Was I In A Cult?

After finding her passion in Bikram Yoga while in her 20s, Jennifer Boeder aspires to become a Bikram teacher and plops down $5000 to sign up for the two-month teacher training. 

But after only a few days of being trapped in a smelly, windowless warehouse and getting yelled at by sycophantic trainers, she starts to see the truth. Turns out the "great and powerful guru," Bikram Choudhury, is less great and powerful, and more toxic and tyrannical.  From the degrading remarks to the unbearable conditions, Jennifer’s story highlights the dark side of a supposed path to enlightenment.

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Merch has arrived! Click here to check it out. 

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Thanks to everyone who supports our show. It really helps us. Can’t afford to contribute monetarily? Reviews and ratings help a bunch. Thank you.

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Find Jennifer: @jenniferruth

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A couple weeks ago we published an episode featuring Ashleigh Teeter, who was ostracized from her family because of her cult leader father. Today we feature her youngest brother's story of growing up in that house long after Ashleigh was gone. 14 years her junior, Mattie was just a young boy when her sister was deemed demonic by his father. And for almost 25 years the siblings never spoke to each other. Today we welcome Mattie to share his heartbreaking story… a boy who was never allowed to talk to a girl without brutal consequences.

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Today, Mattie and Ashleigh are not only reunited but they host a podcast about their upbringing together. It’s called “The Cult Next Door” and is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thanks to everyone who supports our show. It really helps us. Can’t afford to contribute monetarily? Reviews and ratings help a bunch. Thank you!

If you would like to support us, head to our Patreon 

Follow us: instagram/TikTok @wasiinacult

Listen to Mattie & Ashleigh's podcast: The Cult Next Door @cultnextdoorpodcast (insta/tiktok)

Have your own story and want to be on our show? 

Email us: [email protected] 

**NOTE: This episode originally ran in 2022**

She's a hustler, baby. And she just wants you to know. Roberta Blevins was taught to be a self-starter. Inspired by her self-made father, she knew that if you put your mind to it, anything can happen. And it's true. Anything can happen. But that's the problem with anything. Anything sometimes includes MLM's. Multi-level marketing (schemes). This is a story of a dynamite go-getter and how she crawled her way into a box of fart leggings and eventually... crawled her way out. 

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Roberta hosts her own podcast: Life After MLM. Check it out! @lifeaftermlmpodcast

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Find us on Instagram/Tiktok: @wasiinacult (Instagram for the legging pic!)

Help keep this show going by supporting us on Patreon 

Have your own story and want to be on our show? 

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Follow Roberta: @therealrobertablevins

Today's episode dives into the extraordinary story of Ashleigh Teeter, who grew up in the World Wide Church of God... a cult in its own right. But when the church splits due to a new leader’s ideas, Ashleigh’s world gets turned upside down. She witnesses her own father become a cult leader, and then get ostracized from her nuclear family for almost 25 years. Why? Listen to find out.

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Ashleigh hosts her own podcast about her upbringing. It’s called “The Cult Next Door” and is available wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thanks to everyone who supports our show. It really helps! 

If you don’t yet, but would like to, head to our Patreon 

Follow us: instagram/TikTok @wasiinacult

Listen to Ashleigh’s podcast: The Cult Next Door @cultnextdoorpodcast (insta/tiktok)

Follow Ashleigh: @ashleighrb5

Have your own story and want to be on our show? 

Email us: [email protected]

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Try VIIA Hemp! https://bit.ly/viiainacult and use code INACULT! (15% off)

WARNING: This episode discuss sexual assault.

A girl with a dream, Amanda was recruited from high school into what she thought would be the path to fulfilling that dream. But a superior's abuse of power forced her life in a different direction. This is a powerful and important story shared from an often underrepresented perspective: a woman in the US military. Told with grace, strength, humility, and humor, it is an absolute pleasure providing Amanda with a platform to let her story be known. 

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WARNING: This episode discuss sexual assault.

A girl with a dream, Amanda was recruited from high school into what she thought would be the path to fulfilling that dream. But a superior's abuse of power forced her life in a different direction. This is a powerful and important story shared from an often underrepresented perspective: a woman in the US military. Told with grace, strength, humility, and humor, it is an absolute pleasure providing Amanda with a platform to let her story be known. 

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Welcome to PART 2 of Jessica Hopper’s journey into and out of a pole dancing cult. This episode takes us to the peak of the cult, including protégés, unpaid labor, surreal bookclubs, emotional breakdowns, and coercion retreats. The leader, Sheila, is quite “pole"-arizing, to say the least. Jessica’s breaking point, comes at an unexpected but important time in history, and leads to her eventually breaking free. A wonderfully articulate soul who shares her story with a no-holds-bar type of attitude, Jessica’s wit and vulnerability shine through in her retelling. Thank you again for showing us, Jessica, that cults can live literally anywhere. 

Meet the very funny and very bold Jessica Hopper, as she dives into her bizarre and unexpected journey into a pole dancing cult. Yes, a pole dancing cult at a studio called S-Factor in Los Angeles, CA. What began as a fun pole dancing class turned into an intense, all-consuming experience. Jessica shares her story of quitting her job, enduring rigorous and costly training, and grappling with the beginnings of the cult-like culture within S-Factor. With humor and honesty, Jessica reveals the highs and lows, the camaraderie and the disillusionment. This is just PART 1 of her illuminating experience. Thank you, Jessica. You are an absolute hoot, and it was so fun to have you on the show. 

Support us and our show on Patreon 

Follow us: instagram/TikTok @wasiinacult

Follow Jessica: instagram: @jesshopperpole

Have your own story and want to be on our show? Email us: [email protected]

WARNING: This episode contains graphic discussions of abuse and self-harm. 

Raised by a single mother in the Muslim community, Samir Ahmed was sent to a Tablighi Jamaat-focused madrasa at age 11, a religious boarding school for boys under 15. With good intentions and pressure from the community, his mother hoped this would keep her son away from drugs and knocking up girls. What transpires is one of the most harrowing stories we have ever featured on this show. But as Samir recounts his traumatic experiences with remarkable vulnerably and poise, listeners will hear the resilience and strength that define him. With his huge heart, Samir proves that your voice is one of the most powerful tools you own.

Thank you again, Samir. It was an honor to share your story. 

Support us and our show on Patreon 

Follow us on Instagram/TikTok: @wasiinacult

Have your own story and want to be on our show? Email us: [email protected]

Try VIIA Hemp! and use code INACULT! (15% off)

Today we pay homage to Memorial Day by uncovering the bizarre and captivating tale of the John Frum Movement. Yes, that’s ‘from’ with a ‘u’, homies. 

We dive into the South Pacific volcanic island of Tanna, where WWII soldiers inspired a cult devoted to a mystical American GI promising endless cargo. Yup, infinite Spam. Think of it as Amazon Prime meets religious zeal. Join Tyler & Liz as they explore this fascinating slice of history, filled with bamboo runways, makeshift military drills, and a whole lot of hope. 

If you’re ready for a wild ride through the enchanting and eccentric world of cargo cults, buckle up. We’re sorry—and you’re welcome.

Don’t forget to join “Tyler’s Boring Book Club” by supporting his book recommendations here: