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5.4K to 21K🎙 Daily cadence·111 episodes·Last published 3d ago - Monthly Reach
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7.2K to 28K
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On the show
From 16 epsHost
Recent guests
Recent episodes
ICSA with Carol Merchasin
Jun 21, 2026
Unknown duration
Eternal Values with Hoyt Richards
Jun 2, 2026
1h 07m 15s
Coercive Control in Charismatic Evangelical Churches with the RTC
May 31, 2026
53m 41s
Sphinx Spiritual – Part 2
May 26, 2026
1h 33m 27s
Sphinx Spiritual – Part 1
May 19, 2026
1h 26m 13s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/21/26 | ![]() ICSA with Carol Merchasin | Carol Merchasin is the newly appointed President of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). Drawing on decades of experience in law, investigations, and survivor advocacy, Carol has led inquiries into allegations of misconduct within prominent spiritual and religious organisations and has worked extensively with survivors of coercive control and abuse. Through her legal practice, public education efforts, and leadership at ICSA, she has become a leading voice on cultic abuse, human trafficking, labour exploitation, and the protection of vulnerable individuals within high-control environments.In this interview episode, we chatted about the role of ICSA, where Carol sees the organisation going next, what's upcoming at the 2026 ICSA Conference in July, and some of the trends and shifts the organisation is seeing with coercive groups, holding them to account, and the media landscape.LinksInternational Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) — official websiteICSA Conference 2026 — 1-4 July, San Diego USACredits:Produced by Sarah SteelMusic by Joe GouldYou can support Let's Talk About Sects here. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 6/2/26 | ![]() Eternal Values with Hoyt Richards✨ | cult educationpersonal journey+3 | Hoyt Richards | Eternal ValuesHBO Max+2 | — | Eternal Valuescult+5 | — | 1h 07m 15s | |
| 5/31/26 | ![]() Coercive Control in Charismatic Evangelical Churches with the RTC✨ | coercive controlcharismatic evangelical churches+4 | Sam SellersElise Heerde | Religious Trauma CollectiveAnchored Counselling Services+2 | — | cultcoercive control+6 | — | 53m 41s | |
| 5/26/26 | ![]() Sphinx Spiritual – Part 2✨ | cultspirituality+4 | — | Cult Information and Family SupportInternational Cultic Studies Association | — | Sphinx Spiritualcult+5 | — | 1h 33m 27s | |
| 5/19/26 | ![]() Sphinx Spiritual – Part 1✨ | spiritualitycults+4 | — | Sphinx SpiritualCult Information and Family Support+1 | — | Sphinx Spiritualspiritual guides+8 | — | 1h 26m 13s | |
| 5/12/26 | ![]() The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps with Harrison Hill✨ | religious cultsextremism+4 | Harrison Hill | Cult Information and Family SupportInternational Cultic Studies Association+1 | — | Aggressive Christianity Missions Training CorpsHarrison Hill+5 | — | 54m 28s | |
| 5/3/26 | ![]() Update: The Nannup Four✨ | disappearancecold case+3 | Dominique Bayens | The Truth FellowshipABC News+3 | — | Nannup Fourdisappearance+3 | — | 34m 34s | |
| 4/14/26 | ![]() The Soulful Journey✨ | cult experiencesspirituality+4 | Fai West | Cult Information and Family SupportInternational Cultic Studies Association+8 | — | cultspiritual journey+7 | — | 1h 29m 37s | |
| 4/5/26 | ![]() Orgsm: A Memoir and a OneTaste update with Ruwan Meepagala✨ | OneTastememoir+4 | Ruwan Meepagala | OneTasteCult Information and Family Support+2 | — | OneTasteRuwan Meepagala+6 | Money Saver Home Loans | 57m 31s | |
| 3/22/26 | ![]() The Nannup Four with Dominique Bayens✨ | disappearancedoomsday belief+4 | Dominique Bayens | Do As I SayABC+2 | — | Nannup Fourdisappearance+5 | Money Saver Home Loans | 36m 21s | |
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| 12/16/25 | ![]() Nephew of the Universe: Sri Chinmoy with Harry Rob Bruner✨ | cult experiencesSri Chinmoy+3 | Harry Robert Bruner | Creative Exit CoachingCult Information and Family Support+4 | — | Sri ChinmoyHarry Bruner+5 | Money Saver Home Loans | 1h 04m 57s | |
| 11/25/25 | ![]() Allison After NXIVM with Natalie Robehmed✨ | NXIVMAllison Mack+3 | Natalie Robehmed | NXIVMCampside Media+2 | — | Allison MackNXIVM+5 | Money Saver Home Loans | 55m 21s | |
| 11/18/25 | ![]() Empire of Orgasm: OneTaste with Ellen Huet✨ | wellness cultsorgasmic meditation+3 | Ellen Huet | OneTasteCult Information and Family Support+3 | — | OneTasteEllen Huet+6 | Money Saver Home Loans | 1h 11m 05s | |
| 9/2/25 | ![]() The Collective: Dark Squares with Danny Rensch✨ | cultschess+3 | Danny Rensch | Chess.comDark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life | Tonto Village, Arizona | cultchess+4 | — | 1h 26m 52s | |
