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PODCAST

Speaking of Cults

A podcast about cults, coercive control and recovery. Formerly called the Sensibly Speaking podcast, in this weekly show host Chris Shelton interviews cult survivors, psychologists and other professionals and specialists about the topics of cult recruitment, retention and recovery. This also includes non-religious cults and extreme political movements including the more divisive elements of MAGA and left-wing culture war issues. There is nothing off-limits but we always try to be respectful of the

education

All Episodes

01:41:16

Speaking of Cults...How to Get Someone Out of a Cult...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/06/28

This week I welcome Patrick Ryan, a cult intervention specialist who has been working in the field for 40 years and definitely knows what he's talking about, having helped thousands of people one-on-one to leave destructive cults and abusive situations. In today's show, we go right to the heart of what it takes to engage with and help cult members and it's not any easy walk in the park, yet it's also so simple that it's kind of hard to believe. Enjoy!Pat's website: https://cultrecovery101.com

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55:12

Speaking of Cults...Don't Let the Pseudoscience Bug...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/06/21

This week I welcome back Dr. Jonathan Stea, author of "Mind the Science" and a real pleasure to talk to about the harms and pitfalls of science denialism, health fads and pseudoscience. In this age of post-truth nonsense all over social media and in our government, this is a vital topic for us to do something about. I hope you'll give it a listen. Enjoy!Jonathan's website: https://jonathanstea.com

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01:11:09

Speaking of Cults...Why Cult "Deprogramming" is Bad...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/06/14

This week I welcome back cult intervention specialist Ashlen Hilliard to discuss the perils and vagaries of cult interventions, deprogramming, the background of all this and what we do to help extract people from destructive cults. We go pretty deep into what this is about in just an hour's time. Enjoy!Ashlen's website: https://PeopleLeaveCults.com

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01:41:26

Speaking of Cults...Radical Honesty is a Pack of Lies

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/06/07

This week I welcome Jura Glo, a survivor of a group called Radical Honesty, which takes honesty to an extreme level that is more suited to the needs of predatory personalities than personal transformation and growth. We take a hard look at this group and its ideas and the effects of what they can do. Enjoy!Jura Glo on Substack: https://juraglo.substack.com/

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01:47:45

Speaking of Cults...How the Mormon Church Enables...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/05/31

Following on last week's podcast abut the Troubled Teen Industry, this week I am joined again by Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover to go deep on what the Mormon church's position is on the LGBT+ community, why there is so much hate and bigotry for same-sex marriages and how "conversion therapy" is still very much alive and well all over Utah and the US. We cover a lot of territory in this one. Enjoy!Glassbox podcast: https://glassboxpodcast.com/

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01:31:31

Speaking of Cults...The Troubled Teen Industry with...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/05/24

This week I welcome Meg Appelgate, founder of Unsilenced.org and a survivor of the "troubled teen industry" - a loose network of abusive labor trafficking and cultic control groups which focus their efforts on abusing children and teens to "manage and control them" so they will somehow stop being so "troublesome." It's truly sick and disgusting work and it's being done to the tune of $23 billion in government and private funding, and no one is doing a thing to stop it. Meg's website:

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01:13:25

Speaking of Cults...Is "America First" a Political Cult?

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/05/17

This week I welcome back Dr. Clint Heacock, a former Evangelical minister turned whistleblower and we discuss the current White House administration, the people guiding strategic and policy-making decisions for Trump and the danger they present to America. There are many parallels to cultic activity and techniques in what these folks are doing.Clint's Dismantling Doctrine podcast: https://mindshiftpodcast.podbean.com/

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02:12:43

Speaking of Cults...Dianetics and Cult Control

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/05/10

This week I finally welcome back Jon Atack for his first appearance in this version of my podcast. We had a lot to discuss with the May 9th anniversary of the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard and the legacy of its pseudoscientific nonsense. We cover a lot of territory including a look at the modern world which may surprise you. Enjoy!

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01:45:15

Speaking of Cults...What is the Deal with Mormon...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/05/03

This week I welcome back Shannon Grover and Bryce Blankenangel to discuss the typical Mormon experience, leading (of course) to us diving right into the mysterious Mormon undergarments and what that's all about - there's a lot to uncover there - as well as some much darker components of the Mormon church's overreach into their member's mental health and personal lives. Enjoy!Glassbox podcast: https://glassboxpodcast.com/

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41:54

Speaking of Cults...Philosophy in Cult Recovery

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/04/26

This week's show is meant for cult survivors and those who care about them. It's a short and hopefully educational discussion of some things I've learned recently about philosophy and how useful it can be to us in recovering from coercive control and trauma. Nothing super flashy or insane this week - just an effort to share some info. Enjoy!

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01:55:06

Speaking of Cults...Good Sex and Bad Groups

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/04/19

This week, I welcome Cara Cordoni, a sex-positive coach, and Dave Booda, to discuss how groups such as the tantric sexual healing group ISTA use the same cult-like tactics known as Large Group Awareness Training. We go into a lot of detail on this. Enjoy!Cara's website: https://caracordonicoaching.com Dave's article: https://boodaism.com/ista/ 3SC Community: https://3sc.community NY Magazine article: https://archive.md/SxPTQ

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01:49:00

Speaking of Cults...Writing Your Cult Trauma Away...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/04/15

This week, I welcome cult survivor, author and consultant Gerrette Buglion to discuss her work, cults in general, and the healing power of writing. This is a wide-ranging conversation which I hope you'll check out. Enjoy! Gerette's website: https://www.gerettebuglion.com/

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13:54

Speaking of Cults...The Myth of Personal Transformation

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/04/15

This podcast was meant to be posted on March 22 but somehow disappeared from the audio lineup, so I'm re-posting it now. This very short episode focuses on an important point in today's self-help-filled world: the myth of instant personal transformation. You may feel you're above such obvious cons, but why do self-help gurus make billions every year peddling life coaching and personal transformation? Someone believes this stuff! Enjoy!

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19:37

Speaking of Cults...Is the United States a Cult Now?

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/04/05

This week, we are back to a very short show as I decided that I would put my expertise to work to try to give some very practical advice on what to do in our current outrageous social/political environment here in the US. I hope it helps. Enjoy!

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02:33:31

Speaking of Cults...What the Mormons Can Teach Us...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/03/29

One thing I know my audience appreciates is the fact we are not afraid to go deep into the details of what goes on in cults and today is a big one. We are looking at the problem of cult leader succession, so let's look at how the Mormons did it. Bryce Blankenangel and Shannon Grover join me and provide a wonderful and nuanced insight into the full history of this topic. Enjoy!Glassbox podcast: https://glassboxpodcast.com/

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55:38

Speaking of Cults...Let's Talk about Grant Cardone

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/03/15

This week by request I am interviewing Ben John, an entrepreneur and social media personality who was taken in by Grant Cardone's 10X MLM-like scheme, paid in hundreds of thousands for class and coaching work which resulted in absolutely nothing and when he tried to seek recourse, he was ghosted and "disconnected." Sometimes the business world can be just as shady as the religious one. Enjoy!Ben's channel: @TodaysMisguidedMentors

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26:28

Speaking of Cults...Is Wokeism a Cult?

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/03/08

By popular demand, I am taking this week to honestly but maybe with a little snark look at the question of whether "wokeism" is a cult. Let's be honest about the problems and bad behavior on the Left, and let's take a look at whether a real cult exists there or not. I look forward to seeing your comments on this one! Enjoy!

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31:57

Speaking of Cults...Is America Becoming a Cult of...

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/03/01

This podcast is NOT a rant about any cult of Trump, but the fact I even have to lead with that is a sign of what this podcast is all about. This week I present 10 points of how obedience is coerced in any group (religious, political, sports, etc) and specifically how I see this playing out in Western politics, kind of cult behavior hiding in plain sight. This historically always results in pretty horrible lives for a lot of people and I hope this can help open some eyes. Enjoy!

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01:32:55

Speaking of Cults...Mormonism and Compliance Culture

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/02/22

This week I welcome back Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover, two former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In our second discussion about the Mormon church, we go over the Mormon story of Joseph Smith's life and how this and many other things are used to create a compliance culture in the Mormon communities. Enjoy!Find Bryce and Shannon on the GlassBox podcast.

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31:28

Speaking of Cults...Has a Cult Taken Over US Politics?

Speaking of Cults ·

2025/02/15

This week I discuss the fact of Christian Nationalism in the United States and the long-term evolution of what has become a disturbing ideological force in our current political climate. This is not something that just happened, or that happened overnight. In today's show, I discuss the background and agenda of the Evangelical Christian Nationalists. It's not necessarily an enjoyable show, but I hope it is an educational one.

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402 results

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