A Little Bit Culty

Anne Peterson, former member of Landmark's inner circle, discusses her experience working with Werner Erhard. She shares insights into the volatile nature of Erhard, confronting the big lie behind the transformative work, and her optimism for Landmark's future growth. The podcast delves into the controversy, manipulation, emotional control, and revelations within the Landmark organization.

Author Anne Peterson discusses her 15+ year journey within Landmark, detailing her rise and disillusionment. She reveals insights on the controversial history, including Werner Erhard's influence. The podcast explores the concept of 'rackets' and contrasts unique perspectives on relationships and self-perception.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self.   Erika Cheung arrived at the Theranos corporate headquarters at just 22 years old as a newly minted college grad. At the time, the idealistic chemist and biologist saw Elizabeth Holmes just as so many others did: As a visionary on the verge of completely disrupting the healthcare paradigm. As it would turn out, Erika’s honeymoon phase at her dream gig lasted all of seven months. That’s when she quit her job in the Theranos lab, bought a burner phone, and blew the whistle on one of the biggest con artists in American business history. The Theranos story has always seemed more than a little bit culty to us, so we jumped at the chance to chat with Erika about her experience. After all, sometimes a culty situation starts out looking like a promising job offer with a ‘visionary’ who turns out to be a faux humanitarian. (We’ve been there, Erika. Oh…have we been there.) About Erika Cheung: Erika was born in Los Angeles, CA. She spent most of her education homeschooled, but started community college at age 14 and then went on to obtain a dual degree in Linguistics and Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley. She was one of the key whistleblowers that reported Theranos to health regulators. Her report subsequently led to the shut down of Theranos' clinical lab which prevented the company from providing false medical results to thousands of patients. This account is covered in the book Bad Blood by John Carreryrou, 60 Minutes, the ABC Podcast: The Drop Out, and Alex Gibney's documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. Erika is the executive director of Ethics in Entrepreneurship, a non-profit whose mission is to foster ethical questioning, culture, and systems in startups and startup ecosystems. She's currently working towards obtaining her ACFE-certified fraud examiner's license to educate others on fraud prevention strategies and develop programs to protect business stakeholders from high-risk ventures. She is also an advisor to several whistleblower advocacy organizations to support individuals who may  She is also an avid mixed martial artist in her free time and hopes to support efforts that leverage martial arts to empower trauma survivors. Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

Dr. Ramani discusses healing from narcissistic relationships, focusing on autonomy and self-care. She explores parallels between narcissistic abuse and cult recovery, future faking tactics, and the impact of narcissism on mental health and society. The podcast offers insights into recovering from narcissistic relationships and empowers survivors to rediscover themselves and pursue healthy relationships.

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We get emails and messages from people every day who are looking for guidance on what to do when someone they love is in a cult, so we called in an expert. Here’s our chat with Rachel Bernstein, LMFT, of the mighty helpful and always bingeable IndoctriNation podcast. Is this technically a crossover episode? We don’t make those rules, but we do feel pretty confident in saying that this episode is a power hour on what to do if your loved ones become culty collateral damage.   SHOW NOTES: Rachel Bernstein is one of our all-time favorite cult awareness and recovery podcast hosts. She’s a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from Los Angeles, California who has specialized in cult intervention and re-acclimation for over 30 years. She serves on the advisory board of the International Cultic Studies Association and has worked with the Department of Justice providing therapy to cult victims who testify against their perpetrators. She's also made many media appearances over the years as a cult expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, Bloomberg, and many other news outlets. Ms. Bernstein is also the host of IndoctriNation: A weekly podcast covering cults, manipulators, and protecting yourself from systems of control where she has interviewed hundreds of cult survivors, journalists, and experts. Her book, "Kids Talking to Kids about Divorce" is available now on Amazon.   Her Website Her Book Her Podcast & Socials   Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS:   Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin    

