
He didn’t just join a cult. He was born a "prince" in one. In this two-part mind-bender, we welcome Sean Prophet, son of Mark Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet—founders of the Church Universal and Triumphant (aka CUT). At its height, this doomsday spiritual empire commanded tens of millions in real estate, a global following, and enough freeze-dried food and ammo to survive a nuclear winter. In Part 1, Sean takes us from his early days living in a 17,000-square-foot mansion filled with unpaid ...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Today’s guest, Sara, didn’t just wear a cult uniform—she sewed it. Raised in a conservative faith that slowly morphed into a cult, Sara’s life went from dairy cows and barefoot summers to head coverings, spiritual “consequences,” and Levitical purity laws enforced with spray bottles and shame. What started as a desire to live a devout and simple life spiraled into isolation, abuse, and an absurd set of rules that dictated everything from her hair part to her menstrual cycle. Her story—equal part...
May 12, 2025•57 min
In our first-ever live episode, your favorite mediocre cult leaders take the stage in Napa, California to indoctrinate the masses—err, entertain a crowd. Tyler and Liz welcome comedian and actor Moses Storm (HBO’s Trash White) to tell his jaw-dropping story of growing up in a failed (as he puts it) doomsday cult… started by his great uncle. A live audience, Tyler showed off an old pair of magic underwear, Liz recruited a willing participant into a fake cult, and Moses brought the house down. Thi...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 11 min
This week we're diving into the cultish side of wellness culture. Liz sits down with Dr. Laura Erlich, DTCM, LAc, FABORM — a licensed acupuncturist and fertility specialist who spent decades bridging Eastern and Western medicine… until the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the dangerous cracks beneath the surface. Laura shares her deeply personal story: growing up with health-conscious "hippie" parents, enduring the trauma of losing both parents young, and building a career dedicated to healing and help...
Apr 28, 2025•48 min
Today’s guest thought she was just signing up for a summer job. And then, years later, she thought she was just joining a church. What she got instead? Cults. TWO OF THEM. Meet Aydrea — writer, stepmom, and lover of rules. In college, she joined a company that promised purpose, leadership, and a paycheck. Instead, she got cold showers, commission-only “training,” and a summer knocking on strangers' doors… while carrying 40 pounds of encyclopedias. But plot twist: just when she thought she’d move...
Apr 21, 2025•56 min
Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trauma. Please listen with care. Frankie thought she was chosen. That she was being trained to be a healer, a mystic, a disciple of spiritual truth. But the truth was far more harrowing. In Part 2 of her story, we follow Frankie deeper into Morningland—where obedience meant servitude, sexual violence was disguised as divine initiation, and isolation was absolute. What began as New Age mysticism spirale...
Apr 14, 2025•49 min
Crime House True Crime Stories is the ultimate destination for true crime fans. Every episode features two notorious cases from that week in crime history, tied by a common theme like infamous serial killers, mysterious disappearances, tragic murders, and more. Every Monday, uncover the full stories behind the headlines as host Vanessa Richardson takes you through high-profile investigations like the murder of Gabby Petito, the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart, and the mass suicide of the Heaven&am...
Apr 08, 2025•16 min
Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of child abuse and sexual coercion. It started with a pizza party for single moms. But soon, there were purple-lit temples, custom medallions, and a man who called himself “Donato the Christ”. What could possibly go wrong? In Part 1 of Frankie Tease’s gripping story, we follow her teen years inside Long Beach, California’s Morningland—a so-called spiritual community where rituals masked control, and devotion was slowly weaponized. Manipulation. ...
Apr 07, 2025•54 min
Whitney wanted a Friday night dress. She got a pink Cadillac and a cult instead. At 21, she joined Mary Kay just trying to pay her $200 rent. What she got was a crash course in manipulation disguised as empowerment, a swirl of culty catchphrases, and a trunk full of sparkle-dusted dreams. In this episode, Whitney takes us on her journey from California cake decorator to one of Mary Kay’s youngest Sales Directors—and eventually, to the other side, where she finds healing, purpose, and a life that...
Mar 31, 2025•52 min
Today, we’re taking it back to where it all began: our very first episode. Meet Johanne Hanks, who went from BYU grad to plural wife to party planner for Jesus in a yuppie Mormon doomsday group called The True and Living Church. You know… TLC. Faced with the fear of an impending apocalypse, Joanne and her husband move to a small Utah town to live "Mormonism on steroids", which means wearing long underwear, communicating with the dead, prophetic visions, odd temple rituals, cookies with Jesus, an...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 26 min
As Tyler owns up to overlooking a crucial part of Orange County's troubling past, Liz is secretly grateful for his mistake—for without it, they might never have met today's inspiring guest, Vida. Growing up in South Central LA, Vida's father found salvation in a Pentecostal church led by a self-proclaimed prophet. For Vida, the church was initially a comforting community, offering structure and belonging. But over time, it became clear that what she knew as normal was deeply damaging: fasting re...
Mar 17, 2025•59 min
You’ve heard of doomsday cults and self-help cults… but what about an alien cult? This week, we’re taking you on a journey beyond the stars—or at least, beyond logic—as we explore The Raelians. This episode is love bombing at its best and most seductive form. _____________ Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult Have you ever been love-bombed into a belief system that felt too good to be true? Or maybe you’ve found yourself drawn into a group that promised cosmic truths, only to leave you...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Fine dining is all about precision, artistry, and luxury on the plate—but behind those kitchen doors, the pressure, hierarchy, and chaos tell a very different story. This week, we sit down with Chef Amber Evans, who opens up about the unspoken rules of the industry, the reality of life inside a Michelin-starred kitchen, and the moment she realized she had become the very thing she once feared. Could it be that she had been in … a cult? ________ Follow Chef Amber for mouth-watering content! @chef...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Crystal was born into a world where women obeyed, children served, and questioning authority was a sin. Raised under the oppressive rule of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP)—yes, the same Christian fundamentalist cult as the Duggars, “Shiny Happy People”—she spent her youth cleaning toilets, raising her mother’s children, and being prepped for a life of submission. But Crystal had other plans. This is the ultimate rags-to-riches story. She didn’t just escape the cult—she obliterated ...
