Was I In A Cult?
Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast showcasing individuals who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult. Told first-hand by the experiencer themself, these are raw, riveting and inspirational tales of what it means to be a survivor. Using levity and info-tainment, the show humanizes the cultic experience and may leave some of our listeners asking themselves…“Wait…Was I In A Cult?” If you or someone you know has been in a cult and want to share your story, contact us at info@wasiinacult.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Episodes
Fresh to the workforce, Amber answered a job posting for a dental assitant: “No experience needed!” Looking for something reliable to support her new life as a single mother, she was thrilled when she got hired.
Little did she know, her new job would be more than just dental work…
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We’ll be back in a few weeks with SEASON 3. Thank you for all your love and support! We appr...
Colorado is known to draw the hippies, the free-thinkers, the adventurous… so when a group of alternative medicine devotees convinces our guest that they can cure her severe back pain, she’s open to suggestion.
But soon, she finds herself sleeping in a van and questioning everything that got her to this point.
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Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult
Follow us...
Russell D. Johnson’s story continues. A journey into and out of a martial arts cult.
…PART TWO…
So Russell survives his emergency, life-threatening arm surgery, but shockingly, that won’t be the hardest thing.
So the next question becomes… Can he survive the stalking and death threats that occur after he speaks up and out against the cult?
Well, if anyone can, it’s our una...
It’s the 1970s and Kung Fu is all the rage. So when 16-year-old Russell Johnson looks to channel his (inner) rage, he signs up for a local class to learn how to become a peaceful warrior.
Only what he doesn’t know is that what he signed up for would one day almost cost him his life…
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Support us on Patreon!
Your donation is our salvation (we made that up but it sounded nice &lsqu...
So you’ve survived an abusive cult.
Now what?
What exactly are the legal options available to you?
An investigative litigator who represents victims of cultic and religious abuse, Carol Merchasin, sat down with us to discuss just that.
She is our hero.
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Find Carol at Mcolaw.com.
Support us on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult
Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult
...Tamara, the beloved, has just been upgraded from the commune to the big house on the hill with the leader and his multiple wives.
But it isn’t long before she realizes that the reason she thought she was brought to live with them is not the reason she is there at all…
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Support us on Patreon! : https://www.patreon.com/wasiinacult
Follow us on Instagram: @wasiinacult
Raised by two Jewish parents, Tamara and her family are splintered when her father finds a new religion. Five-year-old Tamara is now forced to live two separate worlds. One with mom, going to public school… and one with Dad on a strict religious commune.
When gifted the name “Beloved” by the leader, it’s not exactly the honor she was expecting.
Support us on Patreon!: https://www.p...
Imagine having to ask a group of eco-farmers for permission to have sex. And when granted permission, your options of consummation include… the back of a van or the loft of a goat barn.
Well that’s what happened when Helen Zuman, a spelling bee whiz looking to explore her interest in eco-farming, visited Zendik Farm in North Carolina shortly after gr...
Cults can be well-known, they can be obscure, and sometimes they can be hiding in plain sight. So when poet laureate Diannely’s family joins a seemingly “typical” church in Haverhill, Massachusetts… how does it become a cult?
Let’s let her tell you.
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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try with 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/INACU...
The final part of Hoyt Richards’ incredible journey into and out of a UFO doomsday cult.
The damning Vanity Fair article throws Hoyt’s family into chaos as they attempt to intervene. And right when you think he might finally be getting out, his fellow “spiritual brothers” go to extreme lengths to keep their financial backer from leaving. And it works…
Until it ...
The now quasi-famous group takes it to the next level. They get a name, a book, a show, a hit song, and a distant star doomsday getaway. Hoyt, meanwhile, becomes his own star, modeling for millions but returning home to sleep on the floor.
All is going well (or so they think) until the group puts a well-known phrase to the test. Is there really no such thing as bad press?
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It was 1978, and the effortlessly handsome Hoyt Richards was a 16-year-old football talent summering in Nantucket. Chasing girls and free beer was about all on this young boy’s mind.
So when he meets a man on the beach who was rumored to throw great parties, Hoyt thinks nothing of it.
Little did Hoyt know…he had just come face-to-face with a budding cult leader that would take his life in a d...
More crazy cults, more wild stories, and more of us.
Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast featuring far-out, first-hand stories of survivors who unwittingly joined, lived in, and escaped cults. Using levity and infotainment, the show humanizes the cultic experience and may leave some of our listeners asking themselves, "Wait...was I in a cult?"
You can support ...
Liz and Tyler pop by to update you on their lives, and to reassure you that they will be back!
Please support Was I In A Cult? Through Patreon
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Arianna was a recent college graduate with dreams of one day opening her own marketing company. So when a LinkedIn opportunity for a social media marketing assistant fell into her lap, it felt too good to be true.
Soon, she would be brushing shoulders with millionaires, in hopes that some of their mojo would rub off. After all, she had big plans for her future and a self-made father to prove herself to.
B...
A humble upbringing is an understatement for Dan McIntrye. Canada born and bred, Dan’s cult journey took him from guitar god, to free desserts to cult escape, only to land him right in the arms of… another one?
A double survivor. A triple thriver. And one extremely nice guy. Damn, Canadians, you really are as kind as they say.
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Link to Dan's song "Any Given Sunday"
She’s a hustler, baby. And she just wants you to know.
Roberta Blevins was taught to be a self-starter. Inspired by her self-made father, she knew that if you put your mind to it, anything can happen. And it’s true. Anything can happen. But that’s the problem with anything. Anything sometimes includes MLM’s. Multi-level marketing (schemes).
This is a story of a dynamite go-getter and how she crawled her way i...
Lauren’s initial years of her life, for lack of a better word, were quite normal. Along with her five siblings, she lived a very comfortable life in Corona, CA. Then one day, her once atheist father found religion.
And that discovery took him on a journey to finding “the truth”. A truth that would one day take the family all the way to Egypt.
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Follow us: @wasiinacult instagram
Contact us: info@wasiinacul...
TITLE: Thou Shan’t Be Named: “Non-Church Church”
Non-Denominational Christianity. Sounds innocent enough, and for many non-denominational churches, it is. But for others, the non-affiliation creates a dangerous pathway to a choose your own adventure “religion.” For Shannon Payton, it was an adventure all right, but not one she necessarily would’ve chosen…if, of course, given the choice.
Shannon has lived mo...
There are many a Christmas tale that we all know and love, but this one, dear listener, we can (almost) guarantee… that you have never ever heard this one.
’Twas the night before Christmas and through the town’s center, not a creature was stirring, not even a cult member…
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! From our family, to yours.
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