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  • I Escaped a Cult. Today I’m Exploring the Truth of Surviving on Broadway
    2025/08/22
    BECOME MY FAVORITE!The boats have been burned! I've dedicated my life to storytelling and serving an audience I love--reminding us about the best parts that make us human. If you dig what I'm doing here and want to help spread the mission to expand what's possible, support here: PayPal.me/calvinwayman. You rock! Now let's get into today's episode!-How does someone go from hustling at dead-end jobs to performing in one of the biggest Broadway shows ever?In this episode, I'm sitting down with "Elder McKinley" of the hit show on Broadway...the Book of Mormon. He also goes by PJ Adzima, in the real world. This is hands down my favorite episode so far on [Cult]ured Boy. It's relevant "as fck." It's real. It's raw. AND...incredibly useful.I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! I'll be reading every one (except of course if for some reason the YouTube algorithm blows it up and this somehow gets thousands and thousands of views and then thousands of comments that make it hard to keep up--but no matter what, I promise to give my bestest effort, no matter the number of comments, to interact with everyone)This is gonna sound cheesy but I mean it: I love you guys. This show is my baby, thank you for trusting me with a slice of your day, I don't take it for granted. I want to continue to bring you the most entertaining, relevant, useful, and still COMPLETELY HUMAN conversations in all of culture. The reason this is my favorite so far is I feel like it stacks multiple of those layers all at once.PS: If you're a YouTuber and you want to collab, hit me up! If you're hosting an event and you need a speaker who is a "Bubble Expert," I'm your guy. I can help your company behave more "AI-proof" by breaking out of cult-y thinking. (May also be helpful for attendance to mention the "ex-cult" or "44 siblings" thing)PS#2: If you know anyone at CNN (or whoever owns Anthony Bourdain's show "Parts Unknown," I'd love to have a conversation with someone about collaborating with my show "Hearts Unknown"--getting deeper into the human stories around culture, and paying homage to the guy who did it best: Anthony Bourdain. RIP .Ultimately, thank you for being here. It means the world. Be well! -Calvin. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: calvinwaymanFOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK: calvinwaymanFOLLOW ME ON X: calwaymanWATCH MY FILM: HEARTS UNKNOWN • Hearts Unknown: My Unscripted Journey Insi... FOLLOW PJ!INSTA: pjadzYOUTUBE: ⁨@pjadz⁩TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 – Setting the Stage 🎬00:01:36 – Meet PJ Adzima 🙌00:02:54 – Conan O’Brien Inspiration 🎤00:05:07 – Playing the Book of Mormon in Salt Lake City 🎭00:06:18 – The Hidden Polygamy Story 🔒00:09:21 – The Secret Mormon Split 🤫00:12:00 – Fundies vs. LDS 📜00:15:28 – Family Feuds & Burnout 🥵00:17:27 – Life Beyond Religion 🌌00:20:51 – Puritanism & Scandal 📖00:25:24 – Discovering Theater at 8 🎭00:29:56 – From Loneliness to Finding Your Community 🗽00:36:03 – When Life Isn’t Flowing 🌊00:40:07 – 11 Years to Broadway 🌱00:44:12 – Why Art = Athletics 🏋️00:48:02 – Broadway as Blue-Collar 🔨00:52:00 – Passion vs. Profession ❤️‍🔥00:53:33 – PJ’s WILD Mormon Story 🎭01:02:15 – Paying It Forward 🤝01:05:03 – Why ‘Being a Good Hang’ Is EVERYTHING 🎉01:07:29 – Betting on Yourself 🎲01:12:11 – ‘Jack Black’ Energy 🤘01:14:13 – Facing Fear: Call to Adventure 🗡️01:17:35 – The Hero’s Journey 🛡️01:19:16 – PJ Goes Digital 💻01:20:52 – Big Announcement!! 🚀01:20:58 – Calvin’s 44 Siblings 🤯01:25:11 – Final Takeaways ✨
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    1 時間 29 分
  • What Happens When You Escape a Cult & Start Over?
    2025/08/19

