A Little Bit Culty

Is Landmark a Cult? Anne Peterson Returns (Part 1)

13 snips
Jan 26, 2026
Guest
Anne Peterson
Anne Peterson, former Landmark staffer and program leader who wrote Is This a Cult?, returns to recount life inside Landmark's training machine. She describes long days, unpaid labor framed as service, and pressure to recruit. She breaks down language games, emotional high/low cycles, and how transformational claims masked high‑control dynamics.
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INSIGHT

Peak Experiences Produce Visible Results

  • Peak emotional experiences drive many of Landmark's visible results rather than sustained, independent change.
  • Anne Peterson says crediting the organization rather than personal action masks where the results actually come from.
ADVICE

Credit Yourself For Your Change

  • Don't attribute transformative outcomes solely to a program or leader; attribute them to your choices and actions.
  • Anne Peterson advises keeping the source of results on yourself, not on the organization or leader.
ANECDOTE

Public Shaming Led To Suicidal Despair

  • A Los Angeles staffer described two hours of public berating that left her suicidal and then back at work.
  • Anne Peterson recounts that she walked to a parking garage edge but returned to her desk and continued working.
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