Was I In A Cult?

It's the 1970s and Kung Fu is all the rage. So when 16-year-old Russell Johnson looks to channel his (inner) rage, he signs up for a local class to learn how to become a peaceful warrior. Only what he doesn’t know is that what he signed up for would one day almost cost him his life Support us on Patreon! Your donation is our salvation (we made that up but it sounded nice ‘n culty…) Truly, your contributions really do help. https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult Have your own story and want to be on the show? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com Find Russell: https://www.deceivedpodcast.com And as promised, gruesome arm pics (not for the faint of heart): https://www.deceivedpodcast.com/gallery See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

So you've survived an abusive cult. Now what? What exactly are the legal options available to you? An investigative litigator who represents victims of cultic and religious abuse, Carol Merchasin, sat down with us to discuss just that. She is our hero. - Find Carol at Mcolaw.com. Support us on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult Have your own story and want to be on the show? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tamara, the beloved, has just been upgraded from the commune to the big house on the hill with the leader and his multiple wives. But it isn’t long before she realizes that the reason she thought she was brought to live with them is not the reason she is there at all… __ Support us on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult Have your own story and want to be on the show? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com Follow Tamara: https://tamaramc.com Twitter: @TamaraMCPhD Instagram: @tamaramcphd __ Today's episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit Betterhelp.com/INACULT for 10% off your first month. This episode is also sponsored by Babbel. Purchase a Babbel subscription and get six months for the price of three. Go to Babbel.com and use code INACULT for three free months. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Raised by two Jewish parents, Tamara and her family are splintered when her father finds a new religion. Five-year-old Tamara is now forced to live two separate worlds. One with mom, going to public school & and one with Dad on a strict religious commune. When gifted the name Beloved by the leader, it's not exactly the honor she was expecting. Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult Have your own story and want to be on the show? Email us: info@wasiinacult.com Follow Tamara:  https://tamaramc.com Twitter: @TamaraMCPhD Instagram: @tamaramcphd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Imagine having to ask a group of eco-farmers for permission to have sex. And when granted permission, your options of consummation include… the back of a van or the loft of a goat barn. Well that's what happened when Helen Zuman, a spelling bee whiz looking to explore her interest in eco-farming, visited Zendik Farm in North Carolina shortly after graduating from Harvard. A two-week experience turned into years of her life. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you spell C-U-L-T. - Support Was I In A Cult? on Patreon for goodies, extra content, and a chance to win a signed copy of Helen's book: Mating in Captivity! Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult Contact us: Have a cult story of your own and want to share it on our show? Send us an email at info@wasiinacult.com. MORE ABOUT HELEN: https://helenzuman.com/ Find her book, Mating In Captivity, HERE.Follow Helen: Twitter - @HelenZuman // Instagram - @helenzuman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cults can be well-known, they can be obscure, and sometimes they can be hiding in plain sight. So when poet laureate Diannely’s family joins a seemingly typical church in Haverhill, Massachusetts; how does it become a cult? Let's let her tell you. - Find Diannely and her Whiting Award-winning book of poetry, Ugly Music, at DiannelyAntigua.com. Support Was I In A Cult? on Patreon! Visit patreon.com/wasiinacult.  Follow us on Instagram @wasiinacult. Have a story to share? Email us at info@wasiinacult.com or contact us at wasiinacult.com.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The final part of Hoyt Richards' incredible journey into and out of a UFO doomsday cult. The damning Vanity Fair article throws Hoyt’s family into chaos as they attempt to intervene. And right when you think he might finally be getting out, his fellow brothers go to extreme lengths to keep their financial backer from leaving. And it works. Until it finally doesn't. Thank you again, Hoyt. He is a brave and inspirational human, and we loved having him on the show. Support us on Patreon (every little bit helps!):  patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow us: instagram.com/wasiinacult Contact us: info@wasiinacult.com & Have your own cult story and want to be on the show? Reach out with a synopsis of your story. Listen to Hoyt's cult survival podcast, "WhatheFlok?!" and follow him on Instagram @hoytrich. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The now quasi-famous group takes it to the next level. They get a name, a book, a show, a hit song, and a distant star doomsday getaway. Hoyt, meanwhile, becomes his own star, modeling for millions but returning home to sleep on the floor. All is going well (or so they think) until the group puts a well-known phrase to the test. Is there really no such thing as bad press? Support us: Patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow Hoyt: Instagram.com/hoytrich Follow us: Instagram.com/wasiinacult Have your own cult story and want to be on the show? Reach out at info@wasiinacult.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was 1978, and the effortlessly handsome Hoyt Richards was a 16-year-old football talent summering in Nantucket. Chasing girls and free beer was about all on this young boy's mind. So when he meets a man on the beach who was rumored to throw great parties, Hoyt thinks nothing of it. Little did Hoyt know & he had just come face-to-face with a budding cult leader that would take his life in a direction he never could've dreamed. Support us: Patreon.com/wasiinacult Follow Hoyt: Instagram.com/hoytrich Follow us: Instagram.com/wasiinacult Have your own cult story and want to be on the show? Reach out at info@wasiinacult.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More crazy cults, more wild stories, and more of us. Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast featuring far-out, first-hand stories of survivors who unwittingly joined, lived in, and escaped cults. Using levity and infotainment, the show humanizes the cultic experience and may leave some of our listeners asking themselves, "Wait...was I in a cult?" You can support Was I In A Cult? through Patreon at patreon.com/wasiinacult and follow along with us on Instagram @wasiinacult. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.