A Little Bit Culty

Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames

Think you might be in a cult? Want to know the signs? Join Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames to talk about things that are..a little bit culty. Or in their case: a whole bunch of culty. As whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series “The Vow,” Sarah and Nippy have a lot to say about their experience, and burning questions to ask people with similar stories. They’re here to help people understand, heal from, and avoid abusive situations one little red flag at a time. Listen in as they share their stories, have frank and unscripted conversations with other survivors and cult experts, and do a deep dive on how devotion can turn to dysfunction.

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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best A Little Bit Culty episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to A Little Bit Culty for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite A Little Bit Culty episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Tangled Up in Teal: Jon Kasbe & Bits Sola on Making ‘The Deep End’

A Little Bit Culty

06/20/22 • 68 min

Dear Teal Swan: You continue to be a mystery wrapped in a riddle wrapped in wrap-around Oakleys. Are you okay? For reals, we’re getting some super hinky vibes from all seven layers of your auric field. Dear Everyone Else: In case you haven’t watched all four installments of The Deep End, you might want to catch up before you listen to this ALBC conversation with the filmmaking duo behind the series. In this episode, director/cinematographer Jon Kasbe and producer/writer Bits Sola join Sarah and Nippy to share what it was like inside Teal Swan’s campy, creepy world. But don’t get your plastic Mala beads in a twist, Teal Tribe: ‘campy’ and ‘creepy’ are our words, not theirs...and those two words are about the nicest things we could think of to say. Also? Sorry, not sorry, Teal...but you just can’t deep fake this shit.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Support the ALBC Pod:

We’ve made a link where you can support A Little Bit Culty with a one-time, weekly, or monthly contribution. Your support will be repaid in cosmic love and light. To make a contribution, smash this link.

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with “t-shirts.” Okay, it’s t-shirts.

Producers: Will Retherford & Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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3 Listeners

Holy Hell: Will Allen on Unmasking Buddhafield (Part 1)

A Little Bit Culty

06/06/22 • 63 min

Sarah and Nippy watched Holy Hell closely when they were exiting NXIVM back in 2016. It hit close to home: The documentary is an intimate look at the implosion of Buddhafield, a mysterious self-help cult formed by a charismatic character with an iffy backstory. In this episode, Sarah and Nippy welcome the film’s director Will Allen to talk about what it was like to shine a light on Jaime Gomez, the so-called spiritual guru at the twisted heart of the group. Will didn’t just film it all: he lived it. After joining Buddhafield as a freshly-minted film school grad, it consumed his world for twenty odd years with life-altering consequences. He was looking for a sense of community and purpose, but after the love bombing phase it was far from the blissed-out communal dream it was cracked up to be.

Five years after the film’s release, Will chats with Sarah and Nippy about how he’s doing now; his journey from unofficial in-house cult documentarian to whistleblower; and what it takes to disrupt patterns of abuse and coercive control in new agey circles. And be warned, dear listener, that this conversation delves into the same potentially triggering content that gave rise to Holy Hell’s apt title. As told in the film via multiple victims’ accounts, Gomez used weekly hypnotherapy sessions to sexually abuse and exploit young male devotees, Will among them. Please listen safely, and seek help if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted.

Sexual Assault Crisis Resources and Hotlines

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available.

U.S. Hotlines & Resources

Canada Hotlines & Resources

See Find a Helpline.Com for the world’s largest resource of helplines. This site lists 1600 services across the world that offer immediate emotional support.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Support the ALBC Pod:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with “t-shirts.” Okay, it’s t-shirts.

Producers: Will Retherford & Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

This Is Us: Meet The Hosts

A Little Bit Culty

03/01/21 • 40 min

A Little Bit Culty – In this premiere episode of A Little Bit Culty, co-hosts Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames catch listeners up on life since NXIVM, and their new normal as whistleblowers documented in the critically-acclaimed HBO series The Vow. The pair share the story of how the A Little Bit Culty podcast came to be, and state some intentions and ground rules up front. Namely, as co-hosts of the podcast, they don’t want to be in the business of punching down on people who are still in cults. They also state their mission to be as responsible as possible with the platform, and to help other people by having the honest, informed conversations they wish they’d heard when they were in NXIVM. Sarah and Nippy also discuss how the experience of leaving NXIVM has affected their relationship and their outlook now: especially in the aftermath of Keith Raniere’s conviction and 120 year prison sentence. They also tackle some burning questions from people who’ve followed their story closely: Did Keith ever hit on Sarah? Where did Nippy get his name? Are you still friends with anyone from NXIVM, and do you ever want to talk to Lauren or Nancy again? Then they wrap it all up by sharing a few of the less headline-worthy things that really chapped their ass about NXIVM: from the organization’s flying monkeys and fixers, to office politics and full-on interoffice polyamory.

A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.

