In this episode, we finally sit down with Ashleigh Freckleton, one of the central voices in the Apple TV docuseries Twisted Yoga and a former devotee of MISA/Atman Yoga, the transnational yoga-tantra empire orbiting fugitive guru Gregorian Bivolaru. We’ve been trying to line this conversation up for years, and it was worth every time-zone fail and calendar mishap to get her in the (virtual) studio.

Ashleigh takes us back to the moment yoga and meditation felt like the only things keeping her afloat—and how that genuine relief became the doorway into a “serious spiritual school” that slowly revealed itself as a high-control group with a global footprint. She walks us through the pipeline: starting with online Atman classes, moving into the in-person community at the Tara Yoga Centre in London, and eventually realizing the whole network feeds back to one very problematic “master” in hiding.

We also get into how these groups weaponize spiritual language to train you to ignore that constant low-grade anxiety buzzing in the background. Ashleigh describes what it’s like to see her story hit the screen after years of healing: the stress before the doc dropped, the relief of being believed, and the weird emotional whiplash of dragging an old, well-filed trauma box back out of the closet and cracking it open for millions of strangers. If you’ve ever wondered whether your “intense” yoga or tantra scene is actually…a little bit culty, this one’s for you.

Be sure to check out Twisted Yoga on Apple TV and follow Ashleigh on Instagram @afreckle_ and CULTivate Awareness @cultawareness_.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of spiritual and emotional abuse, pornography, sexual abuse allegations, anxiety, and trauma responses.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon!

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

In this episode, Liz Gale shares what it means to be a third‑generation Scientologist, born into a fanatical family where every aspect of childhood—schooling, discipline, even getting sick—was filtered through L. Ron Hubbard’s “technology.” She describes being audited from before birth, sent to a Scientology boarding school at eight, and subjected to invasive “sec checks” by her own mother using the e‑meter, eroding any sense of privacy, autonomy, or secure attachment.

Liz traces the devastating impact Scientology’s beliefs had on her family, including her brother’s highly planned suicide at MIT on Hubbard’s birthday and the way the church’s anti‑psychiatry stance and perfectionism left him and others without real help. She talks about slowly deprogramming through community college and early‑childhood education, recognizing how abusive the system of raising kids in Scientology really is, and ultimately going “no contact” with her still‑in mother to protect her own children from becoming fourth‑generation Scientologists. Now living in Oregon, Liz reflects on boundary‑setting, suspected surveillance and harassment, and the grief of losing both her brother and her inheritance in the name of “family legacy” and the church.

Follow Liz Gale on her website, liz-gale.com, or follow her on TikTok or YouTube.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of childhood emotional abuse and coercive control, spiritual abuse, invasive interrogations of children, family estrangement, and suicide.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon!

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Nancy Ross, we dig deeper into the fascinating (and frankly under-discussed) world of Mormon temple garments, the sacred undergarments worn by many devoted members of the LDS Church. Building on the research we introduced in Part 1, Nancy walks us through the results of her large survey examining how these garments actually impact people’s daily lives, especially Mormon women. We talk about everything from comfort and body awareness to modesty culture and the unspoken rules that shape how members think about their bodies, sexuality, and spiritual worthiness.

Nancy shares what hundreds of respondents revealed about the lived experience of wearing temple garments: the physical realities and the complicated mix of devotion, obligation, and identity tied up in this uniquely Mormon practice. We also explore how conversations around modesty, sexuality, and religious obedience in the LDS Church can shape women’s sense of autonomy and self-trust, and how everyday practices can reinforce belonging, control, and silence around discomfort.

For more in-depth info on her survey, pick up her book, Mormon Garments, and follow her on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of religious control, modesty culture, sexuality, body shame, and sensitive topics related to women’s bodies.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion dropped on Amazon this past weekend and has already hit #1 new release in the psychology & religion category!

The Kindle version is coming any day now, and the book will be up at other online retailers in the next few weeks. Thank you! We love you!

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon!

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: 

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

In this episode, Dr. Nancy Ross—religious studies professor, longtime Mormon feminist, and co‑author of the forthcoming book Mormon Garments: Sacred and Secret—joins us to talk about what it’s like to grow up LDS in small‑town Maine, move into the hyper‑gendered world of southern Utah, and then turn all of that lived experience into rigorous research on faith, clothing, and control.

She walks us through the secretive temple “endowment” where young adults first receive their garments, the lack of informed consent around covenants like “wives obey their husbands,” and the confusing mix of sacred language, modesty rules, and unexpected physical exposure that shape how Mormon women understand their bodies from day one. Nancy also shares how online Mormon feminist communities helped her name what felt “off,” why she launched a massive survey that gathered 4,500+ anonymous stories about garments, and what those responses reveal about gender hierarchy, shame, sensory discomfort, and the emotional toll of wearing mandated underwear you’re not even allowed to talk about.

For more in-depth info on her survey, pick up her book, Mormon Garments, and follow her on YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of religious and spiritual abuse, sexism, body‑shaming, and non‑informed consent around touching.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

Set a new standard for how you relax and connect. Access 10% off for life and redefine your nightly ritual today at Piquelife.com/culty.

As an exclusive offer, new listeners can get their choice between organic ground beef, chicken breast, or shrimp in every box for a year, PLUS $20 off when you go to ButcherBox.com/culty.

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

In Part 2 of our conversation, Magnolia Zuniga goes deeper into how the Ashtanga world responded—or failed to respond—to decades of sexual abuse by Pattabhi Jois and what that reveals about belonging, power, and performative “accountability” in yoga culture. She describes discovering that early Western students had deliberately suppressed photographic evidence of his assaults, how senior teachers minimized or rebranded what happened as “adjustments,” and why Me Too exposed not just one predator but a whole ecosystem of victim‑blaming, choice‑feminism rhetoric, and leaders more invested in their status and income than in telling the truth.

Magnolia also talks about closing her own Mysore school, losing her coveted certification after speaking out, and building a new, Ayurveda‑informed way of teaching that centers individualized practice, honest power literacy, and doing yoga without funding or protecting abusive lineages—even when that means giving up enormous social and financial capital. For more context, check out The Walrus’s article on the topic.

Follow Magnolia Zuniga on her YouTube channel, Facebook, or on Instagram @magnoliasezso.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexual assault and molestation, victim‑blaming, mention of elite child abuse networks, and trauma.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.

In Part 1 of this two‑episode conversation, Magnolia Zuniga—one of only about 20 certified Ashtanga teachers worldwide as of 2015—joins us to unpack how a practice she loved became a textbook example of how charisma, secrecy, and male‑centered power can warp modern yoga. She traces her path from early days in Bikram to that first Ashtanga class in Los Angeles, explains the demanding Mysore method (memorized sequences, 5–6 day‑a‑week practices, and three‑hour sessions), and walks us through the Ashtanga hierarchy of authorization, certification, and total dependence on a single male guru in India for legitimacy.

Magnolia also describes, in detail, witnessing Pattabhi Jois’s sexual assaults on women during adjustments in Mysore, the way “choice feminism,” sunk‑cost fallacy, and the promise of advancement kept her and others silent, and why she now sees Ashtanga as a system that consistently protects “the practice” and male authority over the safety and bodies of overwhelmingly female students. For more context, check out The Walrus’s article on the topic, and stay tuned for Part 2.

Follow Magnolia Zuniga on her YouTube channel, Facebook, or on Instagram @magnoliasezso.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexual assault and sexualized “adjustments” in yoga settings, molestation, gaslighting, misogyny, and patriarchal dynamics in yoga lineages.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Your emotional wellbeing matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/culty.

If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at MintMobile.com/culty.

Right now as a listener of our show, you can get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping at MeUndies.com/culty, promo code culty.

Find furniture, decor, and essentials that fit your unique style and budget. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home.

Right now, go to Quince.com/culty for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will. Now available in Canada, too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last.

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

Welcome back for Part 2 with Bjorn Bolinder: dancer, photographer, and the guy whose heart was screaming “GET OUT!” louder than any cult alarm system we've ever heard. We pick up in 2016 as Bjorn signs up for SOP (the men's program) in a moment of pleaser panic, and then experiences a full-body revolt between the commitment meeting and his Washington Heights apartment. He listened, backed out, and his intuition proved prophetic.

He walks us through the weird Festival of Flowers, staying at Allison's overcrowded house, the underwhelming reveal of his “life issue” at the end of the student track, and the exact moment his internal guidance system said, “You're done—get out NOW.” He returned to V-Week 2016 on work exchange after negotiating a refund, and observed late-night DOS activity he couldn’t yet contextualize.

Then comes August 2017: Coach V’s text, the Frank Report, Sarah’s disappearing photo of a brand, and the surreal experience of attending an ESP event the same day he learned the truth. Bjorn described the whiplash of connecting puzzle pieces, the validation of his year-old exit, his spiritual mentor’s eerily accurate read on Keith Raniere, and where he was when the guilty verdict came through in June 2019. We reflected on people still loyal to Keith, Bjorn’s healing journey, and why “excited state” actually worked for his depression (even if we're not saying “Thank you, Vanguard” anymore).

Be sure to follow Bjorn’s work at findthelightphotography.com and on Instagram @findthelightphotography.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of depression and suicidal ideation.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp.

