Speaking of Cults

Speaking of Cults...A Different Look at Narcissism & Cults

11 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I am sharing some recent observations and learning on the subject of narcissism - a timely topic given our current world situation - and relate ...

Speaking of Cults...I Belong to Me - A Discussion with Tia Levings

04 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome back author and cult survivor Tia Levings, who discuses her upcoming book "I Belong to Me" about her recovery journey and advice for a...

Speaking of Cults...7th Day Adventists and Holy Disobedience with Melissa Duge Spiers

28 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome Melissa Duge Spiers, author of the new book Holy Disobedience, which is her story of being raised in and dealing with the religious ab...

Speaking of Cults...Brothers Broken and Scientology with Geoff Levin

14 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome back musician and artist Geoff Levin, former Scientologist, who has produced a new feature-length documentary, Brothers Broken, tellin...

Speaking of Cults...Debunking Scientology with Jon Atack

07 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome back Jon Atack for a new series of podcasts we'll be doing to debunk the "basics" of Scientology, one bit at a time. This is a wide-ra...

Speaking of Cults...Helping People Escape Scientology with Phil Jones

28 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome Phil Jones, the Executive Director of the Aftermath Foundation, to discuss its purpose, activities and an upcoming fundraiser being he...

Speaking of Cults...Body Language and Manipulation

21 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome back Zach Elwood to discuss body language and how it really works to "read" someone, understand their tells and how to accurately pred...

Speaking of Cults...What are MAGA Christians Thinking?

14 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today I welcome back Dr. Clint Heacock, a former evangelical minister who was born and raised in an evangelical community and has done a great deal of...

Speaking of Cults...Transforming Landmark with Ben Eisenberg

07 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Ben Eisenberg, someone who grew up in and around Landmark and its teachings, which did not help him in his early life. He's spent ...

Speaking of Cults...You Can't Save Everyone - What 100 Podcasts Taught Me about People

01 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week we went live for the 100th episode of the Speaking of Cults podcast. I have some personal reflections and experiences to share as a cult exp...

Speaking of Cults...The Unpaid Army of God

24 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Shannon Grover and Bryce Blankenagel to discuss the details of Mormon missionaries and what they actually are called upon to ...

Speaking of Cults...The Myth of Good Christian Parenting

17 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Marissa Franks Burt and Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, authors of the new book The Myth of Good Christian Parenting, a deep exploration o...

Speaking of Cults...The Rise and Fall of the Exclusive Brethren

10 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Cheryl Hope and Richard Marsh from the Get a Life Podcast to discuss the Exclusive Brethren, a religion/business group with a fasc...

Speaking of Cults...How Body Language Experts Fool You with Zach Elwood

03 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We are now back for 2026. This week I welcome back Zach Elwood to discuss so-called "body language experts" and the pseudoscience they push as "infota...

Speaking of Cults...The Mormon/Scientology Connection with Mitch Brisker

13 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome ex-Scientologist Mitch Brisker to discuss his many and varied experiences in dealing with David Miscavige, the leader of Scientolo...

Speaking of Cults...Restarting After a Cult with Rachel Bernstein

06 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back therapist and author Rachel Bernstein to discuss her newly released workbook on cult recovery, titled Restart and Restore. We...

Speaking of Cults...What's the Deal with MAGA Christians? with Jennie Gage

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Jennie Gage, creator of Life Take Two on YouTube and a former Mormon MAGA tradwife who has been helping explain that world to...

Speaking of Cults...The Honor Trap in Scientology

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Jon Atack to help me dissect the Code of Honor, one of Scientology's earliest and most successful attempts to undermine peopl...

Speaking of Cults...Scientology Inside and Out with Patty Moher

15 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Patty Moher, a former Scientologist staffer and kind of amazing person to talk to. We had a great chat about all things Scientolog...

