A Little Bit Culty

In Part 2, Star gets into the red flags that finally became impossible to ignore at OneTaste: missing consent and accountability protocols, sexual boundary violations, spiritual bypassing, gaslighting, and an organization that seemed to have more “trust the process” than actual process. She shares how she slowly pulled away, eventually leaving the Bay Area, rebuilding her life, and finding her way back to herself through therapy, community, and the very thing she once avoided: feeling everything in her body.

Star also talks about turning her experience into a solo theater show, complete with original songs about red flags, narcissism, orgasm, and—because apparently the universe demanded it—corporate vagina. We talk about the unregulated wellness industry, spiritualized intimacy, predatory influencers, and the tools every sexual or spiritual seeker needs: ask questions, check credentials, find out what happens when someone says no, and remember that “no” is a complete sentence. We’ll also share a few minutes of Star’s show at the end, so prepare for trauma, time, and comedy to make one very entertaining baby.

Follow Star at starstonespeaks.com, on Instagram @starstonespeaks, and The Wild Project: thewildproject.org

Star performs Cl*t Cult September 10 and 11 at 10:30pm at Under St Marks Theater in NYC:  https://tickets.frigid.nyc/event/6897:1495

Also check her out at  Brooklyn Comedy Collective on October 4 at 7pm.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexual assault, rape, sexualized practices, nudity, orgasmic meditation, coercive control, gaslighting, spiritual bypassing, sexual boundary violations, financial exploitation, communal living, and trauma recovery.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer and administrator: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

In Part 1 of our third deep dive on OneTaste, Star Stone joins us to explain how a spiritual seeker looking for female empowerment and connection ended up inside a world of confusing intro events, “corporate vagina” demos, goalless orgasmic meditation, and communal housing that sounded like a nightmare waiting to happen. Star walks us through the slow creep from curiosity to commitment: Meetup mixers that felt like team-building exercises, increasingly intimate “communication games,” and a coaching program that promised transformation but delivered a grab-bag of incoherent teachings, hidden courses, and credit-card-friendly upsells.

Along the way, we talk about loaded language, financial exploitation, blurred sexual boundaries, coercive control, and the very real moment when your yoga-trained brain goes, “Wait, this syllabus makes no sense,” and the culty fog starts to lift. It’s insightful, unsettling, and darkly funny—because sometimes the only way through is to name the absurdity, laugh until it hurts, and keep asking the questions they really don’t want you to ask. Stay tuned for Part 2 Thursday.

Follow Star at starstonespeaks.com, on Instagram @starstonespeaks, and The Wild Project: thewildproject.org

Star performs Cl*t Cult September 10 and 11 at 10:30pm at Under St Marks Theater in NYC:  https://tickets.frigid.nyc/event/6897:1495

Also check her out at  Brooklyn Comedy Collective on October 4 at 7pm.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexualized practices, nudity, orgasmic meditation, coercive control, financial exploitation, communal living, and sexual boundaries and assault.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer and administrator: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

In Part 2 of our Vancouver book launch, we do a full-on audience Q&A, covering everything from cult susceptibility and the “cult-shaped hole in your heart” to how groups can start with good intentions and slowly slide into coercion, control, and abuse of power. We talk recognizing your own hooks, spotting personality changes and loaded language, rebuilding trust after leaving, and why “What to Do When It’s Time to GTFO” is a chapter in A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion—because sometimes you need a roadmap, not a motivational quote.

We also answered questions about us meeting in NXIVM, leaving safely, the metaphorical shelf breaking, survivor shame, and the importance of sunlight, support, and keeping the conversation going.

Special thanks to:

Megan Williams at The Self-Publishing Agency for emceeing

Eric Lee at CoFunction Events & Workspaces for generously hosting us: cofunctioneventspaces.com

Jennifer-Lee Gunson for recording: podcastconsulting.ca

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of cultic and sexual abuse, coercive control, indoctrination, trauma, family separation, death, suspected poisoning, cancer, suicide, and leaving high-control groups.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer and administrator: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

We’re kicking off Season 9 live from our very special book launch conversation from July 2026 in Vancouver about our book, A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion. We chatted about the messy, hilarious, full-circle journey behind the book, then get into how to support someone who may be caught in a high-control group without pushing them further into isolation. We unpack love bombing, indoctrination, behavior and thought control, loaded language, personality changes, and the all-important question: is what you signed up for actually what you’re getting? Stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday.

Special thanks to:

Megan Williams at The Self-Publishing Agency for emceeing

Eric Lee at CoFunction Events & Workspaces for generously hosting us: cofunctioneventspaces.com

Jennifer-Lee Gunson for recording: podcastconsulting.ca

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of cultic control, coercion, indoctrination, emotional abuse, isolation, trauma, and leaving high-control groups.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer and administrator: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Go to https://OmahaSteaks.com and use promo code CULTY at checkout for $35 off. Minimum purchase may apply.

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You’re going to love Hungryroot as much as I do. For a limited time get 40% off your first order PLUS get a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/culty and use code culty.

Transform your space with pieces that hold up to real life. Join Wayfair Rewards today and get 5% back on every purchase. Head to Wayfair.com or shop the Wayfair app for all things

home.

To get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to MINTMOBILE.com/culty.

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That scratched up pair has done its job. Upgrade today with Zenni! Go to ZENNI.COM/PODCAST and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first order, plus free shipping on all US orders over $65. The styles sell out, so don't sit on it.

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

Family is supposed to be your safe place—but what happens when home is the original high-control group? In this episode, Alicia Markowitz, co-host of the Spanish-language podcast Familias Horribles, joins us to talk about growing up in an abusive family system, becoming the scapegoat, and slowly realizing that the “family rules” were really just coercion, control, gaslighting, triangulation, and a whole lot of “because I said so.”

