Cult Chat

27/02/2024

Episode 25 is here! It's a follow on from last week's episode (which we suspect may have been our best yet? What did you think?).

This week's episode asks what do a doctor, a lawn enthusiast, and an amateur photographer all have in common? Almost no understanding of the law! Join us for this episode as Caz, Liz and Lindy bumble their way through various international laws on coercive control, and ask themselves - and you, the listener - exactly what it will take for New Zealand law-makers to recognise how harmful group coercive control is, and provide protection for NZ citizens against it within the law.

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z93AopyG6Pk
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/LhIqHtIawHb
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-25-coercive-control-is-it-legal/id1693307722?i=1000647169309
Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=cae45ff7-f9f5-4f13-bcde-7526b10efed2

What do a doctor, a lawn enthusiast, and an amateur photographer all have in common? Almost no understanding of the law! Join us for this episode as Caz, Liz...

13/02/2024

Is this our best and most important episode ever??! Available now Episode 24 - What is Coercive Control?
Caz, Lindy and Liz examine what a woman abused by her intimate partner, a member of a cult group, and a prisoner of war in North Korea in the 1950s all have in common? As you listen you’ll also learn interesting facts about venn diagrams, storm-troopers and the joys of lawn-mowing. Today’s episode features a culty analysis of 1950’s researcher Albert Biderman’s fascinating, yet chilling, “Chart of Coercion”, with tips from our hosts on how to recognise it in action in a cult.

Available on all your favourite platforms:

You Tube: https://youtu.be/HO5TRYdZCX4
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cult-chat/episodes/Episode-24-What-is-Coercive-Control-e2fncov
Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=f3b4f567-0bde-4e07-8da6-a905bbf85e8d

What does a woman abused by her intimate partner, a member of a cult group, and a prisoner of war in North Korea in the 1950s all have in common? Listen to t...

03/02/2024

See below the really informative talk by Dr Janja Lalich, outlining some of the research from her book "Escaping Utopia", which is all about the unique challenges that children of cults experience. Honestly, the whole talk I kept thinking, is she talking about Centrepoint children here? If you were born or raised in a cult group, whether in New Zealand or overseas, this talk will be of interest to you.

She says: “As much as cults are ignored, the lives of the children in cults is even more ignored and unknown, and is a quite different story from those of us who have joined as adults."

Talk Beliefs is pleased to present a recording of a talk by cult expert, Dr Janja Lalich: What Can We Learn From The Children of Cults?'DR JANJA LALICH, Ph.D...

30/01/2024

New episode alert! " A Chat with Sarah Steele" Episode 23 has hit the airwaves!

Join us this week for a chat with Sarah Steel, writer and producer of the acclaimed podcast series “Let’s Talk About Sects”. Listen as our hosts do some serious fan-girling in Sarah’s direction! After 6 seasons of her podcast and a book on the topic Sarah has learnt a thing or two about cult podcasting, she’s got some ideas about how to make things better, and some tips for our hosts on how to navigate the cultiverse.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/362qX-Hq9xw
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Uui3rUKTLGb
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat-episode-23-a-chat-with-sarah-steele/id1693307722?i=1000643467786
Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=8dd4f493-9e90-42c4-b94a-42b0715c0614

Join us this week for a chat with Sarah Steel, writer and producer of the acclaimed podcast series “Let’s Talk About Sects”. Listen as our hosts do some seri...

23/01/2024

Feeling nerdily star-struck by this development… We must be doing something right…

22/01/2024

Exciting!

Join our email newsletter! First one is going out on Monday, so sign up on the website now: www.decult.net

Go into the draw for a ticket to the first cult conference in Australasia. Just take a quick survey so that we can create the best experience – enriching, empowering, inspiring and safe.

21/01/2024

This is a fantastic quote from Janja Lalich in the 2023 3rd edition of“Take Back Your Life”.

I hope ultimately that Cult Chat, along with other groups we are partnering with and initiatives we are supporting, will be part of a social and political change in this country which encourages this exposure and demands this accountability.

