49. From Cult Survivor to Child Advocate: Part 1 (Kim Kelley’s Story)

CW: This episode contains discussion of childhood abuse, cult involvement, exploitation of minors, and human trafficking.

Kim Kelley was raised inside one of the most infamous high-control cults of the 20th century, formerly known as the Children of God and later rebranded as The Family International. Raised largely by the community rather than her mother, who was a high-ranking leader, Kim grew up in an environment where abuse, manipulation, and exploitation were normalized and reality itself was shaped by indoctrination. As she explains, when you are raised in a cult, you do not know anything else. Red is blue and blue is red.

As a child and young teen, Kim spent years on the streets of Houston fundraising for the cult, unseen and unprotected. In this episode, she shares how she eventually escaped, unlearned the world she was raised in, and built a life beyond survival. Today, Kim works to combat human trafficking by training law enforcement to recognize red flags and better protect vulnerable children.

Note: This episode discusses how sexuality and LGBTQ+ identities were used as tools of control within a cult. The perspectives shared are fully affirming of LGBTQ+ people and communities and are intended to highlight hypocrisy, abuse of power, and harm within high-control systems.

Kim’s website: http://TheKimKelley.com

Kim’s TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@thekimkelley

Kim’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/the_kim_kelley

Kim’s Non-profit:

DigitalDefendersUnited.org

https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalDefendersUnitedInc

https://www.instagram.com/digitaldefendersunited

https://www.tiktok.com/@digitaldefendersunited

https://www.facebook.com/DigitalDefendersUnited/

https://x.com/DDUnonprofi

Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/Healedish⁠

Follow for more:

Jubilee’s TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jubileedawns⁠

Jubilee’s IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jubileedawns⁠

Healed-ish TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@healedishpodcast⁠

Healed-ish IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/healedishpodcast⁠
Apply To Share Your Story: ⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/23f8SPBX1VntsqUU8⁠

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