Cult Chat

27/01/2025

Not strictly true - but we aren’t loading up our next episode for another two weeks. Make sure you join us for Part Three of the Shunning series soon!

If you just can’t wait to hear our voices, tune in to Plains FM today at 1pm to hear a Gloriavale Update with Liz and guest lawyers Steve Patterson and Dennis Gates. This will be loaded onto our podcast platforms after the shunning series. 👍

25/01/2025

Caz popped by to visit me (Liz) in Timaru today. I was busy laying flooring in the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust office while hubby was welcoming a menagerie of chickens and ducks!! We know Lindy will be disappointed she missed out! 😀

14/01/2025

Episode 51 Surviving Shunning is now live!
Savin says, “Shunning is not a one-off event,” - indeed it is a trauma that affects a whole life.

Listen in to the second half of Lindy’s interview with Drs Windy and Savin, who share findings from their research on shunning including the serious life-long impacts for both the individual and their communities. Our guests share insights for those affected by shunning, and discuss ways to reframe and grow through the experience. This episode is the second of four in a mini series on shunning.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/fs3z4EODwC0
Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/cult-chat/episodes/Episode-51-Surviving-Shunning-Part-2-with-Dr-Windy-Grendele--Dr--Savin-Bapir-Tardy-e2tfk23
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-51-surviving-shunning-part-2-with-dr-windy/id1693307722?i=1000683975375
Plains FM: https://player.accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=85585cb6-2529-450d-b4b8-0cf49dd43767

Listen in to the second half of Lindy’s interview with Drs Windy and Savin, who share findings from their research on shunning including the serious life-lon...

31/12/2024

New 4-part mini-series starts! Is shunning the most insidious of all cult practices? In Part One Lindy and our guests, researchers Windy and Savin from Roehampton University, define shunning and discuss how it's used deliberately as a tool by coercively controlling groups to threaten and impose social death for those who question the rules. Savin and Windy introduce listeners to their research, and the movement sweeping the world to make mandated shunning a crime. This episode is the first of four in a mini series on shunning.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/UrFjLOdrsD4

Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/cult-chat/episodes/Episode-50-What-is-Mandated-Shunning--Part-1-with-Dr-Windy-Grendele--Dr-Savin-Bapir-Tardy-e2su69k

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-50-what-is-mandated-shunning-part-1-with-dr/id1693307722?i=1000682260450

Plains FM: https://player.accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=603298a0-09d9-422f-ae58-7331054af115

Is shunning the most insidious of all cult practices? In today’s episode Lindy and our guests, researchers Windy and Savin from Roehampton University, defin...

20/12/2024

The last two episodes of Cult Chat have been about health neglect in cults, and are aimed at our listeners who are health professionals. If you want more content of this nature you could download the whole Decult presentation package for only $50 and if you watch my Health Neglect & Cults presentation you’ll get to hear me talk about this topic with a live audience!

18/12/2024

Feeling loved 😍. Huge thanks to Gina Catena for her contribution on our recent healthcare episodes - and then her extremely kind feedback on You Tube 🙌.

Make sure you listen up to Epsidoes 48 and 49 (Healthcare and Cults). Links below:

https://youtu.be/vytkhynv8bI?si=YKzZBfWKk7OVlDJA

https://youtu.be/00exKZIpg5s?si=83xHirwwVAQY_nET

17/12/2024

Listen up to our newest episode on cults and healthcare.

This is the second episode with Gina, who was raised in a cult which discourages members from seeking medical care. In episode two she describes how she slowly changed her view of health to the scientific world view, as she trained to be a medical professional. She shares stories of working as a clinician with people from cults, and some helpful tips for how medical professionals can gain the trust of people who have faulty health beliefs.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uPtIHU6602diLegLf995g

You Tube: https://youtu.be/00exKZIpg5s

This is the second episode with Gina, who was raised in a cult which discourages members from seeking medical care. In episode two she describes how she slow...

13/12/2024

Here’s an interesting thing to listen too.

Some Gloriavale leavers chat to media and talk-back radio after the BNZ ruling gives the green light to shut their bank accounts. John Ready, Pearl Valor, Dan Pilgrim have interesting insights, along with their lawyer Brian Henry.

https://youtu.be/UJy4SpEr1vY?si=Umg8xm-uk9wGDyPz

(Please note that the opinions expressed are that of the speaker alone and may or not represent the opinions of others.)

Monday 9th December, 2024 Gloriavale lost its bid to keep its bank accounts open with BNZ. They have fought this issue in the courts for two years after BNZ ...

09/12/2024

Take 1 min to understand something that former cultists want you to know ... (This is a teaser for an upcoming Cult Chat Episode with Gina Catena)

05/12/2024

We have a series on shunning coming to you early in the New Year. How’s this for a quote, “Shunning is a social construct and then they (cults) use God, religion and spirituality to endorse it and add authority to it”.

We’ll examine the use of shunning in all sorts of cult contexts, the mechanisms at play and the harmful impacts of social death.