16/01/2024

Episode 22 has landed!! Are you heading back from a break at the beach and now need a movie from the cultiverse to get you back into the mood for work? In this third summer series special episode our hosts talk about their favourite 2023 shows from the cultiverse. Lindy, Liz and Caz talk about what makes these shows worthy watches, and why. These shows will shock you, inform you, and open your eyes a lot wider to different harmful groups out there and how far they will go to manipulate, control and coerce.

Watch or listen on your favourite platform:

Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=3d91a073-9a9a-4e49-847e-8f94a27307bd
You Tube: https://youtu.be/zvgb352EJn8
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cult-chat/episodes/Episode-22-Summer-Series---Films--Shows-from-the-Cultiverse-e2edsvd
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat/id1693307722?i=1000641776413

Are you heading back from a break at the beach and now need a movie from the cultiverse to get you back into the mood for work? In this third summer series s...

15/01/2024

Interested in learning more about cultishness, coercion and control? Want to meet the Cult Chat trio in person? Thinking you’d quite like a chance to meet others who have had some culty experiences? Well the Decult - Cult Awareness Conference in October 2024 in Christchurch will give you all of this and more. If you’re interested and you want updates about the conference then please sign up for the newsletter. Info below:

The First Cult Awareness Conference in Australasia. Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. 19 – 20 October 2024

07/01/2024

Liz Gregory - one of the stellar hosts of Cult Chat - has finally made the news for something that has got NOTHING to do with cults! It’s great to see, after all the work you do for others Liz, that you’re having a wonderful summer 🥰!

https://i.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/133526201/going-with-the-flow-in-a-kaiteriteri-summer?fbclid=IwAR2xoz0alqqh3pk_2gvKlNACCEng2LPXprUJYZgiKzUshyzqIs8kUsXxJIY_aem_AdrSacsYDfMI8HOs-HtlRC8hHpXaCVfCSOcaxOq2kCX_kKKbRbtFEvl_39Ys00VZXMs

For more than 40 years the pull of the golden sand beach has brought Timaru resident Liz Gregory north.

02/01/2024

Looking for something from the cultiverse to listen to while driving on your summer roadie? Or perhaps you need help to tune out the kids as you flip the sausages on the barbie? Well, let the Cult Chat trio help! In this episode Lindy, Liz and Caz bring you their favourite podcast recommendations to help you deepen your knowledge of the cultiverse - but only after you’ve listened to the fortnightly Cult Chat episode of course!!

You Tube: https://youtu.be/5M4RFPS_tX8?si=D6DOZlJrCdU_0t_5

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/57Wgt2QYjzvesi3xkDOQZs?si=EJdUSYhaTb21osLXgACoiw

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat/id1693307722?i=1000640361506

Looking for something from the cultiverse to listen to while driving on your summer roadie? Or perhaps you need help to tune out the kids as you flip the sau...

29/12/2023

Apologies for the link that got busted! Don't fear. We have a remedy. Here is the new link to the Summer Book recommendations podcast!

Summer Mini-Series - must-read books. It’s nearly Christmas! Are you looking for a holiday read? Caz, Lindy and Liz have taken a break from mince-pie-making ...

20/12/2023

New Episode alert!! Summer Mini-Series - must-read books.

It’s nearly Christmas! Are you looking for a holiday read? Caz, Lindy and Liz have taken a break from mince-pie-making and present-shopping to record an episode all about books! These books are the ones which jumped out as our best books from the cultiverse in 2023. Grab your pen and pad and jot down some of our recommended best reads of the year. You might still have time to get down to your local bookshop to nab one of these to chuck in the Christmas stocking.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/vZwuB0XaZBA
Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cult-chat/episodes/Episode-20-Summer-Series---Books-e2depg5
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat/id1693307722?i=1000639122501
Plains FM: https://plainsfm.org.nz/Programmes/Details.aspx?PID=91f588b5-dc3f-44be-809d-f4ce8db164ae

https://youtu.be/vZwuB0XaZBA

Summer Mini-Series - must-read books. It’s nearly Christmas! Are you looking for a holiday read? Caz, Lindy and Liz have taken a break from mince-pie-making ...

