One week ago, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin had anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny murdered. Navalny had already been confined to a remote arctic prison, and spend years in detention, much of it in solitary confinement. His crime? He had exposed vast corruption across the Russian elite, describing Russia as ruled by "crooks and thieves” and pointed out the opulent lifestyles of senior officials their vast holdings and luxury property. Now meet Steve Simmons - or perhaps you have met...

Former school trustee, Steve Simmons, explains how a huge OneSchool Global money laundering operation could have put up to $100 million into Gareth and Charles Hales’ pockets. We hear how PBCC leader Bruce Hales played a key role in the illegal operation that took charitably donated, tax receipted funds intended for the school. The brethren now face an “Aberdeen” level crisis. Their “Man of God”is shown to be a morally bankrupt kleptomaniac. OneSchool Global, whose values claim to be...

Religious communities must embrace diversity and support LGBTQIA+ individuals. The impact of discrimination on mental health is too great to ignore. Our anonymous guest from Canada takes us on her journey to finding her freedom and support outside the toxic culture of the PBCC. Craig and Ben join in our discussion of their shared experiences leaving the PBCC due to the unaccepting views on anyone associated in this community. (Jenny) reads her letter of goodbye to her parents and we discuss...

Ben Woodbury is known as Excultboy on TikTok and has helped inform thousands of people about the Exclusive Brethren/PBCC. Ben's vulnerable conversations bring truth to the surface time and time again, which allow for many people to shed what they've experienced in his safe space. Not only does he dive into all the questions he gets from around the world, Ben converses with many survivors of the PBCC (not all of them are ex-members)! Ben sheds light on why he does what he does and what drives...

TRIGGER WARNING- Discussion and videos on animal abuse. One of the strangest and saddest features of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church is its appalling record of cruelty to animals. From slaughterhouses where live pigs are dropped to boiling water, to using SUVs to ram and run over kangaroos, to the mindless torture of cats, chickens and small wild birds and animals - the PBCC does it all - and apparently takes great pleasure in it. It all started with a great slaughter of pets in the...

magine scars of abuse that run so deep the story moves us all to tears. As our special guest Mick Dover shares the story of his childhood stained with abuse from members of the very church he was brainwashed into believing must be accommodated and respected at all costs. The families that make up the hierarchy of the PBCC in Melbourne, Australia- the Bakers, McAlpin, Cox, Gadsden, Grace, Joyce, John, Jensen, Nipper, Hales, Dover and the list goes on had best sit up and listen as Mick...

Join Abi, Gilli, Ross and Jacky as they go through their holiday season and what it is like for them now vs when they were in the PBCC. They touch on many diverse topics including the Deed of Variation. They also have messages for their loved ones in the PBCC and what they hope to see come out of this movement. Will 2024 be the year we see big changes start to happen? Let's all hope Bruce Hales wakes up and realizes that softening from the top of the hierarchy could stop the outrage at the...

Cheryl, Richard and Lane sit down with Jill Mytton, Stephane Vergnon, Pam Danylchuk, Ben Woodbury, Craig Hoyle, Lynette Diener, Lindy Jacomb, Tom Grace, Cassie Davies, Peter Hart, Rob McLean, Lara Payne, Todd Coulter, Julie Fletcher and Alona Lyons. We dive into updates since their podcasts, what we are all up to over the holidays and most importantly, discuss what change we would like to see in the PBCC. Each guest give direct messages to those still inside and there seems to be a theme!...

When Martina's parents, Jerry and Alona Lyons, decided to finally leave the toxic cult of the PBCC, she was only 15. Martina shares with us her struggles of finding her feet in the outside world but most of all she shares her incredible life she has now. Martina attended the PBCC school, OneSchool Global (OSG) and suffered horribly on so many levels from the bullying, mistreatment and lack of care that we often hear about. Once she got herself situated in a public school, she excelled in...

Leave the brethren and stay silent and you are not allowed a meaningful relationship with family in the brethren. Leave the brethren and speak out and you are not allowed a meaningful relationship with family in the brethren. It seems to make no significant difference. It does seem, however, that speaking out publicly results in having the added label of being an ‘opposer’ and the brethren pray for your ‘removal’ because of the ‘poison’ we speak. What is an opposer? Why are we labelled as...

TRIGGER WARNING- This podcast contains discussion of sexual abuse and suicide. Viewer discretion is advised. Imagine finding yourself excluded from the only community you have ever known for over 50 years of your life. Steve’s story describes just what emotional devastation that caused. He speaks about how he lost his wife, family, home and work. His story speaks of the ostracization from the brethren community, and not being told the reason why. Steve describes the problems of alcohol he...

In the beginning, James created the ex-peeb podcast! The concept of the Get-A-Life podcast, surprisingly, did not originate with former members, but with a controversial journalist from the backwoods of Ontario – James DiFiore – who became so intrigued by the malevolent and vindictive cultists behind the Klondike Papers scandal, that he dedicated a whole series of his Blackballed podcasts to interviewing the victims of the PBCC. His hard work, research and perseverance sparked the interest...

