A Little Bit Culty

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.Melissa Archer is best known as Natalie Buchanan on One Life to Live, with later stints on Days of Our Lives and a run of indie films. These days she builds software, including NeuroRewire, an app for rewiring thought patterns formed in situations people didn't choose. Somewhere in the middle of all that, she accidentally joined a cult. We first learned about her from Be Scofield's reporting in The Guru, and she joins us fresh off the story going public.In Part 1, Melissa walks us through how a non-practicing Catholic went looking for a deeper connection to God and found a pile of red flags she didn't yet have the language for: love bombing, daily phone calls, leadership titles, "diamond memberships," doubt dismissed as a "religious spirit," and isolation bragged about so openly she figured a group that culty couldn't possibly be a cult on purpose. Her entry point was a Tanzanian "prophet" named GeorDavie and his 5F movement (formerly Advanced Anointing), with twenty-something emcee Kathryn Krick and pastor David launching the American branch. And to her credit, Melissa was skeptical enough to design a literal test for whether the prophecy stuff was real. But a streak of "miracles" had her healthy skepticism gaslighting itself, until it ended with a prayer: "I'm going all in—pull me out if I get too deep." Come back Thursday for Part 2, when we head to Tanzania, where the promises got bigger, the control got tighter, and the whole thing stopped feeling like a miracle.Check out the original post on 5F on The Guru: https://www.gurumag.com/l-a-s-viral-exorcist-kathryn-krick-knew-of-prophets-sexual-abuse-allegationsAnd follow Melissa on Instagram, Facebook, or X.Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of cult dynamics, coercive control, religious and spiritual abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, and isolation.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 paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter and administrator: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/culty.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our merch store just got a glow-up, and yes, it’s as Gen X as it sounds. We’ve teamed up with Dashery for new designs and better deals. Every purchase helps support the podcast—think cozy hoodies, sweaters, and mugs for fall and winter, plus shirts, tank tops, phone covers, stickers, pillows, totes, pins, magnets, hats, and basically everything you could use in your house or on your body. No uniform required, but the hoodie is so soft, you’ll want to wear it while planning your exit from a high control group. Shop at alittlebitculty.dashery.com for all your ALBC merch needs.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 paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter and administrator: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re back with Mark Vicente for Part 2 of this joint A Little Bit Culty and WTF is on my Mind?! episode. This one gets into the real meat of what happened at our book launch event gone sideways—and what it means beyond just us.We play the last 12 minutes of Sarah’s recording from the event, then the bookstore owner's public social media post about the incident. We contrast it with what actually happened, including eyewitness accounts from people in the front row who tried to set the record straight, only to have their comments deleted. We talk about what it feels like to be publicly misrepresented with no ability to correct the record, how cancel culture weaponizes the cloak of altruism, and why the best fight is the one you don't fight. We also get into identity politics, why fusing your sense of self to a belief system makes civil discourse impossible, and why Mark thinks we're all being triangulated against each other on a macro scale.This episode is a case study in culty thinking without a cult—and a reminder that dehumanizing the person in front of you while claiming to fight for humanity is not advocacy; it's the problem. If the comments on this one devolve into a debate about geopolitics rather than the patterns at play, you've already missed the point.Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of public shaming, online harassment, and geopolitical conflict.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 paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter and administrator: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special joint episode of A Little Bit Culty and Mark Vicente’s WTF Is on My Mind?!, Mark interviews us about the “Massy incident” during our Vancouver book tour for A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion. Together, we unpack what happened when a conversation about cult dynamics, extremism, and pattern recognition was hijacked by a highly charged political conflict—and how loaded questions, forced verdicts, black-and-white thinking, and moral purity tests can turn a book event into a full-blown ideological cage match. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday.Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, the Israel–Gaza conflict, genocide, extremism, religious and political polarization, and online harassment.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 paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter and administrator: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part 2, Star gets into the red flags that finally became impossible to ignore at OneTaste: missing consent and accountability protocols, sexual boundary violations, spiritual bypassing, gaslighting, and an organization that seemed to have more “trust the process” than actual process. She shares how she slowly pulled away, eventually leaving the Bay Area, rebuilding her life, and finding her way back to herself through therapy, community, and the very thing she once avoided: feeling everything in her body.Star also talks about turning her experience into a solo theater show, complete with original songs about red flags, narcissism, orgasm, and—because apparently the universe demanded it—corporate vagina. We talk about the unregulated wellness industry, spiritualized intimacy, predatory influencers, and the tools every sexual or spiritual seeker needs: ask questions, check credentials, find out what happens when someone says no, and remember that “no” is a complete sentence. We’ll also share a few minutes of Star’s show at the end, so prepare for trauma, time, and comedy to make one very entertaining baby.Follow Star at starstonespeaks.com, on Instagram @starstonespeaks, and The Wild Project: thewildproject.orgStar performs Cl*t Cult September 10 and 11 at 10:30pm at Under St Marks Theater in NYC:  https://tickets.frigid.nyc/event/6897:1495Also check her out at  Brooklyn Comedy Collective on October 4 at 7pm.Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of sexual assault, rape, sexualized practices, nudity, orgasmic meditation, coercive control, gaslighting, spiritual bypassing, sexual boundary violations, financial exploitation, communal living, and trauma recovery.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 paperback, ebook, or audiobook on Amazon or order a signed copy.Check out our amazing sponsorsJoin A Little Bit Culty on PatreonGet poppin’ fresh ALBC SwagSupport the pod and smash this linkCheck out our cult awareness and recovery resourcesWatch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, ScarredCREDITS:Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony AmesProduction Partner: Citizens of SoundCo-Creator: Jess TardyAudio production: Will RetherfordProduction Coordinator: Lesli DinsmoreWriter and administrator: Sandra NomotoSocial media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke KeaneTheme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel AsselinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.