River Donaghey grew up in a cult. Or at least that’s what some people called it. His parents called it a “personal-growth seminar group.” Its leader called it “one big happy family.” But there was a dark side to the world River grew up in. One he never heard about as a kid. In the 1970s and 80s, a self-help company called Lifespring took America by storm. Hundreds of thousands of people walked out of Lifespring as true believers, convinced that the seminars had the power to change the world. But dozens of trainees claimed that after taking a seminar, they had a psychotic break. Some spent months in the hospital. Others attempted suicide. And at least four people died. River spent the past year digging into the bizarre, untold story of Lifespring and its controversial leader: a convicted felon turned New Age guru named John Hanley. What he uncovered made him question everything he thought he knew about his childhood. And about the seminars that are still changing lives—and ruining them—to this day.
"Your idea of how this came about ain't at all how it came about."
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
"I see the value in transformation, but I also see its shortcomings."
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
"We were never a cult and we wanted to remove everything that gave the appearance of being a cult."
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"He was like a rockstar. He was a very attractive man. He was the Lifespring celebrity."
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
See omnystudio.com/listener for...
"He thought being put in that casket was the best thing that ever happened to him."
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"It's the single most impactful thing that ever happened in my life. You always have to say the birth of your child was the biggest impact. But I never would have had a child if it hadn't been for the seminars!"
Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus
Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music
Thank you to our sponsors:
"Hey, it might be a cult, but at least it's a good cult!"
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
Shootings are not unusual in Belize. Shootings of cops are. When a wealthy woman – part of one of the most powerful families in Belize – is found on a pier late at night, next to a body, it becomes the country’s biggest news story in a generation. New episodes every Monday!
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.