03/12/2024

Episode 48 has landed!! Listen up as Caz interviews Gina, a nurse practitioner & midwife from California. Gina grew up in a cult which discouraged mainstream evidence-based health treatments, in favour of non-scientific treatments. Gina talks about growing up in the group and watching people die to su***de, or suffering from treatable health conditions because the group did not allow Western medical care. This first episode of two starts the conversation about how cults can damage the body, as well as the mind.

Listen up below:
You Tube: https://youtu.be/vytkhynv8bI?si=wqSU7yHe7jQ8JYOb
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4GRgfGyp83BGE3tfM8k9x4?si=00RmI9gfQpCQQAi3Ve1DQA
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-48-healthcare-and-cults-part-1-with-gina-catena/id1693307722?i=1000678976335
Plains FM: https://player.accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=589b777a-515a-4879-a1ba-5e00e5e06781

Today Caz interviews Gina, a nurse practitioner & midwife from California. Gina grew up in a cult which discouraged mainstream evidence-based health treatmen...

19/11/2024

Episode #47 is ready to go! Listen up as we chat about our innovative initiative to head to Parliament and unmask cults at an evening dinner event. We were delighted that a range of dignitaries, ministers, and representatives of key services in New Zealand were interested in hearing about, and hopefully take action to address, the harms that cults cause across New Zealand. Listen to our hosts - along with guest host Dr Janja Lalich - share some of their recollections of this event at the Beehive, outline some of the other presentations, and offer their hopes for future change driven from the center of power in New Zealand.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/j9vLPwGf5Vc
Spotify: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/4cOHIMpIDOb

On 23 October Liz, Lindy and Caz hosted a dinner event at Parliament called "Unmasking Cults." We were delighted that a range of dignitaries, ministers, and...

19/11/2024

Prepping up for our next episode and noticed this encouraging statistic from Spotify … That doesn’t include YouTube or our massive Plains FM and community radio audience. 💕

12/11/2024

We think that cult-like groups qualify as care-settings - after all, the Whanaketia report made it clear that those who have a relationship of authority and/or 'pastoral care' over others of any age are considered responsible for what happens in the context of that relationship. This is regardless of whether or not the person giving the 'care' has a title, is employed or not, and even if abuse happens in a personal or private setting like a home, a working bee or a holiday.
Here at Cult Chat we will continue to watch this space to see if there will be any genuine changes made to ensure that all people, including those in high-control and/or cult-like groups, are made more safe.

It was an important day yesterday as the Prime Minister and other officials gave public acknowledgment and apologies for the many abuses and injustices named by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care. At the Olive Leaf Network we hear about injustices and abuses on a regular basis from former members of high-demand religious groups and care settings - many of these are not confined to the past but are current lived realities. Many of the survivors of abuse in care (including faith-based settings) are grateful for the public acknowledgement of harm and the apologies, but there is also an enormous amount of scepticism and disillusionment as to whether the apologies will precede any real change for past, present and future victims of abuse in care. In particular, those concerned about abuse in faith-based and so-called 'pastoral care' settings have huge concern about churches/religious institutions being allowed to design/manage their own abuse complaints handling processes and/or redress and compensation schemes. Whanaketia made it extremely clear that some of the religious institutions and leaders in this country are abusive and harmful - in what world does it make sense to hand reparation and accountability work over to the very same people responsible for the abuse? There absolutely must be another way, or Whanaketia's recommendations will fall to the ground and fail.

Photo: from page 3 of the New Zealand Herald, November 13th, 2024. Protesters in the photo are wearing t-shirts spelling out 'ACCOUNTABLE?' and holding placards including faces of religious and other leaders evading accountability, despite Whanaketia's damning findings. The protesters are from the Network of Survivors of Faith-Based Abuse in Care, which the Olive Leaf Network supports.

11/11/2024

Exciting! We have finally gotten around to sorting out an email address for Cult Chat so you fans can contact us and let us know what you think! A little late you may say... but better late than never!

So if you want to tell us how awesome we are, or suggest some ideas for episodes, or connect us with someone amazing who we should definitely know, then please email us on:

[email protected]

Looking forward to all those messages flooding in!!

06/11/2024

Episode 46 has landed! Deculting with Dr Janja Lalich.

Join Liz, Caz, Lindy and cult expert Dr Janja Lalich, as they talk about the highlights of the 2024 NZ Decult conference and how this event has contributed to a critical conversation. In this episode Liz says, “The problem is more pervasive than your average kiwi recognises.” Too right! Let's keep the conversation going!

You Tube: https://youtu.be/NUinWvNC0R0?si=NbQQzl2J2WQVUFdI

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0dp5j4Jw8f3GyBFG5gaZ3F?si=9_Hg7ARqRhCOQIYtgpsfJw

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat/id1693307722?i=1000675849321

Plains FM:

Decult 2024, the first ever New Zealand cult awareness conference, held in Christchurch over 19-20 October, smashed it out of the park! Join Liz, Caz, Lindy ...

30/10/2024

Part two of my reflections on Decult - Cult Awareness Conference below

Decult, the first ever cult awareness conference in Aotearoa New Zealand over the weekend of 19 & 20th October 2024, exhausted me. I'm only just able to put into words now, over a week later, how it affected me.