By Sarah Steel
Let's Talk About Sects is an award-winning monthly podcast focusing on a different cult each episode. Sarah takes a storytelling, deep dive approach, looking at the history of a sect's leaders, the
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The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.
The Revival Fellowship is a Pentecostal Australian sect that believes in Bible Numerics, a thoroughly debunked theory about numerical patterns found within the Bible. It also teaches British Israelism, generally considered to be unscientific and ahistorical and by some as a justification for racism. The Fellowship would say its teachings are in line with 'complementarianism', though women have no place in the hierarchy or leadership of the organisation. Over the years since it formed from a schism with Revival Centres International in the 1990s, the offshoot (as well as the RCI itself) has faced numerous accusations from former members that it operates as a cult.
Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.
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Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
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AJ was sent to the Running River school in around 2007, to attend kindergarten when she was five or six years old. The school was headed up by longtime Divine Madness community member Nancy Monson, and founder Marc ‘Yo’ Tizer didn’t have a whole lot to do with it. AJ stayed in the school up until sixth grade, when a new teacher became concerned and shared with parents some of the things he had found out. As soon as AJ’s parents realised the serious deficits in her education, along with some other worrying details, they pulled her from Running River. The school shut down soon afterwards, around 2014.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.
Links:
If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com).
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr Tabitha Chapman is the founder of The Freedom Train Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides crucial services for individuals exiting cults or coercive environments. One initiative of the project is International Cult Awareness Month (ICAM) which just concluded its third annual instalment in August 2024 with a focus on policy and cults. In this episode, Tabitha shares some highlights of ICAM, thoughts on policy, and how we can all help to effect change.
Tabitha’s personal journey and struggle within NXIVM deeply influenced her resolve to create a support system for others facing similar situations. Her firsthand experience provided unique insights into the needs of victims of coercive control and cultic abuse. This drives the mission and services of The Freedom Train Project.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.
Links:
If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com).
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dr Caroline Ansley is the founder of Centrepoint Restoration Project, a website that serves as a connection point, archive of information and safe landing space for former children of New Zealand’s notorious Centrepoint cult – with which Caroline has personal experience. She is also a General Practitioner, with over 20 years' clinical experience in community medicine, and 10 years' experience working in clinical leadership in the Canterbury Health System. As Senior Clinical Editor of Canterbury and West Coast Community Healthpathways, Dr Ansley is uniquely positioned to help health practitioners navigate the complexities around healthcare when it comes to current and former cult members.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.
Links:
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
You may recall the name ‘Esther Rockett’ from episode 2, season 3 of this podcast, which was all about Universal Medicine – Serge Benhayon’s esoteric healing cult in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Esther has been blogging about the more alarming elements of Serge’s ‘modalities’ since 2012, and he sued her for defamation in 2015. The case went to trial in 2018, and in an incredible David and Goliath tale, Esther’s defence proved that the bulk of the defamatory claims found to have been conveyed in her writings were true. Esther's new book 'Universal Predator' is out now and it's all about this battle. It is riveting reading.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.
Links:
With thanks to our episode sponsor, The Finance and Property Survival Guide podcast. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia, or with the International Cultic Studies Association.
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tore Klevjer has been involved with the volunteer charity organisation Cult Information and Family Support (CIFS) since its very formation almost three decades ago, in 1996. Avid listeners of this podcast will know that the end of every episode mentions CIFS. We’re lucky in Australia to have this incredibly dedicated group of volunteers who support those impacted by cults and offer a variety of assistance to both former members and the loved ones of those affected. Find out what CIFS does, what it sees as the biggest obstacles facing leavers, how to support its work, and what drives Tore to keep at it after all these years.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation or merch purchase.
Links:
With thanks to our episode sponsor, The Finance and Property Survival Guide podcast. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia, or with the International Cultic Studies Association.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website.
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cecilia Peck and Inbal B. Lessner are the director/producer/editor team behind the award-winning Escaping Twin Flames, a three-part documentary series for Netflix about Twin Flames Universe – a cult you may remember from season 5. This powerhouse duo has turned their talents to investigating high-control groups over their last couple of projects, with Cecilia and Inbal also behind the Starz series Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. Their filmmaking takes a trauma-informed approach with deep care for its subjects, and they share more about this as well as what they found out about Twin Flames for this interview episode.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation.
Links:
With thanks to our episode sponsor, The Finance and Property Survival Guide podcast. If you've been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, head to Cult Information and Family Support or the International Cultic Studies Association.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website.
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For his 2017 PhD, John Hunter put forward a hypothesis that offers insights into both the “transformational” experiences associated with large group awareness training (LGAT) participation and the common claims of psychological harm and problematic behaviour associated with participation. Dr Hunter presented his work at the 2023 International Cultic Studies Association conference, and for this episode, he breaks down some of his findings – including where LGATs may or may not intersect with cults and cult-like behaviour.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation.
Links:
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A little update from Sarah about what to expect with Let's Talk About Sects now that we're winding up the sixth season of the show. Don't worry, we're not going anywhere! But there are a few small changes to make sure that this project remains sustainable.
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/ltaspod
https://www.ltaspod.com/supporters
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the last episode of season 5, we looked into a Boulder, Colorado community then known as Divine Madness and led by Marc Tizer, usually referred to as 'Yo'. Its members were recognised for some amazing results in ultramarathons. At the time of researching that episode, updates about the current status of the group were hard to come by.
Deru Youmans came across a listing for 'The Retreat' in the Gila National Forest on the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) website, and it sounded amazing. Their recent experience in this remote community had them very concerned for others who might come across a similar listing in the future.
Full episode page here. You can support us on Patreon or with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.
Thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 6 of Let's Talk About Sects.
Links:
Subscribe and support the production of this independent podcast, and you can access early + ad-free episodes at https://plus.acast.com/s/lets-talk-about-sects.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast currently has 87 episodes available.
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