Everybody Loves a Cult Story | Our Cult Exposé | Episode 1

My Sisters Take

My Sister's Take is a conversation between sisters Rose and Sefa, who were born and raised inside a high-control religious group before leaving everything they had ever known. Each week, they unpack the experiences that shaped them—from spiritual abuse, family dynamics, and life inside a controlling community to the complicated process of rebuilding identity, relationships, and purpose after leaving. Some episodes revisit stories from their own lives. Others explore the people, beliefs, and systems that influenced their upbringing.

  1. 6d ago

    Food in the Cult | What’s Your Take?

    This week on the podcast, we’re talking about FOOD in the cult.Growing up in an environment where even what you ate was heavily controlled meant being children who were often hungry, limited to the approved foods and allowed rations, and left with some pretty complicated relationships with food.We’re talking about the lasting impact of those experiences, the questions that still confuse us (seriously, do pickles give you nightmares?!), and how those childhood dynamics continue to influence the way we eat, grocery shop, and approach food with ourselves and our own kids today.This is a lighter conversation about a subject that had a much bigger impact than we probably realized at the time.And we’re introducing a new type of episode: What’s Your Take? Less deep dive, more sister conversation, plenty of opinions, and questions we’re still trying to figure out ourselves.Come join us!🎙️ Subscribe to follow our story as we continue uncovering what it was like growing up inside a high-control religious group- and what healing has looked like on the other side

  2. Oct 25

    Misery in a Cult-Enforced Relationship (Part 3)

    The Reality of my Cult-Arramged Relationship. We were forced together, and we were miserable. In Part 3 of my “like vibration” story, I share what happened as the relationship deteriorated and what it was like to be in a relationship that wasn’t truly our choice. Growing up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness, relationships and our futures weren’t always ours to decide. The “like vibration” was part of a system that shaped who we were expected to be with, long before we had the freedom or perspective to decide what we actually wanted. This episode is about what happened when that reality collided with the relationship itself. This is Part 3 of my story. Listen to Parts 1 and 2 for the context behind how this relationship began.

  3. Oct 18

    The Accident That Changed Everything | Part 2

    The Boy I Was Told to Marry: The Accident That Changed Everything | Part 2In Episode 18 of My Sister’s Take, We’re taking you deeper into the story of the boy Sefa was told she was meant to marry growing up in The Church of Immortal Consciousness. What happens when the people around you have already decided what your future is supposed to look like, and you’re raised without the freedom to question it?In this part of my story, a text, a car accident, and the complete lack of choice I had at the time changed the direction of my life. What might have seemed like a series of unrelated events was happening within a much bigger picture of control, expectation, and a future that had been laid out for me before I was old enough to understand what it meant.This is Part 2 of 3 in my story about the boy I was told I was meant to marry, and the experiences that shaped my life long before I had the freedom to choose my own path.🎙️ Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation.Before we dive in — a few things to keep in mind. My Sisters Take is a personal storytelling podcast. Everything we share is based on our own lived experiences growing up in a high-control group. We're not doctors, therapists, or lawyers — just two sisters finally telling our story. Some episodes touch on heavy topics like religious trauma, spiritual abuse, physical abuse and cult life, so please check in with yourself as you listen. Your mental health matters more than any episode. If something we share brings up difficult emotions, please reach out to a qualified mental health professional.My Sisters Take provides a platform for hosts and guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the individual speaking and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast, its hosts, or producers. Any allegations or claims discussed are based on personal accounts and have not been independently verified. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. My Sisters Take assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests or hosts during any episode.© 2026 My Sister Take. All rights reserved. This is an original work and may not be copied, reposted, or redistributed without permission.

  4. Oct 11

    The Torture Chamber of My Teens: Part 1

    Part 1 | Born Into a CultIn this episode, Sefa takes us deep into one of the most painful chapters of her childhood: the relationship she was told was her “like vibration” - the son of the ministers who held authority over her life.At just 12 years old, Sefa was already a child who felt trapped in the cult she was born into. Then came the relationship she never felt free to choose, followed by a decade of emotional torment that would shape her teenage years and slowly dismantle what little sense of self-worth she had left.In Part 1, Sefa shares what it was like to grow up feeling powerless, to carry the weight of a relationship dictated by someone else’s spiritual authority, and to live through years of confusion, pressure, and inner conflict. She reflects on the last time she remembers feeling her fight response as a child - at just four years old - and what it meant to grow up without that sense of resistance, eventually learning to survive by surrendering parts of herself.This was the torture chamber of her teens.This is a story about coercion, control, and the devastating cost of growing up without the freedom to choose your own life. It is also the beginning of a deeper look at what happens when a child learns to silence herself just to survive.This is Part 1 of Sefa’s story.Welcome to My Sister’s Take.My Sister’s Take - a story of survival, sisterhood, and finding freedom.🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re following along with our story, like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might want to understand what life inside a cult can really look like.🎙️ Subscribe to follow our story as we continue uncovering what it was like growing up inside a high-control religious group- and what healing has looked like on the other side.

