Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #299: Scientology and Loyalty ft. Ciprian Ivanof
Speaking of Cults
A podcast about cults, coercive control and recovery. Formerly called the Sensibly Speaking podcast, in this weekly show host Chris Shelton interviews cult survivors, psychologists and other professionals and specialists about the topics of cult recruitment, retention and recovery.
Episodes
Episodes
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
Jon Atack on Scientology, Enlightenment and Predators
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
Saturday Jun 05, 2021
This week I welcome back Jon Atack to discuss Scientology, recovery from cults, enlightenment, history and a whole lot more in this very wide-ranging discussion. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking #298: Jon Atack appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday May 29, 2021
Joe Walsh on Trump, Cults and Washington
Saturday May 29, 2021
Saturday May 29, 2021
This week I welcome former Congressman Joe Walsh, a Tea Party conservative and former Trump supporter turned protestor who believes the GOP has gone off the rails and the reasons for that pre-date Trump. We go into all these details and more in this wide-ranging conversation. Enjoy!
We reference Joe’s radio talk show in this podcast, but within the last 24 hours, Joe announced the unfortunate news that his show was pulled. The reasons for why this is happening to conservatives who are not praising Trump are something we actually talk about in this show.
The post Sensibly Speaking #297: Joe Walsh on Trump, Cults and Washington appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday May 22, 2021
Matthew Sheffield on Religion, Cults & Politics
Saturday May 22, 2021
Saturday May 22, 2021
Matthew Sheffield is a conservative-turned-progressive political pundit, podcaster, author and media personality. He started his first conservative website in 2000, dedicating it to criticizing Dan Rather. He then went on to help create NewsBusters and became the founding online managing editor of the Washington Examiner. He now hosts a politics and technology podcast called Theory of Change and is writing a memoir about growing up in a strict Mormon family. We talk about all of this and more in this week’s show. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking #296: Matthew Sheffield on Religion, Cults & Politics appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday May 08, 2021
Avatar: Scientology’s Wicked Offspring
Saturday May 08, 2021
Saturday May 08, 2021
This week, I welcome Ariela Sarai, a 21-year-survivor of Avatar, to discuss her experiences being recruited into and working for this destructive cult which has so many similarities to L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology that Avatar has been called “Scientology Lite.” I think you’ll see from Ariela’s experiences that there was nothing “lite” about the abuses she endured for years trying to “save the world” before she just recently escaped and is now exposing this cult for what it is.
The post Sensibly Speaking #295: Avatar – Scientology’s Wicked Offspring appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Scott Rudin & David Miscavige: Two Peas in a Pod
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
This week, I discuss the just-breaking story of Hollywood producer Scott Rudin, who according to reports has serious anger management issues and has allegedly abused assistants and co-workers for decades. The patterns of behavior and even specific actions and words Rudin reportedly used are so amazingly similar to what we know about David Miscavige and Sea Org executives at every level, I simply had to dedicate a podcast to discussing the similarities as I experienced them as a Sea Org member. Enjoy!
Hollywood Reporter article
Vulture article
The post Sensibly Speaking #294: Rudin & Miscavige: Two Peas in a Pod appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 17, 2021
Extremism, Atheism and Other Controversies with Seth Andrews
Saturday Apr 17, 2021
Saturday Apr 17, 2021
This week I welcome back Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist channel and podcast and an all-around great guy. In this wide-ranging discussion, we take up issues with religion but spend a lot more time describing our issues with the atheist side of the coin and problems we want to see rectified in how atheists approach believers. There’s a lot more too including some Scientology references. I hope you enjoy all of it.
Seth’s YouTube channel
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #293: Extremism, Atheism and Other Controversies with Seth Andrews appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
The Power of Showing a Little Gratitude
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
Saturday Apr 10, 2021
This week I talk from a psychological perspective on the surprising power of gratitude and how this helps us maintain perspective. I share some very personal experiences of this in my own life as well. Enjoy!
Harvard Medical School article
Dr. Summer Allen article
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #292: The Power of Showing a Little Gratitude appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 03, 2021
How to Understand Everything with Tom Beakbane
Saturday Apr 03, 2021
Saturday Apr 03, 2021
This week I welcome neuroscientist Tom Beakbane to the show to discuss his book “How to Understand Everything” and the subject of consilience, a word Tom has used as a foundational idea for a multi-faceted approach to looking at our relationships, our biology and even consciousness itself. If nothing else, we certainly had an interesting conversation. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #291: How to Understand Everything with Tom Beakbane appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Your Host
Hello, my name is Chris Shelton and I am an author, consultant, podcaster, videographer, and former cult member. Welcome to my podcast!
Who is Chris Shelton?
Chris started a YouTube channel which has over 45,000 subscribers, produces the Sensibly Speaking podcast each week and has produced hundreds of videos laying out the scam of Scientology, educating on critical thinking and interviewing former members of Scientology and other destructive cults, as well as a range of therapists, cult exit counselors, educators and media personalities. Chris has also given talks and presentations around the United States about his experiences and has been featured on numerous podcasts and television shows. He was featured on Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E and served as a consultant to the show for its first two seasons. He has also written a critical analysis of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard called Scientology: A to Xenu – An Insider’s Guide to What Scientology is Really All About, available on Amazon in printed form, e-book format and as an audio book.