Was I in a Cult?

By Was I in a Cult?

Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast showcasing individuals who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult. Told first-hand by the ... more

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How many episodes does Was I in a Cult? have?

The podcast currently has 185 episodes available.

Best of Was I in a Cult?

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: Amway: "Sleep is for Sissies... and Diamonds'
At 21, Stephanie Vaughn wanted to make some extra money. Then she won a "raffle" at her gym for a free case of energy drinks. Lucky her, that free case won her entry into one of the biggest and most influential MLMs in the world... AMWAY. And the Amway lead her to the LTD, the Amway-affiliated training organization Stephanie says would eventually take over nearly every part of her life. For nine years, Stephanie chased the promise of becoming a "Diamond": financial freedom, early retirement, and the life she was told was waiting for her if she just worked hard enough. Instead she endured control on every level, including how much she slept, when she could visit family and even... who she was allowed to love. FOLLOW STEPHANIE Instagram: @steph.vaughan TikTok: @steph.vaughan FOLLOW US Instagram & TikTok: @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Patreon: patreon.com/wasiinacult HAVE A CULTY STORY? [email protected] SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! They keep the show free! BOLL & BRANCH — Buttery-soft organic cotton sheets that sleep cool and get softer every wash. 15% OFF + free shipping · code CULT https://bollandbranch.com/cult ZENNI — Cute, affordable prescription glasses & sunnies you'll want in every style. 15% OFF + free shipping ($65+) · code PODCAST15 https://zenni.com/podcast LARINECO — Craveable chewing gum that actually makes your teeth stronger. 50% OFF · code WASIINACULT https://buylarine.com/wasiinacult SMILESET — A straighter smile from your couch, for a fraction of the cost of braces. Extra DISCOUNT! (under $1,200) smileset.com/wasiinacult QUINCE — Designer-quality cashmere and more at prices that feel like a steal. Free shipping + 365-day returns https://quince.com/cult
August 24, 20261h 7min
Number 2: A Single-Family Cult: "Beyond The Front Door"
Every cult calls itself a family. Audrey's actually was one. For Audrey, there was no guru, no religious doctrine, and the only members were her ten other siblings. And the leader? Her parents, particularly her mother. But from the outside, they looked pretty "normal": a big family living in an ordinary Idaho subdivision, houses close together, neighbors on all sides. Except not one of them was ever allowed to have a friend. And eventually, they weren't allowed to have interactions with anyone outside the family. As the isolation tightened, Audrey got older and increasingly aware that the outside world looked nothing like the one she'd been taught to fear. At 18, she finally made it to community college, where little tastes of independence began to crack open everything she'd been raised to believe. And eventually, one small act of defiance would force her to make an enormous choice: follow her parents rules, or lose her family. When Audrey finally left in 2020, she thought the separation from her siblings would be temporary. Six years later, nine of them are still living in the family home, cut off from their big sister. So now Audrey has stopped waiting. She's taking matters into her own hands, finding increasingly creative, and at times risky, ways to remind her siblings that she's still out there... that there is life beyond the front door. A big, messy, beautiful world they've barely been allowed to see. And when they're ready to walk into it, their big sis will be there, waiting with open arms. _________________ FOLLOW AUDREY Follow her story as it unfolds → TikTok @audreyinreallife FOLLOW US For more culty content — Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) → patreon.com/wasiinacult HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected]
August 17, 20261h 3min
Number 3: UFO-Tantric-Doomsday-Alien-Fairy-Angel-Sex Cult - Pt1: "Whatever Floats Your Pleasure Boat"
Laurien had already been in one cult before she was old enough to understand what a cult was. At 22, she was invited onto a fleet of white "pleasure" yachts traveling the rivers of Europe, not knowing the warm, beautiful, angelic fairies gazing deep into her eyes would become her new family. And then she met the 60-year-old Frenchman leading this pleasure cruise who called himself "Yo." Yo claimed he channeled messages from extraterrestrials, and taught that beauty was the path to enlightenment, which was rich coming from a man with a belly, an open blouse and ridiculous facial hair. The rules? No meat, no coffee, no alcohol, and no sex. Unless, of course... it was with him (how original). In PART 1, Laurien takes us inside a French UFO-tantric-doomsday-alien-fairy-angel sex cult. A cult she knows was filled with abuse and coercion, and yet still sees as one of the greatest adventures of her life. ____________________________- FOLLOW LAURIEN Her book, The Golden Shawl → Brave New Books FOLLOW US Instagram → @wasiinacult TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected]
July 27, 202654min
Number 4: The Organization: "Magic is Real"
As Cassie on Skins and Gilly on "Game of Thrones," Hannah Murray spent years stepping into other people's pain, other people's stories, other people's worlds. But after shooting a brutal scene for a film that left her body wrecked, Hannah went looking for relief. A trainer suggested a healer. And that healer became the doorway into a world that promised magic, ancient wisdom, secret knowledge, and above all, a way to finally heal the pain Hannah had been carrying around for years. And as these things so often go, at first it worked. Until it really, really didn't. Hannah is a dream guest. Thoughtful, funny, self-aware, and deeply honest. Her memoir, "The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness," tells the full story, and it is as gripping as it is beautifully written. _________________________ Hannah's Memoir: "The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness," is out June 23 in the U.S. and available now in the UK. FOLLOW US → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Tyler's documentary "An Honest Liar" available now for all members! And get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected]
June 22, 20261h 4min
Number 5: OneTaste: "Empire of Orgasm"
NOTE: This episode discusses sex, sexual exploitation, coercion, and sexual abuse. What happens when female empowerment, Silicon Valley startup culture, spiritual enlightenment, and clitoral stroking walk into a fluorescent-lit conference room? You get OneTaste. In this episode, we sit down with Bloomberg investigative journalist Ellen Huet, author of Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult, to unpack the rise and fall of OneTaste, the orgasmic meditation company founded by Nicole Daedone that promised connection, healing, and transformation through a 15-minute partnered orgasm practice called OM (Orgasmic Meditation). But behind the language of liberation and "turn-on" were allegations of sexual coercion, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, forced labor, and a belief system that taught members their discomfort was just something to push through on the path to enlightenment. Ellen walks us through how her 2018 investigation helped expose the darker side of the company, the criminal case that followed, and why OneTaste's story is not just about sex. It's about power, belonging, manipulation, and the very human longing to be seen. FIND ELLEN: Instagram: @ehuet Book: Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult Bloomberg: bloomberg.com/authors/ASmGayS_jTQ/ellen-huet__ ___________________________________ FOLLOW US → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude) HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected]
June 01, 202659min