Bjorn Bolinder—photographer, NXIVM insider, and the guy on the ladder in The Vow Episode 3—finally tells his story. For NXIVM nerds, this is the episode you've been waiting for: a behind-the-scenes perspective from someone who witnessed it all but stayed largely unknown to the public. Bjorn walks us through his recruitment in January 2015, how a midnight kitchen conversation about curing Tourette's syndrome planted the seed, and why he signed up for his 5-day already knowing it would be expensive and a pitch.

He opens up about his initial resistance on days two or three (and how one module blew right through it), the overwhelming workload as a V-Week photographer working until 2 a.m. for what amounted to $7/hour in "work exchange," and meeting Keith Raniere for the first time with stars in his eyes. Bjorn shares why Nippy was such a green flag for him—in an organization that felt safe after a childhood of being bullied in macho dance studio and school environments—and how NXIVM’s Goals Lab became a place where he felt genuinely supported and seen.

This first part is all green flags with tiny red ones creeping in around the edges. Thursday's Part 2 brings Pam Cafritz’s memorial, the blow-up, and how Bjorn finally figured it out after we left.

Follow Bjorn’s work at findthelightphotography.com and on Instagram @findthelightphotography.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of childhood bullying and homophobia.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Your emotional wellbeing matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/culty.

If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at MINTMOBILE.com/culty.

Right now as a listener of my show, you can get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping at MeUndies.com/culty, promo code culty.

Find furniture, decor, and essentials that fit your unique style and budget. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair. Every style. Every home.

Right now, go to Quince.com/culty for free shipping and 365-day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will. Now available in Canada, too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last.

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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

In this bonus Q&A episode from our Patreon vault, Marc Headley broke down how Scientology actually works on the inside: from Sea Org recruitment scripts and billion‑year contracts to what really goes on at Gold Base behind the gates and cameras. He explained the day‑to‑day mechanisms of control—sleep deprivation, production quotas, “ethics” punishments, sec checks, disconnection, and constant surveillance—and how those systems are designed to keep members compliant while protecting leadership and celebrities.

Marc also talked about what happens when people try to leave or speak up, including smear campaigns, private investigators, legal intimidation, and online harassment, and offers practical insight into spotting high‑control tactics in any group, supporting loved ones still in, and why exposing Scientology’s playbook has become a full‑time job in itself. We also tease something exciting coming from Marc’s wife, Claire Headley, also a past ALBC guest.

Get your ex-Scientology merch @ The SP Shop, and support The Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation at Comedy For a Cause on March 11: https://comedyworks.com/comedians/comedy-for-a-cause-an-evening-benefiting-the-michael-j-rinder-aftermath-foundation

You can also follow Marc at blownforgood.com and on YouTube @blownforgood and @TheAftermathFoundation.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of religious and psychological abuse, forced labor and overwork, harassment and intimidation of defectors, high‑control group tactics, stalking, and legal pressure campaigns.

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.

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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.

Following last week’s conversations with ex-Corey’s Angels musicians Margot Lane and Jezebel Sweet, director Marcie Hume joins us to talk about making Corey Feldman Vs. The World, the cinéma vérité documentary that starts as a quirky comeback chronicle and turns into an unexpectedly raw portrait of a former child star wrestling with trauma, ego, and the need to be believed.

Marcie shares how she first got access to Corey Feldman, what it was like to embed with him, his band Corey’s Angels, and their inner circle over years of on‑again, off‑again filming, and how the story kept shifting as his grievances, paranoia, and yearning for redemption played out in real time on and off camera. She also pulls back the curtain on the ethics of documenting someone who is both a survivor and a deeply unreliable narrator, the pressure from all sides—Corey, producers, fans, critics—to shape the narrative, and why she ultimately chose to keep the camera rolling long past the “hero’s journey” arc in order to show something messier, more human, and uncomfortably honest about fame, fandom, and the stories we tell about abuse and accountability in Hollywood.

Follow Marcie’s journey on Instagram @cfvstw, at YouTube.com/@CFVSTW, and be sure to watch the documentary on Apple TV, YouTube, and Google Play.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of child abuse and sexual exploitation, emotional manipulation, trauma, PTSD, addiction, mental health struggles, and scenes of conflict and controlling behavior.

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.

**PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here

Check out our amazing sponsors

Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Audio production: Will Retherford

Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore

Writer: Sandra Nomoto

Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane

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

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:

Give your skin a rest with clean, clinically tested skincare from OSEA. Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code CULTY at OSEAMalibu.com.

If you’re ready to start searching safely online, go to surfshark.com/culty or use code CULTY at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN.

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