As Aberdeen becomes a hot topic inside the PBCC, we created a podcast for insiders to access relevant information to help you come to your own conclusion on what really happened. If you haven't watched Episode 82 with Drue Wiggins, watch that one before this podcast. Bradley McCallum encourages listeners to make their own decision about this evidence and allow the discussions to happen. The significance of the Aberdeen issue in the trajectory of PBCC is immense, and Bradley highlighted its...

The Aberdeen scandal was portrayed as a ‘test of the fellowship’ to those inside the brethren. Yet ,some who were close to those involved, witnessed the build up to the events of 1970 and were not in the least surprised when the scandal became public. Drue Wiggins was one of those people. Join us as she talks from the diaries that she kept from her time in the brethren. She describes how she witnessed first hand behavior's that came to a crescendo at Aberdeen. These events ultimately lead...

Get A Life shares the captivating story of Tom Grace from Adelaide, Australia who left the Exclusive Brethren at age 17 in 1970, after the Aberdeen incident. His raw, authentic vulnerability shines through as he recounts what it was like to make that decision after his parents decided they were done. After leaving, he walks us through what it was like, as a group of ex-exclusive members went back to the fundamental teachings of JT Sr., much like the Renton branch. After joining his family's...

Older brethren look back on the 1950s as the Golden Age. No UBT, no OneSchool, no 6am suppers, no meeting every night, no mandatory “volunteering” for Campus&Co, no separate tables, no shunning of your nearest and dearest, no headscarves, just a dazzling array of fancy hats, and those manly suits and ties for the brothers. Today, Get-a-Life brings you a STUNNING REVELATION. There is a parallel universe in which the 1950s peebs still live their happy and carefree lives. Like...

In this podcast, we explore a deeply significant issue within the PBCC: Alcohol dependency and addiction. Join our UK team as they share personal connections to this subject. Ross, a recovering addict, and Abi, the child of an addict, bring a unique perspective to our discussion. We'll dive into four essential questions that anyone in the PBCC should contemplate to assess their relationship with alcohol: Do you fear a life without alcohol? Have you struggled to control your alcohol...

In a small hamlet just outside Newtown in Wales stands an old chapel with a graveyard in its grounds. Despite the graves being old they are still treasured by locals who have family past buried there. Imagine the shock of the locals when one day in July they found some of the headstones had been removed, graves had been dug over and a gravel drive had been laid on top of them A local resident, Jackie Davies, describes the campaign she has led to expose the inhumane behavior's of the new...

TRIGGER WARNING- This podcast contains discussion on sexual abuse. In this powerful episode, we witness a harrowing account of heart wrenching abuse and manipulation. Ailsa walks us through the sinister web of a controlling relationship and a cult that protected her abuser and still does to this day. Ailsa bravely shares the hardships she and her daughter endured including their walk through the justice system. She has the full court transcript proving the charges her ex was found guilty of,...

In this tear jerker episode with our guest Alona Lyons, we witness the true inspiration of dedication, patience and love of family. Join us, as she shares her harrowing yet empowering story of escape, resilience and the unbreakable bond that held her family together in the face of adversity. Alona shares valuable insights and words of encouragement for other families who might be trapped in similar situations, offering messages of hope and empowerment. Explore the resilience of the human...

This is part 2 of the Chicago meeting hall controversy. Episode 74 is part 1. Links to articles referred to in podcast- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LSRU1cZkomZBobWNFmaFbtslht3uLI5s/view?usp=sharing Following the PBCC’s planning disaster in Chicago, they published an unprecedented “ad hominem” attack on former PBCC member and whistleblower Richard Marsh – who they blamed for their defeat. Here is what they had to say: "The instigator of the attacks on the Area N project is...

This podcast is a 2 part series, Ep. 74 and 75, where ep.75 extends into Richard's story and rebuttal of their accusations. The battle of Barrington ended in a resounding victory for the residents as the PBCC fled the field in disarray. Never a cult to accept defeat graciously, they then lashed out at their critics in a series of newspaper articles, social media posts and a dedicated website. Having told the Barrington Residents a month ago “We long to become your neighbors” the PBCC now...

It’s a blast from the past as the original founding podcast team of Cheryl, Carman, Lane and Richard get together to celebrate Get-a-Life’s first birthday. Reviewing our year of podcasts, we realized that almost every aspect of the PBCC that we looked at involved the mistreatment and humiliation of women – so we made this today’s theme. We look at how women and girls are controlled and oppressed in the PBCC under the pretense of “following scriptural principles” and show how women even in...

Dr Alex Stein is a social psychologist who specializes in cults and totalitarian groups. In this podcast Alex describes her own experience of being involved in a political cult and the difficulties she had in extricating herself from it. Alex talks us through the emotions experienced when wanting to leave a high control group and describes how support with doing so is vital. She discusses avenues of support and how finding the right type of help is important to aid coping outside when...

Left alone on the ferry ride to Victoria, our guest Julie Fletcher describes growing up in Vancouver, Canada. After arriving in Victoria, Julie was told she would be going home with The Buck family. For the next 2 years, she describes being separated from her parents, her brother and from everything she knew. It was never explained to her- what happened on the ferry that day that caused her parents and brother to turn around and go back and she would spend the next 2 years wondering. When...