A Little Bit Culty
Kanaal Besonderhede
A Little Bit Culty
Think you might be in a cult? Want to know the signs? Join Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames to talk about things that are..a little bit culty. Or in their case: a whole bunch of culty. As whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Vow,” Sarah and Nippy have a lot t...
Onlangse Episodes
275 episodes
Checkmate: Chess Master Danny Rensch on Leaving the Church of Immortal Consciousness (Part 2)
What happens when your purpose gets weaponized, relationships are rewritten by group doctrine, and chess becomes both sanctuary and battleground? In t...
Checkmate: Chess Master Danny Rensch on Leaving the Church of Immortal Consciousness (Part 1)
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.
How do you go from barefoot kid to international chess master and co-founder of Chess.com...
Dr. Ingrid Clayton and Fawn Stars: The Hidden Cost of People Pleasing (Part 2)
How do you actually stop fawning, and what does healing look like in real life? In Part 2 of our convo with Dr. Ingrid Clayton, we dove into boundarie...
Dr. Ingrid Clayton and Fawn Stars: The Hidden Cost of People Pleasing (Part 1)
What if the thing you’ve been calling “people-pleasing” is actually your nervous system doing a full-blown survival routine? In this episode, we welco...
Joshua Paddison: Unraveling America’s First Sex Cult Scandal (Part 2)
Think cult scandal is just a modern phenomenon? Think again. In Part 2, historian Joshua Paddison unpacks America’s original sex cult, Fountain Grove—...
Joshua Paddison: Unraveling America’s First Sex Cult Scandal (Part 1)
This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.
Today’s guest is Joshua Paddison, a US historian, author, and bona fide expert in the wil...
A Little Bit Extra: Diddy’s Sentence, Sarma’s Salads, & Listener Voicemails
In this A Little Bit Extra ep, Sarah dishes all about her recent trip to New York City—think walks on The High Line, big shroom feels, and some seriou...
"Holy Disruptor" Amy Duggar King: Healing Beyond the Spotlight
What’s it like to survive chaos at home, culty control next door, and a national TV spotlight that labels you “crazy cousin”—all before breakfast? In...
Inside Cult Intervention: Lessons from Joe Szimhart (Part 2)
In the second part of this conversation, Joe Szimhart delves into the intricate preparations and challenges of conducting cult interventions. He discu...
Inside Cult Intervention: Lessons from Joe Szimhart (Part 1)
In this gripping episode of 'A Little Bit Culty,' hosts welcome Joe Szimhart, a veteran cult interventionist with over 40 years of experience. Joe del...
Child Labor, Tom Cruise, and Space Erotica: Marc Headley on Escaping Scientology (Part 2)
In this follow-up episode, Marc Headley shares his extraordinary experiences within Scientology and the Sea Organization. He recounts being recruited...
Child Labor, Tom Cruise, and Space Erotica: Marc Headley on Escaping Scientology (Part 1)
This episode is a conversation between a former member of the Sea Organization, an elite group within the Church of Scientology, and a host, Marc Head...
Who's Your Granddaddy? Stefan Kolesar on Amway and World Wide Group (Part 2)
Ready for the breaking point? In Part 2, we continue Stefan Kolesar’s deep dive into the world of Amway—where all those red flags on the shelf finally...
Who's Your Granddaddy? Stefan Kolesar on Amway and World Wide Group (Part 1)
What happens when the “American Dream” turns out to be more like the “Amway Nightmare”? On this episode of A Little Bit Culty, we sit down with Stefan...
Inside the Pyramid: Bridget Read on the History & Hype of MLMs (Part 2)
In Part 2 with Bridget Read, we explore the complexities and legal nuances that allow multi-level marketing (MLM) companies to operate as legitimate b...
Inside the Pyramid: Bridget Read on the History & Hype of MLMs (Part 1)
In Part 1 of this much-anticipated interview, journalist and New York Magazine reporter Bridget Read discusses the pervasive and nuanced issues surrou...
A Little Bit Extra: Fanny Packs, Volleyball, and Hazing
Buckle up, cultiverse: it’s our bonus round, where we give you a little bit extra. In this episode, we eavesdrop on the spicy, kooky, and downright ca...
The Dark Side of Influence: Chico Felitti on Kat Torres
What does it take to unravel the sinister side of internet fame—and how do influencers become a little bit culty? In this episode, we sit down with Bu...
You're Not My Daddy: Veena Dinavahi Survives “The True Happiness Company” (Part 2)
In part two of our revealing conversation with Veena Dinavahi, we dig deeper into the tangled web of coercion, isolation, and control she experienced...
You're Not My Daddy: Veena Dinavahi Survives “The True Happiness Company” (Part 1)
What happens when the story you thought you were living collides with a reality you can’t ignore? Kicking off Season 8 of A Little Bit Culty, we sit d...
Welcome to Season 8 of A Little Bit Culty!
Hey culty listeners! Season 8 is loading…and we’re not even gonna pretend this is chill. It’s BIG. Like, two-new-episodes-every-week big. Fresh culty...
Bron & Denai Johnson on Life Inside NXIVM’s Vancouver Center (Part 2)
In Part 2, the Hot Johnsons go from self-help wins to DOS-level WTF real quick. Denai opens up about what happened when DOS came knocking, from the fi...
True Crime Meets Cults: Derrick Levasseur on Solving the “University of Cosmic Intelligence” Mystery
This week on A Little Bit Culty, we’re stepping into the crossover world of cults and true crime with Derrick Levasseur—former undercover detective, p...
Protecting Kids from Cults and Traffickers with Robin Boyle-Laisure (Part 2)
This episode is sponsored in part by Betterhelp.
In Part 2 of our conversation with Professor Robin Boyle-Laisure—St. John’s University School o...
Introducing: CONSPIRACY THEORIES, CULTS, AND CRIMES
From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is
full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Liste...
Protecting Kids from Cults and Traffickers with Robin Boyle-Laisure (Part 1)
This episode is sponsored in part by Betterhelp.
What happens when a street-corner “religious” pitch nearly ropes in a teenage girl—only for her...
Bonus Drop: Bron & Denai Johnson on Life Inside NXIVM’s Vancouver Center (Part 1)
This conversation with former NXIVM members Bron and Denai Johnson was such a hit when we first dropped it here last year that we’re doing it again (a...
God Said Obey: Katherine Spearing on the Brainwashing Power of Spiritual Abuse
Katherine Spearing is back—and she’s not pulling any punches. A trauma recovery practitioner and founder of Tears of Eden, Kat grew up in the Christia...
From Veil to Voice: Jasmin Faulk’s Rebellion Against Fundamentalist Islam (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our conversation, Jasmin opens up about life after escaping Saudi Arabia—landing in Wyoming, rediscovering autonomy, and slowly unlearnin...
From Veil to Voice: Jasmin Faulk’s Rebellion Against Fundamentalist Islam (Part 1)
This week’s guest is Jasmin Faulk, an author and advocate who risked everything to reclaim her freedom. Born to a Saudi father and Italian mother, Jas...
BONUS: NXIVM, Life Issues & the Sisterhood of Survivors (Part 2)
We’re back with Part 2 of our conversation with Lauren and Aaliyah—two former NXIVM coaches and co-hosts of This Juicy Life—as we dig deeper into the...
Politics, Power & Performative Diversity: Celina Caesar-Chavannes Speaks Out
This week on A Little Bit Culty, we’re diving into the deceptively polite world of Canadian politics—where the optics are polished, but the manipulati...
From Devotion to Deconstruction: Laci Bean’s Journey Out (Part 2)
This week on A Little Bit Culty, we’re back with Laci Bean, host of Deadly Faith, for Part 2 of her story—what came after she left the high-control mi...
From Devotion to Deconstruction: Laci Bean’s Journey Out (Part 1)
This week on A Little Bit Culty, we’re getting holy uncomfortable. Our guest is Laci Bean, host of the podcast Deadly Faith, for the first of a two-p...
Bonus Drop: NXIVM, Life Issues & the Sisterhood of Survivors (Part 1)
We’re dropping in with a bonus two-parter featuring Lauren and Aaliyah—two former NXIVM insiders who became fast friends while navigating the pressure...
Teenage Exorcisms & Mega-Church Millions: Rachael Reign’s UCKG Story
This episode is sponsored in part by Betterhelp. This week our guest is Rachael Reign, a survivor of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG...
Memoir of Madness in a Cult of One - Sarma Melngailis Spills All the Tea on Healing (Part 2)
Raw vegan queen. Netflix’s “Bad Vegan.” Culty comeback queen. Whatever label you stick on Sarma Melngailis, it’s clear she’s not done telling her side...
Memoir of Madness in a Cult of One - Sarma Melngailis Spills All the Tea on Healing (Part 1)
Raw vegan queen turned Netflix “villain”? In this episode, we sit down with Sarma Melngailis – yes, Bad Vegan Sarma – to get the real story behind the...
Bonus Drop: Dr. Laura Richards & Lisa Bilyeu on Cults, Control & Dirty Diddy Secrets
This week, we’re diving deep into the twisted world of coercive control with the one and only Dr. Laura Richards – renowned criminal behavioral analys...
My Name Was Mushroom: Wendy Baker’s Journey Beyond the Source Family Cult
Long before kale smoothies went mainstream, The Source Family was seducing Hollywood with vegan food, free love, and a guru who called himself Father...