05/12/2023

Episode 19 is worth listening to! It's the final chat in a 4-part mini-series about Kids in Cults. In this episode, we delve into the crucial topic of Safeguarding Children and share insights on navigating the challenges within high control, cultish groups. Drawing from personal experiences, the hosts shed light on vulnerability factors, resiliency, and the complexities of identifying abuse or neglect in such environments. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion on the collective responsibility we all share in keeping a watchful eye on those within our communities who may be silently suffering.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/bKcuc3ovPVY

Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/GvfRltyRgFb

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-19-safeguarding-children-is-it-possible-in/id1693307722?i=1000637506926

Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=b739cec3-47d5-4529-a159-5b315f6a21bf

In this episode, we delve into the crucial topic of Safeguarding Children and share insights on navigating the challenges within high control, cultish groups...

29/11/2023

Bonus Week! Hopeful Disciple said, "You come out of it broken." Come along as Liz, Lindy and Caz reflect together on Hopeful & Victory’s interview (Episode 16 & 17). Our hosts talk developmental regression, what it really means to be a second or multigenerational child of a cult, and they dig into the physical manifestation of trauma for children. What does it mean for a child to learn to deny their needs, before they have even learnt what their needs are? Join us on this episode of Cult Chat, and find out.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/KW1LhaHtHFs
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/50l1UsD07Eb
Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=10270788-87f7-4d82-9f58-ad68ac2d58c8

Need a way to come back down to earth again after listening to Hopeful & Victory Disciple’s interview? Come along as Liz, Lindy and Caz reflect together. Our...

26/11/2023

Loving Cult Chat? Looking forward each week to the pearls of wisdom, hilarious jokes, deep reflection, and the odd tip about chicken-rearing? Well, please, please, please leave us a wonderful review like the one Caz’s husband left on Apple Podcasts! Or you can even leave a review on the page - see attached image.
Please ensure if you do add a review to our page, please make it public, otherwise no one except your friends can see it!!

26/11/2023

Wohoo! It looks like people are really enjoying our podcast. Thanks for following, liking, sharing and commenting. It helps the Facebook algorithm to spread the word further.

22/11/2023

Part 2 of Kids In Cults is now available!

Dive into the gripping continuation of the 'Kids in Cults' miniseries with Hopeful and Victory Disciple as they unveil more about life inside Gloriavale. In Part Two, they discuss the intricate web of friendship, social status, and snitches. Discover how high-control groups set children up for failure and hear Victory's emotional poem, providing a heartbreaking glimpse into her childhood. Gain profound insights into the enduring impact on parenting within closed communities and the lasting scars. This episode is a poignant exploration of growing up in a restrictive environment.

Hopeful and Victory Disciple's chat about growing up in Gloriavale kick-starts a four-part mini-series called "Kids in Cults".

Part 1 and Part 2 are available from today (so you can binge watch the whole interview) and Part 3 and Part 4 will be spread across the following two weeks.

You Tube: https://youtu.be/U0qIgbAAeAk
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/8wahn57tWEb

Dive into the gripping continuation of the 'Kids in Cults' miniseries with Hopeful and Victory Disciple as they unveil more about life inside Gloriavale. In ...

22/11/2023

New Mini-Series has landed!! Part One - Kids in Cults.

Join Hopeful and Victory Disciple in a gripping two-part interview as they share their journey growing up in Gloriavale. They delve into their upbringing in a socially entrapped society, discussing the profound impacts on kids in cults. From bed-wetting to false personas, they shed light on the hidden struggles within high-control groups, unraveling the lasting damage inflicted on the inner selves of children. Don't miss this first eye-opening episode of a two-part conversation about survival.