    Ready for the real and the raw? Ready for something different? I'm sharing my most embarrassing stories and the messy reality of starting over. It's all about personal growth and facing those awkward moments!This will be the most human thing I've ever published on YouTube. Thank you for being here! Please like, subscribe and comment!FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: calvinwaymanFOLLOW ME ON TIKTOK: calvinwaymanFOLLOW ME ON X: calwaymanWATCH MY FILM: HEARTS UNKNOWNhttps://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFlsTIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 – The Most Embarrassing Episode 😳Calvin sets the stage: why he’s posting this raw, unfiltered video despite fear.00:02:15 – Embracing Full Transparency 🪞Why vulnerability and honesty are essential for real connection.00:04:16 – Growing Up in a Cult ⛪️Introduction to Calvin’s upbringing in fundamentalist Mormonism, with 44 siblings and strict control.00:07:19 – Quitting My Day Job 💼🚪Taking the leap into full-time content creation and the financial struggles that followed.00:10:05 – $110,000 in Debt 💳Coming clean about the financial weight of chasing the dream.00:11:21 – Why I’m Risking Everything 🎲Tying the YouTube plunge back to leaving the religion and fighting for freedom.00:15:20 – The Crack in My Beliefs 🪨⚡️College, philosophy, and the moment Plato’s Cave made Calvin question everything.00:20:11 – Facing Eternal Damnation 🔥The terrifying stakes of leaving fundamentalist Mormonism.00:27:19 – Choosing My Own Life 🛤️Why Calvin walked away from an arranged marriage, family expectations, and certainty.00:33:24 – Freedom vs. Security 🕊️🔒Struggles with money, authenticity, and refusing to go back to a “safe” job.00:39:55 – Being a Dad From Afar 👨‍👧‍👦The challenges of raising kids while living in New York, including a bittersweet story about a loose tooth.00:50:45 – Living With Doubt, Choosing Authenticity 🤔❤️How doubt lingers even after leaving, and why Calvin bets on authenticity as his security.00:59:01 – Looking Ahead 🚀What comes next: values, creative vision, and building a YouTube channel grounded in what’s real.

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    1 時間 9 分
  • Mormon Vs Mormon Fundamentalist: Comparing Our Upbringings (CRINGE!) | ep 18
    2025/08/05

    Welcome to Episode 18: two ex-Mormons hanging out—but don’t worry, it’s only mildly painful. I’m sitting down with my friend Spencer to untangle the often confusing world of Mormonism. Spencer grew up LDS (think: standard-issue Mormons), while I was raised FLDS (but not the Warren Jeffs one—seriously, calm down. Yes there are more than one. See, told you it was confusing).We’ll swap stories, compare notes, and probably realize we both had some pretty epic times singing Mormon songs. It’s part awkward, part eye-opening, and surprisingly funny. Join us as we laugh through the cringe, clear up some misconceptions, and maybe even learn a thing or two… or at least make you grateful for your own childhood.Follow me on Instagram!@calvinwaymanWATCH MY FILM: HEARTS UNKNOWNhttps://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFls

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    1 時間 39 分
  • I Asked An Israeli Jew How He REALLY FEELS About Palestinians | ep 17
    2025/07/30

    What do Israelis really think about the conflict? How do they really feel about Palestinians? In episode 17 of [Cult]ured Boy, I dive into the true feelings of an Israeli Jew. Is there a solution? Or is there just resentment that’s made it impossible to move forward? Follow me on Instagram!@calvinwaymanMISTAKES ARE A-OKAY, MAGGY MAYE!Amazon: https://a.co/d/7xLxXZIFree audio: https://open.spotify.com/track/4vmcFsdNZwIJwBmG8aqDVYFISH OUT OF WATERAmazon: https://a.co/d/iWBjaFjFree audio: https://on.soundcloud.com/kCfPKlku5BbXhGN8GSHEARTS UNKNOWNhttps://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFls

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    1 時間 46 分
  • From Cult-Kid to Backstage: How I Just Became a "Celebrity" | ep 16
    2025/07/22

    [Cult]ured Boy, the ex-Mormon fundamentalist with 44 siblings finds himself rubbing shoulders with Tom Brady, beating up Logan Paul, "boning" Livvy Dunne, and even ice-plunging with Kevin Hart?Life is bananas, fam.Follow me on Instagram!@calvinwaymanMISTAKES ARE A-OKAY, MAGGY MAYE!Amazon: https://a.co/d/7xLxXZIFree audio: https://open.spotify.com/track/4vmcFsdNZwIJwBmG8aqDVYFISH OUT OF WATERAmazon: https://a.co/d/iWBjaFjFree audio: https://on.soundcloud.com/kCfPKlku5BbXhGN8GSHEARTS UNKNOWNhttps://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFls

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    1 時間 18 分
  • This Israeli Dad's Private Confessions Left Me Speechless! | ep 15
    2025/07/19

    What is life like as an everyday Israeli right now? Not someone in government, but from a dad? Today, I’m talking with Sagi Shrieber--an Israeli family man who was in the film, Hearts Unknown. Today he opens up like ever before, what life is like day-to-day as an Israeli. MY MISSIONThis is part of my mission with [Cult]ured Boy—to go beyond headlines, beyond governments, and connect human to human. Curiosity got me out of a cult, and I believe it can bridge divides across the world. If this moves you, share it. Subscribe. Help spread stories that remind us: no matter where we’re from, we’re more human than we are apart.Watch my full-length documentary Hearts Unknown here: https://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFls_SHARING THIS VIDEOThis video is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution. Feel free to remix, reuse, or share—just credit Calvin Wayman / Cultured Boy and link back to the original.Timestamps:00:00:00 What’s coming👀00:01:05 Episode begins - Why Sagi ditched her barber✂️00:03:40 Why is Hearts Unknown resonating with Israelis?❤️‍🔥00:17:15 Uncovering the collective suffering in Israel 😪00:31:13 Revisiting when Chris Rock interrupted me at a coffee shop. ☕️00:34:09 How Israelis think of Netanyahu (and how he’s been elected 6 times).🚀00:42:13 The one thing that unites all Israelis and Jewish People—getting the hostages back. 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 00:44:46 Dave Portnoy—what caused is break down? 🤬00:56:24 The effect of “Free Palestine” on Israelis 😰00:58:37 Sagi has to leave—is there any hope for Israel?🇮🇱01:02:33 The episode continues—I give my honest takes.😇01:03:57 My response to people who will ask why I didn’t bring up Palestine more in this conversation 🇵🇸01:05:30 How going to the Middle East affected my sleep 🫩01:06:30 Hearing the pain on both sides❤️‍🩹01:08:07 Insight I noticed with empathy 🤓01:10:42 The best YouTube comment ever! 🌟01:18:12 The ONE way to end the divide. 💡01:22:40 Crazy story of being tugged towards Lebanon 🇱🇧01:28:55 THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! ❤️

