Australian Maria Esguerra tells us that it’s still difficult to speak about her personal experiences as a second-generation survivor of The Children of God cult. In this episode of The Influence Continuum, we explored the challenges of breaking free from cults and how those who become part of society’s natural defense system against cult indoctrination and authoritarianism help to free others. She traced her story back to a childhood of illnesses that mainly went untreated. “I had measles, chicken pox, mumps, malaria, every imaginable childhood disease, lots of parasites,” she said. Her father would eventually die when she was only four years old from Hodgkin Lymphoma, a form of cancer considered to be largely curable. She explained that in The Children of God cult, medical care was avoided as illnesses were considered the fault of the person or as “God judging you.” Maria is now a psychologist and Director of Assessable, an organization dedicated to serving people with disabilities. This is an especially commendable achievement in that her early life was shaped by her parent’s involvement in The Children of God cult. We discussed the experience of raising children within the cult and what ultimately pushed Maria to leave. One of the critical factors in her decision was her son’s battle with meningitis, which left him in a coma at a medical research center for ten days, resulting in a lifelong brain injury. While in Africa, Maria became pregnant again and endured harsh conditions. Upon returning to Australia, she resolved to create a new reality for her children—one rooted in safety and love, something she had not been given. Maria is an inspiration for everyone!

Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com

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In recent years, modern science has confirmed what ancient tribal medicine has known all along—medicinal plants and practicing meditation can offer fantastic health benefits. Plants like ayahuasca and psilocybin are now being recognized for their remarkable ability to treat mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Yoga and meditation can facilitate a deeper mind-body connection, allowing us greater awareness and control over our emotions and stress. Indigenous cultures have used these practices for centuries, but even as science continues to confirm their efficacy, the mental health field has been resistant to advocating these practices. Driven by profit and regulatory hurdles, Big Pharma’s reluctance to embrace psychedelics indicates the continuous struggle between modern commercialization and our human ties with nature. On this episode of The Influence Continuum, I sit down with my dear friend and colleague, Chris Kilham, known as The Medicine Hunter. Chris has authored over a dozen books, the most recent of which is The Lotus and the Bud: Cannabis, Consciousness, and Yoga Practice. In these stressful, uncertain times, it is essential we all come back to a healthy mind-body lifestyle with good values.

Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com

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There is a new HBO Max 4-part documentary called Breath of Fire on the cult of Guru Jagat and Harijiwan Singh Khalsa, her controller. The doc is very well done and was based on a Vanity Fair article, “The Second Coming of Guru Jagat” by Hayley Phelan. “Breath of Fire: The Unbelievable Story of Guru Jagat, the Elizabeth Holmes of Yoga” is Hillary Busis’ follow up article about the docuseries. Many celebrities have been associated with Bhajan’s cult of kundalini.We interviewed a former insider who appeared in the series, Peter Blachly, who wrote the book The Inner Circle: My Seventeen Years in the Cult of the American Sikhs. It is another look into a fabulously wealthy cult founded by a total fraud. The cult continues and there are disciples the world over still recruiting and harming people. Of interested is if you have ever used Yogi Tea or heard of Akal Security which Homeland Security gave a fortune to this cult for “security.” There is great value in learning about other cult leaders and how they bewitch people to work without pay, get sexually violated and continue to believe. Until they wake up and leave.

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On this episode of the Influence Continuum, I spoke with Craig Unger, an investigative journalist and the author of Den of Spies, which is described in his biography as “a real-life political thriller about how master spy William Casey put together a treasonous covert operation in 1980 that hijacked American foreign policy and stole the election for Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.” Craig is also the author of six books on the Republican party’s assault on democracy, including American Kompromat: How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery. He has written for New York Magazine, The New Republic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, The Independent, and many others. “Initially, I think, it was very covert, as I show in this book. Everything was behind the scenes. With Trump today, it’s almost overt,” Craig said, noting Trump’s direct message in 2016 to Russia to retrieve Clinton’s emails. I noted The Wall Street Journal’s recent article citing Elon Musk’s relationship with Vladimir Putin and secret conversations. We then discussed the volumes of evidence supporting the idea that Trump was recruited as an asset for the KGB in the 1980s. This book is a well researched documented revealing of how American Democracy has been manipulated. Tragic and Americans wil now see what is brought to power. Eyes open and courageous resistance is required!

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Now with the American election won with the help of Elon Musk and his social media platform, X, and other tech billionaires. We need to pay attention! TECH is now the major world religion! Think about it. Technology was developed as a tool to serve humans, not vice versa. Unfortunately, we humans seem to have forgotten this, as billions worldwide are literally addicted to our smartphones. Many in the upper echelon of technology circles propose and even ominously insist upon humanity serving technology futures. They believe that we, the people, should work towards constant innovation, a technological race to the top, even at the cost of humanity’s future. There is also an emerging thoughtform that suggests that humanity should sacrifice the planet, our very means of existence, to ensure that technology AI data personas would be preserved and reach their ultimate destiny.Peer-reviewed through The MIT Press and distributed by Penguin Random House, Epstein asked, “Who is profiting from these tech-centric futures, and how can we center humanity at the heart of engineering?” This is one of the most important books of our time.

Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com

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Dr Phil spoke at Madison Square Garden saying Trump wasnt a bully. Ha! Professor Yamada is an internationally recognized authority on workplace bullying. He is a professor of law and the director of the New Workplace Institute at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. It is the primary drafter of model workplace anti-bullying legislation known as the Healthy Workplace Bill, which is serving as a template for law reform efforts in the U.S. He also is the founding board chairperson of the International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence, which promotes the application and design of laws, legal procedures, and legal institutions that support psychological health and well-being. Professor Yamada identifies former President Donald Trump as being a classic workplace bully, constantly resorting to ridicule, name-calling, and cruel putdowns in his public and private behavior. These actions are consistent with some of the worst types of workplace bullying. Drawing from the DSM-V, Trump’s behaviors are often called “cluster B” traits or behaviors. Cluster B includes narcissism, sociopathy, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and attention-seeking. It is no wonder that 40 out of 44 former insiders from the Trump White House have now come out in favor of Kamala Harris. The idea of well-being is central to Professor Yamada’s work and the backbone of our discussion in this episode. Professor Yamada’s current work examines how the law, public policy, and dispute resolution procedures can be designed to be more trauma-informed, enhancing the well-being of those impacted by law and public policies.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAmU7E1zaycPovorrPQ4JJmBtwl_RgRy/view?usp=drive_link

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When thinking about political leaders—those with influence over national or global issues—how often do we consider the role of their political followers? Could you or I say “no” to a toxic leader and courageously defy their commands? This consideration is critical. Leaders don’t operate in isolation. They need political followers who support, amplify, and even challenge their actions. These checks and balances support strong, fair leadership and ensure the political process is just. To Stop a Tyrant is a book approved of by readers at both ends of the political spectrum as it is a non-partisan and evergreen topic. In my interview with Ira Chaleff, author of The Courageous Follower and Intelligent Disobedience: Doing Right When What You’re Told to Do Is Wrong, we explored this multifaceted relationship as he explained how political followers have the power to support healthy leadership or enable authoritarianism. His fascinating perspective comes from a dedicated career of studying the dynamics of leadership and followership – specifically in political contexts. Together, we unpacked his insights on what he calls “Courageous Followership,” his perspectives on intelligently and ethically disobeying harmful instructions from a leader, and the roles of followers who have the power to combat undue influence. 

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Pornhub was once recognized as the largest and most popular porn site in the world. The site made it easy for users to upload and download content, which is desirable in other contexts. However, these features pose significant threats when applied to freely accessible user-generated, homemade, pornography. Reports suggest that without adequate safeguards, there was a rapid increase in uploads of questionable, illegal, and violent content, including instances of nonconsensual sexual acts. More troublingly, such content became widely viewable and could be downloaded onto private devices. Laila Mickelwait is the author of the new book Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking. She is also the founder and CEO of the Justice Defense Fund, a non-profit organization that seeks to help bring justice to survivors of online sexual crimes. Numerous lawsuits have been filed based on sex trafficking, child abuse, and RICO laws in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., with claims that Visa and two hedge funds also knowingly profited from content depicting sexual abuse.

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My latest guest on the Influence Continuum is Amanda Tyler, a graduate of Georgetown University and The University of Texas School of Law, who has practiced privately as an attorney, as a law clerk for a U.S. district court judge in Dallas, Texas, and at various positions within the federal level. She is currently the Executive Director of the BJC ( Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) .Her new book is titled How to End Christian Nationalism. Amanda’s work has focused on constitutional law analysis and advocacy for ‘faith freedom for all,’ on which topics she has testified before Congress. She defined Christian nationalism as “a political ideology and a cultural framework that tries to merge American and Christian identities.” She based her foundation for religious freedoms squarely on the First Amendment, which stated, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” During our conversation, she shared her legal analysis and religious freedom advocacy perspective, highlighting that this scenario is currently threatened by Christian nationalism in the United States.

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United States history is often portrayed more through myth than historical fact. The true story of America, from its founding rebellion to the present day, is extraordinarily complex. The truth can sometimes seem almost unimaginable due to the numerous injustices and inequities throughout its history. Despite the ideals expressed by the nation’s founders in the Preamble to the Constitution—to form “a more perfect Union,” establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure liberty for future generations—America’s creation was rooted in systems of class and caste. As discussed in this episode of the Influence Continuum, the idea of a fair system initially created to be accessible to all is an aspect of that founding myth. 

Charles Derber, a Professor of Sociology at Boston College and life-long activist has authored 28 books on topics such as politics, democracy, fascism, corporations, capitalism, climate change, war, culture wars, and social change. In this episode of the Influence Continuum, he helped us delve deeper into the historical dynamics of class and caste. His latest book, co-authored with Yale R. Magrass, Who Owns Democracy? The Real Deep State and the Struggle Over Class and Caste in America presents a candid discussion about the hard truths of power and who predominantly bears the burden or responsibility of the deep state. This was a fascinating hour with a true scholar. 

Learn more about Steven Hassan and Freedom of Mind Resource Center. Visit freedomofmind.com

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