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self. And…we’re back for part two of our conversation with Claire Headley, a defiant Scientology whistleblower who still owes the shadowy organization a billion minus 30 years on her contract. (Don’t hold your breath, David Miscavige.) Born and bred in England’s Scientology boarding schools before rising up through the ranks all the way to headquarters, Claire’s  escape after a lifetime of indoctrination is nothing short of heroic. In this follow-up, she shares more about the details of her exit, her thoughts on the future of Scientology, and her role as an expert witness for the prosecution in the Danny Masterson trial. This episode is as insidery as an insider account of L. Ron’s house gets. Also, paging Trey Parker and Matt Stone: We see you and we appreciate you.    SHOW NOTES:  Claire Headley escaped L. Ron’s Church of Scientology, bravely emerging from its dark depths to share her harrowing experiences with the world. Since breaking free 18 years ago, Claire has become a prominent advocate for survivors, shedding light on the church's practices, its culture of control, and the struggles faced by those who leave. She’s also continued to be abused by its powerful reach. As President of The Aftermath Foundation, Claire helps others – often with no work experience or family beyond Sea Org – leave Scientology. You can find lots of details at  Blown for Good, on Twitter, and YouTube.    There are more ALBC episodes on Scientology: Leah Remini: Heal That Sh*t: Leah Remini & The Aftermath One Billion Years: Mike Rinder on How Scientology Could End Or remix, Scientology SUCKS | Ft. Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, and Jon Atack    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self. In part one of this 2-parter, we feature Scientology defector and whistleblower Claire Headley who spent 30 years in the church isolated from her family and basically any outside influence. Headley was born and bred in England’s Scientology boarding schools, was shipped to the big blue buildings in LA, and then onto headquarters. Thoroughly indoctrinated, she landed at the mother church, Sea Org, where she signed billion-year contracts and rose through the ranks. In this episode, she describes her childhood. She recounts personal tragedies and abuses. She tells us what it’s like to experience the practice of fair game – beginning at age two. And she shares what the nearly intractable clutches of this 100% high-control group felt like. Until her own husband escaped without her, and the proverbial shelf broke. Her almost foiled escape is an action sequence you won’t want to miss.   SHOW NOTES:  Claire Headley escaped L. Ron’s Church of Scientology, bravely emerging from its dark depths to share her harrowing experiences with the world. Since breaking free 18 years ago, Claire has become a prominent advocate for survivors, shedding light on the church's practices, its culture of control, and the struggles faced by those who leave. She’s also continued to be abused by its powerful reach. As President of The Aftermath Foundation, Claire helps others – often with no work experience or family beyond Sea Org – leave Scientology. You can find lots of details at  Blown for Good, on Twitter, and YouTube.    There are more ALBC episodes on Scientology: Leah Remini: Heal That Sh*t: Leah Remini & The Aftermath One Billion Years: Mike Rinder on How Scientology Could End Or remix, Scientology SUCKS | Ft. Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, and Jon Atack    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self. If you’re not already familiar with the culty cluster known as ‘School’,  it was an ultra-secret Manhattan organization run by late actress and forever eccentric Sharon Gans. The shadowy group did its dark magic in the form of secret study groups, arranged marriages, and some pretty gnarly narcissistic abuse. In this episode, former School enrollee Esther Friedman discusses the five years she spent as a student after her study group love bombed her right into its clutches. We also cover how she got out, and how she’s healing now by helping other gentle souls navigate a culty, culty world. Empaths, this one’s for you. And if you’ve got Big Valedictorian Energy and are crazy about that extra credit, please note that we’ve taken our listeners to School before in our episode with the groovy Spencer Schneider who wrote a page-turning memoir about his experience titled Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos, and Survival. NOTES Esther Friedman is a licensed mental health counselor, expressive art therapist, songwriter, and author. To process and heal, she presents her misadventures as an “edu-tainment campaign.” Her memoir The Gentle Souls Revolution is a PSA/recovery guide/template for anyone who’s navigated exploitative relationships. She’s also a board member of the newly formed nonprofit “Living Cult Free” and is joined in that endeavor by some cult recovery heavyweights. You can learn more about their work at livingcultfree.com You can find Esther at www.gentlesoulsrevolution.com, Facebook, and Instagram.  Also…   Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Writer: Holly Zadra Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

