Twin Flames Universe promises devotees a path to ascension through finding their ultimate lover, and building a permanent, harmonious union. But former followers have accused the organisation of exploitative labour, encouraging people to stay in abusive relationships, and pressuring members to undergo gender reassignment.

Guest: Kara Brodsky

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Aussie listeners can win some Audio-Technica goodies here!

Links:

• “Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe — by Alice Hines, Vanity Fair, 3 December 2020
• This YouTube School Promised True Love. Students Say They Got Exploited Instead — by Sarah Berman, VICE, 6 February 2020
• Accused Cult Leader Threatened Ex-Members After VICE Investigation — by Sarah Berman, VICE, 12 March 2020
• Twin Flames Universe — official website, accessed September 2022
• Church of Union — official website, accessed September 2022
• EndersAdventures.com — 2012 archived snapshot of former website of ‘Lifestyle Design Entrepreneur’ Ender Ayanethos (later Jeff Ayan)
• Warrior Forum — posts from Ender Ayanethos, May to December 2012
• Keely Griffin on Twin Flames & Other Dumpster Fires — A Little Bit Culty, 14 February 2022
• Twin Flames: Finding Your Ultimate Lover — by Jeff and Shaleia, September 2015
• The Mirror Exercise (OFFICIAL) | The Only Tool You'll Ever Need — Twin Flames Universe YouTube video, 10 February 2019

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In January 2018, Avi started seeing a new psychologist in Melbourne, Australia. She'd experienced childhood trauma, and wanted to get some help with managing panic attacks. The registered psychologist she found seemed to be a great fit.

But a couple of months into the 2020 lockdowns, Avi realised that her life had become completely entwined with her psychologist’s. Over time, Avi came to understand that her psychologist had been trying to groom her into a cult.

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

• The Other C Word – by Her, 28 February 2021
• Register of Practitioners – Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) website

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Samael Aun Weor claimed that he could remember his own birth, and had identified the only true path to spiritual development. Crucial to his religion was a sexual practice that involved couples never reaching orgasm. Though many who follow his belief system understand sickness to be a result of one’s own karma, their master died of stomach cancer in 1977. He claimed that when he died, he would be resurrected.

Guest: Lynn Short

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 5 of Let's Talk About Sects. Aussie listeners can win some Audio-Technica goodies here!

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

Links:

• Three Mountains — by Samael Aun Weor, Glorian Publishing, 2008
• Samael Aun Weor — New World Encyclopedia, accessed July 2022
• The Social Christ — by Samael Aun Weor, 1964
• Inside the Vestibule of Wisdom — by Samael Aun Weor, 1953
• Lynn Short - The New Gnostic Society, Sexual Alchemy, & Lucid Dreaming — Trust Me podcast, 6 April 2022
• Former member of Circle for Investigation of Gnostic Anthropology Aust (CIGA) and Gnosis in Australia — Name Withheld, entry on the CIFS website

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Sarah Edmondson is an actor, voice over artist and activist who spent 12 years in NXIVM, rising from student to coach to eventually running her own center in Vancouver, Canada. After becoming involved with its secret society, DOS, she managed to escape and alongside her husband Anthony ‘Nippy’ Ames, became a whistleblower on the cult and worked with the FBI to expose Keith Raniere’s crimes. Today Sarah and Nippy make the fantastic podcast A Little Bit Culty, in which they speak with some incredible guests including other former cult members and experts in cult dynamics.

Guests: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony ‘Nippy’ Ames

Full research sources listed on each episode page at www.ltaspod.com. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support 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).

Links:

• A Little Bit Culty — Sarah and Nippy’s podcast
• Uncover: Escaping NXIVM — CBC podcast featuring Sarah Edmondson
• The Vow — HBO series featuring Sarah Edmondson
• Resources — a collection of useful resources on cults at Sarah Edmondson’s website
• Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life — by Sarah Edmondson with Kristine Gasbarre, Hardie Grant, 2019
• Take Back Your Life — by Janja Lalich & Madeleine Tobias, Bay Tree, 2006, audiobook narrated by Sarah Edmondson
• Nippy’s Instagram, Sarah’s Instagram and Twitter, and A Little Bit Culty’s Instagram

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Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is published by Pan Macmillan Australia, and out on 28 June 2022. It will be available in audiobook, ebook and paperback. This is chapter 1, read by Sarah for the audiobook release.

"In times of uncertainty when you long for simple answers and have a deep desire for community, you can find yourself incrementally handing over your agency to a charismatic but authoritarian and manipulative leader or group-think. In this book Sarah Steel has brilliantly charted how this happens in all sorts of ways and for all sorts of people; it provides an invaluable map to navigate this dangerous terrain." - Reverend Tim Costello AO

"This book is a most comprehensive and studied look at cults, the leaders, and perhaps most importantly the survivors. Sarah Steel has given the world a real gem - one that will not only educate but also help to destigmatize those who have been harmed by cults and con artists. Bravo!" - Dr Janja Lalich, Professor Emerita of Sociology, Co-Founder of Take Back Your Life Recovery LLC, International Authority on Cults & Coercion

"Sarah uses the stories of survivors to tease out the common threads of coercive control shared by cults and found in other parts of society. The result is a much-needed spotlight on the behaviours and personalities we are likely to encounter even if we never go anywhere near a cult." - David Gillespie, bestselling author and lawyer

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Lisa Kendall spent the ages of 9-19 in The Move of God, Sam Fife's Apocalyptic cult. Today, she devotes her time to working on policy changes that will help former cult members and children in high-demand organisations. For this bonus episode she speaks about her work with Counter Cult Coalition, the organisation she founded alongside spiritual abuse expert Kent Burtner.

