Was I In A Cult?

Whitney wanted a Friday night dress. She got a pink Cadillac and a cult instead. At 21, she joined Mary Kay just trying to pay her $200 rent. What she got was a crash course in manipulation disguised as empowerment, a swirl of culty catchphrases, and a trunk full of sparkle-dusted dreams. In this episode, Whitney takes us on her journey from California cake decorator to one of Mary Kay’s youngest Sales Directors—and eventually, to the other side, where she finds healing, purpose, and a life that’s truly her own. No pins. No pearls. No plastic praise. LINKS: Come see us LIVE at the Napa Valley Streaming Festival! Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult Support the show: If Was I in a Cult? has impacted you, please rate and review—it really helps more people find us! And consider joining our Patreon for ad-free episodes and bonus culty goodness. Have a dark and sparkly story of your own? We’d love to hear it. Reach out anytime: info@wasiinacult.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, we’re taking it back to where it all began: our very first episode. Meet Johanne Hanks, who went from BYU grad to plural wife to party planner for Jesus in a yuppie Mormon doomsday group called The True and Living Church. You know… TLC. Faced with the fear of an impending apocalypse, Joanne and her husband move to a small Utah town to live "Mormonism on steroids", which means wearing long underwear, communicating with the dead, prophetic visions, odd temple rituals, cookies with Jesus, and the law of celestial marriage (aka polygamy).  We’ll be back next week with one of the OG MLMs… May Kay. Pucker up for that one. Come see us LIVE at the Napa Valley Streaming Festival! Johanne’s Book: “It’s Not About the Sex, My Ass” Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult Support the show: If Was I in a Cult? has impacted you, please rate and review us—it truly helps! And consider joining our Patreon for ad-free episodes and a cult-free community. Have a story of your own? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at info@wasiinacult.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vida shares her journey from unquestioning devotion to courageous self-discovery, ultimately reclaiming her life from the tangled legacy of faith, trauma, and generational pain.

You’ve heard of doomsday cults and self-help cults… but what about an alien cult? This week, we’re taking you on a journey beyond the stars—or at least, beyond logic—as we explore The Raelians. This episode is love bombing at its best and most seductive form. _____________ Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult  Have you ever been love-bombed into a belief system that felt too good to be true? Or maybe you’ve found yourself drawn into a group that promised cosmic truths, only to leave you questioning everything? We’d love to hear your story—email us at info@wasiinacult.com  Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our de ep dives into the culty corners of everyday life—because sometimes, the things we accept as 'normal' deserve a second look. Link to register for Writing Symposium See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fine dining is all about precision, artistry, and luxury on the plate—but behind those kitchen doors, the pressure, hierarchy, and chaos tell a very different story. This week, we sit down with Chef Amber Evans, who opens up about the unspoken rules of the industry, the reality of life inside a Michelin-starred kitchen, and the moment she realized she had become the very thing she once feared. Could it be that she had been in … a cult?  ________ Follow Chef Amber for mouth-watering content! @chefamberevans  Follow us for more culty content: @wasiinacult  Have you ever worked in a high-pressure, high-control environment that blurred the lines between passion and exploitation? Or maybe you’ve broken free from a system that demanded your total devotion? We’d love to hear your story—email us at info@wasiinacult.com  Want ad-free episodes? Support us on Patreon and help fund our de ep dives into the culty corners of everyday life—because sometimes, the things we accept as 'normal' deserve a second look. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.