After working with over a thousand ex-cult members, I thought I'd heard it all.

I was wrong...

On today's episode, it is my great pleasure to introduce you to "Manon"—a ferocious, badass mother (literally & figuratively) and the owner of the best cult-quitting story I've ever heard.

We also go deep on what it means to have parents who are still in the cult.

Parents who don't see you. Maybe never have. Probably never will.

And yet, somehow, we still hold onto the fantasy that one day they might.

You're not gonna wanna skip this one.

It does not disappoint.

If you're reading this, chances are you're already fairly certain that the cult you escaped from was a flaming pile of fecal matter.

Well... fairly certain

Because knowing the failed prophecies, the abuse scandals, and the sheer absurdity of the story they're selling still doesn't quite squash that annoyingly persistent voice asking:

"Yeah... but what if though? What if they were right?"

Given that absolute certainty isn't really on the menu in this plane of existence, I can't promise to get you too 100%.

But if you're hovering around 80%, give me an hour. Let's see if we can't bump that number into the high 90s by the end of this episode.

In this episode, I explore the strange social vertigo that can follow life in a high-control group, why authentic connection often feels riskier than performance, and how we can shift from to less theater, more improv.

Along the way, I share a few stories from my own attempts to navigate life without a script—some insightful, some awkward, and at least one involving psychedelics and questionable decision-making.