What happens when your father becomes your pastor and eventually your cult leader? In this episode, Emily Maldonado shares the raw truth about growing up in a cult led by her own dad. From staged exorcisms to discovering that love and freedom could only come by breaking every rule, Emily’s story is heartbreaking and inspiring. With gripping honesty, she unpacks the jaw-dropping moment she knew she had no choice but to leave… and for Emily, leaving meant losing her entire family. With humor and profound resilience, Emily shares how she escaped a life dictated by manipulation—and found the strength to rebuild a life of joy and authenticity.

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Ashley takes us inside the twisted world of QAnon—an online cult that spread like wildfire during the pandemic, offering false hope through dangerous conspiracies to those seeking community, connection and autonomy in an unraveling world. Ashley reveals how fear tactics and manipulation lured her into a space where JFK Jr. was alive, Tom Hanks was an international trafficker, and every catastrophe was proof of an elite plot.

From Instagram rabbit holes to FOIA requests about hot dogs at the White House, Ashley unpacks the absurdity and real danger behind QAnon’s grip. This is not just a story of strange beliefs—it’s a story of control, trauma, and ultimately, resilience. Join us as Ashley explains how she reclaimed her mind, her sanity, and her life—one hard truth at a time.

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In Part 2 of Angela's story, the realities of Falun Gong’s grip on her family deepen. Angela reflects on the emotional toll of a cult that prioritized spiritual salvation over physical health—even as her mother’s condition worsens. But escaping isn’t easy when your family remains deep in the cult’s ideologies… Angela’s journey out of this cult is filled with heartbreaking revelations and the resilience that defines a true “surthirver.”

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When her mother fell sick, young Angela had no idea that she would spend her childhood growing up in a dangerous cult. Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual movement-slash-religion-slash-cult, known for its Shen Yun dancers and its ties to 'The Epoch Times’ entangled her family in its facade of meditation and enlightenment. In this two-part episode, Angela recounts her experience in a world where karma is not just a bitch, but a force that can dictate life and death… with suffering seen as path to salvation and modern medicine demonized as an obstacle to spiritual purity. And just when you think it can’t get any wilder, the Capitol Insurrection storms into the story…

Stay tuned next week for Part Two.

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Tyler’s Boring Book Club addition: "How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World"

**NOTE: This episode originally aired in 2021**

When the LA party scene didn't fit Jessica's lifestyle anymore, she replaced martinis and after-hour clubs with green juices and tonic bars. But the reemergence of a childhood trauma forced her to examine her inner self. One day, a friend told her about a class that could improve her life even more. That class turned out to be part of a larger entity. A self-empowerment company that purported to help you become the master of your own life. A little group called... NXIVM.

Find Jessica's book here

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In this week’s episode, Hannah takes us from her Jehovah’s Witness upbringing to a wild journey through the world of an extreme vegan cult. What started as a passion for animal welfare escalated into living on a full fledged animal sanctuary, becoming the hub for Vegan’s of Geelong, and spiraling into breaking and entering in the name of “liberation.” Fueled by conspiracies and paranoia, Hannah’s new “family” pushed the boundaries of activism. With candor and lightheartedness, Hannah shares how she escaped one cult, only to fall into another, and what it took to break free for good.

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Today’s guest, Meagan, host of the "Trust Me" podcast, shares her journey growing up in the secretive Christian cult known as the Two-by-Twos. From a childhood dictated by oppressive rules that governed her every move, she reveals how this “hidden” religion shaped her life. With wit and raw honesty, Meagan recounts the manipulation and isolation she endured, and how she finally found the strength to break free.

And shortly after, when the cult’s darkest truths finally surfaced for all the world to see, her entire idea of her childhood came crashing down. This wasn’t just a tightly controlled Christian sect, but something far more sinister…

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Listen to Meagan’s podcast, “Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Beliefs, & Manipulation” wherever you get your podcasts.

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Follow Meagan: @meaganelizabethgrainger

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They say when you dream, dream big. And teenage Alex did just that. With an accent to die fahhh, this East Bostonian shares his story of joining an acting class with the promise of stardom, only to eventually realize, he was in a manipulative cult. Under the influence of a charismatic coach, Alex and his fellow students were pushed to the brink—endless rehearsals, emotional abuse, and mind games that blurred the line between ambition and exploitation. Alex exposes the dangerous allure of fame when you place the success of your future in the wrong hands... What happens when your dream become a nightmare?

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