Daniella Mestyanek Young (@daniellamyoung) is a survivor of the religious Children of God cult, a US Army combat veteran, an extremely advanced knitter, and the author of Uncultured: A Memoir.
What We Discuss with Daniella Mestyanek Young:
How the seemingly wholesome Children of God (later known by variations of "The Family") religious group centered aroun ... Show More
Jul 28
1362: Danny Bate | Why English Spelling Is a Beautiful Mess
Our alphabet is history's junk drawer. Why Q Needs U author Danny Bate traces letters back through 4,000 years of pictures, invasions, and happy accidents.Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1362What We Discuss with Danny Bate:How the alphabet bec ... Show More
1h 22m
Mar 2023
Daniella Mestyanek Young - Part 1
Ep 118: (Part 1) Raised in one of the most notorious sex cults, one woman’s memoir brings their atrocities out of the shadows and into the light.
This is the Daniella Mestyanek Young story - part 1.
For more information about Daniella's work, or to learn about her book, Unculture ... Show More
41m 56s
Mar 2023
Daniella Mestyanek Young - part 2
Ep 119: (part 2) Raised in one of the most notorious sex cults, one woman’s memoir brings their atrocities out of the shadows and into the light.
This is the Daniella Mestyanek Young story - part 2.
For more information about Daniella's work, or to learn about her book, Unculture ... Show More
43m 12s
Apr 2025
Surviving a Doomsday Cult
This week, special guest & friend of the pod Cherish joins Lucy to discuss her experience leaving the Children of God cult, building a new life in the US, and her reflections since.Additional resources on the Children of God:BooksSex Cult Nun by Faith JonesNot Without My Sister b ... Show More
39m 56s
Aug 2024
The Cult of Mission Trips
Pack your hammer and your lack of cultural awareness, because this week on Sounds Like A Cult, we're interviewing Tia Levings, a former Christian fundamentalist, mission trip devotee, and survivor of church-sanctioned domestic violence. Tia is also the author of the brand new mem ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2020
Ep. 53 – Children Of God
In this episode, we discuss the infamous hippie cult, Children of God, aka Teens for Christ, The Family of Love, The Family, or finally The Family International. Support Belief It Or Not Created by Trevor Poelman Produced and Edited by Jamie Carlisle Produced by Michael Mongiardi ... Show More
26m 41s
Oct 2023
The Cult of Military Wives
At long last, the man/myth/legend, Amanda's dad, Craig Montell, whose riveting stories of his childhood spent in the Synanon cult planted her fascination with all things "cultish," joins as this week's guest. In this *extremely wholesome* episode, Amanda and her pop analyze a qua ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2023
What is a Cult? With Dr. Janja Lalich
Dr. Janja Lalich, the world’s foremost expert on cults, reveals the four principles all cults share, how she survived ten years in a brutal cultic system and how these groups continue to abuse while evading authorities. Dr. Janja also shares an important warning on how to identif ... Show More
1h 39m