Cults and The Culting of America with Knitting Cult Lady and Scot Lloyd | Episode 47 | The Cultiness of Nursing
Description
This episode of Cults and the Culting of America features guest Jess M. (aka White Mess Express), a former nurse, alongside hosts Daniella Mestyanek Young and Scot Loyd. The conversation explores how the U.S. healthcare system—particularly nursing—resembles a cult in its culture, practices, and systemic issues.
Jess describes the hierarchical "rite of passage" culture in nursing (e.g., new nurses being called “baby nurses” and forced through hazing-like experiences). They highlight systemic contradictions: nurses are told to always be learning but punished for questioning authority, encouraged to self-sacrifice at the expense of their own health, and held individually responsible for systemic failures.
The discussion broadens to the U.S. healthcare system as a whole—its prioritization of profit over care, its inequities toward marginalized groups, and the emotional toll on providers and patients alike. Daniella and Scot connect these patterns to cult dynamics: degradation rituals, infantilization, blind obedience, toxic positivity, and punishment for dissent.
Jess shares personal experiences of disillusionment: discovering nursing’s promises of stability and meaning were hollow, dealing with disability from the physical demands of the work, and grieving the loss of identity and purpose after leaving the profession. They emphasize the need for gratitude toward frontline staff, patient self-advocacy, and systemic change.
The episode closes with encouragement: while healthcare workers may feel trapped in a “cult of medicine,” deconstructing the experience allows them to reclaim their skills and narratives. Jess also shares where listeners can follow their ongoing work on TikTok and other platforms.
Jess's Links:
Daniella's Links:
You can read all about my story in my book, Uncultured-- buy signed copies here. https://bit.ly/SignedUncultured
For more info on me:
Patreon: https://bit.ly/YTPLanding
Cult book Clubs (Advanced AND Memoirs) Annual Membership: https://bit.ly/YTPLanding
Get an autographed copy of my book, Uncultured: https://bit.ly/SignedUncultured
Get my book, Uncultured, from Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/4g1Ufw8
Daniella’s Tiktok: Knitting Cult Lady
Instagram: https://bit.ly/4ePAOFK / daniellamyoung_
Unamerican video book (on Patreon): https://bit.ly/YTVideoBook
Secret Practice video book (on Patreon): https://bit.ly/3ZswGY8
Other Podcasts
Daniella's other podcast: Hey White Women
Scot's Socials
TikTok: @thescotloyd
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thescotloyd
Haley's Tiktok
Key Takeaways
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Nursing culture as a “cult”:
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Hierarchical structure with forced rites of passage (“baby nurse” system).
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Bullying, hazing, and degradation rituals normalize suffering.
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Emotional suppression is enforced—nurses must “put on a nurse face.”
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Constant demand for self-sacrifice, often leading to burnout or worse.
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Systemic contradictions:
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Nurses are told to always be learning, but punished for questioning authority.
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Healthcare talks about being “systemic” but punishes individuals for systemic failures.
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Promises of good pay
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