Lori shares her story of how she became deeply involved in an online school that blurred the line between education and coercion. She opens up about the power of community, the subtle ways control takes hold, and the moment she realized she had to break free. In this candid conversation, Lori reflects on the challenges of leaving, rebuilding her life, and reclaiming her personal power. A powerful story of resilience, self-discovery, and the long road to healing. The episode opens with Lori reading from her piece, "Still Unsettled, but Healing...".

Find Lori at her website.

Trigger Warning: Due to these episodes containing stories that involve cults and other types of coercive control that may be disturbing to some, listener discretion is advised.

You can find Living Cult Free on social media, especially on Instagram, at livingcultfree Our website is livingcultfree.com where the mission is to support the creative expression of survivor stories and empower advocacy through education.

At the website above, you can:

• Contact us to share your story
• Meet who runs and collaborates with Living Cult Free
• Make a donation to help further Living Cult Free’s mission

Thank you for your support!

©2025 Living Cult Free

Intro & outro by Jon Snow; Original Music by Esther Friedman

Editing and production by Vanessa Hennessey

Huge thanks to Living Cult Free’s intern, Nikki Kattamuri, and the Living Cult Free Board of Directors; as well as Erica A. Slauson for her help with transcription.

Music and sound by: Alexander Lisenkov, AllWorldMusic, Geoff Harvey, Keyframe Audio, Musiconaut, Oleksandr Stepanov, Serge Quadrado, Sergii Pavkin, Timothy Kulig.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Living Cult Free. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The Living Cult Free name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

In this powerful episode, Mariama shares her deeply personal journey of growing up in a high-control religious group. She reflects on her upbringing, the constraints on personal expression, and the challenges of finding her identity while under constant scrutiny. Mariama opens up about the pivotal moments that led her to question the group's teachings, the emotional toll of leaving, and the courage it took to reclaim her life. Her candid storytelling highlights themes of self-discovery, healing, and resilience, offering hope and insight to those on similar paths.

Trigger Warning: Due to these episodes containing stories that involve cults and other types of coercive control that may be disturbing to some, listener discretion is advised. This episode contains mentions of child sexual abuse.

You can find Living Cult Free on social media, especially on Instagram, at livingcultfree Our website is livingcultfree.com where the mission is to support the creative expression of survivor stories and empower advocacy through education.

At the website above, you can:

• Contact us to share your story
• Meet who runs and collaborates with Living Cult Free
• Make a donation to help further Living Cult Free’s mission

Thank you for your support!

©2024 Living Cult Free

Intro & outro by Jon Snow; Original Music by Esther Friedman

Editing and production by Vanessa Hennessey

Huge thanks to Living Cult Free’s intern, Nikki Kattamuri, and the Living Cult Free Board of Directors; as well as Erica A. Slauson for her help with transcription.

Music and sound by: Ashot Danielyan, BRVAN, Clavier Clavier, Dvir Silver, Emmraan, John Britton, Sergii Pavkin, Valentin Iakovlev. All music found on Pixabay.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Living Cult Free. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The Living Cult Free name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Karina reflects on how her challenging childhood created a deep yearning for connection and stability and how she and her husband sought belonging. They turned to a messianic congregation that combined Jewish traditions with Christianity. The pressure to conform grew, as the group insisted on rigid adherence to its rules and practices about child rearing - and all aspects of church life. Over time, she began to critically examine the congregation’s culture of silence, where addressing personal struggles or differing views was discouraged and seen as gossip. Things came to a crisis after the church responded with harsh judgment to the needs of her family, prompting Karina's profound realization about the importance of protecting her family, embracing her true self and cultivating authenticity.

Shownotes:

Trigger Warning: Due to these episodes containing stories that involve cults and other types of coercive control that may be disturbing to some, listener discretion is advised.

Mentioned in the episode:

The International Cultic Studies Association (link: https://www.icsahome.com/)

You can find Living Cult Free on social media, especially on Instagram, at living_cult_free Our website is livingcultfree.com where the mission is to support the creative expression of survivor stories and empower advocacy through education.

At the website above, you can:

• Contact us to share your story
• Meet who runs and collaborates with Living Cult Free
• Make a donation to help further Living Cult Free’s mission

Thank you for your support!

©2024 Living Cult Free

Intro & outro by Jon Snow; Original Music by Esther Friedman

Editing and production by Vanessa Hennessey

Huge thanks to Living Cult Free’s intern, Nikki Kattamuri, and the Living Cult Free Board of Directors

Music and sound by: Alex Grohl, Calvin Clavier, Denys Kyshchuk, Dream-Protocol, Grand_Project, Josef Surikov, Juan Sanchez, Julius H, Serge Pavkin, UNIVERSFIELD, Vasileios Ziogas, Yevhen Shtakal. All music found on Pixabay.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Living Cult Free. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The Living Cult Free name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.