Good Cult
Good Cult

Good Cult

Kast Media

Overview
Episodes

Details

River Donaghey grew up in a cult. Or at least that’s what some people called it. His parents called it a “personal-growth seminar group.” Its leader called it “one big happy family.” But there was a dark side to the world River grew up in. One he never heard about as a kid. 

In the 1970s and 80s, a self-help company called Lifespring took America by storm. Hundreds of thousands of people walked out of Lifespring as true believers, convinced that the seminars had the power to change the world. But dozens of trainees claimed that after taking a seminar, they had a psychotic break. Some spent months in the hospital. Others attempted suicide. And at least four people died. 

River spent the past year digging into the bizarre, untold story of Lifespring and its controversial leader: a convicted felon turned New Age guru named John Hanley. What he uncovered made him question everything he thought he knew about his childhood. And about the seminars that are still changing lives—and ruining them—to this day.

Recent Episodes

6 of 6: So What? Now What?
OCT 12, 2022
6 of 6: So What? Now What?

"Your idea of how this came about ain't at all how it came about."

 

Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus

Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Zocdoc: Then start your search for a top-rated doctor today at Zocdoc.com/GOODCULT
  • Splendid Spoon: Get $120 off your first three boxes at SplendidSpoon.com/GOODCULT.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

play-circle
36 MIN
5 of 6: The Red-Black Game
OCT 5, 2022
5 of 6: The Red-Black Game

"I see the value in transformation, but I also see its shortcomings."

 

Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus

Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • Zocdoc: Then start your search for a top-rated doctor today at Zocdoc.com/GOODCULT
  • BetterHelp: Get 10% off at Betterhelp.com/GOODCULT
  • Jordan Harbinger Show: Check out cult-related episodes at jordanharbinger.com/start

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

play-circle
39 MIN
4 of 6: Casualties
SEP 28, 2022
4 of 6: Casualties

"We were never a cult and we wanted to remove everything that gave the appearance of being a cult."

 

Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus

Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

play-circle
37 MIN
3 of 6: This is About the Rest of Your Life
SEP 21, 2022
3 of 6: This is About the Rest of Your Life

"He was like a rockstar. He was a very attractive man. He was the Lifespring celebrity."

 

Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus

Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • BetterHelp: Get 10% off at Betterhelp.com/GOODCULT
  • Splendid Spoon: Get $120 off your first three boxes at SplendidSpoon.com/GOODCULT.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

play-circle
33 MIN
2 of 6: The Leader
SEP 14, 2022
2 of 6: The Leader

"He thought being put in that casket was the best thing that ever happened to him."

 

Listen to Good Cult ad-free, with bonus content, at KastMedia.com/KastPlus

Listen to Good Cult ad-free on Amazon Music

 

Thank you to our sponsors:

  • BetterHelp: Get 10% off at Betterhelp.com/GOODCULT

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

play-circle
35 MIN