This episode is sponsored by Better Help. But maybe it should also be sponsored by a company that manufactures blood pressure cuffs, because the “Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals” docuseries had us all kinds of pissed off. If you haven’t seen it yet, the doc wades into the darkness and depravity within the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement a ... Show More
Feb 12
The Guru Wears Prada: Sofia May on Surviving Tibetan Buddhism at Tara Mandala (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our conversation with Sofia May, she continues sharing her experiences connected to Tara Mandala and the community around lama Tsultrim Allione. We get into the messy, nuanced territory where Buddhist teachings, spiritual leadership, and real-world power dynamics int ... Show More
59m 7s
Feb 5
I Belong to Me: Tia Levings on Rebuilding After Religious Trauma (Part 2)
In Part 2 of our conversation with author Tia Levings, we go even deeper into what it actually takes to leave a high-control Christian fundamentalist marriage and rebuild a life on the other side. Tia shares more about how religious doctrine, patriarchy, and fear were used to jus ... Show More
41m 52s
Oct 2022
Cults: Manipulation Tactics, Celebrity Involvement, Escape w/ Lola Blanc + Meaghan Elizabeth
Joining the Deux U classroom this week are Cult survivors Lola Blanc and Meaghan Elizabeth. On their podcast, Trust Me, they talk to fellow survivors, former and current believers, experts, and everyone in between to try to get to the bottom of how extreme belief happens, who's s ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 2023
126 - Healing Trauma Caused by Cults and Escaping NXIVM w/ Sarah Edmondson
Sarah Edmondson joins the show to share her experience of escaping the NXIVM cult, her childhood experiences that made her susceptible to joining the organization, and how to heal trauma caused by high-control organizations. Sarah was featured in HBO's NXIVM documentary, spent ov ... Show More
1h 18m
May 2023
Witch School, Chapter 1: Omisade Burney-Scott
<p>Witch school is in session. adrienne interviews the resplendent<a href="https://www.instagram.com/blackgirlsguidetomenopause/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"> Omisade Burney-Scott</a>, curator of the Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause, doula, priestess o ... Show More
1h 11m
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
Oct 2022
How Do Cults Fashion Themselves? with Sarah C. Byrd
Let’s say you pass a group of people dressed identically. Are they a) following a trend, b) wearing uniforms, or c) in a cult? And who’s to say the answer can’t be all of the above? This week, we’re diving fabric first into the world of American cults, communes, and alternative ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2022
158. CULTS Part 2: How Intuition Can Save Us with Sarah Edmondson
Glennon, Abby, Amanda, and Sarah Edmondson continue their conversation:
1. “Love bombing” and other red flag strategies used by cults to reel people in.
2. The jarring similarities between cults and abusive relationships – and how in both your best qualities are used against y ... Show More
53m 37s