Harry Robert Bruner was brought into Sri Chinmoy as a child, joining the organisation run by Chinmoy Kumar Ghose at the age of 12. Chinmoy claimed he lifted weights totalling 7063¾ pounds (or over 3,200kg) with one arm on 30 January 1987. He also faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with female devotees. Harry left at the age of 30, and wrote and performed a solo show about this experiences in Sri Chinmoy called ‘Nephew of the Universe’. Through Creative Exit Coaching he now helps others disentangle from destructive beliefs, reclaim their voice, and tell their own stories.

Links

• Creative Exit Counselling — Harry's work assisting survivors to reclaim their creativity after leaving a high-control group
• I Was in a Cult. Leaving Wasn’t the Hardest Part — by Harry Rob Bruner, Medium, 16 August 2025
• The Media’s Love Affair With Alleged Sex Criminal Sri Chinmoy — by Edwin Lyngar, Salon, 9 May 2014
• New York Times Crossword — 10 December 2025

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). Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here. With thanks to Money Saver Home Loans, supporting partner for this episode of Let's Talk About Sects.

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Allison after NXIVM tells the story of Allison Mack: former Smallville actress, high-ranking NXIVM member, and convicted felon. With exclusive access following her release from prison, the series traces her astonishing path from Smallville fame to NXIVM’s inner circle – and her effort to rebuild a life in the wreckage.

Host, writer and executive producer Natalie Robehmed spoke with Sarah about the new podcast series, her impressions of Allison Mack, why she decided to be involved with this story, and the ethical considerations around making the series.

Links

• Uncover: Allison After NXIVM — Campside Media, 2025
• Natalie Robehmed — Natalie's website
• NXIVM — Let's Talk About Sects' episode about the organisation, 18 September 2019

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). With thanks to Money Saver Home Loans, supporting partner for this episode of Let's Talk About Sects.

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Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult is Ellen Huet’s excellent new book, described as “a cautionary tale of sex and salvation for the wellness generation: how orgasmic meditation turned into a cult.” Let's Talk About Sects dived into OneTaste back in November 2020, and a lot has happened since then, including arrests, trials, and guilty verdicts. So it was the perfect time to speak with the journalist who broke one of the most important stories about the true nature of OneTaste back in 2018.

Links

• Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult — by Ellen Huet, MCD, November 2025
• The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company — by Ellen Huet, Bloomberg Businessweek, 18 June 2018

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). With thanks to Money Saver Home Loans, supporting partner for this episode of Let's Talk About Sects.

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Danny Rensch grew up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness, a cult he usually refers to as ‘the Collective’. Started by Steven and Trina Kamp, the group followed the teachings of a Dr Pahlvon Duran, whose spirit first visited Trina when she was 9. In trances, she would convey the teachings of Dr Duran, whose last lifetime was lived as an Englishman in the 15th century. The group lived communally dispersed across basic housing in Tonto Village, Arizona.

The Collective’s small charter school, the Shelby School, became renowned for the performance of its chess team, and Danny Rensch was its star performer. By 14 he was a US Chess Federation national master, which was an Arizona state record at that age, and at 19 he was ranked first in the United States for his age, when he also achieved his first international master norm. Today he is the Chief Chess Officer and co-founder of Chess.com. In his memoir, Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life, out on 6 September and available now for pre-order, Danny delves into this part of his story for the first time.

Links:

• Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life — by Danny Rensch, Hachette, September 2025
• Chess.com — With Danny Rensch's profile and statistics

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).

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From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate, to the Octopus Murders and the Waco Siege, the world is full of deception, manipulation, and destruction. Listen to Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes every Wednesday as we explore the real people at the centre of the world’s most shocking secrets and nefarious organizations. Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes is a Crime House Original powered by PAVE Studios. Follow the show now so you don’t miss a single story.

Listen and follow here: https://link.podtrac.com/c6zbxkmi

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The Logos Foundation was often described as ‘mysterious’ in media coverage, but became a part of the religious right that published full page newspaper advertisements encouraging the electorate to vote on ‘moral’ issues at Queensland state elections in the late 1980s. LTAS looked into the organisation in Season 5, and you can listen to that episode here.

'Fynn' (not their real name) was born into the Logos Foundation, and in this interview episode shares the extent to which a childhood in a group like this impacted their family and their life, even many decades later.

Links:

• Survivors of the Logos Foundation Australia — a new Facebook group set up by Fynn to help former members connect
• The Logos Foundation — LTAS episode with further research links, 16 November 2022

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).