| 8/13/25 | ![]() Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes✨ | conspiracy theoriescults+4 | — | PAVE StudiosCrime House | — | conspiracy theoriescults+6 | — | 7m 57s | |
| 7/29/25 | ![]() Interview Episode: Fynn's time with the Logos Foundation✨ | Logos Foundationreligious right+3 | Fynn | Logos FoundationCult Information and Family Support+3 | — | Logos FoundationFynn+5 | — | 43m 02s | |
| 7/1/25 | ![]() Interview Episode: Clare Heath-McIvor✨ | cult experiencessocial justice+4 | Clare Heath-McIvor | City Builders ChurchVictorian Parliamentary Inquiry+4 | — | cultCity Builders Church+7 | — | 1h 23m 34s | |
| 6/3/25 | ![]() Cult Bride & Providence/JMS with Liz Cameron | In 2011, an 18-year-old Liz Cameron joined a Bible study group she only knew as ‘Sarang Church’. Over the coming months, she lost more and more of her life and identity to the group that eventually revealed it was part of a larger South Korean organisation called Providence or JMS – which she was told not to google. Liz managed to find her way out of her indoctrination with the help of her family, and has just released her memoir about her experiences, Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed – and how I broke free.Links:Cult Bride: How I was brainwashed – and how I broke free — by Liz Cameron, Hardie Grant Publishing, June 2025liztheformer — Liz Cameron's TikTok channelThe Cult Next Door — 7News Spotlight episode, 2 July 2023In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal — Netflix documentary about Providence/JMS, 2023Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria, open for submissions until 31 July 2025 and due to deliver findings in September 2026You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 5/20/25 | ![]() Interview Episode: Victorian Inquiry into Cults with Ryan & Catherine Carey | The Parliament of Victoria has launched an Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, which is open for submissions until 31 July 2025. If you or anyone you know has been involved with a cult that has a presence in Victoria, Australia, you're highly encouraged to make a submission. There’s also an anonymous questionnaire option available for those who might not wish to make a full submission.Ryan and Catherine Carey are two former members of the Geelong Revival Centre who – along with a working group of other cult survivors – have been at the forefront in instigating this inquiry. They secured the support of Victoria’s Labor State Member for Geelong and Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples Christine Couzens, and Victorian Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny, who launched the Inquiry in April 2025. It's due to deliver its findings in September 2026.Links:Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria, open for submissions until 31 July 2025 and due to deliver findings in September 2026Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder podcastStop Religious Coercion Australia — websitem Facebook group, TikTok and InstagramVictorian Cult Survivors Network — Facebook groupYou can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook.If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/22/25 | ![]() Falun Gong | Falun Gong is familiar to many as a spiritual exercise movement, and a sect that has been persecuted by the People’s Republic of China. In Sydney you'll often see practitioners demonstrating by Town Hall with flyers sharing stories of organ harvesting of wrongfully imprisoned members. But former devotees have come forward with stories of coercion and abuse, alleging that in one thing the CCP is correct: Falun Gong is a socially harmful cult.Full research sources listed here.Links:“I am the only one propagating true Dharma”: Li Hongzhi’s Self-Presentation as Buddha and Greater — by James R. Lewis, ColomboArts Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol II, Issue 2, 2017The life and times of Li Hongzhi: ‘Falun Gong’ and Religious Biography — by Benjamin Penny, The China Quarterly 175, 643–661, 2003The power of Falun Gong — By Eric Campbell and Hagar Cohen, Foreign Correspondent-Background Briefing, ABC, 21 July 2020Shen Yun: The Dark Side of a Dance Troupe — The Daily, New York Times Podcasts, 3 April 2025Facebook bans ads from The Epoch Times after huge pro-Trump buy — by Brandy Zadrozny and Ben Collins, NBC News, 23 August 2019This Pro-Trump YouTube Network Sprang Up Just After He Lost — by Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed News, 8 January 2021A key source for Covid-skeptic movements, the Epoch Times yearns for a global audience — by Alessio Perrone & Darren Loucaides, coda, 10 March 2022DoJ accuses far-right Epoch Times of being money-laundering operation — by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian, 4 June 2024Behind the Pageantry of Shen Yun, Untreated Injuries and Emotional Abuse — by Nicole Hong & Michael Rothfeld, The New York Times, 15 August 2024Stepping Into the Uncanny, Unsettling World of Shen Yun — by Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 19 March 2019Their posters are everywhere, but behind Shen Yun lies a darker story — by Anthony Segaert, The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 February 2025Consider supporting Decult in NZ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/8/25 | ![]() Children in Scientology with Mirriam Francis | In the wake of updates to Child Safety Standards emerging from Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Mirriam Francis wrote to Victoria’s Commission for Children and Young People outlining the ways in which she sees Scientology teachings and practices to be violating these standards. While concepts of religious freedom and choice can muddy the waters of certain discussions around coercive organisations, Mirriam sees the regulations and laws to protect children as a key lens through which such practices need to be viewed and pursued. She speaks from personal experience that spans three countries.Links:Child Safe Standards — Commission for Children and Young People Victoria (you can raise a concern here); Queensland Family & Child Commission (you can raise a concern here)Child Safe Scheme — NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (you can raise a concern here)Australian Child Safe Standards – A State By State Guide 2024 — Safe Space LegalRage Against the Dark Arts — Mirriam Francis' SubstackThetans in Young Bodies — Season 2, Episode 1 of Leah Remini's Scientology and the Aftermath in which Mirriam Francis featuresReport of the Board of Enquiry into Scientology — by Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C., the State of Victoria, Australia, 1965The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma — by Bessel van der Kolk, Penguin, 2015Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice — by Judith Lewis Herman, Basic Books, 2023Dianetics excerpt re: 7-year-old child responding to kiss from adult maleA Children of God message to members mentioning their "friends in Scientology"Introduction to Scientology Ethics High CrimesYou can support us on Patreon. Sarah's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 4/1/25 | ![]() SGAs with Maria Esguerra | Maria Esguerra escaped the Children of God at the age of 22 with her two children who have disabilities. Maria’s firsthand experience drives her passion to support fellow survivors of cults and institutions, advocating for specialised understanding, interventions and access to governmental schemes such as Redress. Maria has actively engaged in media and advocacy efforts to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people escaping coercive environments. She founded a support group for second and multi-generational survivors (also referred to as SGAs or MGAs) from all cults. It addresses the devastating impacts from these groups, including abuse, denial of basic rights and forced labour. Maria is also a psychologist and the founder of Assessable.Links:Maria Esguerra — LinktreeMaria Esguerra — Director at AssessableDecult profile — Maria's information at the recent Decult ConferenceI lived under the so-called 'law of love' and it was terrifying – cult survivor — by Ryan Boswell, 1News, 17 October 2024CIFS Australia — Cult Information & Family SupportThe Olive Leaf NetworkEscaping Utopia — by Janja Lalich & Karla McLaren, Routledge, 2017The Strange Situation Experiment — more about Mary Ainsworth's work on attachment theoryErikson's stages of psychosocial development — more about Erik Erikson's workMake it Meaningful: How to find purpose in life and work — by Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Simon & Schuster, 2023Walking Free from the Trauma of Coercive, Cultic and Spiritual Abuse: A Workbook for Recovery and Growth — by Gillie Jenkinson, Routledge, 2023Stop Religious Coercion Australia — Advocacy group started by a former Geelong Revival Centre memberWriting to Reckon — Gerette Buglion's workshops, retreats, journal, and moreYou can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's book Do As I Say is available on audiobook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/25/25 | ![]() Interview Episode: An Everyday Cult with Gerette Buglion | Gerette Buglion holds a B.A. in Elementary Education and Special Education, and earned her ‘Master's Degree’ in cult awareness education from the school of life. She emerged from her 18-year cult odyssey in 2014 at age 52, and asked herself, "How did I, an educated, caring mother, wife, and business owner become that lost and for that long?" Gerette then set to work studying cultic dynamics, while reclaiming her autonomy with the help of a supportive family, therapy, and countless hours immersed in nature and writing.Gerette's memoir An Everyday Cult was published in 2021, and followed by her second book, Writing to Reckon Journal – for Survivors of Spiritual, Religious, and Cultic Abuse. She is the founder of Living Cult Free, a nonprofit supporting the creative expression of survivor stories and empowering advocacy through education.Links:Gerette Buglion — Gerette's websiteAn Everyday Cult — by Gerette Buglion, 2021Writing to Reckon Journal — by Gerette Buglion, 2023 (PDF version for US$5 here)Writing to Reckon — Gerette's workshops, retreats, journal, and moreLiving Cult Free — 501c3 nonprofit empowering and educating cult survivors and advocatesLiving Cult Free: the podcastDr Dan Siegel — executive director of the Mindsight Institute and founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLAGentle Souls Revolution — Esther Friedman's websiteFaith Jones — author of I Own Me and Sex Cult NunBeth Matanaer — Finding the Path Within You (or as Beth says, "You are your own expert")You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 3/18/25 | ![]() Interview Episode: The Community of Jesus | Ewan Whyte's feature essay, ‘The Cult That Raised Me’ – about the United States based Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College – includes the introduction, “When I was 11, my parents sent me to Grenville Christian College, a prestigious Anglican boarding school in Brockville. It turned out to be a perverse fundamentalist cult that brainwashed, abused and terrorized students. For decades, the school tried to intimidate us into silence. It didn’t work.”Ewan Whyte is a writer, art and cultural critic. He has written for the Globe & Mail and the Literary Review of Canada. He is the author of Desire Lines: Essays on Art Poetry & Culture, Shifting Paradigms: Essays on Art and Culture and Entrainment, a book of poetry, and a translation of the rude ancient Roman poet Catullus. His feature essay 'The Cult that Raised Me' was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. Ewan's upcoming book, Mothers of Invention: Essays on the Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College, will be released in June and is available for preorder now. In advance of its release, Ewan shared some of his research and thoughts about these two organisations.You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.Links:Mothers of Invention: Essays on the Community of Jesus and Grenville Christian College — by Ewan Whyte, Wolsak & Wynn, 2025The Cult That Raised Me — by Ewan Whyte, Toronto Life, 5 January 2021I-Team: Former Members Of Cape Religious Group Allege Emotional Abuse, 'People Don't Realize The Mind Control' — WBZ News, 4 November 2021Aaron Bushnell: Friends struggle to comprehend US airman's Gaza protest death — by Kayla Epstein & Angelica Casas, BBC News, 3 March 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
| 2/18/25 | ![]() ISKCON / Hare Krishnas – Part 2 | When asked about the Hare Krishnas, most people will conjure images of dancing, chanting people with colourful robes and joyful dispositions. Members of the general public, whom Hare Krishnas refer to as 'karmis', may have encountered devotees through their vegetarian food offerings at music festivals or city restaurants. Their anti-LGBTQI+ and patriarchal beliefs, as well as the darker aspects of their history – including horrifying stories of abuse, and even murders – come as a surprise to many.Full research sources listed here. You can support us on Patreon. Sarah Steel's debut book Do As I Say is available on audiobook now.Links:Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA — by Ramai Swami, 27 September 2021Authoritarian Culture and Child Abuse in ISKCON — by Nori J. Muster, Cultic Studies Review, 3(1), 2004Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON complaint — Plaintiffs’ original petition in the Dallas lawsuit, Surrealist.org, filed 25 October 2001How I Once Was a Hare Krishna… — by Christopher Fici, Medium, 7 January 2023Holy Cow, Swami — documentary by Jacob Young, 1996History — ISKCON Child Protection Office, accessed January 2025Child Abuse in the Hare Krishna Movement: 1971-1986 — by E. Burke Rochford, Jr. with Jennifer Heinlein, ISKCON Communications Journal, Vol. 6, #1, June 1998Children of ISKCON vs. ISKCON Timeline — Surrealist.org (Nori Muster’s website), accessed January 2025Tortured Souls — by Mark Donald, Dallas Observer, 6 December 2001Dial Om for Murder — by John Hubner & Lindsey Gruson, Rolling Stone, Issue 497, 1987Religion: Control Stressed at Krishna Children’s School — by Eleanor Blau, The New York Times, 25 November 1973Why ISKCON Needs to be on Guard Against “Cultic Behavior” — by Anuttama Dasa, ISKCON News, 26 July 2024The Krishna Cult — by Paul Ford, Mad After Krishna, 1994 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
Chart Positions
3 placements across 3 markets.