CREDITS: Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Producer: Will Retherford Associate Producer: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin Additional Music Scores by Will Retherford

Follow A Little Bit Culty: Website Instagram Follow Sarah Edmondson: Instagram Buy Her Book Linktr.ee Follow Anthony "Nippy" Ames: Instagram

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2 Listeners

Surviving Wild Wild Country: Erin Robbins Speaks Out On Osho Horrors

A Little Bit Culty

04/04/22 • 80 min

A Little Bit Culty –

We took zero breaks between seasons because we need you to hear this episode. Erin Robbins wasn’t featured in Wild Wild Country, the 2018 Netflix Docuseries about Bhagawan Shree Rajneesh, also known as Osho. She lived it in real-time. She discovered the controversial guru’s teachings at age 23 in 1977, and by the time he summoned her to his bedroom a year later for a ‘special and secret’ meeting that quickly devolved into a vile and violating encounter (the first of many) she thought he was the greatest spiritual master who’d ever walked the planet. Erin disregarded her father, the co-founder, and owner of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream company, risking her family connection and inheritance in order to follow a man who would eventually lead his disciples into a world of murders, mass poisonings, and the gross sexual violation of children. After nearly 45 years of staying quiet, Erin is sharing her story after waking up just a year ago. This episode is full of potentially triggering content related to child abuse, coerced sterilization, and sexual assault. It also contains a staggering amount of bravery. Here’s to the healing power of the truth.

About Our Guest:

Erin Robbins, M.Ed. is an award-winning artist who lives in Northern California.

Website: erinrobbins.life

Twitter: @erinrobbins_

FB & Instagram: @erinrobbins.life

Support the ALBC Pod:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with “t-shirts.” Okay, it’s t-shirts.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with T-shirts. Okay, it’s t-shirts.

–

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Associate Producer: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

1 Comment

Stop the Presses: Vanessa Grigoriadis on NXIVM (Part 1)

A Little Bit Culty

03/06/23 • 55 min

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Vanessa Grigoriadis is an award-winning longform journalist and podcaster, having published profiles on the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, and Arianna Huffington. So how did she get tied up in NXIVM’s bullshit while also reporting on the cult? Well, the short answer is: anyone and everyone is susceptible to coercive control and persuasion, even members of the press. The long answer? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out.

Make sure to catch the end of our conversation next week, when we drop part 2!

You can listen to Vanessa’s podcast Infamous here.

Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

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Bigger Than the Pope: Jennings Brown on Teal Swan & The Fellowship of Friends (Part 2)

A Little Bit Culty

05/30/22 • 51 min

[Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide, mental illness, and sexual assault. Listener discretion advised.] And...we’re back for an extra helping of conversation with investigative journalist Jennings Brown. If Part One’s exploration of creepy AF Youtube spiritual guru Teal Swan didn’t freak you out enough, there’s more Teal talk for you in this episode. Be sure to watch The Deep End docuseries and binge The Gateway podcast to learn more about how each new layer of the Teal Tribe onion seems to be stankier than the last.. We recommend not listening or watching before bed, unless you really dig nightmares.

Despite what Teal may think: She isn’t the center of the universe. She’s not even the center of the cultiverse. So we also use part 2 of our chat with Jennings to ramble from the dark corners of Utah’s Swan country to sunny Yuba County, California where the organization at the center of his Revelations podcast appears to be hard at work making fine wine and disturbing cult headlines. The Fellowship of Friends has some serious issues, and we’re still unpacking it all. Doomsday and rosé anyone?

Support the ALBC Pod:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with “t-shirts.” Okay, it’s t-shirts.

CREDITS:

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producers: Will Retherford & Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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2 Listeners

Bentinho Massaro Sucks Part 1

A Little Bit Culty

02/21/22 • 83 min

A Little Bit Culty –

Imagine a narsty blend of an Instagram influencer, spiritual huxter, Winklevoss twin, and Hugh Hefner’s ghost. These are the vibes that Bentinho Massaro is serving. He’s got all the scary charisma and shiny trappings of a culty overachiever, like thousands of social media followers, a grandiose plan to build a fully enlightened society by 2035, and he even claims to vibrate at a higher frequency than other humans. He’s also already achieved a rite of passage that’s becoming all too common among culty fuckwads: His name in headlines concerning the suspicious death of one of his followers at a Sedona retreat.

Our trio of guests in this double episode whistleblower extravaganza are coming forward to call bullshit on Bentinho’s special brand of mindfuckery. Jade Alectra, Keilan McNeil, and Jacqueline Graham were pulled into his mad world, and got themselves out. But they aren’t going radio silent. Oh hell no. Because they want you to know that this so-called millennial spiritual guru is less of a messiah and more of a walking, talking human Fyre Festival. In part one, Jade, Keilan, and Jacqueline share what made Bentinho seem so alluring and transformational at first, and what happened when shit started getting real.

