In this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes & Killers, Stacey and Dori break down Netflix’s The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, the investigation into the murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin, and the evidence that led authorities to Kohberger.

Forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer joins the discussion to explore Kohberger’s behavior, isolation, obsession with criminology and the possible psychology behind the crime.

The University of Idaho murders shocked the country, and even after Bryan Kohberger pleaded guilty, one question still haunts the case: why?

This episode is a compelling look at Bryan Kohberger, the Idaho murders, true crime, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, psychopathy, stalking and one of the most disturbing college murder cases in recent history.

For the first time ever, Pod Candy is on video! Now you can finally see Stacey, Dori and Dr. John in the flesh as the show enters a whole new era! See the full episode on Youtube!

This week, Stacey, Dori and Dr. John dive into Gloriavale, the secretive Christian commune in New Zealand featured in the Paramount+ docuseries about life inside the controversial community founded by Neville Cooper, aka “Hopeful Christian.”

Stacey and Dori admit the documentary made Gloriavale seem surprisingly less disturbing than some of the cults they’ve covered before. Dr. John strongly disagrees, arguing that the series may have downplayed the abuse and control happening beneath the surface.

We answer questions about free will, indoctrination, child labor, religious control, abuse, why people stay, and what finally makes some people leave. And it wouldn't be a proper episode of Pod Candy without a few detours involving questionable fashion, attractive shepherds and a possible investigative trip to New Zealand.

Content Warning: This episode discusses sexual abuse, including abuse of minors.

Source Docuseries: "Devotion: Obedience or Betrayal" on Paramount+

In this special Best of Pod Candy episode, Stacey and Dori revisit some of their most unforgettable psychological deep dives, with forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer helping unpack the minds, motives and behaviors behind the stories.

From the astonishing nine-year catfishing deception at the center of Sweet Bobby and the disturbing abuse scandal explored in Surviving Ohio State, to the mysterious disappearance of Amy Lynn Bradley, the mother behind Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, and the lasting effects of childhood trauma on former child star Corey Feldman, this mashup explores just how complicated human behavior can become.

The conversation also revisits the elaborate Hollywood fraud of Zach Horowitz in Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scamand the horrifying double life of Jared Fogle, examining how predators, manipulators and con artists gain trust, create convincing alternate realities and sometimes hide in plain sight.

It’s a collection of some of Pod Candy’s most compelling conversations about true crime, psychology, trauma, deception and the darker side of human behavior... all in one episode.

In this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey and Dori unpack Maternal Instinct on Netflix; the shocking documentary about a Texas woman named Taylor Parker, who in 2020 murdered 21-year-old Regan Simmons Hancock and cut her unborn child out of Regan's body to claim it as her own.

The team examines the elaborate web of lies Parker created, the warning signs noticed by friends and family, and the devastating consequences of ignoring the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer joins the conversation to discuss manipulation, factitious disorder, borderline personality traits, delusional thinking, and how Parker was able to deceive so many people for so long.

The episode also explores the unimaginable trauma suffered by Raegan’s family and asks an unsettling question: Could this tragedy have been prevented if more people had trusted their instincts and acted on the red flags?

Six cults. One episode. And for the first time ever, we let Dr. John skip the green room and join us right at the top — no donuts, no punchki, no waiting his turn.

In this special Best Of, we're revisiting the cult stories you loved most: the Duggars and IBLP in Shiny Happy People, Warren Jeffs and the FLDS in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, spiritual influencer Teal Swan in The Deep End, Harvey Weisberger's journey out of an ultra-Orthodox sect, the tantric nightmare of Twisted Yoga, and the one that started it all — Gwen Shamblin and The Way Down. From weight-loss churches to sex cults to prophets running the show from prison, Stacey and Dori bring the outrage and the laughs while Dr. John Mayer brings the diagnosis — psychological murder, sublimation, grooming, narcissism, and why any of us could get pulled in.

Content warning: this episode includes discussion of sexual abuse, child abuse, and other sensitive topics. Please listen with care.

New here? This is the perfect place to start. Longtime Candy? Consider it your greatest-hits reel.

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer dive into the bizarre and unsettling story behind Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, the HBO docuseries about Frederick von Mierers and his doomsday cult, Eternal Values.

The hosts unpack how charisma, confidence, vulnerability, beauty, fame, and manipulation created the perfect conditions for people to follow a man whose beliefs became increasingly extreme. Dr. John Mayer breaks down the psychology of cult leaders, the power of control, why interventions often fail, and how people can become trapped in belief systems that seem impossible to understand from the outside.

Our hosts explore the role of Jackie and Fabio in helping expose and escape the group, the impact of AIDS on von Mierers’ final years, and how Hoyt Richards, one of the first male supermodels of the 1980s, spent nearly 15 years under Von Mieres' control inside Eternal Values.

Grab a snack (maybe not frozen yogurt). Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John are back to break down HBO Max's The Yogurt Shop Murders. It's a heavy one, but leave it to these three to find the heart, the outrage, and a few laughs along the way.

Underneath the banter is a real conversation about coerced confessions, a justice system that failed almost everyone it touched, and how much compassion we owe the people it chewed up. Dr. John brings the psychology: why exhausted people confess to things they didn't do, what decades of unresolved grief does to a family, and why a horrific upbringing doesn't have to be destiny.

Gutting and weirdly comforting all in one podcast. Watch the doc, then come hang with us.

Content warning: violent crime, the murder of children, sexual assault, and lasting family trauma. Please take care of yourself as you listen.

In this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer take on the chilling Gilgo Beach murders and Peacock’s docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. The team dives into the disturbing case of Rex Heuermann, the Long Island architect who pleaded guilty to murdering eight women over a span of 17 years.

The hosts examine the shocking contrast between Heuermann’s public life as a husband, father, and professional, and the horrifying crimes he committed in secret. They discuss how his family processed the truth, the role of denial and cognitive dissonance, and the painful question of how someone can still love a parent while confronting the fact that they are capable of monstrous acts.

Dr. John brings his forensic psychology insight to the discussion, breaking down Heuermann’s compartmentalization, his need for control, the significance of his home environment, and why some serial killers stop, or become sloppy over time.
The episode also explores the impact on families left behind, the trauma of law enforcement searches, the role of therapists and mandated reporting, and the larger failures that allowed these women’s disappearances to go unresolved for so long.