Hopeful and Victory Disciple's chat about growing up in Gloriavale kick-starts a four-part mini-series called "Kids in Cults".

Part 1 and Part 2 are available from today (so you can binge watch the whole interview) and Part 3 and Part 4 will be spread across the following two weeks.

Part 1:
You Tube: https://youtu.be/IJ-Z23PlHF8
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/v7HmlDotWEb

Join Hopeful and Victory Disciple in a gripping two-part interview as they share their journey growing up in Gloriavale. They delve into their upbringing in ...

21/11/2023

We’re making you wait another day for yesterday’s episode - and that’s because it’s a DOUBLE!! Yesterday afternoon Plains FM aired Part one of an incredibly fascinating episode with Hopeful and Victory Disciple called “Growing up in Gloriavale”. Today they will air Part two and then we’ll load them on You Tube and your favourite podcast platform. It’s worth waiting for!

17/11/2023

Thanks RNZ for your excellent article about the Gloriavale school earlier this month, after the ERO report was released revealing that the school has failed spectacularly to meet national education standards.

Victory and Hopeful Disciple share their concerns about the Gloriavale School in this article, both as parents of children formerly enrolled in the school and as educators. Watch out for Tuesday's upcoming Cult Chat episode where we get to hear more from these two remarkable leavers.

It's a resounding fail for Gloriavale Christian school according to its latest ERO report card. The private school operates out of the secretive community on the West coast of the South Island about 60km east of Greymouth. Former leaders and members have been convicted of child abuse and the employm...

16/11/2023

Drum roll please. It is with huge excitement and almost-wetting-ourselves-anticipation that we announce to you all the first Decult - Cult Awareness Conference here in Ōtautāhi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, the weekend of 19-20 October! The first ever cult awareness conference in Australasia, its going to be awesome and we hope many of you will come along and join us. And perhaps even let us interview you when we are doing a wandering mike session 🎤 🎙️ 🤪. Big ups 🙌 to Anke Richter Writer for her power house work behind the scenes to get this great initiative underway!!

(Caz posting. Liz and Lindy may wish to distance themselves from any questions of incontinence that this post may raise)

DECULT 2024 – NEW ZEALAND CULT AWARENESS CONFERENCE Join the cult conversation down under at the first Australasian cult conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch,...

14/11/2023

This quote from Judith Herman’s exceptional book “Trauma and Recovery” explains in a nutshell why we are making Cult Chat. Her book describes many experiences of captivity including political prisoners, women in violent relationships, hostages and people in cults. Cult Chat focuses on people held captive as psychological and social prisoners within cults. When the behaviours of such captives are seen through the lens of adaptive physiological and psychological responses to the chronic trauma of captivity, these behaviours become infinitely more understandable. We hope we are making some dent in sharing our understanding of what it means to be the victim of coercive control, and ultimately how to see through the ploys of perpetrators of coercive control.

07/11/2023

Listen Up! Episode 15 has landed and it's got to be one of our favourites. "Organisations Under Threat" is about the impression management and optics techniques that harmful organisations employ when they have come to the attention of the public and agencies. Did you know there is a handbook of classic responses?! Cults make good use of these in a text-book fashion.

If there is ONE episode you should listen to on Cult Chat, it's this one!

Outline: How do harmful organizations respond when they are accused of abuse? What are the indicators that the response lacks substance or is part of a strategic ploy to maintain control and protect an image? Today our hosts talk about defenses used by abusive groups, including denial, excuses, justifications and comparisons, using examples they have encountered personally. Listen in to learn what real apologies look like, how to sniff out concessions and demonstrations, and why the difference matters.