Feb 24, 2025•51 min
There was no commune. No matching robes or group chants. A charismatic leader? Yes. But no room full of followers. This is a story about a cult of one — a lesser-known, yet perhaps more common, type of cult. When Alex first met her college advisor, she thought she’d found a mentor—someone brilliant, charismatic, and seemingly invested in her success. But behind the charm lay something much darker. Slowly, methodically, he pushed boundaries under the guise of guidance and concern—first emotionall...
Feb 17, 2025•59 min
What happens when your dreams of becoming a therapist are unexpectedly dashed and a TIkTok astrologer promises to solve all your problems? Meet Taylor Marie, who found herself in an online cult that claimed to have "the only astrology system that works." Led by a charismatic married couple, this group charged outrageous prices for "life-altering" astrology readings, promised entrepreneurial and personal success, and preached that all other astrologers were frauds. Taylor’s story is a cautionary ...
Feb 10, 2025•53 min
When the pandemic hit, Aaron found himself isolated and searching for community. So when he discovered an online occult group, he thought he’d finally found his spiritual people. What he didn’t expect? Signing an NDA, pledging allegiance to a self-proclaimed “Master,” and being told he was destined for an apocalyptic battle… alongside seven ancient space dragons. At first, the group felt like a place of deep discussion, curiosity, and meaning. But as the leader’s grip tightened, so did the deman...
Feb 03, 2025•55 min
In Part 2 of her jaw-dropping story, actress and writer Danielle Nicolet continues to unpack her harrowing experience in a cult disguised as a new-age hypnotherapy practice—led by a woman who shattered families, implanted false memories, and turned lives upside down. Danielle’s journey resumes as she’s sent back to Ohio to live with her father, forced to leave behind friends, gymnastics, and the group she had come to see as family. But instead of healing, the damage only deepens. Alienated from ...
Jan 27, 2025•52 min
You may know Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton on the CW’s “The Flash,” but long before Hollywood, her life was far from scripted. At just ten years old, Danielle’s world was turned upside down when her mother fell under the influence of Judith—a therapist turned guru turned cult leader. Judith used hypnosis to “recover” memories, shattering families and exploiting Orange County housewives by diagnosing them with multiple personality disorder for her own gain. But Judith’s influence didn’t stop ...
Jan 20, 2025•53 min
In today’s spellbinding episode, Melissa, a self-proclaimed millennial misfit, shares her journey into a Wiccan coven that took a hard left towards culty. Melissa’s tale brews up all the ingredients for a wild cauldron of a story: witchy retreats, trance magic, Norse gods, and even perfume-making. What began as a quest for spiritual identity one day led her down a winding path of manipulation, dashed promises and blind devotion. She follow the yellow brick road, only to discover that the Great a...
Jan 13, 2025•56 min
Today we’re joined by Finrod Jellybottoms, a chosen elf who escaped Santa’s magical workshop. Beneath the candy-striped facade lies a grueling cultic system of manipulation, free labor, and fear-based loyalty. Finrod shares his harrowing journey from a hopeful young elf in Frost Hollow to years of exploitation under Santa’s rule, uncovering the dark truths behind the “joy” of Christmas and the infamous Elf on a Shelf. We are glad Finrod got out and is able to remind us about the true meaning of ...
Dec 16, 2024•52 min
In the gripping conclusion to Jeanne Nolan's story, the idyllic facade of Zendik Farm finally shatters. Beneath its promises of revolution and a self-sustaining community lies a darker reality: broken families and devastating power plays. Jeanne recounts her heart-wrenching separation from her baby, the unraveling of relationships under the commune’s twisted rules, and her ultimate escape after 17 long years. Through painful truths and a hard-won sense of clarity, Jeanne forges a new life outsid...
Dec 09, 2024•55 min
What happens when an idealistic teen swaps suburban comforts for a “revolutionary” arts cooperative promising harmony with the Earth, free love, and organic farming? Jeanne Nolan thought she’d found utopia at Zendik Farm—a bohemian paradise where creativity and sustainability reigned supreme. But behind the lush gardens and groovy slogans lurked manipulation, sexual politics, and a strict hierarchy led by two enigmatic leaders. In part one of this captivating two-parter, Jeanne reveals her journ...
Dec 02, 2024•55 min
CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics around sex and sexual dynamics. Amelia returns to share the conclusion of her story, exposing the hidden dangers she encountered within the BDSM kink scene in the UK. While this subculture promised sexual liberation and empowerment, Amelia reveals how it often justified harmful dynamics and enabled exploitation. In this episode, Amelia reveals the unsettling realities of concepts like ‘dark age play’ and ‘consens...
Nov 25, 2024•38 min
***Head to squarespace.com/INACULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code INACULT.*** Content Warning: This episode discusses sex and adult themes. Amelia King spent over a decade immersed in the UK’s BDSM scene, an underground world of role play, power dynamics, and boundaries—both pushed and broken. In this candid conversation, Amelia sheds light on how what began as playful exploration became a subculture steeped in manipulation, exploitation, and troubling para...
Nov 18, 2024•44 min