  5. Oct 4

    Consent, Coercion & Cults

    What happens when you finally tell the truth about what happened to you- and people decide they know your story better than you do?In this episode, Rose and Sefa have a raw conversation about sexual coercion, consent, and what it means to reclaim your story after years of silence.Recent developments in the Cornell sexual assault case brought up a lot for us- not because we’re here to decide what happened in someone else’s story, but because the conversation around coercion, victimhood, memory, and being believed felt deeply familiar.We talk about our own experiences growing up in a closed religious system where choice, obedience, relationships, and sexuality were shaped by the beliefs we were raised in- and how our understanding of those experiences has evolved as we’ve gotten older.We also unpack what happened after one of our reels reached more than 2 million people. Alongside the support from survivors and women who saw themselves in our story came hundreds of comments from men calling us liars, questioning our memories, and telling us what they believed happened to us.And we’ve been processing that.What does coercion actually look like?Why do we expect victims to tell their stories perfectly?Why is “Why didn’t you just say no?” such a complicated question?And what happens when you’ve spent your entire childhood being told what your reality is- only to finally speak for yourself and have strangers try to define it for you?This isn’t an episode about having all the answers.It’s about what happens when we finally become the authority on our own experiences.We were silenced once. We’re not staying silent now.Welcome to My Sister’s Take.My Sister’s Take - a story of survival, sisterhood, and finding freedom.🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re following along with our story, like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might want to understand what life inside a cult can really look like.

  6. Sep 27

    What Is a Metaphysical Cult?

    Season two is here- and, naturally, it did not go exactly according to plan. 😂After three attempts, technical difficulties, and three episodes we had to toss into the abyss, we finally made it happen. This quick 20-minute episode is our jump back into the story, with Rose even having to rush out at the end to pick up her son. Because apparently life continues to happen while you’re recording a podcast. 😂We answer a few questions to get Season 2 moving, including:What exactly is a metaphysical cult under the larger umbrella of religious cults?Why don’t people just leave?And what does it actually feel like to grow up believing you are being watched- and ultimately judged- by a God-like being that you were expected to speak to every Sunday?It’s a quick one, but it gets us back into the conversation.One quick episode down. A whole lot more story to go.Welcome to My Sister’s Take.My Sister’s Take - a story of survival, sisterhood, and finding freedom.🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re following along with our story, like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might want to understand what life inside a cult can really look like.🎙️ Subscribe to follow our story as we continue uncovering what it was like growing up inside a high-control religious group- and what healing has looked like on the other side.

  7. Sep 20

    My Sisters Take SPECIAL : The Everything Shower

    A little detour from our regularly scheduled programming… 🚿😂Before we dive into Season Two, we’re taking a breather with a very special episode we recorded almost a year ago- and this time, there are three sisters at the table.Meet Sydney, the sister you haven’t heard from yet.In this episode, we swap the heavy conversations for sister banter, ridiculous stories, and a deep dive into the TikTok phenomenon known as the Everything Shower.What exactly is an Everything Shower? What do we think about it? And, perhaps most importantly, what do our actual shower routines say about us?Let’s just say… we learned some things about each other. 😂And the contrast is not lost on us: we went from a childhood where we were literally bucketing bath water in the cult to debating the merits of an Everything Shower.This episode is just for fun. No deep dive. No heavy stories. Just three sisters laughing, catching up, and being ourselves.We’ll be back next week with the first episode of Season Two and our regularly scheduled programming.Until then… go take your Everything Shower. Or don’t. We’re not judging. 😂My Sister’s Take - a story of survival, sisterhood, and finding freedom.🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re following along with our story, like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might want to understand what life inside a cult can really look like.🎙️ Subscribe to follow our story as we continue uncovering what it was like growing up inside a high-control religious group- and what healing has looked like on the other side.

  8. Sep 14

    Episode 14: The Breaking

    Rose’s 18th birthday began with an early morning wake-up and a surprise trance. What followed was a process that lasted the entire day, ending with Rose being forced into sex with her “like vibration.”This is one of the hardest stories we’ve ever shared. A raw and emotional account of control, coercion, and the breaking point of a girl who had spent her entire life being told what to believe, who to love, and who she was supposed to become.The final episode of Season One of My Sister’s Take.Whether you’re a fellow survivor, someone fascinated by the psychology of cults, or simply looking for honest conversations about resilience and healing, we’re glad you’re here.🎧 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.And if you’re following along with our story, like, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who might want to understand what life inside a cult can really look like.🎙️ Subscribe to follow our story as we continue uncovering what it was like growing up inside a high-control religious group- and what healing has looked like on the other side.

See All (21)

4.9
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

My Sister's Take is a conversation between sisters Rose and Sefa, who were born and raised inside a high-control religious group before leaving everything they had ever known. Each week, they unpack the experiences that shaped them—from spiritual abuse, family dynamics, and life inside a controlling community to the complicated process of rebuilding identity, relationships, and purpose after leaving. Some episodes revisit stories from their own lives. Others explore the people, beliefs, and systems that influenced their upbringing.

Information

You Might Also Like