Speaking of Cults - Mormonism's Violent Legacy

01 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Bryce Blankenangel and Shannon Grover for another deep dive into Mormon history and culture, this time digging into a truly h...

Speaking of Cults...Journalism and Reporting on Scientology with Tony Ortega

25 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome journalist Tony Ortega to discuss his career, his interest in Scientology and get his perspective on issues related to the church ...

Speaking of Cults...Scientology, Nazis and the REM Model with Jon Atack

18 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Jon Atack to discuss his new book about the common origins of Naziism and Scientology, and then go deep into the REM Model of...

Speaking of Cults...Chase Hughes and the NLP Grift with Zach Elwood

11 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Zach Elwood, host of the People Who Read People podcast and a very fun guest to discuss the entrepreneurship of influence that is ...

Speaking of Cults...The Religion/MAGA Connection with Jennie Gage

04 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Jennie Gage, an ex-Mormon/MAGA/trad wife who has a story to tell about her upbringing in the Mormon world, how she was literally t...

Speaking of Cults...Growing Up a Witness with Bethany Leger

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Bethany Leger, host of the Stop the Shunning podcast and a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. She has a few interesting twi...

Speaking of Cults...Let's Talk Cult Recovery with Michael Shemwell

20 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Michael Shemwell, host of the Shunned podcast and a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We met while filming the Jubilee pro...

The Problems of Growing Up in Scientology with Pamela Williams

13 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Pamela Nickel Williams, whose new memoir about her time growing up in and around Scientology has now been released. Pam has q...

Speaking of Cults...The Occult Roots of Nazism and Scientology

06 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back podcast favorite Jon Atack to discuss his brand-new book, "If Scientology Ruled the World: Nazi Occultists, Sex Magick, Space...

Speaking of Cults...The Secret History of the Mormon Church

30 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover to discuss events the Mormon Church would rather you don't know about. There's a lot and...

Speaking of Cults...The Cult Foundations of the United States ft. Jane Borden

23 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome author Jane Borden, who recently published Cults Like US about the cult roots of American society and how these have perpetuated t...

Speaking of Cults...Why Smart People do Dumb Things (REM Model again)

16 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am revisiting the REM Model (TM) and discussing more real-world examples of how it might be used to help figure out or understand ourselve...

Speaking of Cults...Why Diddy Got Away With It

09 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's shorter-than-usual podcast, I give a full rundown on the indictment and trial of Sean Combs and why it was that he completely got away ...

Speaking of Cults...Your 30-Minute Guide to Understanding Cultic Belief (The REM Model)

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here is your explanation for why people act the way they do, why people join and stay in cults and why people will fight to the death for some of the ...

Speaking of Cults...Abuse in the Community of Jesus ft. Ewan Whyte

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Ewan Whyte, a man who grew up in an incredibly abusive Christian Nationalist group called the Community of Jesus and who was sent ...

Speaking of Cults...Escaping Fundamentalist Mormonism ft. Pamela Jones

19 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine being born into slavery in Mexico as a female in a Mormon polygamist cult that treats all women like chattel, not good for anything but doing ...

Speaking of Cults...Cult Recovery is a Rocky Road

12 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am bringing back Jason Horvatic, a former Scientologist who came out publicly about two years ago and had some contentious views and state...

Speaking of Cults...Breaking the Spell of Religion with Dr. Moe

05 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am welcoming back Dr. Maurice Turmel aka "Dr Moe" to discuss religious trauma and his new book on the subject. We go over a number of key ...

Speaking of Cults...Project Esther - The Modern U.S. Crusade

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'm posting this bonus podcast mid-week since I didn't want to delay getting this information and interview with Dr. Clint Heacock out to you. Project...

Speaking of Cults...How to Get Someone Out of a Cult (for real)

28 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Patrick Ryan, a cult intervention specialist who has been working in the field for 40 years and definitely knows what he's talking...

Speaking of Cults...Don't Let the Pseudoscience Bug Catch You!