Alicia gets refreshingly real about trauma, religious guilt, emotional and physical abuse, fawning, zero contact, and the terrifying business of choosing yourself after a lifetime of being told you’re the problem. We talk about how family cults mirror other high-control groups, how to recognize the red flags, why boundaries don’t magically work on narcissists, and how therapy, trusted people, good information, and a little hard-won self-compassion can help you rebuild the person you had to hide to survive.

Follow Alicia on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @estoydemilado, and Familias Horribles on YouTube and Instagram.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of childhood abuse, physical violence, psychological and emotional abuse, narcissistic and controlling parents, family estrangement and zero contact, gaslighting, scapegoating, panic attacks, depression, trauma, and suicidal fear.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

In this summer bonus episode, we joined Claire Headley on Blown for Good: Scientology Exposed for a wide-ranging conversation about our new book, A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion, and the patterns that connect Scientology to other systems of power and control. We talked about love bombing, coercion, life after leaving, healing from high-control groups, and why learning to spot the red flags can save you from a lifetime of “but I thought this was normal?” nonsense.

Follow Blown For Good at blownforgood.com and The Aftermath Foundation at theaftermathfoundation.org. Also check out The SP Shop at thespshop.com and Claire Headley’s Substack, with updates on her book: substack.com/@claireheadley101

And follow the Blown For Good: Scientology Exposed podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6NZGCcRjr8jQRFrqugdfJK

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of religious trauma, coercive control, psychological abuse, manipulation, isolation, leaving a high-control organization, family estrangement, and harassment or retaliation.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

In Part 2 with Alicia Duncan, we get into the really juicy stuff: the loaded language, the euphemisms, and the whole “don’t say the scary word or everyone clutch their pearls” universe around MAID. Alicia breaks down how terms like autonomy, dignity, and assisted dying get used as PR glitter, while the actual lived experience can look a lot more like coercion, gaslighting, and a bureaucratic escape room with no exit.

She also digs into the bigger system questions: who benefits, what safeguards are missing, why assessors aren’t held to a higher standard, and how financial and institutional incentives can shape decisions about life and death. Plus: the autopsy findings, the physiological effects of the drugs used, the push to expand MAID to people with mental illness and even mature minors, and why Alicia is on a mission to keep asking the annoying-but-necessary questions.

Watch Alicia’s episode on CBC’s The Fifth Estate on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plinQAHZRvk

Also be sure to pick up Alicia’s book, The Other Side of the Straitjacket, when it drops September 1st, and follow her on X, Instagram, or at aliciaduncan.com. 

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of suicide, medically assisted death/euthanasia, PTSD, mental illness, eating disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, coercion, gaslighting, institutional failure, and possible criminal negligence.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. 

In this episode, we’re joined by Alicia Duncan for a conversation that takes ALBC somewhere new: not a traditional cult, but a deeply troubling story about coercion, undue influence, narrative control, and institutional power. Alicia shares what happened after her mother entered Canada’s MAID—Medical Assistance in Dying—program, and how a family already navigating COVID, concussion symptoms, mental-health struggles, caregiver burnout, and a seriously broken healthcare system ended up facing an unimaginable loss.

Alicia walks us through the red flags, the rushed timeline, the medical assessments, the police wellness check, the legal maze, and the privacy laws that kept her family—and even the police—from accessing the records they needed to understand what happened. We get into assisted dying, euthanasia, suicide, autonomy, safeguards, medical negligence, bureaucratic gaslighting, and the very uncomfortable question of what happens when a system designed to protect people becomes more invested in protecting itself. And because apparently one impossible paperwork nightmare wasn’t enough, Alicia’s spent years advocating for answers, investigating the first police-investigated MAID death in Canadian history, and trying to make sure other families don’t get the same “good luck, hope you enjoy the maze” treatment. You’ll want to stay tuned for Part 2.

Watch Alicia’s episode on CBC’s The Fifth Estate on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plinQAHZRvk

Also be sure to pick up Alicia’s book, The Other Side of the Straitjacket, when it drops September 1st, and follow her on X, Instagram, or at aliciaduncan.com.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of suicide, medically assisted death/euthanasia, PTSD, mental illness, concussion and traumatic brain injury, psychiatric hospitalization, coercion, medical trauma, family estrangement, caregiver burnout, institutional failure, and possible criminal negligence.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

See the reviews, see what stands out, and see if BetterHelp is right for you. Visit Betterhelp.com/culty.

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

In the second half of our Cults to Consciousness bonus episode, the conversation gets even more practical: how to spot coercive control in real time, rebuild trust in your own intuition, and stop confusing love with obedience. We share more from our new book, A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion, including why survivor stories matter, how to talk about cultic experiences without re-traumatizing yourself, and what “healthy” can actually look like when your nervous system is still catching up.

Check out Cults to Consciousness on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, and follow Shelise at sheliseannsola.com and on Instagram @sheliseann.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

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

In this bonus episode, we hop over to Cults to Consciousness with past ALBC guest Shelise Ann Sola for a real, slightly sweaty, very honest conversation about how cults mess with your head, your body, and your sense of what’s normal. We talk about our new book, A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion, and how survivors can move from confusion and self-blame toward clarity, boundaries, and a little less second-guessing. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday.

Check out Cults to Consciousness on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, and follow Shelise at sheliseannsola.com and on Instagram @sheliseann.

Also…let it be known that:

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Try the Burger Perfection Flight at OmahaSteaks.com today. That’s 20 premium steak burgers for just $79.99. Plus, get $35 off with promo code CULTY. Terms apply. See site for details.

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