A Little Bit Culty is proud to support the #IGOTOUT project, which empowers survivors of cultic abuse to share their stories online as a catalyst for education, prevention, and healing. Learn more at igotout.org

For more information on A Little Bit Culty and co-hosts Sarah Edmondson and Nippy “Anthony” Ames, visit our official website at alittlebitculty.com. Follow us on Instagram & Twitter @alittlebitculty

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Associate Producer: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

Cults 101: Dr. Steven Hassan & The BITE Model

A Little Bit Culty

03/01/21 • 64 min

A Little Bit Culty –

What’s the difference between a cult and something that’s just a little bit culty? What should Sarah and Nippy tell their kids when they’re old enough to ask about NXIVM? How do you protect yourself from mind control? On this episode of A Little Bit Culty, our co-hosts chat with cult expert and author Dr. Steven Hassan about what makes people universally vulnerable to undue influence and cultic abuse; how to spot red flags; and some of the striking similarities between Keith Raniere and Donald Trump. They also explore Dr. Hassan’s cult origin story as a former member of the Moon cult, as well as his groundbreaking BITE Model that demystifies the methods that cults deploy to recruit and maintain control over people. Sarah also shares a (ahem) juicy story about a WTF moment of truth about a certain dietary mystery among the women of NXIVM that always perplexed her.

About Dr. Steven Hassan: As one of the world’s leading authorities on cults, Dr. Steven Hassan has been helping people wake up, leave, and heal from cultic abuse for over forty years as a mental health professional, consultant, and educator. He is the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, an organization that specializes in providing acute intensive care for people exiting destructive environments. Dr. Hassan is also the author of four books, including Combating Cult Mind Control, Freedom of Mind, and most recently: The Cult of Trump.

About the BITE Model, as quoted from the Freedom of Mind Resource center site at Freedomofmind.com: “Based on research and theory by Robert Jay Lifton, Margaret Singer, Edgar Schein, Louis Jolyon West, and others who studied brainwashing in Maoist China as well as cognitive dissonance theory by Leon Festinger, Steven Hassan developed the BITE Model to describe the specific methods that cults use to recruit and maintain control over people. “BITE” stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.

A Little Bit Culty is a proud community partner of the #iGotOut Project. Learn more and find helpful resources for healing, education and prevention at igotout.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

Bentinho Massaro Sucks Part 2

A Little Bit Culty

02/21/22 • 78 min

A Little Bit Culty –

He’s just one guy, but there’s so much culty shit flying around Bentinho Massaro that our first episode went into extra innings. Part two of our spotlight on the International Man of Alleged Assholery continues with Jade Alectra, Keilan McNeil, and Jacqueline Graham taking us into the pivotal moments that helped them wake up, pack up, and peace out of his toxic basecamp. They also share why they’re speaking out, even though it is all still painful AF; what’s helping them heal; and where they’re finding the joys of life after Bentinho. Blessed be the whistleblowers.

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Associate Producer: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

My So-Called Greek Life: Lucy Taylor Exposes a Culty Collegiate Shitshow

A Little Bit Culty

04/11/22 • 73 min

As a first year student at the University of Maryland, Lucy Taylor welcomed the sisterhood and built-in community that Greek life promised. But after accepting a bid into a ‘top-tier’ sorority, she left after seven months inside a toxic stew of rampant sexual assault, slut-shaming, misgogny, and racism. Lucy shared her experience in season one of her podcast, SNAPPED, and after an outpouring of responses she’s continuing to use the series to help other former sorority and fraternity members share their all-too similar and all-too-horrific stories. On the cusp of spring, when Greek Week events and semi-formals are about to pop off on college campuses far and wide, Lucy joins Sarah and Nippy for an important conversation about the dangers of a beloved campus tradition. She shares why her experience in the panhellenic scene was hellish, and how the bait-and-switch recruitment tactics and gross coercive control methods that are rife throughout the Greek system are a whole bunch of culty. Before you ship your kids off to college, make sure you listen to this one.

About Lucy Taylor:

Lucy Taylor is the creator, editor, producer, and host of SNAPPED, a podcast which explores the inner workings of sororities and fraternities on America’s college campuses. Also hear the bangin’ SNAPPED soundtrack playlist on Spotify and learn more about Lucy and the pod at: snappedthepodcast.com

#snappedthepodcast

Support the ALBC Pod:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with “t-shirts.” Okay, it’s t-shirts.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye:

Check out our Linktree to sign up for our mailing list. We’ve got some fun things coming your way soon. It rhymes with T-shirts. Okay, it’s t-shirts.

–

CREDITS:

Production Partner: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Associate Producer: Jess Tardy

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Listeners

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FAQ

How many episodes does A Little Bit Culty have?

A Little Bit Culty currently has 208 episodes available.

What topics does A Little Bit Culty cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture, Podcasts and Education.

What is the most popular episode on A Little Bit Culty?

The episode title 'Tangled Up in Teal: Jon Kasbe & Bits Sola on Making ‘The Deep End’' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on A Little Bit Culty?

The average episode length on A Little Bit Culty is 56 minutes.

How often are episodes of A Little Bit Culty released?

Episodes of A Little Bit Culty are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of A Little Bit Culty?

The first episode of A Little Bit Culty was released on Feb 5, 2021.

Show more FAQ

Comments

DSW Ministries

@dswministries

Jun 3

Very educational on the components of a cult. Honest, candid conversations. Highly Recommended.

Kawika Hoke

@kawikahoke

Mar 10

Been listening since season one after binge watching The Vow on HBO Max. Sarah & Nippy have great personality on the mic and I love the way they use their personal journeys to halo is navigate the world of cults.

Anonymous

@anonymous

Apr 10