Have you watched Netflix’s documentary series Trust Me: The False Prophet? You may find it helpful in advance of this week’s episode with Dr Christine Marie, who featured in the very successful 2026 documentary. She shares her journey of documenting and eventually exposing the sexual abuse of under-aged girls in Sam Bateman’s offshoot FLDS polygamous cult, and the legal case to follow. It's a conversation about building trust, juggling moral ambiguity and the personal toll it takes, doco ethics, and the power of a story told well.

This week we interview therapist & cult expert Rachel Bernstein (LMFT), who will be keynote speaker at the upcoming Decult Conference. Join the Cult Chat trio for this heart-warming episode with Rachel as she shares wisdom from over 30 years working clinically with cult survivors. The conversation ranges from how to support families to deal with loved ones in a cult, to the unexpected strengths survivors can display, and to the small examples that healing and recovery is occurring.

Show notes

https://rachelbernsteintherapy.com/index.html

https://decult.net/conference-2026/

https://www.podpage.com/indoctrination/

If you’d like to contact us to tell us your story or to give us some ideas about future episodes, reach us by emailing info@cultchat.org.nz

To learn more about the organisations which our hosts run when we are not Cult-Chatting, check out:

• Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust https://www.gloriavaleleavers.org.nz/

• Olive Leaf Network https://nz.oliveleaf.network/

• Cult-Informed Professional Network https://www.cipnetwork.org/

You can follow Cult Chat on our socials

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cultchat/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cult_chat/

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CultChat

Many thanks to Plains Media for helping us to get our message out on the New Zealand airwaves.

In this important episode Caz chats with Dr Natalie Fabert, psychologist and academic, about her interest in cults and those harmed by them. You’ll learn about the prevalence of Complex-PTSD in cult survivors, why therapists need to see cult-impacted people as a distinct population, and how therapists can start to develop skills to support them. They discuss the course she has designed for mental health workers (accessed through the Lalich Centre) and the core competencies needed to become cult-informed.

Show Notes:

https://lalichcenterce.thinkific.com/courses/lalichcenterCE

We’re joined by Prof Robin Boyle-Laisure, of St John's University, New York, to discuss how cults intersect with trafficking and modern slavery. In this wide ranging conversation we discuss legal reform, different laws which have been used to bring down cults internationally, and some of the common methods used by traffickers and cult recruiters to groom and entice children and young people. After listening to this conversation you’ll be sure to come away with tips for cult-proofing your life!

In this second part of a two-part conversation, we hear from Anton again. In this episode he describes how he starts to see the control exerted over him by the group he has joined at university, the International Church of Christ, and what prompts him to make the decision to leave. He describes the process of extracting himself and starting over, and shares with us some insights about what students can do to protect themselves from predatory groups on campus.

For the link to helpful checklist for telling the difference between healthy and harmful groups, check out our Facebook post on Red and Green flags - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18XxysXhmS/

If you’d like to contact us to tell us your story or to give us some ideas about future episodes, reach us by emailing info@cultchat.org.nz

To learn more about the organisations which our hosts run when we are not Cult-Chatting, check out:

• Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust https://www.gloriavaleleavers.org.nz/

• Olive Leaf Network https://nz.oliveleaf.network/

• Cult-Informed Professional Network https://www.cipnetwork.org/

You can follow Cult Chat on our socials

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cultchat/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cult_chat/

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CultChat

Many thanks to Plains Media for helping us to get our message out on the New Zealand airwaves.

Lindy introduces us to Anton, former member of the International Church of Christ, a group he encountered while studying at Auckland University. Anton tells us in part 1 how he was recruited into this controversial group, and slowly his life became entirely focused on their activities. Join us as we talk red and green flags, thought reform criteria, and we explore some of unique situational factors which put students at risk of recruitment.

If you’d like to contact us to tell us your story, to give us some ideas, or to give us some ideas about future episodes, reach us by emailing info@cultchat.org.nz

To learn more about the organisations which our hosts run when we are not Cult-Chatting, check out:

• Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust https://www.gloriavaleleavers.org.nz/

• Olive Leaf Network https://nz.oliveleaf.network/

• Cult-Informed Professional Network https://www.cipnetwork.org/

You can follow Cult Chat on our socials

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cultchat/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cult_chat/

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CultChat

Find out why we didn't deliver an episode this week...

This week on Cult Chat may surprise our listeners as we talk about energy healing, claims of flying, and deaths tied to a group hidden in plain sight in Te Anau, New Zealand. RNZ journalist Phil Vine joins us after his hit podcast series The Lodge, his deep dive into Phenomena Academy. We unpack the wild claims, what drew people in, and the real impact on those involved. Because this didn’t happen somewhere far away — it happened here. It’s a reminder cults can come in all shapes and sizes, and they might be lurking near you.