Jan Broberg, kidnapping survivor and subject of the Peacock documentary Friend of the Family: True Evil (plus scripted series Friend of the Family), describes how Robert Berchtold seduced Jan's mom to get to Jan, and what it was like the second time he abducted her, keeping her hidden for 4 months in Southern California. She discusses how deeply brainwashed she was even after she was rescued and had limited contact with Berchtold, how he continued to try to intimidate Jan's family, and what the recovery process was like for her and her family. Plus, the advocacy work she's doing now with the Jan Broberg foundation.

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Jan Broberg, kidnapping survivor and subject of the Peacock documentary Friend of the Family: True Evil (plus scripted series Friend of the Family), shares her story of how a man from church befriended her family when she was a child, grooming and seducing both of her parents to get to Jan. She discusses how the man, Robert Berchtold, kidnapped her and set up an elaborate scheme to convince her that she had a mission involving an alien race... and the way to complete it was to have his baby. And that's just the first kidnapping. 

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp! Learn more and save 10% off your first month at BetterHelp.com/trust 

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Lola and Meagan celebrate their 100th episode by looking back at some of their most awe-inspiring, informative, and touching moments from their interviews with former Moonie Steve Hassan, NXIVM survivor India Oxenberg, former Manson girl Dianne Lake, Heaven's Gate survivor Frank Lyford, and more!

This episode of Trust Me is brought to you by the Amazon Music exclusive podcast - SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow - Download the Amazon Music App today!

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Lola and Meagan continue their conversation with Elishaba Doerksen, author of Out of the Wilderness: Escaping My Father's Prison and My Journey to Forgiveness. Elishaba discuess her family's move to Alaska, how her father's physical abuse turned sexual after years of grooming, how she finally escaped, how she mentally adjusted to life in normal society, and the process of healing that many layers of trauma.

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Elishaba Doerksen, author of Out of the Wilderness: Escaping My Father's Prison and My Journey to Forgiveness, describes how her father rejected his well-to-do upbringing, became a hippie, and eventually found Christianity, deeming himself a sort of prophet. In part one of her story, she shares how he moved their entire family into a cabin in the wilderness with no electricity or running water, the gaslighting and physical abuse he inflicted on her, and how in the midst of her trauma she found comfort in their animals. 

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Actor Abigail Kochunas and our very own Meagan Elizabeth share stories of what they saw and were subjected to as students in Gloria Gifford's Acting Conservatory including classes that would go on for hours, public humiliation, and the unusual level of control Gloria had over the lives of her members. Abigail shares how much time and money she invested into her education with Gloria, missing nearly every christmas with her family for over a decade, Gloria's ties to Scientology and the Hollywood Reporter article in which numerous former students spoke out.

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Sari Crawford, host of podcast The Sunshine Place, details her father's involvement with Synanon, the notorious drug rehabilitation program turned cult. Sari shares what led Charles Dederich to found the group in the 1950s, Synanon's early success helping addicts recover, and practices like "the game" and "the trip." She also discusses how the group's attitudes towards violence changed as Dederich became more controlling, how her father became a leader within the group and why he eventually left, and how growing up around former Synanon members has impacted her own life.

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Author and anti-revenge porn activist Charlotte Laws details her battle against the infamous founder of IsAnyoneUp.com and the subject of Netflix's The Most Hated Man on the Internet, Hunter Moore. She shares how her daughter Kayla's photos were hacked and stolen by Hunter, how he refused to take down his victim's photos, how his online following became cult-like and scary, and how Charlotte continues to fight Hunter and revenge porn.

Learn how to battle revenge porn below:

https://cybercivilrights.org/ 

https://www.cyberrightsproject.com/ 

Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at Trust Me Pod @gmail.com

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Lola & Meagan re-open up the hotline to Stephanie in Los Angeles as she shares how she was stalked and subjected to financial abuse by her narcissist ex-husband, and Annie in Utah who discusses coming out as a lifelong Mormon, the hardship she experienced on her mission, how she left the LDS church, and her work today supporting LGBT+ youth.

Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at Trust Me Pod @gmail.com

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Chris Bail, professor and director of the Polarization Lab at Duke University, talks about his work in computational social science, why social echo chambers don't work the way we think they do, how our needs for identity and community factor into extremism, and why the moderate majority is the quietest online. Plus, what online trolls are like in real life, how society's attraction to narcissists is part of the problem, and what a better social media could look like.

Learn more about Chris' work HERE!!! 

Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at Trust Me Pod @gmail.com

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