158 episodes

Think you might be in a cult? Want to know the signs? Join Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames to talk about things that are..a little bit culty. Or in their case: a whole bunch of culty. As whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Vow,” Sarah and Nippy have a lot to say about their experience, and burning questions to ask people with similar stories. They’re here to help people understand, heal from, and avoid abusive situations one little red flag at a time. Listen in as they share their stories, have frank and unscripted conversations with other survivors and cult experts, and do a deep dive on how devotion can turn to dysfunction.

A Little Bit Culty Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames

    • Society & Culture

Think you might be in a cult? Want to know the signs? Join Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames to talk about things that are..a little bit culty. Or in their case: a whole bunch of culty. As whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Vow,” Sarah and Nippy have a lot to say about their experience, and burning questions to ask people with similar stories. They’re here to help people understand, heal from, and avoid abusive situations one little red flag at a time. Listen in as they share their stories, have frank and unscripted conversations with other survivors and cult experts, and do a deep dive on how devotion can turn to dysfunction.

    The Erhard Effect: Anne Peterson on Landmark (Part 1)

    The Erhard Effect: Anne Peterson on Landmark (Part 1)

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. 
    Landmark has been the most requested topic from our listeners since day one of this podcast. When we got eyes on Anne Peterson’s new memoir about her 15+ year journey inside its ecosystem, we knew our listeners would be pissed at us if we didn’t get her on our microphone, ASAP.  ‘‘Is This a Cult?: Confronting the Line Between Transformation and Exploitation’ (available on Amazon) is a raw and gritty read, and tells the story of Anne’s heartbreaking journey from starry-eyed idealist to disillusioned leader in a way that gives us NXIVM déjà vu all over again. There are also some incendiary stories of the famous large-group awareness training (LGAT) company’s lurking ghost/guru/shapeshifter, the infamous Werner Erhard. In this first of two episodes with Anne, she shares what drew her to the organization and her whirlwind ascent through its ranks.

    And don’t worry, Landmark top brass, if you’re listening. We aren’t throwing the wonderful, transformational baby out with the dirty bathwater. Nor is Anne. Just the opposite, in fact. We think you could realize your full potential if you actually listened and learned from the bad feedback, instead of shutting it down. So maybe this time, you’ll make some meaning out of this before you start cranking out your latest cease and desist? Deep breaths. Good talk.


    SHOW NOTES:Anne Peterson spent 15+ years selling, producing and facilitating transformative programs for an international personal and professional growth and development company. Since leaving, she has launched ILumn8.life, a learning hub and marketplace dedicated to the safe and ethical practice of providing personal development. Her memoir is available now on Amazon. You can also hear more about her story on recent episodes of the (excellent!) Seek Safely podcast.



    NY Times article on the return of Werner Erhard


    Outrageous Betrayal: The Real Story of Werner Erhard from est to Exile (book)


    Cult Education Institute’s Landmark info page

    Times-Union article on Rick Ross’s Landmark/NXIVM Testimony

    More background on Erhard scandals
     
    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.
     
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     

    • 54 min
    Bad Blood: Erika Cheung on Bringing Down Theranos

    Bad Blood: Erika Cheung on Bringing Down Theranos

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self.
     
    Erika Cheung arrived at the Theranos corporate headquarters at just 22 years old as a newly minted college grad. At the time, the idealistic chemist and biologist saw Elizabeth Holmes just as so many others did: As a visionary on the verge of completely disrupting the healthcare paradigm. As it would turn out, Erika’s honeymoon phase at her dream gig lasted all of seven months. That’s when she quit her job in the Theranos lab, bought a burner phone, and blew the whistle on one of the biggest con artists in American business history. The Theranos story has always seemed more than a little bit culty to us, so we jumped at the chance to chat with Erika about her experience. After all, sometimes a culty situation starts out looking like a promising job offer with a ‘visionary’ who turns out to be a faux humanitarian. (We’ve been there, Erika. Oh…have we been there.)


    About Erika Cheung:
    Erika was born in Los Angeles, CA. She spent most of her education homeschooled, but started community college at age 14 and then went on to obtain a dual degree in Linguistics and Molecular and Cell Biology from UC Berkeley.
    She was one of the key whistleblowers that reported Theranos to health regulators. Her report subsequently led to the shut down of Theranos' clinical lab which prevented the company from providing false medical results to thousands of patients. This account is covered in the book Bad Blood by John Carreryrou, 60 Minutes, the ABC Podcast: The Drop Out, and Alex Gibney's documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.
    Erika is the executive director of Ethics in Entrepreneurship, a non-profit whose mission is to foster ethical questioning, culture, and systems in startups and startup ecosystems. She's currently working towards obtaining her ACFE-certified fraud examiner's license to educate others on fraud prevention strategies and develop programs to protect business stakeholders from high-risk ventures. She is also an advisor to several whistleblower advocacy organizations to support individuals who may 
    She is also an avid mixed martial artist in her free time and hopes to support efforts that leverage martial arts to empower trauma survivors.
    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.
     
    OTHER LINKS:
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     

    • 55 min
    It’s Not You: Dr. Ramani On Post-Narc Healing

    It’s Not You: Dr. Ramani On Post-Narc Healing

    This epiosde is sponsored by Better Help.
    We always jump at the chance to talk to Dr. Ramani. This time she arrives at A Little Bit Culty fresh from publishing her newest book: It’s Not You: Identifying And Healing From Narcissistic People. (We read the advanced copy and it blew our minds.) Dr. Ramani wants you to know that thriving after—or even during—a narcissistic relationship can be challenging, but it is possible. She also wants to flip the script on the prevailing cultural and clinical conversations around narcissism, and focus less on the narcs and more on the people they impact. So if you’ve been burned by a narcissist, listen up for a crash course in how to stop blaming yourself and start giving yourself permission to recover. 


    SHOW NOTES:

    Dr. Ramani Durvasula, PhD,  is a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, CA, Professor Emerita of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles, and the Founder and CEO of LUNA Education, Training & Consulting. She is an author of several books including her newest title: It’s Not You: Identifying And Healing From Narcissistic People.  Her clinical, academic and consulting work is all about the impact that narcissism and high-conflict, entitled, antagonistic personality styles have on human relationships, mental health, and society. She’s been featured at SXSW, TEDx, Red Table Talk, the Today Show, and Investigation Discovery. You can also find her on YouTube where she has accumulated millions of views on her videos discussing narcissism on her successful channel, and on social media @DoctorRamani. She’s a proud podmama: Hosting the excellent Navigating Narcissism with Dr. Ramani, and if you haven’t heard that show already: It’s a must-listen. Trust us. Get that in your ears, ASAP.  Learn all about her work, shows, and books at: https://doctor-ramani.com/


    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty f*****d.
     
    OTHER LINKS:
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     

    • 1 hr 16 min
    Broken Bonds: Rachel Bernstein on Cults & Family

    Broken Bonds: Rachel Bernstein on Cults & Family

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.
    We get emails and messages from people every day who are looking for guidance on what to do when someone they love is in a cult, so we called in an expert. Here’s our chat with Rachel Bernstein, LMFT, of the mighty helpful and always bingeable IndoctriNation podcast. Is this technically a crossover episode? We don’t make those rules, but we do feel pretty confident in saying that this episode is a power hour on what to do if your loved ones become culty collateral damage.
     
    SHOW NOTES:

    Rachel Bernstein is one of our all-time favorite cult awareness and recovery podcast hosts. She’s a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist from Los Angeles, California who has specialized in cult intervention and re-acclimation for over 30 years. She serves on the advisory board of the International Cultic Studies Association and has worked with the Department of Justice providing therapy to cult victims who testify against their perpetrators. She's also made many media appearances over the years as a cult expert on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, Bloomberg, and many other news outlets. Ms. Bernstein is also the host of IndoctriNation: A weekly podcast covering cults, manipulators, and protecting yourself from systems of control where she has interviewed hundreds of cult survivors, journalists, and experts. Her book, "Kids Talking to Kids about Divorce" is available now on Amazon.
     
    Her Website
    Her Book
    Her Podcast & Socials
     
    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty f*****d.
     
    OTHER LINKS:
     
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
     
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     
     

    • 59 min
    Proud Defector: Claire Headley On Scientology (Part 2)

    Proud Defector: Claire Headley On Scientology (Part 2)

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self.
    And…we’re back for part two of our conversation with Claire Headley, a defiant Scientology whistleblower who still owes the shadowy organization a billion minus 30 years on her contract. (Don’t hold your breath, David Miscavige.) Born and bred in England’s Scientology boarding schools before rising up through the ranks all the way to headquarters, Claire’s  escape after a lifetime of indoctrination is nothing short of heroic. In this follow-up, she shares more about the details of her exit, her thoughts on the future of Scientology, and her role as an expert witness for the prosecution in the Danny Masterson trial. This episode is as insidery as an insider account of L. Ron’s house gets. Also, paging Trey Parker and Matt Stone: We see you and we appreciate you. 
     
    SHOW NOTES: 
    Claire Headley escaped L. Ron’s Church of Scientology, bravely emerging from its dark depths to share her harrowing experiences with the world. Since breaking free 18 years ago, Claire has become a prominent advocate for survivors, shedding light on the church's practices, its culture of control, and the struggles faced by those who leave. She’s also continued to be abused by its powerful reach. As President of The Aftermath Foundation, Claire helps others – often with no work experience or family beyond Sea Org – leave Scientology. You can find lots of details at  Blown for Good, on Twitter, and YouTube. 
     
    There are more ALBC episodes on Scientology:
    Leah Remini: Heal That Sh*t: Leah Remini & The Aftermath
    One Billion Years: Mike Rinder on How Scientology Could End
    Or remix, Scientology SUCKS | Ft. Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, and Jon Atack 
     
    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.
     
    OTHER LINKS:
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     

    • 54 min
    Proud Defector: Claire Headley On Scientology (Part 1)

    Proud Defector: Claire Headley On Scientology (Part 1)

    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/culty and get on your way to being your best self.
    In part one of this 2-parter, we feature Scientology defector and whistleblower Claire Headley who spent 30 years in the church isolated from her family and basically any outside influence. Headley was born and bred in England’s Scientology boarding schools, was shipped to the big blue buildings in LA, and then onto headquarters. Thoroughly indoctrinated, she landed at the mother church, Sea Org, where she signed billion-year contracts and rose through the ranks. In this episode, she describes her childhood. She recounts personal tragedies and abuses. She tells us what it’s like to experience the practice of fair game – beginning at age two. And she shares what the nearly intractable clutches of this 100% high-control group felt like. Until her own husband escaped without her, and the proverbial shelf broke. Her almost foiled escape is an action sequence you won’t want to miss.
     
    SHOW NOTES: 
    Claire Headley escaped L. Ron’s Church of Scientology, bravely emerging from its dark depths to share her harrowing experiences with the world. Since breaking free 18 years ago, Claire has become a prominent advocate for survivors, shedding light on the church's practices, its culture of control, and the struggles faced by those who leave. She’s also continued to be abused by its powerful reach. As President of The Aftermath Foundation, Claire helps others – often with no work experience or family beyond Sea Org – leave Scientology. You can find lots of details at  Blown for Good, on Twitter, and YouTube. 
     
    There are more ALBC episodes on Scientology:
    Leah Remini: Heal That Sh*t: Leah Remini & The Aftermath
    One Billion Years: Mike Rinder on How Scientology Could End
    Or remix, Scientology SUCKS | Ft. Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, and Jon Atack 
     
    Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear that…
     
    The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.
     
    OTHER LINKS:
    Check out our lovely sponsors
    Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon
    Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
    Support the pod and smash this link
    Cult awareness and recovery resources
     
    CREDITS: 
    Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
    Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
    Producer: Will Retherford
    Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
    Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin
     

    • 59 min

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