Cults, Culture & Coercion with Dr. Steve Hassan

Multi-level Marketing (MLMs) is a consumer protection challenge! The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is a powerful lobby influencing American politics. Attorney Douglas Brooks has championed victims of pyramid schemes and MLMs. We describe the critical things you need to know about to protect yourself and your loved ones. Are you concerned that Crypto uses the same formula as MLMs - buy into the “dream” of making a fortune? For creators and early adopters, yes, it is possible to make money. But not for the vast majority—they lose money and time and often relationships. A second 2-day Global virtual workshop will take place June 10/11. See mlmconference.com for speakers and recordings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

S.E. Cupp is a nationally syndicated political columnist, culture critic, author, and CNN political commentator. In this episode, we talk about the horrific recent school shooting in Texas and the root causes as we see them. She talks about how she used to repeat the same talking points as other Republicans and what can be done as a country to avoid these tragedies in the future. We talk about other political current events and how we maintain good mental health during these troubled times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Cohn is a writer, journalist, and election integrity advocate. Since the 2016 election, she’s focused her professional efforts exclusively on investigating and exposing our country’s insecure computerized elections. In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about her work and steps that all of us can take in our own communities to uphold the integrity of our elections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames are former members of the NXIVM cult but today are some of the most visible whistleblowers of the cult. They host the popular podcast “A Little Bit Culty,” and Sarah is the author of “Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life.” In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about NXIVM and the attributes we also find in other cults. We talk about human trafficking (what NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere was convicted of) and how intelligent, educated people can fall victim to a cult leader.Learn more about Dr. Steven Hassan's work and find more resources at his website FreedomOfMind.com.Follow Dr. Hassan on Twitter here.Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts:MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447Zoomed In: https://pod.link/1580828633The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode, we’re focusing on the POSITIVE side of the Influence Continuum. I interview Judy Stevens-Long, Ph.D. Judy is a faculty emerita at Fielding Graduate University, where she served as Associate Dean for Curriculum Development from 2001-2008. She is an expert in developmental psychology and was my mentor for my doctoral program and oversaw my dissertation. Her research publications range from works on child development to work on death and dying. She is the author of “Living Well, Dying Well: A Guide to Choices, Costs, and Consequences” (with co-author Dohrea Bardell). In this episode, we talk about death, but this is not a depressing episode! We talk about living a full life and choices we can make to improve our lives and make death less daunting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Scaminaci III is an expert on 4th generation warfare. He has a Ph.D. from Stanford University in political sociology and is a retired US Navy Reserve intelligence officer. He was a senior civilian military intelligence analyst responsible for the Balkans and the former Soviet Union. Following the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, from outside and inside the former Yugoslavia, James learned a great deal about how political and religious ideologies interact and combine into ethno-nationalist projects that delegitimize left-wing governing philosophies (that often end in genocide).His expertise on 4th generation warfare has wide-reaching implications for today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Collins grew up as “royalty” in the William Branham “Message” cult. He has worked tirelessly to understand and reveal its true history with the KKK and its influence on modern Pentecostalism today. He has authored two books and built an incredible website to expose the facts of this criminal, white supremacist, misogynistic cult. John helps us realize an essential part of American authoritarianism which to this day has an international following. By freeing himself from the mental and emotional damage he suffered as a child growing up in that atmosphere, he can help millions realize they were following a false prophet, believing they are just being “Christian.” There is a growing movement of people realizing it was really about power, money, sex and politics, and not religion. They are exiting and reclaiming their own “Freedom of Mind!”Learn more about Dr. Steven Hassan's work and find more resources at his website FreedomOfMind.com.Follow Dr. Hassan on Twitter here.Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts:MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447Zoomed In: https://pod.link/1580828633The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Chang serves as a Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Labor – Wage and Hour Division. In his 25+ years with the agency, Paul worked on some of the most notorious cases as an investigator and Assistant District Director. He’s developed numerous training materials and programs that also utilize my BITE Model and Influence Continuum. He has also been on a special assignment to the White House Initiative on Asian Americans Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) since 2013 where he currently serves as the National Co-Chair of the Regional Network.Learn more about Dr. Steven Hassan's work and find more resources at his website FreedomOfMind.com.Follow Dr. Hassan on Twitter here.Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts:MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447Zoomed In: https://pod.link/1580828633The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

n this episode, I interview Joe Szimhart. Joe is a cult information specialist I have known for decades. He is also an author and knows a great deal about psychology. Joe appears in the unearthed 1986 former member video I recently shared as a former CUT and Agni Yoga member. Like me, Joe is a former cult member who uses his experience to help others understand and reevaluate destructive cults. Joe and I talk about current events and cult behaviors we recognize all over the world. We talk about Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginni, her deprogrammer Kevin Garvey, Vladimir Putin, and the ideology that binds them.For more of Joe’s work, visit his website: jszimhart.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A tweet thread I wrote about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginni went VIRAL two days ago. I shared a video from 1986 few people have seen from a conference for former cult members. Ginni Thomas spoke in this video about her past experience in a cult. Ginni later went on to do a great deal of anti-cult work, but as is the case with so many former members, she joined a new authoritarian cult (The Cult of Trump). Steve is interviewed by Freedom of Mind’s own Dan McCollister about the issues surrounding Ginni Thomas.Learn more about Dr. Steven Hassan's work and find more resources at his website FreedomOfMind.com.Follow Dr. Hassan on Twitter here.Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts:MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447Zoomed In: https://pod.link/1580828633The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices