Cult Chat
Episodes
Episode 81: Healthy Spirituality: Being both Sacred & Sane
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lindy has an interesting chat with Rose Stanley about burnout, boundaries, the need for a sane spirituality and how to rebuild with clarity, courage, ...
Episode 80: From Jehovah’s Witness to Doomsday Comedian with Jonas Skogstroll
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we meet Jonas, stand-up comedian, former Jehovah’s Witness, and goat-farmer living in Norway. Laugh along with the Cult Chat trio as they ...
Episode 79: Cults, Coercion & the Control of Women
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why are there often more women than men in cults, and is it harder for women to leave? What is reproductive coercion? How is it used in cults to contr...
Episode 78: Coercive Control, Family Violence & Cults
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready for a challenging but extremely important conversation with Debbs Murray, founder of Eclipse Family Violence Services. Caz and Debbs chat ab...
Episode 77: Life for Women in the 2x2's with Veronica and Lindsay (Part 2)
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for Part two of our brave interview with Veronica and Lindsay as they share what life was really like for women growing up in the 2x2's (T...
Episode 76: Life for Women in the 2x2's with Veronica and Lindsay (Part 1)
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a brave discussion as Veronica and Lindsay share what life was really like for women growing up in the 2x2's (also known as The Truth, The...
Episode 75: What's so Good about Cults?
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John Lennon’s famous song "Imagine" paints a vision of a perfect world — and cults often promise something similar. So in the spirit of ...
Episode 74: Cult Apologists and Defenders (Part 2)
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Following their conversation with Dr Steve Hassan in part 1 about cult apologists, our hosts kept talking! In this part 2 of the conversation they t...
Episode 73: Cult Apologists and Defenders with Dr Steven Hassan (Part 1)
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we invite Dr Steven Hassan to join us to discuss the cult apologist movement. Dr Hassan is the author of the BITE Model of Authoritarian Con...
Episode 72: Recruitment, Extremism and Neurodivergence with Dr Cyrus Abbasian
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do cults and extremist terrorist organisations have in common? How are recruitment methods similar, and what are some of the vulnerabilities that...
Episode 71: Child Safeguarding with Willow Duffy
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
*Trigger Warning* What exactly is needed for an organisation to be safe for a child? Willow Duffy, co-founder and CEO of Safeguarding Children, answer...
Episode 70: From Pulpit to Prosecution - Gloriavale's Leader in the News
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gloriavale again! We come back to talk about the other reason that the closed West Coast community is in the news again - this time because the Overse...
Episode 69: Beyond Repair? Gloriavale's Broken Education System
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gloriavale is all over the news again, and for the wrong reasons. This week our hosts talk about the recent Education Review Office report which revea...
Episode 68: ICSA Cult Conference Highlights (Part 2)
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we have a bonus episode - part 2 of our conversational expose about the International Cultic Studies Association Conference which Caz went t...
Episode 67: ICSA Cult Conference Highlights with Maria Esguerra (Part 1)
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You'll love this pot luck episode! Caz has just returned from the International Cultic Studies Association conference in Montreal, Canada. We’re...
Episode 66: Walking Two Worlds - Maintaining Relationships with current members after leaving
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It is difficult to truly leave a cult if someone you love remains in the group. In this chat Liz, Lindy and Caz talk about the difficult line that for...
Episode 65: Help! My Kid has been Sucked into a Cult with Renee Spencer
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you wake up one day to the realisation that your child has joined a cult? Are you struggling to know what to do? In today’s episode we discuss t...
Episode 64: The Rewards of Leaving (Mini Series Part 3)
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today our Cult Chat hosts share what listeners have told them are the best things about life after leaving a cult. From finding space to be who you tr...
Episode 63: The Grief of Leaving a Cult with Liz Sallows (Mini-Series Part 2)
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this second of three episodes on leaving, Lindy is joined by Liz Sallows, Canadian psychotherapist and grief expert. Liz and Lindy discuss the unex...
Episode 62: Leaving a cult (Gloriavale) with Theophila Pratt (Mini-Series Part 1)
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Theophila Pratt, author of “Unveiled - A Story of Surviving Gloriavale” joins the team for our first of three episodes about leaving cults. This c...
Episode 61: What's Happening in the Cultiverse May 2025
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a lot going on in the cultiverse! We thought it time for an update on the culty happenings in our neck of the woods. In this episode you'...
Episode 60 - Learning to Think, Trust and Heal after Leaving a Cult with Maria Esguerra
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this second of two chats Maria and Caz talk about bad information, and the critical role of education in teaching discernment between good informat...
Episode 59: Growing up in the Children of God with Maria Esguerra
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Maria was born into one of history's most harmful cults, the Children of God. Maria joins us in the first of two chats to detail what the group wa...
Episode 58: 2x2's and Survivor Advocacy with Tristan Phipps & Kyle Eggleton
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a moving conversation with Tristan Phipps and Dr Kyle Eggleton, who share about the Two by Twos in NZ. This organisation is currently unde...
Episode 57: Waking Up with Dr Andre Jackson
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We loved Andre so much we got him back for a third episode! This time he tells us about his PhD on waking up from indoctrination in the Jehovah Witnes...
Episode 56: Are the Jehovah Witnesses a Cult? With Dr Andre Jackson (Part 2)
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Andre Jackson returns in this episode to finish his chat with Liz about the JWs, their doctrines and the methods they use to control members. Toget...
Episode 55: Are the Jehovah Witnesses a Cult? With Dr Andre Jackson (Part 1)
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liz plumbs the depths of the JW’s with Dr Andre Jackson in this episode, to try to understand the control mechanisms within this organisation. What ...
Episode 54: Gloriavale 2024 Reflections and the Road Ahead
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What is happening at Gloriavale? Join Liz and two of the lawyers representing Gloriavale Leavers, Steve Patterson and Dennis Gates, as they give a com...
Episode 53: Shunning Kills (Mini-Series Part 4)
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today our co-hosts wrap-up the shunning mini-series, unpacking what they’ve learned from Craig, Lindy, Windy & Savin. This topic has been given ...
Episode 52: Multigenerational Impacts of Shunning with Craig Hoyle (Mini-Series Part 3)
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this 3rd episode on shunning, Craig Hoyle, author of “Excommunicated” shares about growing up in the Exclusive Brethren, aware that many memb...
Episode 51: Surviving Shunning with Dr Windy Grendele & Dr. Savin Bapir-Tardy (Mini-Series Part 2)
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in to the second half of Lindy’s interview with Drs Windy and Savin, who share findings from their research on shunning including the serious...
Episode 50: What is Mandated Shunning? Dr Windy Grendele & Dr Savin Bapir-Tardy (Mini-Series Part 1)
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is shunning the most insidious of all cult practices? In today’s episode Lindy and our guests, researchers Windy and Savin from Roehampton Universit...
Episode 49: Healthcare and Cults Part 2 with Gina Catena
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second episode with Gina, who was raised in a cult which discourages members from seeking medical care. In episode two she describes how ...
Episode 48: Healthcare and Cults Part 1 with Gina Catena
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today Caz interviews Gina, a nurse practitioner & midwife from California. Gina grew up in a cult which discouraged mainstream evidence-based heal...
Episode 47: Unmasking Cults - We go to Parliament
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On 23 October Liz, Lindy and Caz hosted a dinner event at Parliament called "Unmasking Cults." We were delighted that a range of dignitaries, minister...
Episode 46: Deculting with Dr Janja Lalich
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Liz, Caz, Lindy and cult expert Dr Janja Lalich, as they talk about the highlights of the inaugural NZ Decult 2024 conference, and how this remar...
Episode 45 - Mary Garden - Gurus Galore (Part 2)
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
*Trigger warning for this episode’s content*. This episode we continue the second part of Caz’s interview with Mary Garden, talking about how her ...
Episode 44 - Mary Garden and Gurus Galore (Part 1)
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Garden was a seeker in her 20s, finding her way to India to three different gurus - Sai Baba, Swami Balyogi Premvarni, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh...
Episode 43 - Royal Commission into Abuse and the Intersection with Cults
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cults exposed in New Zealand. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Faith-Based & State-Based Care investigated what happened to children,...
Episode 42: Dr Janja Lalich - Making Sense of Cults
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Janja Lalich, leading cult researcher and sociologist, author of several books about cults including “Take Back Your Life”, talks with Liz and ...
Episode 41: Healthy Groups vs Harmful Groups. How can you tell?
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve been wondering if your book club is actually a cult, then this episode is for you! Settle in as our hosts chat about the green flags for h...
Episode 40: Dr Gillie Jenkinson - Recovery, Training and a visit to New Zealand
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lindy chats with Dr Gillie Jenkinson, UK psychotherapist, trainer of therapists, and author of “Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and...
Episode 39: Cult Chat goes to Barcelona - Top Takeaways (Part Two)
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liz & Caz learnt so much at the International Cultic Studies Association conference in Barcelona that they had to do another episode on it! Listen...
Episode 38: Cult Chat goes to Barcelona - Top Takeaways (Part 1)
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What were Liz & Caz doing in Barcelona this month? Apart from chowing down on tapas and sipping on their drink of choice, the girls hob-knobbed w...
Episode 37: Cult Recovery and Therapy - What do therapists need to know?
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do therapists have the skills needed to support the recovery of cult leavers? Yes! Do they understand the significance of the cult context? Hmmm, mayb...
Episode 36: Sarah Mettrick (Part 2) Sri Chinmoy Teenage Recruitment and Lost Milestones
02 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back again to finish our conversation with Sarah Mettrick, former Sri Chinmoy disciple, who was recruited into the Sri Chinmoy Centre as a fou...
Episode 35: Cult Chat Episode 35 - Sarah Mettrick (Part 1) Running for Sri Chinmoy
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Mettrick spent 13 years in the Sri Chinmoy Centre in Christchurch. In this first of two episodes Sarah talks to Caz about her years in the gro...
Episode 34: Healing Trauma - A Day with Bessel van der Kolk
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Recently Caz, Liz and Lindy spent a day with renowned trauma expert, Dr Bessel Van Der Kolk, author of “The Body Keeps the Score”. Our trio unpack...
Episode 33: Sam Jahara (Part 3) Truth, Acknowledgment and Repair
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do if someone you love won’t acknowledge the harm that you experienced - the harm they may have caused? How long do you wait, and is the...
Episode 32: Sam Jahara (Part 2) Recovery for Rajneesh & Centrepoint Children
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Decades after leaving a cult, what is life like for a child cult survivor? How does she build identity and integrate into the outside world? In this...
Episode 31: Sam Jahara (Part 1) The Children of Rajneesh and Centrepoint
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caz speaks with UK psychotherapist Sam Jahara about her years as a child living in the communes of the Indian guru Rajneesh in the 1980s. They explore...
Episode 30: Escaping Utopia (Part Three) The Storytellers of Gloriavale and Centrepoint
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Caz, as she interviews two accidental cult investigators about two notorious NZ cults. The first is Natalie Malcon, producer of “Escaping Utopi...
Episode 29: Escaping Utopia (Part Two) Gloriavale DocuSeries - A Chat with Cast and Crew
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Liz as she chats with ex-Gloriavale film participant Rosanna Overcomer and film producer Natalie Malcon about the recent Escaping Utopia docuseri...
Episode 28: Escaping Utopia (Part One) Gloriavale DocuSeries Dissection
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you seen the eye-opening three-part TV docu-series “Escaping Utopia” that hit NZ this past week? Join us for a candid discussion as Caz, Liz,...
Episode 27: A Chat with Tore Klevjer (Part 2) - Recovery from the Trauma of Cult Harm
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lindy chats again with Tore, president of Cult Information and Family Support Australia. Tore explains some of the supports CIFS offers leavers of cul...
Episode 26: A chat with Tore Klevjer (Part 1) - Ex-cultist turned therapist
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we share a fascinating discussion between Tore Klevjer and Lindy, both passionate advocates for victims of cultic harm, who also each have c...
Episode 25: Coercive Control - Is it Legal?
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do a doctor, a lawn enthusiast, and an amateur photographer all have in common? Almost no understanding of the law! Join us for this episode as C...
Episode 24: Coercive Control - What is it?
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does a woman abused by her intimate partner, a member of a cult group, and a prisoner of war in North Korea in the 1950s all have in common? List...
Episode 23 - A chat with Sarah Steele; Cult podcaster, author and activist
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us this week for a chat with Sarah Steel, writer and producer of the acclaimed podcast series “Let’s Talk About Sects”. Listen as our hosts...
Episode 22: Summer Series - Films & Shows from the Cultiverse
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are you heading back from a break at the beach and now need a movie from the cultiverse to get you back into the mood for work? In this third summer s...