Listen in on your favourite platform:
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/fLu2QyEnwEb
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-15-organisations-under-threat/id1693307722?i=1000633935456
Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=50281358-4d3f-4065-9023-351746acdfbc
You Tube: https://youtu.be/aFK0RPztgEg?si=U4XyuAflPMWaC_XP

‎Show Cult Chat, Ep Episode 15: Organisations Under Threat - 6 Nov 2023

02/11/2023

If you've listened to our episodes on the JWs in the High Court you may still have some questions. Why did the NZ Branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses want to be excluded from examination in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care? After examining all of the submissions to the Inquiry, investigators discovered that eight faith-based groups were more represented in abuse allegations than other groups, and the Jehovah's Witnesses were in this top eight. This is why the JWs are being investigated. The NZ Branch of the Jehovah's Witnesses suggested in court that examination by the Inquiry was due to religious intolerance and persecution, and they claimed that there is no evidence that children or vulnerable adults have experienced abuse in the JW's faith community. So what evidence is there? The below article from the Spin Off, published back in 2018, around the time that the Inquiry started, provides some good information to push back at these defences.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/the-best-of/23-07-2018/silent-lambs-child-sexual-abuse-and-the-jehovahs-witness?fbclid=IwAR1Dc_IJMuMEhxWn7ZDj8xIvFomeer_CPYTimrSgfLEJMjTS1AU64THuS9Q

Jehovah’s Witnesses are on a quest to save the ‘wicked’ from damnation. For victims of sexual abuse within the organisation, however, that quest has seen perpetrators shielded from justice

30/10/2023

Spoiler alert for episodes 13 and 14!

For those following our recent JW episodes here’s some great news. Their bid to be excluded from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been declined. Phew!

A legal bid by the Jehovah's Witness church to get out of being part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been dismissed.

29/10/2023

Success!! We headed to the studio and videoed some new intros & outros. The camera joined us in the recording studio for our discussion around the Jehovah Witnesses and High Court saga. (interview with guests is audio only, but do you like the quirky graphic we designed?!). We're making progress in the world of tech lol!
Episode 13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIgJxdRoqLA
Episode 14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LpvzD7VB6E

Lindy interviews Shayne Mechen and Rachael Jackson after a week in the High Court. The NZ branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are arguing their case for why th...

26/10/2023

Yesterday we made a boo-boo! Today we’ve fixed it! Episode 14 was supposed to have a discussion at the end of it between the three hosts. We enjoyed the chat and it’s now been inserted for your listening pleasure. Chat starts at 32mins 32 secs. (WARNING - you may need to re-download it to get the corrected version. Or try a different platform).

Spotify: https://spotify.link/XG4GhekFcEb

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/cult-chat/id1693307722?i=1000632532450

Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=76d918c7-4412-4780-8da6-b38075b4d23c

Listen to this episode from Cult Chat on Spotify. Join us for part 2 of Lindy’s conversation with Shayne and Rachael about the JWs application to be exempt from the NZ Royal Commision of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. They examine the arguments that played out in court, providing a fascinating case s...

25/10/2023

New episodes have landed! Cult Chat delves into the Jehovah’s Witnesses this week. Listen in to the two-part series. Lindy interviews Shayne Mechen and Rachael Jackson after a week in the High Court. They are both former JWs, and are advocates for former members of the JW faith. The NZ branch of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are arguing their case for why they should be exempt from the NZ Royal Commision of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Part One (Episode 13) gives an overview of who the JWs are, what they believe, and how this relates to the Royal Inquiry. Part Two (Episode 14) looks at the High Court proceedings.

Spotify Part One Episode 13: https://spotify.link/A4Mc6cr1aEb

Spotify Part Two Episode 14: https://spotify.link/XEMLl1h2aEb

Plains FM: //accessmedia.nz/Player.aspx?eid=76d918c7-4412-4780-8da6-b38075b4d23c

Also available on Apple Podcasts and other platforms.

23/10/2023

Listeners have been asking for an episode on the Jehovah's Witnesses and this week Cult Chat delivers!

In the next couple of days we will be dropping a double episode about the recent Jehovah's Witnesses' (NZ Branch) bid in the Wellington High Court for exemption from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Stay tuned for the link to the video YouTube episodes, and the audio on PlainsFM, Spotify and Apple Podcasts in the next couple of days.