Yes, we are back! We're kicking off Season 4 with a conversation with Grace. She grew up in a little-known Christian fundamentalist group referred to as the Geftakys Assembly and, although her family left when she was young, she was impacted greatly by leadership's harsh rules regarding women and children. So greatly was Grace impacted that she dove into a years-long history/research project and created her own podcast about it called "In God's Name: An Unseen Cult." New episodes are being released now.  Join us as we talk about Grace's upbringing in the group, how her family left, and wh ..read more

Generation Cult is dropping back in with a bonus edition to celebrate today's launch of Liz Ianelli's new book called "I See You, Survivor: Life Inside (and Outside) the Totally F*cked-Up Troubled Teen Industry." In it, Liz details her years left at a program within the Troubled Teen Industry, a network of expensive residential programs, wilderness camps, and religious-affiliated establishments meant to set your child straight.  Join us as we discuss Liz's time in one of these programs, how she relates it to a cult, the abuses she and her friends endured, and the struggles kids who live t ..read more

Tamara grew up in a Sufi polygamist organization in the US and England. Her father joined the group when she was 5 and she soon found herself torn between a somewhat "normal" life with her mother and a bizarre, hard-working communal lifestyle with her dad. Deemed a "special child" by her father's group, she was sent to live with the leader, who put her to work caring for young children and cooking and cleaning in his mansion alongside his multiple wives. At age 12, Tamara got married -- a spotty relationship that lasted until she was 20. But when her husband wanted to follow the polygamist pra ..read more

Will grew up devout in an evangelical community and attended Christian schools, camps and mission trips. His beliefs were so strong in his youth that he describes himself as becoming radicalized and isolated from the rest of society. But in his teens he began to question his church's strict guidelines regarding who can be saved or even considered a Christian. After conversations with people from other faiths and failed attempts to have his questions answered within his community, he left his church.  On this episode, Will chats with Dhyana and Ashlen about the strict evangelical beliefs h ..read more

Find Generation Cult where ever you get your podcasts! Season 3 is now underway. Want to start your own podcast? We've been using Libsyn since 2018! Get a discount when you sign up with Libsyn and use the promo code GENCULT ..read more

While listening to the stories on Generation Cult, do you ever wonder at what point people can take legal action against their abusers? Do you want to know what charges have been brought against coercive groups and taken seriously in the courts?  In this episode, Dhyana interviews attorney Carol Merchasin, who has brought successful lawsuits on behalf of people who were sexually abused in Buddhist, yoga and cult-like groups. Join us as we discuss the most effective ways to approach cases against high-demand organizations and how the playing field has changed in the post #metoo/Harvey Wein ..read more

****Bonus episode! Dhyana chats with Tim Elliott, host of the new podcast called "Inside the Tribe," which takes a deep dive into controversial religious sect the Twelve Tribes. This short interview is a great companion to our Ep. 9: "Finding Freedom from the Twelve Tribes with Suvav," which released to the public on Feb. 10. Suvav also appears on "Inside the Tribe," which you can find on most podcast platforms. Elliott, an investigative journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald, first became acquainted with the group years ago while working for the newspaper. He was so troubled by their practi ..read more

Suvav grew up in the Twelve Tribes, a controversial religious organization founded in the 1970s that has since been accused of systemic child abuse, medical neglect, labor violations, arson, murder, and even more. In 2019, Suvav -- now an adult with three children -- left with his wife and kids, and are still struggling to find housing and stability in the world outside the Twelve Tribes community. On this episode, we chat with Suvav about growing up in the group as a hard-working, misunderstood child who suffered from food insecurity and severe untreated injuries. As an adult, he became distu ..read more

Emily was raised on a secluded farm in the Midwest with her six siblings before her family moved to the Pacific Northwest. Her parents were convinced that the world was going to end in 2012 and taught the children about survival, encouraged them to stay away from "outsiders," kept them minimally homeschooled, and controlled their day-to-day lives. Emily began a tough acclimation to the rest of the world after 2012 came and went, and she was allowed to attend school. When the pandemic began, her parents doubled down on their end times belief and fell deeper into conspiracy theories, particularl ..read more

Welcome back to Generation Cult and Happy New Year! We are kicking off 2023 with this episode about Jolyn, who grew up in the Mormon Church. While her experiences weren't as extreme as some of the other stories we've had here, she describes a sort of "whisper campaign" she experienced as an unenthusiastic member who then left, and the harm that even subtle group pressure can do.  After experiencing upheaval in her family involving the criminal justice system, Jolyn -- now a trauma recovery coach -- wrote a recently-released guidebook about recovering from trauma. Join Dhyana and Ashlen as ..read more