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    1 時間 31 分
  • The Story of arguing with Chris Rock for 40 minutes! (True Story!) | ep 14
    2025/07/19

    Chris Rock…what just happened??The simulation just glitched, fam. I’ll explain everything—pull up a chair. Join me and my friend Anthony as we unpack the wild story and dive into some of the most pressing (and bizarre) conversations happening in culture right now.SUPPORT MY WORKIf you dig what I’m doing here, do the algorithm gods a favor: like, subscribe, and share it with a fellow misfit. It tells the machine to do the missionary work for us—and helps me feel slightly less insane for quitting my day job and living off credit cards to make this. Either way, thanks for being here :)Watch my full-length documentary Hearts Unknown here: https://youtu.be/DHkY6SUNFlsPS: If Chris Rock finds this—yo, thanks for the convo, man.

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    1 時間 5 分
  • The Cult of Politics (POV From a Real Ex-Cult Member) | ft. my friend Anthony (ep 13)
    2025/07/18

    In this raw and unfiltered conversation, we dive into everything from identity politics to my life growing up in a fundamentalist Mormon cult with 44 siblings. We tackle the hypocrisies of cultural appropriation, the complexities of gender and race, and whether diversity initiatives actually help or hurt individuals.Plus, we break down the real reason polygamy became central to Mormonism—and why I almost didn’t exist because of it.Oh, and I’m about to head to Israel & Palestine for a project that might get me canceled. Let’s talk about it.This is a new series on Cultured Boy--welcome to unfiltered conversation--Coffee with Calvin.About Anthony: Anthony is one my best friends in New York City. I reference him in multiple episodes--he's the reason I was able to get apartment. He's not very active on social media, but if you make comments, he'll be stoked to reply here on YouTube. TIMESTAMPS0:00:00 - Welcome to Coffee with Calvin: No Filters, No Edits0:01:03 - The FBI Almost Raided My Apartment?!0:05:22 - Trump, Pardons, and the Wildest Loophole in Politics0:11:32 - Do Politicians Really Hate Each Other?0:15:46 - The Great Political Blame Game0:22:41 - January 6, BLM, and the Selective Outrage of America0:26:31 - I Protested for George Floyd—Then I Saw a Surprising ‘Other Side’0:29:59 - Why I’m Politically Homeless0:32:09 - The ONE Thing Both Political Sides Keep Getting Wrong0:35:25 - Was the Trans Movement Made by White Men??0:42:24 - Immigration: What We Get Right & What We Get So Wrong0:47:52 - First-World Problems? Would Gender Identity Exist in Caveman Days?0:52:30 - Trans vs. Detransition: The Stories the Media Ignores0:56:44 - A Strange Irony of Modern Feminism0:58:45 - The Pronoun Debate0:59:58 - What Living in NYC Has Taught Me About Humanity1:00:05 - The Divide Between Gay Rights & Trans Rights1:01:11 - Can You Identify as Another Race?1:01:58 - The Wild Hypocrisy of Cultural Appropriation1:02:58 - The Root of the Trans Debate: Individualism vs. Collectivism1:05:49 – Should Mixed-Race Kids Get Reparations?1:08:10 - Are Diversity Initiatives Helping or Hurting?1:10:56 - Genetics vs. Culture: Why Do Groups Succeed in Different Fields?1:15:04 - The Strange Meritocracy of Sports vs. Corporate America1:19:05 - Body Positivity vs. Height Discrimination: Where’s the Line?1:23:31 - Martin Luther King’s Genius Approach to Change1:27:06 - Why We Need to Stop Policing People’s Beliefs1:31:02 - Growing Up Fundamentalist Mormon: My Wild Childhood1:32:30 – Why You Should NEVER Force Your Beliefs on Others1:38:05 - How Polygamy Actually Works in Fundamentalist Mormonism1:54:42 - Did Joseph Smith Create Polygamy to Cover an Affair?1:57:50 – How a 200-Year-Old Lie Led to My Existence2:01:00 – Why I’m Traveling to Israel & Palestine (It’s Not What You Think)2:05:52 - Signing Off

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    2 時間 7 分