A Little Bit Culty

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I Was a Child Bride: Dr. Tamara MC on the Language of Manipulation (Part 2) Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

In part two of our conversation with Dr. Tamara MC, we get into everything that happened after she was married in a secret wedding ceremony, including attending the 8th grade (she was only 12-years-old) and keeping her religious life a secret from the rest of the world.

As a reminder (and don’t forget to listen to part one if you haven’t), Dr. Tamara MC’s father introduced her to a highly abusive religious cult in which, above all else, men controlled every aspect of womens’ lives, including their bodies. They were mercilessly overworked, underfed, and treated as second class citizens to…peacocks.

Now, Tamara has earned a Ph. D. in Applied Linguistics, specifically studying how language can be used to manipulate vulnerable populations. She advocates against gender-based violence and has written prolifically about the nightmarish experiences that punctuated her youth, d0ing as much as she humanly can to prevent this from happening as frequently in the future.

Dr. Tamara's Website

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Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

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The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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I Was a Child Bride: Dr. Tamara MC on the Language of Manipulation (Part 1) May 29, 2023

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

When she was only 12-years-old, Dr. Tamara MC had a secret wedding ceremony in the middle of the night. Shrouded in pitch black and with no one present but her new husband, a much older man who could supposedly guide her to the kingdoms of knowledge and heaven, this night further cemented Tamara’s place in a highly abusive religious cult. Above all else, men wielding black leather whips forced females to surrender their “nafs”—the Arabic word for “self.” As she put it in an article for Mother Well Mag, the girls in that cult “didn’t know where [their] bodies stopped and the perpetrators' bodies began.”

Dr. Tamara's Website

Dr. Tamara's Twitter

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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The Lemurian Sisters: Jennings Brown on Liana Shanti May 22, 2023

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Another day, another wellness guru preaching enlightenment on social media. Total snooze, right?! Unless said guru begins telling her followers to cut ties with their “family cults'' in order to save their children from a ruling class of evil reptilian creatures, the likes of which are responsible for creating the COVID-19 “scamdemic” as a Luciferian tool to harvest innocent souls…that might spice things up a bit. Or a shit ton.

Such has been the case with Liana Shanti, a nymph-like online persona who’s amassed thousands of predominantly female followers on Instagram, a platform she uses to share beliefs such as the one where the US government is going to put unvaccinated children into concentration camps, or that Florida is the only safe space and thus all her followers should move there.

Suffice to say, Shanti’s story is…truly a wild one. And luckily for us, we get to hear about it from none other than Jennings Brown, an investigative journalist and podcast/documentary producer who previously joined us to discuss Teal Swan. This time, he’s on ALBC to explain the woman hiding behind Shanti’s online persona, her recent legal woes, and just how damaging her teachings have been to numerous families that now stand divided.

Check out Jennings Brown’s website, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can also read one of his original articles about Liana Shanti here.

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Holly Zadra

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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Murder, Faith & End Times: Leah Sottile on Lori Vallow & Chad Daybell May 15, 2023

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you still manage to read the news, good job. You’ve then no doubt heard that “Doomsday Mom” Lori Vallow was just convicted of murdering her 16-year-old daughter Tylee and seven-year-old son J.J. This judgment will be an end to this harrowing yet enthralling story, which turned 49-year-old mom and Mormon, Lori Vallow into an international media fixture, seemingly entangled in a web of infanticide, zombies, escapes to Hawaii, and a trail of mysterious deaths that remain suspicious as hell.

On today’s episode, we’re joined by freelance journalist and author Leah Sottile, whose book When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Faith, and End Times, illuminates the story of the former beauty queen and her grave-digger turned doomsday novelist slash extremist douchebag husband, Chad. Take a listen to learn more as Sottile breaks the case down, explaining how Vallow’s tale is just symptomatic of something larger.

Leah's Twitter

Leah's Website

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Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Holly Zadra

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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‘Uncultured:’ Daniella Mestyanek Young on COG and the US Military (Pt. 2) May 08, 2023

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Today’s episode is Sponsored by BetterHelp. We’re back for part 2 of our interview with Daniella Mestyanek Young, the badass author of Uncultured: a Memoir. In her book, Young gets into the nitty gritty of growing up in the Children of God cult, now known as “The Family International,” with their horrifying pedophilic practice called “Law of Love.” In part 2, we dive deeper into Young’s time as a Captain in the US Army—a role that threw Young back into the trenches of misogynist and coercive abuse resembling the neglect she survived in her childhood.

How did military personnel respond to Young’s whistleblowing? What did she endure during her hazing as a new soldier? And why did another captain tell her she’d “probably get raped” on a certain military deployment?

Listen to find out—and make sure to catch part 1 first!

To book Daniella Mestyanek Young as a keynote speaker on topics of group behavior and where we see cultic practices creep into less obvious groups, visit Macmillan Speakers’ Bureau

Daniella’s website

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Daniella’s Twitter

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Other Links:

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

‘Uncultured:’ Daniella Mestyanek Young on COG and the US Military (Pt. 1) May 01, 2023

Show notes

Today’s episode is Sponsored by BetterHelp.