21 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Dr. Jonathan Stea, author of "Mind the Science" and a real pleasure to talk to about the harms and pitfalls of science denial...

Speaking of Cults...Why Cult "Deprogramming" is Bad with Ashlen Hilliard

14 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back cult intervention specialist Ashlen Hilliard to discuss the perils and vagaries of cult interventions, deprogramming, the bac...

Speaking of Cults...Radical Honesty is a Pack of Lies

07 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Jura Glo, a survivor of a group called Radical Honesty, which takes honesty to an extreme level that is more suited to the needs o...

Speaking of Cults...How the Mormon Church Enables Abuse and Homophobia

31 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Following on last week's podcast abut the Troubled Teen Industry, this week I am joined again by Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover to go deep on wh...

Speaking of Cults...The Troubled Teen Industry with Meg Appelgate

24 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Meg Appelgate, founder of Unsilenced.org and a survivor of the "troubled teen industry" - a loose network of abusive labor traffic...

Speaking of Cults...Is "America First" a Political Cult?

17 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Dr. Clint Heacock, a former Evangelical minister turned whistleblower and we discuss the current White House administration, ...

Speaking of Cults...Dianetics and Cult Control

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I finally welcome back Jon Atack for his first appearance in this version of my podcast. We had a lot to discuss with the May 9th anniversar...

Speaking of Cults...What is the Deal with Mormon Underwear?

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Shannon Grover and Bryce Blankenangel to discuss the typical Mormon experience, leading (of course) to us diving right into t...

Speaking of Cults...Philosophy in Cult Recovery

26 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week's show is meant for cult survivors and those who care about them. It's a short and hopefully educational discussion of some things I've lear...

Speaking of Cults...Good Sex and Bad Groups

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I welcome Cara Cordoni, a sex-positive coach, and Dave Booda, to discuss how groups such as the tantric sexual healing group ISTA use the s...

Speaking of Cults...Writing Your Cult Trauma Away with Gerette Buglion

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, I welcome cult survivor, author and consultant Gerrette Buglion to discuss her work, cults in general, and the healing power of writing. Th...

Speaking of Cults...The Myth of Personal Transformation

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast was meant to be posted on March 22 but somehow disappeared from the audio lineup, so I'm re-posting it now. This very short episode focus...

Speaking of Cults...Is the United States a Cult Now?

05 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we are back to a very short show as I decided that I would put my expertise to work to try to give some very practical advice on what to do...

Speaking of Cults...What the Mormons Can Teach Us about Organizing a Cult

29 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One thing I know my audience appreciates is the fact we are not afraid to go deep into the details of what goes on in cults and today is a big one. We...

Speaking of Cults...Let's Talk about Grant Cardone

15 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week by request I am interviewing Ben John, an entrepreneur and social media personality who was taken in by Grant Cardone's 10X MLM-like scheme,...

Speaking of Cults...Is Wokeism a Cult?

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

By popular demand, I am taking this week to honestly but maybe with a little snark look at the question of whether "wokeism" is a cult. Let's be hones...

Speaking of Cults...Is America Becoming a Cult of Obedience?

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast is NOT a rant about any cult of Trump, but the fact I even have to lead with that is a sign of what this podcast is all about. This week ...

Speaking of Cults...Mormonism and Compliance Culture

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover, two former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In our second di...

Speaking of Cults...Has a Cult Taken Over US Politics?

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I discuss the fact of Christian Nationalism in the United States and the long-term evolution of what has become a disturbing ideological for...

Speaking of Cults...What is Mormonism?

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover, two former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They not only have pe...

Speaking of Cults...Healthy Sex after Leaving a Cult ft. Jeremiah Gibson & Julia Postema

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Jeremiah Gibson and Julia Postema, certified and licensed sex therapists on the East Coast who help me understand honesty, opennes...

