Rusty is a highly regarded New Zealand comedian based in Christchurch, known for his award-winning stand-up and energetic live performances. He has been a staple of the South Island comedy scene and has been described as a "cult classic" comedian. 

Rusty is known for his fast-paced, often chaotic, and "hilarious" storytelling, with reviews calling his work a "finely polished masterwork". His material often focuses on absurd observations and personal stories. 

He is a long-standing performer in the New Zealand comedy circuit, with a career spanning over 17 years as of 2018. 

Rusty grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and walked away as a teenager — and now he turns that world into comedy gold. His humour is dark, a little irreverent, and deeply personal, pulling from the strange, intense, and sometimes surreal moments of life inside a high-control religion. We met him at the Doomsday Comedy Event, loved his set, and invited him on the pod to unpack the story behind the jokes.

Roydon Gibbs grew up as a second-generation member of a Jehovah's Witness family. In the early 1950s, his mother, grandmother and father were recruited by Jehovah's Witnesses and became members. A decade later, Roydon was born, the youngest of five children in a family fully immersed in the world of Jehovah's Witnesses. At the age of 15, he became a ‘dedicated’ member and left school to become an enthusiastic and committed full-time recruiter. In his early twenties, he became a worker at the national headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses in New Zealand bringing him in close contact with national and international leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses. 

By the age of 26, Roydon was burnt out and found himself shamed, shunned, and ostracised by the only community he had ever known. This plunged Roydon into a dark period of addictions, depression and despair followed by recovery and the creating of a new life. Roydon is now in his 60s and his life is very different from the one he experienced in the first 26 years of his life.

Jonas Skogstroll is a Swedish comedian, human rights activist, and—perhaps most famously—a goat farmer living in Norway.

Having grown up within the strict confines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jonas spent his early life being told that the world outside the organization was a place of darkness and despair. Since leaving, he has dedicated himself to proving the exact opposite: that there is a wealth of joy, absurdity, and freedom to be found on the "outside."

Jonas is the mastermind behind Doomsday Comedy, a stand-up collective featuring comedians who have survived fundamentalist backgrounds. By transforming religious trauma into punchlines, he provides a cathartic space for survivors to laugh at the very things that once controlled them.

Recently, Jonas made waves in New Zealand during his 2026 tour, where he balanced sold-out comedy sets with peaceful protests at Jehovah’s Witness conventions. Known for his "one-man Muppet Show" energy and his recent ADHD diagnosis (which he weaves brilliantly into his storytelling), Jonas brings a refreshing, high-energy perspective on what it means to truly reclaim your life.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The transition from "religious fanatic" to stand-up comedian.

• The healing power of humor in cult recovery.

• His mission to show young people still inside high-control groups that there is a vibrant life waiting for them.

• And, of course, what life is really like as a Swedish goat farmer in Norway.

Jennie Burt was born into the Jehovah’s Witness faith, a world that shaped every aspect of her childhood. Raised within a strict and insular belief system, she was baptized at just 12 years old and quickly became a door-to-door Pioneer, dedicating her young life to the teachings she had been raised to believe without question. But by the age of 15 or 16, Jennie’s life took a dramatic turn when she was disfellowshipped—cut off from the only community she had ever known and subjected to the painful practice of shunning.

Her early years were marked by intense control, coercion, and abuse. Being cast out so young left Jennie vulnerable, and the decades that followed were spent in another deeply controlling and abusive relationship and marriage that lasted from the age of 16 until she was 49.

Yet Jennie’s story is not defined by what was done to her—it is defined by how she survived it.

At 50, Jennie began rebuilding her life on her own terms. Now 66, she is a proud mother of two incredible children and a loving grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren. Supported by loyal friends, caring family, and the guidance of an exceptional psychologist, Jennie has reclaimed her voice, her identity, and her future.

Today, she shares her story to show others that life after a cult is possible. Her journey is one of resilience, healing, and rediscovery—a powerful reminder that no matter how long you’ve been controlled or silenced, it is never too late to find yourself and create a new life.

Scott is a first time filmmaker. He was raised in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in the heart of the Great Lakes region, where the culture is fiercely DIY. His dad joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses when he was child. Taught by eccentric parents to defy cultural norms, Scott created his first two student documentaries at 17 in a high school program. He worked at Channel 7 News running camera and sound in Wausau, WI and then went to photography school in Minneapolis during the transition from film to digital. In his late 20s, Scott came to the conclusion he didn’t believe in their God, Jehovah, and realised he was an atheist. For this, he was completely cut off by his family that remained in the religion. 

He later lived abroad for seven years in Ecuador and Vietnam where he primarily focused on developing the skills to run a boutique documentary production studio. He and two friends in Hanoi created Banana Island Films, a music video and documentary production company that he runs to this day. [email protected]

Laura was recruited into Shincheonji, a Korean Christian cult, in Auckland at the age of 27 and was a member for 5 years, giving up her job, savings and distancing herself from friends and family.

She has been out for over 5 years now and has slowly rebuilt her life, rediscovering who she is, from running a marathon to taking hip hop classes, dipping her toes into the world of dating apps, travelling and moving back to her hometown of Christchurch.

She has spoken out about her experience over the past few years including the Decult Conference in 2024 in the hope that others can avoid being recruited, and so current members know there is life after leaving.

An incredible conversation with Alisa Woodruff and Jaya Mangalam Gibson. We’re really excited for you to hear this one.

Alisa Woodruff is a counsellor, artist, based in Christchurch, New Zealand. She recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Arts Therapy and is interested in how creativity, storytelling, and reflection can help people make sense of complex life experiences. As a second-generation cult member of Subud herself, Alisa brings both personal insight and professional curiosity to conversations about leaving high-control groups.

On Unspun, she helps create thoughtful spaces where people can share their stories and explore what rebuilding life beyond those systems can look like.

Having grown up within high-control environments, including Subud, Alisa brings lived experience to the conversations Unspun exists for — life after, recovery, and rebuilding on the outside. Unravelling cult narratives, thread by thread.

A survivor of both the Fourth Way and Falun Gong, Jaya Mangalam Gibson has spent over a decade deconstructing the complexities of high-control environments. As a volunteer organiser for Uncult Ōtautahi survivors group and a key member of the Decult team, Jaya is dedicated to building peer-led support systems for those navigating the aftermath of spiritual and psychological abuse. Through Unspun, he brings a blend of raw lived experience and a passion for helping others reclaim their autonomy. Based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Jaya is committed to untangling the threads of the past to help survivors weave a future defined by their own voices.