In the classroom outside of that, you would say Keith and Nancy. And there was a whole bunch of others that nobody ever hit. What I thought it was then was the first time that an inner process like psychology could ever be measured by it in a scientific way,. So we thought that that was like revolutionary," she says. "But later as I woke up, I realized that the whole thing is an illusion of hope"
1. How attending a personal development training at a Holiday Inn led to Sarah being branded in a sex "secret sisterhood" initiation ceremony.
2. Her path from top recruiter to the whistleblower who helped take down the cult and its leader Keith Ranieri.
3. Why we’re all susceptible to cult culture – the need for belonging, the temptation of simplification, and how we’re trained to deny our gut instincts.
CW: Discussion of cult culture and sexual coercion
About Sarah:
Sarah Edmondson is an actor, podcaster, author, and cult-recovery advocate.
Sarah has starred in a number of TV series, yet she is most recently known for her real-life saga escaping the multi-level marketing company NXIVM – and DOS, a “secret sisterhood” within NXIVM – which can also be seen on HBO’s The Vow. Sarah’s memoir Scarred shares her true story from the moment she joined NXIVM, to her harrowing fight to get out and bring its founder to justice. Sarah co-hosts the podcast A Little Bit Culty with her husband Anthony ‘Nippy’ Ames, and lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons.
TW: @sarahjedmondson
IG: @sarahedmondson
Sarah’s resource page: https://www.sarahedmondson.com/resources
Steven Hassan’s BITE model: https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/
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