Speaking of Cults...The Post-Truth World is Making Us All Culty

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am breaking down the exact reasons why we are living in a post-truth crisis that is quite literally tearing apart the social fabric of our...

Speaking of Cults...Parasocial Relationships and Social Media

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we posted the audio stream a little later than usual because we did something special - a live podcast. This particular subject of parasocia...

Speaking of Cults...What Mice Teach Us about Our Purpose

04 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week we take a dive into the work of ethnologist John B. Calhoun and the very unexpected results of his experiments, and most importantly what th...

Speaking of Cults...Does our Economy Create Cults?

28 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I have some economic issues to bring up which I believe help explain not only current ideological divides but also why there has been an app...

Speaking of Cults...Recovering from Religious Trauma with Helen Greene

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Helen Greene, a volunteer worker at the Freedom from Religion foundation and a wonderful guest to talk about the experience of rel...

Speaking of Cults...Scientology, Auditing and the Sea Org with Julie McKernan

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this show, I welcome again Julie McKernan to take what I hope you'll agree is a much deeper and more nuanced conversation about what it's like to b...

Speaking of Cults...Can Fiction Work Help Expose Cults? with Sadie Hoagland

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are back from our November hiatus with an interview about cult fiction by author Sadie Hoagland. This is particularly important to the ex-cult spac...

Speaking of Cults...Scientology's Repeating Pattern of Abuse ft. Julie McKernan

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's show is an interview with 2nd gen, former Scientologist Julie McKernan, a woman who has a long and fascinating tale to discuss about her g...

Speaking of Cults...A Reformed Sociopath's Origin Story with Shawn McCraney

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Shawn McCraney, artist, pastor and someone with a story to tell of an abusive upbringing, a violent past and a reformed mental sta...

Speaking of Cults...Not So Shiny or Happy People with Dr. Clint Heacock

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome author and former Evangelical pastor Dr. Clint Heacock to share his new work, Not So Shiny Not So Happy People about his upbringin...

Speaking of Cults...Growing Up a Child of Scientology with Pamela Nickel Williams

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome author and former Scientologist Pamela Nickel Williams to discuss her upcoming memoir, Clearly Lies are True about her life growin...

Speaking of Cults...What Does it Take to DeCult? (with Anke Richter)

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Anke Richter, journalist, author and organizer of the DeCult Conference in New Zealand on Oct 20, 2024. Anke and I have a very inf...

Speaking of Cults...Where Neuroscience and Cults Meet ft. Ann Betz, PCC

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Ann Betz, author and coach, who has not only had her own experience with a cult-like Large Group Awareness Training but has also d...

Speaking of Cults...Is Traditional Catholicism a Cult? ft. Anthony Spurgin

14 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back Anthony Spurgin, a man who previously shared his story of growing up as a Traditional Catholic, to discuss the movement in mo...

Speaking of Cults...What You Don't Know About Critical Thinking ft. Melanie Trecek-King

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome back educator, author and amazing guest Melanie Trecek-King to discuss critical thinking, her work as an educator and we go deep o...

Speaking of Cults...Overcoming Child Abuse in Religious Groups ft. Dr. Maurice Turmel

31 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Dr. Maurice Turmel, a clinical psychologist with decades of experience treating religious trauma syndrome and author of Breaking t...

Speaking of Cults...Religious Extremism in America ft. Rev. Ben Cremer

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Reverend Benjamin Cremer, a Christian pastor and religious influencer who has some very positive Christian messaging to fight back...

Speaking of Cults...The Threat of Pseudoscience in Health

17 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Dr. Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist and author of the new book Mind the Science, to discuss pseudoscience in physical and m...

Speaking of Cults...Project 2025 and Christian Nationalism

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Dr. Clint Heacock, a former Evangelical minister who has spent years taking apart the Christian Nationalism movement and efforts b...

Speaking of Cults...Christian Fundamentalism is a Cult ft. Tia Levings

03 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Tia Levings, author and survivor of very serious abuse at the hands of not only her Christian Fundamentalist ex-husband but by the...

