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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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,...

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...

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...

Returning guests, Rachel Holdt and Elizabeth Humble are sisters who were raised in an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church they’ve now identified as a Cult, Cornerstone Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1998, Rachel was the whistleblower instrumental in the eventual arrest and criminal conviction of Charles Dean Miller, the son of a pastor who would become known to be a decades-long serial pedophile. After multiple generations and dozens of victims corroborated law...

Rachel Holdt and Elizabeth Humble are sisters who were raised in an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church they’ve now identified as a Cult, Cornerstone Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1998, Rachel was the whistleblower instrumental in the eventual arrest and criminal conviction of Charles Dean Miller, the son of a pastor who would become known to be a decades-long serial pedophile. After law enforcement investigations were corroborated by multiple generations and dozens...

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode at: www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this solo bonus episode, Rachel shares her insights on the "Love Has Won" cult, led by Amy Carlson who is referred to within the group as "Mother God". Rachel points out the commonalities that Amy's manipulative leadership shares with other cult leaders. Thanks to all of our supporters for making this episode possible!!

Jeff Guinn is the author of the new book Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage. He has written several other best-selling books including; The Life & Times of Charles Manson, and War on the Border. Jeff was the co-executive producer alongside Leonardo DiCaprio on the TV docuseries "Terror in the Jungle," which is based on his book, The Road to Jonestown. He currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is a member of the Texas Literary Hall of Fame and a...

Scott M. Coley is a lecturer in philosophy at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. His research interests include philosophy of religion, moral epistemology, and political philosophy. He is the author of the upcoming book Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right which unravels the rhetoric and biblical proof-texting that support Christo-authoritarianism: the ideology that presses Christian theology into the service of authoritarian...

This is just a preview of our Patreon exclusive bonus episode. You can hear the full episode at: https://www.patreon.com/indoctrination In this solo bonus episode, Rachel offers her insights on the benefits, but also the dangers of survivors offering forgiveness to their abusers. She outlines scenarios where it is and where it sometimes is not healthy, so that survivors can weigh the options and be empowered to do what is best for their own healing. National Domestic Violence...