A Little Bit Culty5 Kesä 2025

Bonus Drop: Coercive Control in Cults, Patriarchy in Religion & Survivor Wisdom from Tia Levings

Welcome to another, unofficially titled, Bonus Drop. These episodes are our way of checking in midweek with extra thoughts, headlines, and conversations that keep the Cultiverse convo going strong. And remember: Patreon subscribers get them a day early because that’s how perks work.

In this drop, we’re digging into the overlap between religious trauma, emotional abuse, and the battle for language in the courtroom. Buckle up, because this one covers a lot:

Updates on the NXIVM trial and why proving coercive control is still such a legal minefield
Bill Maher’s spectacularly bad take on the P. Diddy trial, and our thoughts on victim blaming in the media
The political and social reach of religious fundamentalism (spoiler: it’s farther than you think)
And a powerful chat with special guest Tia Levings, who joins us to share her journey from Christian fundamentalism survivor to bestselling author and advocate. Her new book The Soul of Healing is a deep dive into recovery from spiritual abuse—and trust us, you’ll want to hear her take.

Plus: What happens when survivors take back the narrative, and how to spot the signs of patriarchal programming in your own life.

Got thoughts? Send us a voicemail. We’re always listening. Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Amanda Zaremba and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(350)

Summer bonus: Preface to Chapter 2 from the A Little Bit Culty audiobook!

If you love listening to ALBC on your commute, while folding laundry, or as your little antidote to the daily chaos, you’ll be right at home with the audiobook version of A Little Bit Culty: Navigatin...

27 Heinä 37min

Dr. Gillie Jenkinson on Thought Reform, Trauma, and Walking Free (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Gillie Jenkinson, we move from her remarkable story into the practical question so many survivors ask: How do you actually recover after leaving a cult? Gillie s...

23 Heinä 1h

Dr. Gillie Jenkinson on Thought Reform, Trauma, and Walking Free (Part 1)

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.Dr. Gillie Jenkinson—the OG, the GOAT, and the GG of cult recovery work (she needed a definition, we provided several)—finally makes her long-overdue debut on A...

20 Heinä 43min

The Workout Witch: Liz Tenuto on Trauma, Somatics, and When the Body Speaks (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Liz Tenuto aka The Workout Witch, we get into the science (and surprisingly practical magic) behind somatic healing and why so many trauma survivors feel stuck even ...

16 Heinä 1h 1min

The Workout Witch: Liz Tenuto on Trauma, Somatics, and When the Body Speaks (Part 1)

Liz Tenuto, aka The Workout Witch, joins A Little Bit Culty for a seriously useful, beautifully weird conversation about healing after abuse, trauma, and all the body-based chaos that can follow. She ...

13 Heinä 37min

Religious Trauma and Cults: Sam Sellers & Elise Heerde on Healing After High Control Churches (Part 2)

Sam Sellers and Elise Heerde return for Part 2 to unpack what healing actually looks like after leaving high-control religious environments. Spoiler: it is not neat, linear, or especially glamorous. S...

9 Heinä 43min

Religious Trauma and Cults: Sam Sellers & Elise Heerde on Healing After High Control Churches (Part 1)

Sam Sellers and Elise Heerde of Religious Trauma and Cults bring the receipts on growing up in high-control faith worlds, with Sam from the Brethren Christian Church, an independent off-shoot of the E...

6 Heinä 42min

Michael Shamblin Black on The Way Down and Escaping Remnant (Part 2)

Michael Shamblin Black is back for Part 2, and this one goes to the darkest corners of life inside Remnant Fellowship—and the even darker corners of life after it. Michael walks us through the red fla...

2 Heinä 1h 10min