Speaking of Cults...Staying SAFE After a Cult

20 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Reverend Doctor Kenneth Garrett, a Portland-based minister who not only has his own survivor story as a former cult member but who...

Speaking of Cults...Diving Deeper into the 2x2s

13 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Pamela Bowen, a third-generation survivor of the 2x2s, the "cult with no name" which has been appearing in media lately, and right...

Speaking of Cults...Foundations of Cult Recovery ft. Christian Szurko

06 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Christian Szurko, a cult recovery consultant who has been helping people in their post-cult life for as many decades as I've been ...

Speaking of Cults...The Blame Game and "Being Cause"

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am talking about how responsibility, causation and blame are used by cult leaders/predators to psychologically enslave their targets with ...

Speaking of Cults...Are LGATs Really Just Cults?

22 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Dr. John Hunter, a psychologist from South Africa who has done some amazing and detailed research on the neurological and psycholo...

Speaking of Cults...Bringing an End to Coercive Control with Rod and Linda Dubrow-Marshall

15 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome guests Rod and Linda Dubrow-Marshall, who created and run the Masters program at the University of Salford in the psychology of co...

Speaking of Cults...Jonestown: Paradise Undone

08 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome guest Annie Dawid, author and professor of creative writing here in Colorado. In this very wide-ranging episode we discuss the his...

Speaking of Cults...The Big Problems in Landmark Forum

01 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome guest Anne L. Peterson, author of "Is This a Cult?", her experiences working in and for Landmark Forum including her multiple inte...

Speaking of Cults...How to Stop Cults from Getting You

25 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I offer a discussion on Carl Sagan's "baloney detection kit" and how it helped me learn a more scientific way of thinking and how to avoid m...

Speaking of Cults...Let's Demystify the Scientology E-Meter

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This last weekend I produced my final analysis/breakdown video on Scientology practices and the subject was the E-Meter, the "religious artifact" that...

Speaking of Cults...Scientology is the Cult of Greed

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome Jon Atack back to my podcast, this week to discuss blow-by-blow his written work called Scientology: The Cult of Greed. We cover a...

Speaking of Cults..."You'd Have to be a Moron to Join a Cult!" Debunked

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I decided to tackle one of the most common and objectively false comments I've seen over the years about cults: the idea you have to be a mo...

Speaking of Cults...Off-the-Grid Cults with Kate Gale

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome cult survivor and author Kate Gale to discuss her work as a writer and poet and her experiences growing up on an off-the-grid farm...

Speaking of Cults...What is Coercive Control and How to Stop It?

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I offer a short but complete breakdown on coercive control, how to spot it, why it happens and how to stop it. This is a vitally important t...

Speaking of Cults...The Politics of Fear with Arthur Goldwag

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I welcome author and editor Arthur Goldwag to my show to discuss his new book, The Politics of Fear, and his body of work as it relates to d...

Speaking of Cults...The Science Fiction of Scientology

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I really do apologize for the lateness in getting this posted. We went live mid-week to breakdown in one episode all the major science fiction beliefs...

Speaking of Cults...The Tolls of Taking on Your Abusers

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sorry for the delay this week in posting this, but we did a live podcast this week to discuss the toll that it can take to challenge or try to expose ...

Speaking of Cults...Recovery and Support Groups

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are very happy to feature Ashlen Hilliard, a fellow alumni of the Salford Coercive Control program and fellow cult fighter. She has a lot...

Speaking of Cults...Cyberstalking and Cults

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we are covering the topics of cyberstalking, cyber-harassment and digital coercive control, all very real and related activities that occur ...

Speaking of Cults...Growing Up a Shiny Happy Person

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week I am joined by Chad Harris, a man who grew up under the religious homeschooling program of Bill Gothard and the IBLP, infamously connected t...