Episode 21: Summer Series - Podcasts from the Cultiverse
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for something from the cultiverse to listen to while driving on your summer roadie? Or perhaps you need help to tune out the kids as you flip ...
Episode 20: Summer Series - Books from the Cultiverse
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s nearly Christmas! Are you looking for a holiday read? Caz, Lindy and Liz have taken a break from mince-pie-making and present-shopping to recor...
Episode 19: Safeguarding Children. Is it possible in a Cult? Part 4 Kids in Cults Mini-Series
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we delve into the crucial topic of Safeguarding Children and share insights on navigating the challenges within high control, cultish...
Episode 18: You come out of it broken - Part 3 Kids in Cults Mini-Series
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Need a way to come back down to earth again after listening to Hopeful & Victory Disciple’s interview? Come along as Liz, Lindy and Caz reflect ...
Episode 17: Growing up in Gloriavale with Hopeful & Victory Disciple Part 2 - Kids in Cults Mini-Series
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the gripping continuation of the 'Kids in Cults' miniseries with Hopeful and Victory Disciple as they unveil more about life inside ...
Episode 16: Growing up in Gloriavale with Hopeful & Victory Disciple Part 1 - Kids in Cults Mini-Series
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join Hopeful and Victory Disciple in a gripping two-part interview as they share their journey growing up in Gloriavale. They delve into their upbring...
Episode 15: Organisations Under Threat
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do harmful organizations respond when they are accused of abuse? What are the indicators that the response lacks substance or is part of a strateg...
Episode 14: Jehovah's Witnesses in the High Court - Part 2
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for part 2 of Lindy’s conversation with Shayne and Rachael about the JWs application to be exempt from the NZ Royal Commision of Inquiry int...
Episode 13: Jehovah's Witnesses in the High Court - Part 1
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lindy interviews Shayne Mechen and Rachael Jackson after a week in the High Court. The NZ branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are arguing their case f...
Episode 12: Two Worlds Collide - Plymouth Brethren Christian Church
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The leader of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (Exclusive Brethren) tells its New Zealand fellowship to urgently gather together, with very shor...
Episode 11: BONUS (Part B) Setting the Record Straight on Gloriavale
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part B: He said what?! Gloriavale Leavers and some current members provide commentary around journalist Rebecca Wright’s visit to Parliament where t...
Episode 10: BONUS (Part A) Setting the Record Straight on Gloriavale
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part A: Articulate Gloriavale Leavers hit back at the politicians! Journalist Rebecca Wright (Newshub) went to Parliament to ask whether children are ...
Episode 9: Telling lies to save souls for Shincheonji with Laura
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Laura was a young adult just starting her career in Auckland when she was recruited into Shincheonji - a Korean high-demand religious group. In this i...
Episode 8: The accidental cult reporter: Becoming part of the story with ‘Cult Trip’ author Anke Richter
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A chance encounter with a Centrepoint survivor at a festival a decade ago set Anke Richter on a labyrinthine journey into understanding the aftermath ...
Episode 7: Culty word salad
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you reaching for your dictionary far too often as you learn more about the cultisphere? If that’s you, you’ll love hearing our hosts slice and...
Episode 6: What makes a cult a cult?
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are cults simply harmless fringe groups with unusual ideas, or something more? Are they always religious? Are they always harmful? Who gets to decide ...
Episode 5: Three lawyers and a cult activist - with Brian Henry, Steve Patterson, Dennis Gates and Liz Gregory
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How many lawyers does it take to overthrow a coercive controlling system of oppression? Twenty? A hundred? Listen to today’s bonus episode to find o...
Episode 4: Why isn’t anyone doing anything? - with Liz Gregory
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Discover what drives Liz Gregory, founder of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust, as she shares her journey from being a teacher and business owne...
Episode 3: Shame, silence and speaking up - with Dr Caroline Ansley
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Caroline talks about how her family became involved in Centrepoint, the time she spent there as a 7 year old, and the silence that surrounded the topi...
Episode 2: Asking too many questions - with Lindy Jacomb
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to more of Lindy’s story, as she shares what it was like to grow up in the Exclusive Brethren, the unexpected outcomes of asking too many que...
Episode 1: Alarm bells are ringing - with Dr Caroline Ansley, Liz Gregory and Lindy Jacomb
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Caroline, Liz and Lindy on this first episode as they talk about how they met and introduce us to their own projects in the cultisphere: the Cent...