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July 30, 2025 70 mins

An expert witness for Amish and Mennonite court cases, Lizzie explains the rules of her intense settlement before taking us through her unbelievable story of disaster, lethal betrayal, tragedy, abandonment and perseverance. She even gives us a glimpse of the strange dating practice which takes place in the woman’s bedroom. Decades later she seeks justice against the Bishop who groomed and ab*sed her as a young girl. She updates us on his attempt to escape even the small sentence he was given as well as speaks on other cases she was a part of in which Amish women were targeted and harmed by sinister perpetrators.

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Watch Lizzie 1st interview

Resources: https://www.theplainpeoplespodcast.com/resources

Her book: “Behind Blue Curtains: A True Crime Memoir of an Amish Woman’s Survival, Escape, and Pursuit of Justice”

Website: https://www.lizziehershberger.com/

IG: @lizzie.hershberger  

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**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**


Chapter Marks

00:05:47 Recap of Lizzie's story- how her chiIdhood affected her life for better or worse

00:08:56 Each Amish community is different

00:11:06 How pr*dators can thrive in Amish communities

00:14:16 How a p*rpetrator who reports themselves to Amish authorities can get a lighter sentence

00:15:59 The consequences of a lack of education on consent in the Amish community

00:18:17 The definition of "adult" in the Amish community

00:21:19 How ab*sers can seemingly get away with their crimes with little to no punishment

00:24:38 What it means to be on probation

00:30:03 What going back to court and facing her ab*ser was like for Lizzie

00:32:21 How meaningful it can be to have supporters for victims in the courtroom

00:34:39 The real life impact of C2C and spreading awareness

00:38:58 Receiving supportive messages from those positively impacted from Lizzie sharing her story

00:40:39 Amish vs English dolls and why they're different

00:42:30 Becoming a victim advocate and helping others as they're going through court processes

00:47:17 The language barrier between the Amish and English people and how we can better aid victims by understanding the differences

00:47:55 CW: SA

00:50:41 How a lack of English medical practices was detrimental to over 400 victims

00:54:00 Lizzie's experience going back into the community for a funeral

00:57:41 The difficulties of trying to help those in need when it has the potential to put yourself in a triggering situation

01:03:47 What did Lizzie wear to an Amish funeral as someone who is no longer in the community?

01:07:58 Linda, listen

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