If hell is real, there is perhaps no circle of it as harrowing nor vile as the experience of growing up in the Children of God cult. Still active under the name “The Family International,” the group is known for being a real-life manifestation of the shittiest of shitty macabre practices, such as child sexual abuse involving their “Law of Love,”—a mandate for females of all ages to show Jesus their love by letting men straight up rape them.

One would hope that growing up in COG would be the last coercive, abusive, and negligent experience for today’s guest, Daniella Mestyanek Young, who is an American author, keynote speaker, and previous Captain in the US Army. One would also hope for ponies and rainbows and a bigger tax return this year but HEY, life’s no cake walk. On today’s episode, Young discusses her book Uncultured: a Memoir, wherein she details her cult-riddled childhood and how, shockingly, the US Army reflected comparable practices.

But how? Take a listen to part 1 of our interview with Daniella, with part 2 coming out next week.

To book Daniella Mestyanek Young as a keynote speaker on topics of group behavior and where we see cultic practices creep into less obvious groups, visit Macmillan Speakers’ Bureau

Daniella’s website

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Daniella’s Instagram

Daniella’s Twitter

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Into Quicksand: Kate Amber on How Cults Pull You In Apr 24, 2023

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Landmark Worldwide is a corporation that offers personal and professional development programs with a total of over 2.4 million (!) past participants in 21 countries. Yikes on bikes—that sounds a bit like NXIVM on steroids. Well, while Landmark isn’t technically a cult, it certainly is “A Little Bit Culty”, with no shortage of spirit-stomping coercive control and intimidation in order to create “A world that works for everyone by 2020.” Wait, is that how 2020 went and we’re just misremembering it?!

Today’s guest, Kate Amber, survived Landmark and went on to become a badass expert on violence and abuse prevention after receiving her education from UPenn and the University of Salford. She’s also gone on to create the PsychoSocial Quicksand Model™—take a listen to learn all about it, as well as the time she challenged a Landmark leader, and how she eventually got out, even if she didn’t 100% want to (at the time).

Oh, and would you believe she has a Keith Raniere overlap? What a small, culty little world we live in.

Watch Sarah discuss Lori Vallow on NewsNation (Elizabeth Vargas Reports)

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Other Links:

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey, Hun: Emily Lynn Paulson on MLMs and Other Lies Apr 17, 2023

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This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Imagine this: an invitation comes your way to join a group of friends, mostly moms (and let’s assume you are one). Primary activities involve drinking lots of wine, relishing in sisterhood and female empowerment, and best of all, making loads of money. It’s enticing as hell, which explains why Multi Level Marketing groups (MLMs) remain ubiquitous today.

What could go wrong? A shit ton! Hence why our guest today, author and mother Emily Lynn Paulson, believes that all MLMs—which form a $180 billion industry—are cults. Oh, but they’re not just your average cults, because lobbyists and politicians are fighting hard to keep the legal pyramid schemes not only intact, but growing throughout American suburbia (and beyond) like wildfire.

In this episode, we discuss how to not get caught up in the flames.

Paulson is also the author of Highlight Real: Finding Honesty and Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life as well as the forthcoming Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing (May 2023).

Emily Lynn Paulson’s website

Sober Mom Squad website

Emily’s Instagram

Sober Mom Squad Instagram

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Emily’s Twitter

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Other Links:

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leading Nowhere: Jordan Harbinger on Self-Help Hell Apr 03, 2023

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This episode is sponsored by Better Help.

Today’s guest, Jordan Harbinger, went from Wall Street lawyer to interview talk-show host. Turns out he’s been pretty damn good at both careers, with some even calling him “The Larry Kind of Podcasting.” On The Jordan Harbinger Show, he’s now spent 14 years deconstructing the most successful people in the world and asking them how they got to where they are. Inevitably (to us) but unexpectedly (to Jordan), one thing that’s come up a lot on the show? Cults, especially self-help cults, and the absolute ubiquity of coercive control across the United States. In fact, he even experienced some seminars that were A Little Bit Culty himself.

You can check out Jordan’s 6-minute networking course here.

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Other Links:

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Senior Producer: Jess Tardy

Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Press Replay: Robert Gavin on the NXIVM Trials Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

This episode is sponsored by Better Help.

The press has been perhaps the most crucial third party for world happenings since, well, whenever the press was invented. While there is of course no shortage of fake news out there, the main goal of the press is to keep society honest, investigating everything from corrupt governments to those cute little cliques we like to call cults.

Robert Gavin has been a news reporter for 28 years, having also worked for two years as an editor. Originally from Staten Island, Gavin began his career by covering the New York City police and fire departments, the NYS Capitol, State and Federal Courts, various murder trials, and cases involving terrorism, the mafia, street gangs, and political corruption. And eventually, Robert’s role in the NXIVM trials and their coverage would play a crucial part in bringing down Keith Raniere, which we’re sure you saw on HBO’s “The Vow.” On today’s episode, we talk to Gavin about his time covering the cult, as well as the aftermath.

Learn more about Robert here

Follow Robert on Twitter

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Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Other Links:

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

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CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames