Unspun

Jaya Mangalam Gibson and Alisa Woodruff
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  • Spirituality
  • Updated Biweekly

Unravelling cult narratives thread by thread. A survivor-led podcast focused on recovery, rebuilding, and reclaiming life after high-control environments. What happens after you walk away from a world that told you what to think, how to feel, and who to be? Unspun explores the messy, courageous, and deeply human process of reclaiming one’s autonomy. Each episode dives into the intricate “threads” of high-control groups – from the initial pull to the eventual breaking point – and offers practical insights for those navigating the long road to recovery.

  1. 2h ago

    EP 13 - Bec Sonkkila

    Bec Sonkkila spent six years inside MISA, a Romanian yoga cult with a global reach and a guru currently imprisoned on serious criminal charges. She got out. Then she spent years figuring out what that actually meant — not just leaving, but rebuilding a self that had been systematically dismantled. That process became her work. Bec is a relationship and recovery coach specialising in coercive control, post-cult identity, and the kind of intimacy that nobody teaches you — the difference between connection and compliance, between desire and obligation, between a relationship that expands you and one that slowly erases you. Her approach is practical, body-based, and grounded in lived experience rather than textbooks. She draws on hypnotherapy, somatic work, and over a decade of deep study in human psychology and relational dynamics. She works with people who are done being confused about why their relationships feel wrong, and ready to understand what right actually feels like. Bec splits her time between New Zealand, Australia and Finland, works with clients internationally, and is currently writing about her cult experience and the long road back to a self you can trust.

  2. Aug 11

    EP 12 - Zara Murphy

    Zara was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, baptised at 17, and devoted her life to the organisation. At 19, after experiencing sexual assault within the organisation and being subjected to an invasive disciplinary process, she was disfellowshipped and shunned. She lost her family, community, home and sense of belonging almost overnight. But leaving wasn’t the end of Zara’s story. Fear, motherhood and deeply ingrained beliefs eventually drew her back into the organisation, where she spent years navigating doubt, coercive control and the pressure to conform. A confrontation over the safety of her children became a turning point, forcing Zara to question a system she could no longer reconcile with her own values. Today, Zara is a proud queer woman, mum and advocate for survivors of high-control religion. Through her work with Recovering from Religion, she helps others reclaim their autonomy, identity and critical thinking. In this episode, Zara talks openly about shunning, gendered control, the danger of questioning, the long process of deconstruction, and what it takes to learn to trust yourself again. Most importantly, she shares what it means to build a life that finally feels like your own. “You are enough.”

    EP 12 - Zara Murphy

  3. Jul 29 ·  Bonus

    EP 11 - Reflection

    After ten episodes of Unspun, Jaya Mangalam Gibson and Alisa step away from interviewing guests to reflect on what they've learned from listening to survivors of high-control groups, coercive relationships, and cults. Together, they explore the patterns that have emerged across these conversations: identity, deconstruction, creativity, healing, spirituality, coercive control, and the lifelong process of rebuilding after leaving. They discuss why recovery looks different for everyone, the power of telling your story, and why survivor voices matter. This episode also challenges the way we think about cults. Rather than focusing on labels or checklists, Jaya argues that the real conversation should centre on coercion and control—the behaviours that cause harm, regardless of whether a group is called a cult, a high-demand group, or something else. Whether you're a survivor, supporting someone who has left a controlling environment, or simply interested in understanding coercive control, this conversation offers an honest, compassionate look behind the podcast and the lessons that continue to shape it. If this conversation resonates with you, consider following Unspun, sharing the episode, or connecting with the Uncult Ōtautahi community.

    EP 11 - Reflection

  4. Jul 14

    EP 10 - Grace Tempest

    Grace is a third-generation cult member and the first in her family to break the cycle of high-control abuse. Moving in and out of the group from her early twenties, she spent years navigating the complex pull of family, conditioning, and fear. Much of her deconstruction was done alone, learning to think critically and rebuild her identity from scratch. Recently, her sister joined her, accelerating the healing process as they unpack and make sense of their shared experiences.

    EP 10 - Grace Tempest

  5. Jun 30

    EP 9 - Tristan Phipps - Ex 2x2

    Tristan was born and raised in a high-control religious group now known as the 2x2 Church. After being out for more than 20 years, he has taken a new path in his deconstruction journey by stepping into the advocacy space. Over the past two years, he has been helping raise awareness and speak out on issues including religious trauma, indoctrination, coercive control, high-control groups, and men’s mental health. His advocacy began when abuse within the 2x2 Church started reaching the public news cycle, while most communities still had no idea who this group was and very few people were publicly naming that it even existed. What started in online support groups grew into media appearances, podcasts, and an ongoing social media presence. Outside of advocacy, the spaces that bring him healing and peace are music, both collecting and DJing, long-distance trail running, and more recently, creating art. And from September, he will also be stepping into a new role: becoming a dad and welcoming a new arrival into the family.

    EP 9 - Tristan Phipps - Ex 2x2

  6. Jun 16

    EP 8 - Rusty - exJW

    Rusty is a highly regarded New Zealand comedian based in Christchurch, known for his award-winning stand-up and energetic live performances. He has been a staple of the South Island comedy scene and has been described as a "cult classic" comedian.  Rusty is known for his fast-paced, often chaotic, and "hilarious" storytelling, with reviews calling his work a "finely polished masterwork". His material often focuses on absurd observations and personal stories.  He is a long-standing performer in the New Zealand comedy circuit, with a career spanning over 17 years as of 2018.  Rusty grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and walked away as a teenager — and now he turns that world into comedy gold. His humour is dark, a little irreverent, and deeply personal, pulling from the strange, intense, and sometimes surreal moments of life inside a high-control religion. We met him at the Doomsday Comedy Event, loved his set, and invited him on the pod to unpack the story behind the jokes.

    EP 8 - Rusty - exJW

  7. Jun 12

    EP 7 - Royden Gibbs - exJW

    Roydon Gibbs grew up as a second-generation member of a Jehovah's Witness family. In the early 1950s, his mother, grandmother and father were recruited by Jehovah's Witnesses and became members. A decade later, Roydon was born, the youngest of five children in a family fully immersed in the world of Jehovah's Witnesses. At the age of 15, he became a ‘dedicated’ member and left school to become an enthusiastic and committed full-time recruiter. In his early twenties, he became a worker at the national headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses in New Zealand bringing him in close contact with national and international leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses.  By the age of 26, Roydon was burnt out and found himself shamed, shunned, and ostracised by the only community he had ever known. This plunged Roydon into a dark period of addictions, depression and despair followed by recovery and the creating of a new life. Roydon is now in his 60s and his life is very different from the one he experienced in the first 26 years of his life.

    EP 7 - Royden Gibbs - exJW

  8. May 19

    EP 6 - Jonas Skogstroll - exJW

    Jonas Skogstroll is a Swedish comedian, human rights activist, and—perhaps most famously—a goat farmer living in Norway. Having grown up within the strict confines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jonas spent his early life being told that the world outside the organization was a place of darkness and despair. Since leaving, he has dedicated himself to proving the exact opposite: that there is a wealth of joy, absurdity, and freedom to be found on the "outside." Jonas is the mastermind behind Doomsday Comedy, a stand-up collective featuring comedians who have survived fundamentalist backgrounds. By transforming religious trauma into punchlines, he provides a cathartic space for survivors to laugh at the very things that once controlled them. Recently, Jonas made waves in New Zealand during his 2026 tour, where he balanced sold-out comedy sets with peaceful protests at Jehovah’s Witness conventions. Known for his "one-man Muppet Show" energy and his recent ADHD diagnosis (which he weaves brilliantly into his storytelling), Jonas brings a refreshing, high-energy perspective on what it means to truly reclaim your life. In this episode, we discuss: The transition from "religious fanatic" to stand-up comedian. The healing power of humor in cult recovery. His mission to show young people still inside high-control groups that there is a vibrant life waiting for them. And, of course, what life is really like as a Swedish goat farmer in Norway.

    EP 6 - Jonas Skogstroll - exJW
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About

Unravelling cult narratives thread by thread. A survivor-led podcast focused on recovery, rebuilding, and reclaiming life after high-control environments. What happens after you walk away from a world that told you what to think, how to feel, and who to be? Unspun explores the messy, courageous, and deeply human process of reclaiming one’s autonomy. Each episode dives into the intricate “threads” of high-control groups – from the initial pull to the eventual breaking point – and offers practical insights for those navigating the long road to recovery.

Information

  • Creator
    Jaya Mangalam Gibson and Alisa Woodruff
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jaya Mangalam Gibson and Alisa Woodruff
  • Show Website
    Unspun