HeyJaredWas I In A Cult?
Hosted by Tyler Measom and Liz Iacuzzi, Was I In A Cult? is a documentary-style podcast showcasing individuals who have been in, and most importantly, successfully left a cult.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 21, 2026
- Audience
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 6, 2026
Latest episodes
Teen Mania: "I Clean Sh*t For God" (opens the original)
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By high school, church wasn't just Shannon McElroy's faith, it was her community and her future. She was going to be a Christian counselor. Then her youth group took her to something called "Acquire the Fire": a massive Christian youth conference that was part rock concert, part revival, and for Shannon, one hell of a spiritual high. Before long, she'd be leaving college to join Teen Mania's Honor Academy. A year-long "internship" in rural Texas that promised purpose, ministry, and a chance to c
Children of God PT2: "Witnessing... But With Chicken" (opens the original)
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Daniella Mestyanek Young was born three generations deep into the Children of God and today, she finally gets out. At 15-years-old, she lands in Texas with no real education, no money and no friggin' idea how life on the outside works. But true to form, she badasses her way through it. And excels. Somehow, the girl who escaped one extreme, hierarchical world becomes an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, deploys to Afghanistan, and helps make history for women in combat. But on her very first
Children of God PT1: Sex Cult Math (opens the original)
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Daniella Mestyanek Young was born three generations deep into the Children of God, yet somehow, that was only the beginning. She would go on to become a US Army intelligence officer, help make history for women in combat, become Harvard educated in organizational psychology, and write two books. But first, she had to survive her childhood. In Part One, Daniella takes us inside the Children of God world she was born into: child labor, child performers, massive communes, David Berg's increasingly
Amway: "Sleep is for Sissies... and Diamonds' (opens the original)
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At 21, Stephanie Vaughn wanted to make some extra money. Then she won a "raffle" at her gym for a free case of energy drinks. Lucky her, that free case won her entry into one of the biggest and most influential MLMs in the world... AMWAY. And the Amway lead her to the LTD, the Amway-affiliated training organization Stephanie says would eventually take over nearly every part of her life. For nine years, Stephanie chased the promise of becoming a "Diamond": financial freedom, early retirement, and
A Single-Family Cult: "Beyond The Front Door" (opens the original)
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Every cult calls itself a family. Audrey's actually was one. For Audrey, there was no guru, no religious doctrine, and the only members were her ten other siblings. And the leader? Her parents, particularly her mother. But from the outside, they looked pretty "normal": a big family living in an ordinary Idaho subdivision, houses close together, neighbors on all sides. Except not one of them was ever allowed to have a friend. And eventually, they weren't allowed to have interactions with anyone o
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