Let's Talk About Sects

Claire Ashman, a former member of the Order of St. Charbel and author of "Lessons from a Cult Survivor," shares her gripping personal journey. She discusses the psychological tactics leaders use to manipulate followers and the challenges of leaving a cult. Ashman highlights the emotional and practical hurdles of breaking free and the empowering journey toward independence. The conversation also touches on the disturbing dynamics within cults, including abuse and the impact on young girls, offering insight into resilience and the importance of recognizing harmful situations.

In this engaging discussion, Lyn Millner, author and expert on the Koreshan Unity, dives into the intriguing life of Cyrus Teed—a charismatic leader with unique beliefs about a hollow Earth. She explores the community’s isolationist choices that allowed Teed to exercise control over his followers. The conversation also touches on the community’s scientific pursuits aimed at validating their theories and parallels to modern belief systems. Lyn’s insights challenge us to reflect on how easily we can become confined within our own bubbles of belief.

Carli McConkey was a 21-year-old university graduate when she decided to attend the Mind Body Spirit Festival in Sydney, and came across the stand for Life Integration Programmes. The course they offered sounded like exactly what she needed to get her life on track and realise her potential. Little did she know that this encounter was the start of a 13-year ordeal that would see her estranged from her family, under continued financial stress, a victim and perpetrator of physical assault, working untold hours of unpaid labour, and eventually, medically sterilised.Special Guest: Carli McConkey.The opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of the makers of Let's Talk About Sects.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.Links:The Cult Effect — by Carli McConkeyCarli McConkey's websiteCult Leaders and Ballet Dancers: The Strange Rock School Lawsuit — by Victor Fiorillo, Philadelphia Magazine, 30 June 2014Alleged cult leader to settle defamation claims out of court — by Chris Calcino, Byron Shire News, 11 October 2014Ex-alleged cult members 'sleep well' with court case over — APN Newsdesk, The Northern Star, 11 October 2014LAKAEV v. THE ROCK SCHOOL FOR DANCE EDUCATION et al — PacerMonitor record of libel, assault, slander case – plaintiff's claims dismissed with prejudice 24 November 20149354/11 LAKAEV -V- THE AGE COMPANY LIMITED & others — Supreme Court of Queensland case file summary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ken Dyers passed away 10 years ago this year, but the organisation that he spearheaded with his partner Jan Hamilton lives on. In spite of a few parallels, this Australian organisation, called Kenja, has been listed as a suppressive group by the Church of Scientology.Jan claims that Kenja has faced decades of persecution by those who want to bring them down, including a member of parliament, and charges levied at the organisation include brainwashing, exacerbation of psychological illnesses with dire consequences, alienation from family and friends, and sexual abuse.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.Links:Kenja Concert website — Includes Jan Hamilton early biography timelineKenja Communication websiteKenja Lecture websiteGuilty Until Proven Innocent — A Kenja Communication "theatre documentary" production: "The incredible story of the 15 year-long attack on the reputation of Ken Dyers – in an attempt to destroy Kenja Communication, the organisation he co-founded – which ultimately led to his death at age 85."Ken Dyers: Tributes and accusations — Sydney Morning Herald, 4 August 2007Kenja Facebook page — Image of the 10th annual full page ad Kenja placed in Fairfax Media publications for the anniversary of Ken Dyers' deathKen Dyers YouTube channelBeyond Our Ken — Documentary directed by Luke Walker and Melissa Maclean, Scribble Films 2007 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty years ago this year, Japan was to become a nuclear wasteland, according to the leader of a sect who claimed that the only survivors would be his followers and 10% of the major cities. It was in the lead up to this year of the predicted apocalypse, 1997, that he ordered shocking acts that would eventually result in his group being labelled a terrorist organisation, and himself and 12 other sect members being sentenced to death.UPDATE 2: The death penalty was carried out in Japan in July of 2018.UPDATE: An Aum Shinrikyo update episode was released on 21 March 2018. It includes a small correction from this episode.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.Links:Profile: Shoko Asahara — BBC News, 27 February 2004A Guru's Journey – A special report. The Seer Among the Blind: Japanese Sect Leader's Rise — by Nicholas D. Kristof with Sheryl WuDunn, The New York Times, 26 March 1995Daughters of doomsday cult leader fight to save their 'loving' father — by Justin McCurry, The Guardian, 19 April 2006How a Religious Sect Rooted in Yoga Became a Terrorist Group — by Jennifer Latson, TIME, 20 March 2015Asahara’s No. 3 daughter writes on life during, after cult — by Keiji Hirano, Japan Times, 26 March 2015Former Aum cultist publishes memoir on gas attacks, Asahara — by Eiji Shimura, The Asahi Shimbun, 10 January 2017Sarin gas attack survivor recalls near miss on Tokyo subway — by Julian Ryall, South China Post, 19 March 2015 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ugandan cult The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God was one of the deadliest in world history, with the number of casualties similar to the infamous Jonestown massacre. The mastermind behind it? A woman who said she was receiving messages directly from the Virgin Mary.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.Links:Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs on the Petition by the Orphans of the Victims of the Kanungu Church Infernos — Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, July 2014The Kanungu Massacre: The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God Indicted — The Uganda Human Rights Commission Periodical Report, 2002Uganda Cult’s Mystique Finally Turned Deadly — by Ian Fisher, New York Times, 2 April 2000The preacher and the prostitute — BBC News, 29 March 2000Mary’s Flames: The Long Road to Horror in Kanungu — The East African, 8 February 2001The power behind the cult — The Telegraph (UK), 2 April 2000Violence and New Religious Movements — edited by James R. Lewis, Oxford University Press 2011A party, prayers, then mass suicide — by Anne Borzello, The Guardian, 20 March 2000 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a 95-year-old woman in a Melbourne nursing home who dotes on a plastic baby doll. You wouldn’t guess it to look at her, but this is a woman who amassed a multi-million dollar fortune, destroyed families, and affected the lives of numerous people giving them ongoing psychological issues, some of which ended in suicide.Former police detective Lex de Man said of this women to 60 Minutes, “Of all the crimes that I investigated, she is the most evil person that I’ve ever met.”Special guest: Ben Shenton.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon or Acast+, with a one-off donation, or grab some merch. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, contact Cult Information and Family Support in Australia, or the International Cultic Studies Association outside of Australia.If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention.Links:The Diaries of Raynor Johnson Part 1 and Part 2How to become a successful cult leader: offer love, and then withdraw it — by Mary Wakefield, The Spectator, December 2016Creating the family tree — Herald Sun, 16 August 2000Bizarrism – Strange Lives, Cults, Celebrated Lunacy — by Chris Mikul, 2002Growing up with The Family: inside Anne Hamilton-Byrne’s sinister cult — by Abigail Haworth, The Guardian, 20 November 2016‘Evil, Wicked’: What it was like to grow up in one of Australia’s most notorious cults — by Ange McCormack, Triple J, 3 August 2016The Family’s ‘living god’ fades to grey, estate remains — by Chris Johnston, The Age, 17 May 2014 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.