From its Facebook page: “Counter Cult Coalition's mission is to raise awareness of issues related to involvement in coercive groups known as cults and to improve public policy in order to protect and provide for children harmed by group involvement.”

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

• Counter Cult Coalition – Facebook page
• To support Counter Cult Coalition, you can donate via PayPal: [email protected]; or via Venmo: William Burtner (phone confirmation number: 3429)

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KwaSizabantu means “the place where people are helped” in Zulu. Erika Bornman spent most of her childhood years at the KwaSizabantu Mission. Her memoir Mission of Malice is about her childhood, and about her life since leaving. It’s an incredible read.

Daniel Schricker is a composer and writer based in Adelaide, South Australia. He also spent his childhood and teenage years in KwaSizabantu, and has written a series of articles entitled Scaring the Hell Out of You, “A 4-part examination of the role of fear in the theology and practices of KwaSizabantu and the psychological implications for children”.

This bonus episode is an interview with Erika and Daniel, who were kind enough to share their insights, including why they have doubts that KwaSizabantu is capable of changing for the better.

Guests: Erika Bornman & Daniel Schricker

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

Links:

• Mission of Malice: My Exodus from KwaSizabantu – by Erika Bornman, Penguin Random House South Africa, August 2021
• Scaring the Hell Out of You – Part 1: Fear of God, Part 2: Fear of Authority, Part 3: Fear of Self, Part 4: Fear of the Outside World – by Daniel Schricker, 18 September 2021
• Mission of malice by Erika Bornman: A reader impression – by Daniel Schricker, LitNet, 20 August 2021
• Devotion KwaSizabantu Mission – 9 September 2020

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David Freeman was handed over to Anne Hamilton Byrne at the age of two, when he went to live with the other children at The Family’s Lake Eildon property. It took 12 years before he was rescued by the police, and given his freedom. At 15, he vowed not to tell anyone about his childhood in the notorious Victorian cult, and it was a promise he kept for 25 years.

Guest: David Freeman

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

Links:

• Deprived of his childhood in a notorious cult — by Einar Þór Sigurðsson, Fréttablaðið, 5 February 2021

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Gloriavale Christian Community is recognised around New Zealand for the distinctive dress of its members, especially the women, who wear headscarves to denote submission to men, and a neck-to-ankle garment designed by the group’s Australian founder, Neville Cooper. Some say the community represents a pious life set up around ideals of sharing everything, but others say the way it’s set up is breeding predators.

Guests: Hannah Harrison, Liz Gregory

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 4 of Let's Talk About Sects.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

Links:

• Gloriavale Christian Community — official website, accessed March 2021
• Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust — official website, accessed March 2021
• The Christian Church Community Trust Charities Services Investigation — 22 December 2016, supplied under the Official Information Act to Newsroom and published 28 March 2017
• Lilia Tarawa — official website, accessed March 2021
• Who was Hopeful Christian and how did he rise to notoriety at Gloriavale? — by Brad Flahive, Stuff, 15 May 2018
• Gloriavale: A World Apart — directed by Amanda Evans, 2016
• Gloriavale: The Return — directed by Amanda Evans, 2018
• Gloriavale leavers describe fear, oppression in community — Logan Church, Checkpoint, RNZ, 14 November 2019

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Gloriavale Christian Community has found itself in the New Zealand media headlines on multiple occasions. Its founder was once jailed for sexual abuse, but community members were convinced that it he was jailed for preaching the gospel. Followers claim that their way of life is all about the common good and nobody having more than anyone else. Former members say their time there was dominated by endless work and an overriding sense of fear.

Guests: Hannah Harrison, Liz Gregory

Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.

With thanks to Audio-Technica, presenting partner for season 4 of Let's Talk About Sects.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.

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.

Links:

• Gloriavale Christian Community — official website, accessed March 2021
• Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust — official website, accessed March 2021
• The Christian Church Community Trust Charities Services Investigation — 22 December 2016, supplied under the Official Information Act to Newsroom and published 28 March 2017
• Lilia Tarawa — official website, accessed March 2021
• Who was Hopeful Christian and how did he rise to notoriety at Gloriavale? — by Brad Flahive, Stuff, 15 May 2018
• Gloriavale: A World Apart — directed by Amanda Evans, 2016
• Gloriavale: The Return — directed by Amanda Evans, 2018
• Gloriavale leavers describe fear, oppression in community — Logan Church, Checkpoint, RNZ, 14 November 2019

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