A linguist, author, actress, and spiritual teacher are the captivating guests in this podcast. Topics include the language of fanaticism, toxic productivity in MLMs, the cycle of violence, and the importance of studying different perspectives and cult recovery. The concept of mistaking power for true identity is explored, and an outro highlights upcoming content and mentions the sponsor.

Guinevere Turner, author of the memoir 'When the World Didn’t End', talks about returning to "normal" life after growing up in a cult, how her story became a thriller, and the weird aspects of life post-cult. They also discuss the influence of cult experiences on career choices, the relationship between cult and true crime documentaries, recognizing coercive control in cults and family groups, the impact and healing process, susceptibility to coercive control, the rush and pressure of writing a book, educational programs and communal living, and the importance of raising awareness about abuses of power.

Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  Guinevere Turner recently published a memoir about being raised in a cult, being kicked out, and finding her way in the world. Her book When the World Didn’t End dives deep into her experience drawn from fastidiously kept diaries. Here on A Little Bit Culty Turner shares some off-the-cuff stories. We chat about writing craft. And Turner brings up questions about our collective obsession with the cultiverse.   Please note, this series includes details of underage sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Note: Guinevere Turner is an acclaimed writer, director, and actor who’s worked in film and TV since her 1994 debut film Go Fish, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. She teamed up with director Mary Harron to write the films American Psycho; The Notorious Bettie Page; and the 2019 film Charlie Says. She was a writer, story editor, and played Gabby Deveaux on Showtime’s The L Word. She’s written and directed seven short films, two of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She can be seen in film roles including The Watermelon Woman, Chasing Amy, and American Psycho. Guinevere has taught screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, University of Georgia, UCLA and NYU.  She can be found on Instagram. In these episodes, we reference the story she wrote for The New Yorker.   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 Co-Creator & Managing Producer: Jess Tardy Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Writer: Holly Zadra Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Rebecca Bender grew up in a small town, played varsity sports, made high school honor roll, and would have started college early except she got pregnant. She was a little ostracized. And a lot lonely. Then she fell in love — kind of. She followed her knight in shining armor to Las Vegas only to be sold among three human traffickers.  She was branded, thrown in jail, and hospitalized, her face broken in five different places. But she wasn’t kidnapped. And there was no duct tape involved.  Now, Rebecca Bender is a mentor/survivor/expert flipping the script on who leads the fight to eradicate human trafficking. She’s blazing trails with the largest online school in the world for survivors. And, as an internationally recognized subject matter expert, she’s equipped the FBI, Homeland Security, and the US Department of Justice to spot this stuff before it gets any worse. Check out the Rebecca Bender Initiative, the RBI Instagram, her personal Instagram and her book In Pursuit of Love: One Woman’s Journey from Trafficked to Triumphant, 2020. Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Also… Hear Ye, Hear Ye: 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 & Senior Producer: Jess Tardy Writer: Holly Zadra Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  Last week, Alberta Mayne Bligh, Brooke Henderson, and Erin Boyes dove into what attracted them to Michèle Lonsdale-Smith’s acting classes – the good, the bad, and the messy. Our three guests are ex-students, each with their own thriving careers in film, theater, television, directing, development and even art therapy. And they are among the 26 ex-students who recently spoke up about their experience under the tutelage of Lonsdale-Smith in a revelatory story published in The Cut. If you missed Part 1, go back and take a listen. Now, in Part 2, they share their tipping points: when they realized that they were in a toxic relationship and how it ended.  Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Notes:  May 16, 2023 article published by The Cut about Michèle Lonsdale Smith. Alberta Mayne Bligh can be reached on Instagram and Facebook. Erin Boyes produced Three Days with her producing and writing partner, Dani Barker. It touches on the culty side of acting classes. Here’s Erin’s website: http://www.erinboyes.com/ Brooke Henderson is known for filmwork but she’s pivoted from acting and is now doing post-grad work in art therapy in Toronto. You can find her on 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 Senior Producer: Jess Tardy Writer: Holly Zadra Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  Alberta Mayne Bligh, Brooke Henderson, and Erin Boyes are among the 26 ex-students who recently spoke up about their experience under the acting tutelage of Michèle Lonsdale-Smith in a revelatory story published in The Cut. Lonsdale Smith is, by many accounts, a dogmatic leader who claims her techniques help actors tell the truth about their unresolved human motivations and make the world a better place. But what happens when details of your personal life are put on stage? What if your teacher fat shames you? Makes personal accusations, belittles, and berates you? You know, for the sake of deepening your craft or  – culty red flag – self-improvement?  Our three guests today are ex-students of culty acting classes, each with their own thriving careers in film, theater, television, directing, development and even art therapy. In the first of this two-part series, we dive into what attracted these acting students to Lonsdale Smith and what happened – the good, the bad, and the messy. Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Notes:  May 16, 2023 article published by The Cut about Michèle Lonsdale Smith. Alberta Mayne Bligh can be reached on Instagram and Facebook. Erin Boyes produced Three Days with her producing and writing partner, Dani Barker. It touches on the culty side of acting classes. Here’s Erin’s website: http://www.erinboyes.com/ Brooke Henderson is known for filmwork but she’s pivoted from acting and is now doing post-grad work in art therapy in Toronto. You can find her on 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 Senior Producer: Jess Tardy Writer: Holly Zadra Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Citisens of Sound presents: Tiny House Tales, a podcast about the experiences of people who have joined the tiny house movement.  Join your hosts Zack Giffin and John Weisbarth, known from the popular show "Tiny House Nation," as they give listeners a behind the scenes glimpse into the absolute joys and inherent challenges of living tiny. Together they seek to unlock the successful strategies for minimalist living and learn more about how tiny living has made a big impact on people's lives while being entertaining and informative. Tiny House Tales is mandatory listening for anyone who has ever dreamed of downsizing or has simply craved a more simple lifestyle. Welcome to Tiny House tales.  Listen to their latest episode with The Minimalists: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tiny-house-tales/id1690481885?i=1000620740904   Folloe them on social medai:  Zack Giffin - https://www.instagram.com/zackgiffin/ John Weisbarth - https://www.instagram.com/johnkweisbarth/

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.  In the age of social media, many of us are aware that choices are increasingly made for us by algorithms—which is unfortunately not a reference to Vice President Al Gore’s dancing abilities.  But even if we are living in our own little bubbles, it doesn’t quite match the extremities of, let’s say, someone who was raised within a radically nondenominational Christian sect, wherein music, media, beliefs, and friends were all hand selected by a group of men who decided they were pastors and wanted an ironclad grip on their families and followers.  Such was unfortunately the case for Morgan Hayley, now 32-years-old and far from her beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky. The oldest of seven siblings, Hayley managed to escape her marriage and the Church to live her life as an out-and-proud lesbian while still maintaining a real (albeit heavily strained) relationship with some of her family. In doing so, she learned that perhaps her family’s belief that life is about sacrifice and being miserable means you’re doing something right is NOT the most fun way to live life!  Now, it’s safe to say Morgan is making all her decisions for herself as a prominent fitness and yoga instructor, and is much happier for it.    Follow Morgan on Instagram Visit Morgan’s website    Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Also… Hear Ye, Hear Ye:   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 Senior Producer: Jess Tardy Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. While in their youth, Jessica Willis Fisher and her eleven siblings were thrust into the spotlight for being the perfect musical family. Having achieved nation-wide fame on America’s Got Talent, the Willis Fishers scored their own reality show in 2015, letting cameras into their pristine and heavily Christian home to document the daily lives of a happy, smiley family trying to make it in the famously non-toxic (just kidding) entertainment biz.  So when allegations of child abuse and molestation broke out against the family’s patriarch, Toby Willis, Americans and onlookers across the globe were in disbelief. How could this family, which had been put on a pedestal and idolized extensively as “picture perfect,” possess such insanely disturbing secrets?  Because the world is fucked up, hellooo! But our listeners already knew that.  On today’s episode, Jessica joins us to discuss her story, as well as parallels she sees between her family and others that shared the reality show spotlight. She’s begun releasing new music again as a form of healing—you can check out her album Brand New Day here. You can also read her memoir, Unspeakable: Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice, here.  Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).   Also…   Hear Ye, Hear Ye: 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 Senior Producer: Jess Tardy Writer: Mathias Rosenzweig Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin  

Former member of NXIVM, Isabella Constantino, discusses her time with the cult and their involvement in a Tourettes Syndrome study. She delves into her departure from NXIVM and the recovery process she went through. Constantino reflects on her journey of rediscovering herself while navigating life after the cult.