Living Cult Free: The Podcast

Gerette Buglion & Living Cult Free
  • 4.6 (9)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Living Cult Free: The Podcast

Welcome to "Living Cult Free: The Podcast," where survivors of high-control groups share their raw, unfiltered stories. No narrators, no sensationalism—just pure, unadulterated survivor accounts. Listen to the voices often eclipsed by cult leaders and hear the truth, one story at a time. This podcast was originally called: Everyday Cults, Everyday People and produced by C. Jane Taylor and Gerette Buglion. To hear Gerette riff about the stages of cultic involvement as described in her memoir, An Everyday Cult, listen to Season One, Episodes 1-6.  To check out helpful conversations with Dr. Steve Hassan about the Influence Continuum and the BITE model, head over to Season Two, Episodes 7 - 12. 

  1. S3: A Mother’s Journey: From Control to Freedom

    NOV 11

    S3: A Mother’s Journey: From Control to Freedom

    Karina reflects on how her challenging childhood created a deep yearning for connection and stability and how she and her husband sought belonging. They turned to a messianic congregation that combined Jewish traditions with Christianity. The pressure to conform grew, as the group insisted on rigid adherence to its rules and practices about child rearing - and all aspects of church life. Over time, she began to critically examine the congregation’s culture of silence, where addressing persona...

    56 min
  2. S3: Finding Home: Elad's Journey Into and Out of Hasidic Judaism

    OCT 7

    S3: Finding Home: Elad's Journey Into and Out of Hasidic Judaism

    Elad shares how he grew up a secular Jew with Israeli parents and went on a spiritual journey, seeking meaning and community. This led him to a Hasidic community where he found “beauty, truth and beautifully true people.” Over time, though, he realized that ongoing acceptance within this religious family required a “total sublimation of my selfhood.” He describes the painful journey into a spiritual home, through disillusionment and, finally, walking away from the beliefs, people and places t...

    47 min
  3. S3: Rebecca’s Story: The Profound Impact of Religious Cults on Personal Identities

    AUG 5

    S3: Rebecca’s Story: The Profound Impact of Religious Cults on Personal Identities

    Rebecca’s story transcends individual experience to illuminate universal themes of resilience, identity, and healing. It underscores the power of community, self-discovery, and the ongoing process of healing from psychological and emotional wounds inflicted by cults and similar restrictive groups while celebrating the courage and strength required to break free and reclaim one’s authentic self. Listen as Rebecca describes accepting and flourishing in her queer and polyamorous identity, and ho...

    34 min
  4. S3: Ciara’s Story: Is it a Sin to Talk About It?

    JUL 1

    S3: Ciara’s Story: Is it a Sin to Talk About It?

    Grappling with existential questions about the origins of her thoughts, the influence of external forces on her autonomy, and her experiences within a religious cult, Ciara reflects on themes of control, deception, and the struggle for personal identity and freedom within a structured belief system. Listen to find out how Ciara finds bursts of inspiration often fueled by a sense of urgency or emotional resonance throughout her daily life.Find Ciara on Instagram You can find Living Cult F...

    1 hr

  5. 11/11/2021

    S2: STRATEGIES - Get Out or Help Someone You Love Get Out

    Today we explore strategies you can use to get out of a cult or help a loved one get out. To setup the framework for our discussion, we look at numbers and definitions. The numbers are huge. Up to 10,000 cults still exist today in the United States. That number is growing. “Millions of people have been affected by undue influence. Many of us have had religions chosen for us or we’ve joined self-help or spiritual groups that became harmful or destructive. We have suffered from coercive control...

    45 min

  6. 11/05/2021

    S2: EMOTION CONTROL - Emotional Backfire

    The subject of today’s podcast is Emotion Control. Like it or not, as human beings, we creatures tend to respond emotionally. Comfort, praise, recognition, and a sense of belonging are among our top stimuli. Our yearning for these is manna from heaven to cult leaders. They prey upon exactly this type of vulnerability. They lure us in under the veil of comfort and specialness and then set up an “us” versus “them” dichotomy. While under cultic influence, Dr. Hassan was told that the Moonies wer...

    38 min

  7. 10/29/2021

    S2: THOUGHT CONTROL - They Co-Opted my Brain!

    As smart, functioning adults, we like to think that we are in control of our own thoughts. This is not always the case. As we know from Gerette’s book An Everyday Cult and from this podcast, we know that destructive cults use any number of techniques to get members to stay and commit themselves to what may be harmful activities. Thought Control is the most insidious. Listen in as we discuss the different techniques cult leaders use to control the thoughts of their followers. Some techniq...

    38 min

  8. 10/21/2021

    S2: INFORMATION CONTROL - Standing up to Scrutiny

    Controlling information is a critical way authoritarian leaders and cult leaders control the hearts and minds of their followers. This week we discuss how they do it and how you can take some agency regarding the information you consume. Dr. Hassan suggests that we must each do independent research, that we must ask difficult questions, and really dig beyond the cult-controlled internet algorithms to challenge our own beliefs. Gerette describes her experience within CTL, whose leade...

    34 min
See All (16)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Welcome to "Living Cult Free: The Podcast," where survivors of high-control groups share their raw, unfiltered stories. No narrators, no sensationalism—just pure, unadulterated survivor accounts. Listen to the voices often eclipsed by cult leaders and hear the truth, one story at a time. This podcast was originally called: Everyday Cults, Everyday People and produced by C. Jane Taylor and Gerette Buglion. To hear Gerette riff about the stages of cultic involvement as described in her memoir, An Everyday Cult, listen to Season One, Episodes 1-6.  To check out helpful conversations with Dr. Steve Hassan about the Influence Continuum and the BITE model, head over to Season Two, Episodes 7 - 12. 

Information

  • Creator
    Gerette Buglion & Living Cult Free
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Living Cult Free: The Podcast
  • Show Website
    Living Cult Free: The Podcast

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada