A podcast about cult hacking! Cracking the cult code to understand what they are, how they work, how people leave and how to make sense of the world after leaving. Father and daughter team, media graduate Celine, and former cult member now organizational psychologist Stephen, explore how cults work, why they are so dangerous and the experience of leaving and making sense of the world. They speak to cult hackers from all over the world, from ex members to academics, from writers to filmmakers, and from therapists to activists. https://pod.link/1540824671 https://www.patreon.com/culthackers https://culthackers.com/ Music is Snap by Purple Planet Music Music: https://www.purple-planet.com
Episodes
Oct 14, 2023
Oct 14, 2023
46 min
A major driver of the culture within Jehovah's Witnesses has been the requirement to count and record time spent on the door to door and other witnessing work. A recent announcement at the JW AGM has informed the rank and file members that they will no longer be asked to report on their ministry. It's a massive change with important connotations and raises many questions about the direction the organization is taking. Stephen puts his organizational psychologist's hat on, to analyse what this might mean for the group.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Oct 7, 2023
Oct 7, 2023
51 min
Our guest today is Dennis Tourish, Professor of Leadership and Organization Studies at The University of Sussex. He's an academic and author with a particular interest in charismatic and transformational leadership within organizations including businesses. He's studied organizations such as Enron, Theranos and WeWork and has researched how some leaders use cultic and coercive practices. He's also critical of the modern practice of transformational leadership and its attempts to change people's beliefs values and even their identity.
Professor Tourish also speaks about his experience as a young man in a far left group he identifies as cultic, The Militant Tendency.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Sep 30, 2023
Sep 30, 2023
59 min
A big welcome back to Dr Alexandra Stein onto the podcast, updating us on her work exposing cults and educating people about their dangers. She talks about the BBC documentary 'A Very British Cult' and other media appearances, her role in the Family Survival Trust as well as her work for the United States, January 6th Committee and her analysis of Trump as a cult leader.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Proposal For New Legislation https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/_files/ugd/b17260_d84acbbb99cd4fd9875972186e15e048.pdf
Family Survival Trust website
https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/
Alexandra's website
https://www.alexandrastein.com/
Sep 23, 2023
Sep 23, 2023
55 min
Celine and Stephen explore how overarching conspiracy theories and cults highjack fundamental psychological needs to make them attractive. Are we living in a time with a particularly fertile ground for the growth of these ideas? What part do men like Donald Trump, Russell Brand, Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Andrew Tate and Rishi Sunak play in this ecosystem?
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Sep 16, 2023
Sep 16, 2023
1hr 4 min
Celine and Stephen are joined today by Kendra Bryan who was raised in a fundamentalist Christian group. Kendra describes her experience of purity culture, the "Quiverfull movement", the Duggars, attitudes towards women and child raising and the damage it does. She also talks about her escape into her new life.
Share this podcast with a friend https://pod.link/1540824671
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Kendra's Social Media
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@KendraLeeBryan?si=Kdc2WXciF6RfjgMZ
Sep 9, 2023
Sep 9, 2023
1hr 1 min
Today Celine and Stephen explore the various theories related to how organizations motivate people and how they can be applied to cults.
If you'd like to support Stephen's charity bike ride from Lands End to John o'Groats you can do so here:
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Sep 8, 2023
Sep 8, 2023
23 min
Stephen is back home after his attempt at the Land's End to John O'Groats cycle. He talks about his ride - the highs and lows and how he feels about the word failure.
Sep 2, 2023
Sep 2, 2023
56 min
Our guest today Sue Winter describes herself as a cult hopper and analyses her experiences of coercive control in the family in a religious group and in a commercial setting. She also raises the issue of the exploitation of older people through cultic practices within organizations.
If you'd like to support Stephen's charity bike ride from Lands End to John o'Groats you can do so here:
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Aug 26, 2023
Aug 26, 2023
1hr 26 min
Why do people do activism, write books or make podcasts after they've left a cultic group? Is it down to hate? Are they just disgruntled former members? A good-faith attempt to address the question of why so many ex members choose to take action or talk about their experience.
If you'd like to support Stephen's charity bike ride from Lands End to John o'Groats you can do so here:
To reach out to us: https://www.culthackers.com/
To become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
Aug 19, 2023
Aug 19, 2023
1hr 4 min
Jo Lloyd Johnson is an artist and author who escaped a charismatic, fundamentalist Christian cultic group. She has written about this experience in her insightful and touching book called 'Silenced in Eden'. In this week's episode Jo talks about the abuse she suffered as a child, purity culture, the raising of girls to be submissive wives, trying to conform, ultimately finding freedom and writing it all down in her book.
Jo's book:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/94167107
Jo's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/jolloydjohnson/
To support the show become a patron:
https://www.patreon.com/culthackers/posts
To contact us:
https://www.culthackers.com/contact