This episode is sponsored by Better Help.  Tom Krumins was one of the brave whistleblowers who came forward to shine a light on the scandal of abuse and predation within the Boy Scouts of America. You can see his story in the recent Netflix doc, ‘Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America,’ and we’re guessing you’ll be as moved and inspired by him as we were. In this episode we sit down with him  to learn more about his experience in the Scouts, how he navigated the aftermath, and his work today as the Executive Director for the US-Based Keep Kid Safe Movement and as Chief of Staff of the global BRAVE Movement.  Listen to this one with care because it gets into the gritty topic of child sexual abuse. But also, know that there’s also a whole lotta hope in this conversation, too.    Please note: The Boy Scouts bankruptcy has concluded. The day the plan went into effect, a Settlement Trust was established to manage the funds contributed by the Boy Scouts, the Local Councils, the Chartered Organizations, the Insurance Companies, etc. The Trust also reviews every claim to determine its validity and then disseminate funds per a "Claims Matrix" and state-by-state statute of limitations. At this stage, we do not know the final amount that will officially enter into the Trust or how it will be disseminated. The "back of the napkin" math portion of this episode highlighted the general size of the Trust, not the potential amount of damages a claimant may receive. These numbers are not official. This was merely an exercise to better understand the scale of people harmed by the Boy Scouts. Show Notes: About Tom Krumins: Tom Krumins is a passionate Executive Director serving the movement to end childhood sexual violence at Keep Kids Safe. As a visionary civic entrepreneur, Tom believes in developing new and innovative organizational models that encourage positive change in society. He has contributed to multiple fields,including medical education, behavioral health, prison reentry, hospice care, rural entrepreneurship, grassroots coalition-building, political campaigns, cash relief programs, and nonprofit advocacy. Tom comes to this work as a survivor of childhood sexual violence during his time in the Boy Scouts of America and his experience navigating the largest child abuse bankruptcy in U.S. history. His story was included among other brave survivors in the Netflix documentary, Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America. He now serves on the Scouts new Youth Protection Committee. When he isn't working, Tom enjoys performing stand-up and improvisational comedy -- successfully entertaining tens of people since 2017. You can find him on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tomkrumins His Website & Substack: https://www.tomkrumins.us/ About  Keep Kids Safe &  BRAVE: Childhood sexual violence happens in every community. The stigma and shame far too often lead to silence, but this can change. We should never be comfortable with children and adolescents experiencing sexual violence, but we should feel comfortable talking about it. We share the movement to end childhood sexual violence. This is a movement of survivors (whether public or not) and allies. If you are interested in joining, reach out today! - The U.S. movement ---> keepkidssafe.us - The global movement ---> bravemovement.org If you experienced sexual violence and need help, you can find support at https://www.bravemovement.org/get-help/.   ABOUT A LITTLE BIT CULTY: Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that… The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Co-Creator & Writer: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. But maybe it should also be sponsored by a company that manufactures blood pressure cuffs, because the “Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals” docuseries had us all kinds of pissed off. If you haven’t seen it yet, the doc wades into the darkness and depravity within the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) movement and takes no prisoners. Sidenote: Fuck you, IFB predators and enablers, fuck you very, very much.  In this episode we speak with Ruthy Heiler, the whistleblower at the heart of the series, along with Sharon Liese, the series’ Emmy-award winning director. Word to the wise; this conversation touches on sexual assault and abuse, so please listen with care. It’s really appalling what some people do in the name of old time religion when it’s actually just a front for being predatory scum.  SHOW NOTES: Learn more about The Blind Eye Movement on Instagram and Facebook Notes provided courtesy of Investigation Discovery: Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals, is a new four-part docuseries exposing the predatory and insidious behavior within the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) Churches, and the struggles of survivors to find justice. Featuring first-hand accounts from survivors, church defectors and activists, it offers crucial insight into the troubling culture within the IFB and the stronghold the church has on its members.     Since its inception in the 1950s, the IFB has evolved into one of the dominant religious forces in the United States today with an estimated 8 million believers spread out over 6,000 churches across the country. Let Us Prey uncovers the dark inner workings behind the IFB’s cheery and virtuous exterior by exposing depraved secrets and violence that have existed within their churches for decades. Rituals oriented towards “breaking a child’s will,” mind control and torture are only the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface lurks accusations of rape and physical abuse of members, including minors, at the hands of IFB figure heads.    Anchored by the testimony of survivors who have come forward to tell their stories and seek justice, Let Us Prey explores the deep pain and lifelong trauma they experienced. Survivors and IFB defectors Ruthy Heiler, Kathy Durbin and Amanda Householder, among others, share their accounts of abuse at the hands of church leaders and the violence, manipulation and suspected cover-ups of other members. Also featuring key independent voices, including Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter Sarah Smith – one of the first journalists to uncover IFB’s tangled web of abuse allegations and unregulated teen boarding schools – Let Us Prey offers a deeper understanding of how those within the IFB have continued to operate unchecked for years. Through powerful, emotional testimonies and archival footage,   Let Us Prey: A Ministry Of Scandals Is produced for ID by ITV America’s Good Caper Content, with Emmy Award-winning Director Sharon Liese, who created the series, serves as the director. Liese is a critically acclaimed and award -winning filmmaker, whose recent Emmy Award-winning documentary short, The Flagmakers, was Oscar shortlisted and nominated for a Critic’s Choice Documentary Award.   Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…   The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.   OTHER LINKS: Check out our lovely sponsors Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Cult awareness and recovery resources   CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Co-Creator & Writer: Jess Tardy Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin