On the Emmis

Meet Caroline Cole and Meg Applegate! They are survivors and  the co-CEOs of Unsilenced, a grassroots movement of survivors and advocates speaking out about institutionalized child abuse in the troubled teen industry. Bob Meehan’s enthusiastic sobriety programs are only one example of an abusive adolescent “drug abuse” program. Unsilenced is working with survivors and allies to make changes in the troubled teen industry so no one has to go through this kind of abuse ever again. In this episode we talk about their work and their new podcast, Trapped in Treatment. Listen in to learn more!Find Caroline and Meg:Unsilenced.orgFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok: @unsilenced_nowBooks and podcasts we discussed:"Help at Any Cost" Maya SzalavitzAmanda Nguyen@risenow.usJanja Lalich"Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships"Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week I’m talking to Jo-Anne Liakakos, MA, LPC, NCC, CPCS of Major Counseling Solutions and Consulting in Alpharetta, GA. I wanted to interview Jo-Anne since she is a therapist and counselor who works with adolescents with substance use and general life issues, as well as adults with eating and personality disorders (and a bunch of other stuff). Jo-Anne and I discuss how we met and what it was like unpacking my involvement in enthusiastic sobriety programs. I ask Jo-Anne what a licensed (not certified, licensed) counselor needs as far as education and internships and supervision to actually work with clients one-on-one (spoiler alert: it’s a lot) and what appropriate counseling and treatment look like for young people. This is a great episode for parents who are looking to find help for a teenager or young adult, or who are curious about whether or not to keep their child in one of Bob Meehan’s programs. You can find Jo-Anne by visiting her website here. Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week I talk to Cindy, a survivor of the Insight Program in Atlanta. A common thread of survivors of any abusive high-control group is that they continue to find themselves in abusive relationships after they leave.Cindy wanted to tell her story to help others who may currently be in an abusive relationship or recovering from one in the past. ‼TW/CW for discussion of psychological/emotional abuse.‼ There's a little bit of everything in this episode: death threats, Scientology, Nissan Sentras, and dropping out of school. This is a good one, y'all. Enjoy!‼️Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week Mike and I are live on Twitch talking about Dr. Steve Hassan's BITE model. Check out Dr. Hassan's website here: https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/We started with the "B" in BITE: Behavior Control. It didn't take long for us to come to the conclusion that enthusiastic sobriety programs are, in fact, a cult. Enjoy!Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

What do cold food, forced exercise, and being blindfolded and walked into the woods in a blizzard have in common? They're all used as forms of punishment at the Hyde School in Bath, Maine! This week's guest is a survivor of the Hyde School's Woodstock campus that has since been shut down. But before you high five us, they are still operating in other parts of New England and are owned and managed by the same people. Who thought that was a good idea? This is exactly why the #ACCA is so so important.Grab a glass of champagne and give a listen to our New Year's Eve episode with Rachel. She has a horrifying yet all too common story to tell you all about her four years at Hyde. Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week I interview the notorious "Jim Jones". Jim Jones was a Facebook account that popped up circa 2007 and blew up overnight. Jim Jones was speaking the truth about enthusiastic sobriety programs, and people were listening. It was the first place on Facebook for survivors to connect and tell their stories. Our movement would not be where it is today without this Facebook page. This is the first time creator has opened up about who they are and what it was like to be...Jim Jones. Grab your popcorn, because they have a story to tell! Remember to join us tomorrow around 4pm Central live on Twitch. Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

In this interview, Daniel and I talk about the article that took over his life for 3 years: The Love Bomb. He explains how he stumbled on the story, and what it was like interviewing survivors of Bob Meehan's programs. We discuss Bob’s shady past that no one can quite verify or explain and whether or not him starting a cult was intentional or accidental. We could have talked for much longer, so we decided there will at least be a Part Two. If you have any questions for Daniel let us know and we’ll answer them in the next installment.Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

Today I'm talking to Cory Perry, the famous Anti MLM Girl. We talk about how YouTube taught her about MLMs, and how they are similar to Bob Meehan's enthusiastic sobriety programs. I interview members of the anti-MLM community because MLM indoctrination is a part of my story, and the philosophies are very similar. We talk about Steve Hassan's BITE model and how it applies to MLMs and ES programs. You're in for a treat!Find Cory on Instagram: @thatantimlmgirlYou can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

A quick update on our new text/voicemail hotline, Daniel Kolitz's episode and some other random stuff. 

Happy day after Thanksgiving! Heat up some leftovers and tune in to Susanna Eller. Susanna joined the group in 1999 in Augusta, Georgia. After 20 years of being in recovery, Susanna decided to look deeper at the diagnosis of alcoholic she received and figure out if she really needed to be "sober".  We talk about the genesis of the Augusta group and why the coolest people there were Stephen and Sherm. Find Susanna on Facebook: Susanna EllerOn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susannaharmstad/You can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week I talk to Lauren about her experience in the group, and more specifically about how the staff talked about sex and relationships. Spoiler alert: it's super weird.Don't skip the intro because I make some important announcements about our new platform and some changes to the podcast you won't want to miss!TW: suicide, sexuality, sexual identityYou can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week we talk with Bob Fleming and hear about  his time in enthusiastic sobriety programs in Greensboro, North Carolina, starting at 14 years old. He talks about struggling to manage his diabetes because he was called "attention seeking" for needing to eat and sleep regularly, what graduation was like, and what he still deals with now from his time in the group. We had so much fun with Bob, and we hope you will too!You can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

This week Liz and Jacqueline talk to Blake, a survivor of The Insight Program, and enthusiastic sobriety abuse program in Greensboro, North Carolina. We explore the program's strict policy of taking clients off of mental health medications cold turkey, their twisted philosophy of "No victims, only volunteers", and the notorious "Let Go, Let God" day in outpatient. Blake's experience is brutal, and unfortunately we have heard so many stories just like hers. This is not the exception, it is the rule. This is a long episode but totally worth the time. Let us know your thoughts on Instagram at @the.group.chat.pod on Instagram, the [Group] chat on Facebook, or email us at chatthegroup@gmail.com. Stay safe, survivors! We hear you, we see you, we believe you. TW: abuse, sexual assault, self-harm, suicide, disordered eating, victim blamingYou can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

Jacqueline and her guest host talk about "The Group" from a member and staff perspective. Enthusiastic sobriety programs are adolescent substance abuse programs started by Bob Meehan and are located in Roswell, Georgia, Peachtree City, Georgia, Tampa, Florida, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte, North Carolina, St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, Denver, Colorado, Phoenix, Arizona, and Sacramento, California. They have been around since the 1970s and since their inception, staff members and clients have been leaving in droves claiming they are dangerous cults. Nothing much has changed. We started the Enthusiastic Sobriety Abuse movement to get justice for survivors, hold these program's leaders accountable, and eventually shut them down. You can find more information about us at:enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse of childrenThis week I'm talking to Robert Bucklin, a survivor of the Agape Boarding School for Boys in Stockton Missouri. Robert's story is heartbreaking, horrifying, and infuriating. Now he's working to end the abuse at Agape Boarding School, and he's turning his trauma into fuel for the fight. Find Robert on social media and join the fight to shut down Agape Boarding School for Boys:On Twitter: @AgapeBoysRanchTo sign the letter to the governor to shut down Agape Boarding School for Boys: https://linktr.ee/wewarnedthemWanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop

I had the best time talking to Dr. Janja Lalich. Janja is a researcher, author, and educator specializing in cults and extremist groups, with a particular focus on charismatic relationships, political and other social movements, ideology and social control, and issues of gender and sexuality. She has been a consultant to educational, mental health, business, media, and legal professionals, as well as having worked with current members, former members, and families of members of controversial groups. On top of all of that, she is a really good human.Janja and I talk about the cult of enthusiastic sobriety programs, MLMs, troubled teen industry programs, and what to do after you leave. Janja has been working with cult survivors for 4 decades and she has tons of experience and tools that can help us figure out who we are when we leave these programs and how to move forward. More about Janja and her books here: http://www.janjalalich.com/Courses for cult/MLM/TTI survivors: https://www.tbylr.com/Donate to the scholarship fund for Take Back Your Life Recovery Courses here.If you have questions about the episode or Dr. Lalich, please email ontheemmispod@gmail.comFind us:Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=uDonate to the survivor's fund on Venmo: @otedonate

This week I sit down for a delightful conversation with Danielle Bolster, Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Danielle has her own podcast, "From Huns to Humans" where she talks about the detrimental effects of multi-level marketing on mental health. We talk about toxic diet culture, the allure and danger of "supplements", and the pressure women especially are under from their "uplines". Danielle is smart, funny, and educated on the best ways to protect your mental health as you recover from being in a high-control group. This episode will be helpful for anyone recovering from cults or coercive control groups. Enjoy!Wanna come on the podcast? Email ontheemmispod@gmail.comOr text us at: 404-537-2392Instagram: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsFacebook: @ontheemmis and @meehanprogramsurvivorsTwitter: @ontheemmis and @essurvivorsTwitch: twitch.tv/ontheemmispodYouTube: On the Emmis PodcastWebsite: enthusiasticsobrietyabuse.comInstagram:@ontheemmis@essurvivorsTik Tok:@ontheemmislinktr.ee/ontheemmispodShop to support!https://www.redbubble.com/people/themrsleibler/shop?asc=u