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 Jul 03, 2021
Sleep Deprivation and Stress in the Sea Org
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
Saturday Jul 03, 2021
This week I welcome back Ciprian Ivanof to help me discuss Scientology’s kind of nuts management culture and organization. This week we focus on sleep deprivation and stress and we had a lot to say. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking #302 – Sleep Deprivation and Stress in the Sea Org appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Scientology, Clearwater and the City Council ft. Aaron Smith-Levin
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
Saturday Jun 26, 2021
This week I welcome back Aaron Smith-Levin so we can give some updates on Clearwater and Scientology including some future campaigning Aaron himself will be doing for the City Council later this year. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking #300: Scientology, Clearwater and the City Council appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Beat (A Survivor’s Story) with Hannah Prosser
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
Saturday Jun 19, 2021
This week I welcome Hannah Prosser, a survivor of childhood domestic and religious abuse who was involved with the Haldeman Mennonites in Muddy Pond, Tennessee. Her story is at times heartbreaking and horrifying but is ultimately a survivor’s story of escape and recovery which she now wants to share with the world in her first-ever interview about her life. She has just published a book about her life, Beat and is now working on how to best move forward to prevent this sort of abuse from happening to others.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #300: Beat with Hannah Prosser appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #299: Scientology and Loyalty ft. Ciprian Ivanof
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
Saturday Jun 12, 2021
This week I welcome returning guest and friend of my channel Ciprian Ivanof for the first in what we expect will be a short series of podcasts about Scientology’s leadership and management theories and the gross inefficiencies that really do keep the organization from growing or becoming even more prosperous for real. Of course, we aren’t doing this to give Scientology advice, but to show up just how inefficient and even destructive authoritarian systems like Scientology are and how they preach one thing but do the very opposite every single time. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #299: Scientology and Loyalty ft. Ciprian Ivanof appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
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.
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.