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 at www.iasp.info.

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Clare Heath-McIvor is the daughter of the leader of the City Builders Church, an organisation that she and others who know it feel confident fits the definition of a cult. Her marriage was arranged within the church to Patrick McIvor, a man who had survived gay conversion therapy. Since leaving, the now-happily-separated pair have become involved in a number of social justice issues, including the current Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, and Patrick's work was crucial to the ban on conversion therapy practices in Victoria.

Links:

• Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria, open for submissions until 31 July 2025 and due to deliver findings in September 2026
• Clare Heath-McIvor's Linktree with her Substack, TikTok, Twitter and more
• Unchurchable podcast
• Caring church or crazy cult? The extreme religion praying for power — 60 Minutes Australia, 20 November 2022
• Victorian Cult Survivors Network — Facebook group

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.

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).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2011, an 18-year-old Liz Cameron joined a Bible study group she only knew as ‘Sarang Church’. Over the coming months, she lost more and more of her life and identity to the group that eventually revealed it was part of a larger South Korean organisation called Providence or JMS – which she was told not to google. Liz managed to find her way out of her indoctrination with the help of her family, and has just released her memoir about her experiences, Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed – and how I broke free.

Links:

• Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed – and how I broke free — by Liz Cameron, Hardie Grant Publishing, June 2025
• liztheformer — Liz Cameron's TikTok channel
• The Cult Next Door — 7News Spotlight episode, 2 July 2023
• In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal — Netflix documentary about Providence/JMS, 2023
• Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria, open for submissions until 31 July 2025 and due to deliver findings in September 2026

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.

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).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Parliament of Victoria has launched an Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, which is open for submissions until 31 July 2025. If you or anyone you know has been involved with a cult that has a presence in Victoria, Australia, you're highly encouraged to make a submission. There’s also an anonymous questionnaire option available for those who might not wish to make a full submission.

Ryan and Catherine Carey are two former members of the Geelong Revival Centre who – along with a working group of other cult survivors – have been at the forefront in instigating this inquiry. They secured the support of Victoria’s Labor State Member for Geelong and Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples Christine Couzens, and Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny, who launched the Inquiry in April 2025. It's due to deliver its findings in September 2026.

Links:

• Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria, open for submissions until 31 July 2025 and due to deliver findings in September 2026
• Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder podcast
• Stop Religious Coercion Australia — websitem Facebook group, TikTok and Instagram
• Victorian Cult Survivors Network — Facebook group

You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.

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).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Falun Gong is familiar to many as a spiritual exercise movement, and a sect that has been persecuted by the People’s Republic of China. In Sydney you'll often see practitioners demonstrating by Town Hall with flyers sharing stories of organ harvesting of wrongfully imprisoned members. But former devotees have come forward with stories of coercion and abuse, alleging that in one thing the CCP is correct: Falun Gong is a socially harmful cult.

Full research sources listed here.

Links:

• “I am the only one propagating true Dharma”: Li Hongzhi’s Self-Presentation as Buddha and Greater — by James R. Lewis, ColomboArts Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol II, Issue 2, 2017
• The life and times of Li Hongzhi: ‘Falun Gong’ and Religious Biography — by Benjamin Penny, The China Quarterly 175, 643–661, 2003
• The power of Falun Gong — By Eric Campbell and Hagar Cohen, Foreign Correspondent-Background Briefing, ABC, 21 July 2020
• Shen Yun: The Dark Side of a Dance Troupe — The Daily, New York Times Podcasts, 3 April 2025
• Facebook bans ads from The Epoch Times after huge pro-Trump buy — by Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins, NBC News, 23 August 2019
• This Pro-Trump YouTube Network Sprang Up Just After He Lost — by Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed News, 8 January 2021
• A key source for Covid-skeptic movements, the Epoch Times yearns for a global audience — by Alessio Perrone & Darren Loucaides, coda, 10 March 2022
• DoJ accuses far-right Epoch Times of being money-laundering operation — by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian, 4 June 2024
• Behind the Pageantry of Shen Yun, Untreated Injuries and Emotional Abuse — by Nicole Hong & Michael Rothfeld, The New York Times, 15 August 2024
• Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun — by Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 March 2019
• Their posters are everywhere, but behind Shen Yun lies a darker story — by Anthony Segaert, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 February 2025
• Consider supporting Decult in NZ

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