
Ep 202 AA Cult Whistleblowing with Monica Richardson
From Kirsten Johnson Podcast by Kirsten Johnson
April 28, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 202
About this episode
Monica Richardson discusses her 15-year journey of dissenting from Alcoholics Anonymous and the making of her documentary on the dangers within the organization.
Today on the podcast we have 13th Step Filmmaker Monica Richardson sharing about 15 year journey of dissenting AA. Monica first spoke up within AA wanting to make the rooms safer. Then she, along with others, wrote AA HQ in New York. But people weren't wanting to hear about the crimes in AA and how to make it safer. This led her to speak up outside AA and eventually to make a documentary about the s*xual assualt and m*rder inside Alcoholics Anonymous. Monica's film is called The 13th Step. Monica Richardson links: Monica Richardson YouTube , 13th Step Film Safe Recovery Podcast Deprogram Facebook group Timestamps: 00:00 AA Cult Whistleblowing with Monica Richardson 03:25 Crimes + Dissenting inside AA 11:01 Resistance in AA to Safer Meetings 14:42 Realizing AA Will Stay Dangerous 22:29 Speaking Up About Crime in AA 28:00 Collabing + Realizing AA Ideology is Harmful 34:43 Making a Dangers in AA Documentary 43:30 AA Dissenting in Local Community 47:47 Best Part of AA Dissenting 49:53 Advice to New AA Dissenters 🔥 Deprogram Course + leaving AA resources → here 🧠 Brain optimization tools → here ❤️🔥 If you’re ready to stop holding yourself back → here Come vibe with me: Kirsten's…
People in this episode
Host: Kirsten Johnson
Guest: Monica Richardson
Topics covered
- AA dissent
- whistleblowing
- safety in recovery
- documentary filmmaking
- sexual assault
- community activism
Keywords
- Alcoholics Anonymous
- whistleblowing
- documentary
- safety
- sexual assault
- AA dissent
- Monica Richardson
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Alcoholics Anonymous, Safe Recovery Podcast, Deprogram Facebook group
Books & works: The 13th Step
More episodes of Kirsten Johnson Podcast
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- Ep 208 Dangerous AA Comment · June 7, 2026 · 31 min
- Ep 207 Leaving AA, Harm Reduction + Autism — Kylee's Story · June 2, 2026 · 1h 33m
- Ep 206 Deprogram AA Live with Carrie · May 26, 2026 · 1h 37m
- Ep 205 How To Tell People You Left AA · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
- Ep 204 What People Secretly Think About AA · May 12, 2026 · 37 min
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