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 Jan 16, 2021
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #280: The Dangers (and Cultism) of Multilevel Marketing
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
Saturday Jan 16, 2021
This week I welcome Alanda Carter, @The Recovering Hunbot for a discussion about multilevel marketing and the coercive, cult-like tactics that are employed at every level to promote, recruit, retain and financially devastate their “members.” Alanda has personal experience to share about this and has been a staunch anti-MLM crusader who has helped educate me on the subject. Enjoy!
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Saturday Jan 09, 2021
Saturday Jan 09, 2021
This week I welcome back Jeff Hawkins for one of the most fun and certainly interesting conversations I’ve had in a long while about Scientology, David Miscavige and the marketing and expansion of Scientology (or lack thereof). This is a wide-ranging discussion and we tie in some current events as well, which may help give some insight into why this last week was so mad. Enjoy!
Jeff’s email: jeffersonhawkins1 (at) msn.com.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #279: Scientology, Miscavige and Marketing ft. Jeff Hawkins appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #278: The 2020 Year in Review – In and Out of Scientology
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
Saturday Jan 02, 2021
This week we do our traditional year-end review of what happened in 2020, mainly in but also of course outside of the world of Scientology. There were some good and some bad, some ups and some downs, but certainly no shortage of things to talk about. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #278: The 2020 Year in Review – In and Out of Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
The Messianic Movement and Gay Conversion Therapy
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
Saturday Dec 26, 2020
This week I welcome Matan Schecter, a second-generation former Messianic Jew. As we clarify in this episode, that term is a misnomer of the highest order and Matan had to face a great deal of struggle to find his own voice and acknowledgement of his own identity. We talk about what the Messianic Movement is all about and how Matan had to undergo multiple attempts to “adjust” his gender identity because of religious belief. His story is quite something and I hope you learn as much as I did from it.
Matan’s story
Contact email: PikachuNefesh (at) gmail.com
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #277: The Messianic Movement and Gay Conversion Therapy appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
The Problem of Authoritarianism ft. Jon Atack
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
Saturday Dec 19, 2020
This week I welcome back Jon Atack to discuss the problem of dealing with cults and how can we ever hope to solve this immense task, or should we even be trying? In this far-ranging conversation we cover answers to this and a lot more. Enjoy!
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Saturday Dec 12, 2020
Scientology Lawsuits - A Legal Opinion
Saturday Dec 12, 2020
Saturday Dec 12, 2020
This week I welcome back my friend and DC lawyer Ciprian Ivanof to discuss Scientology lawsuits, both recent and old, and what lawyers for Valerie Hanie may have gotten wrong in their latest fight against the Church of Scientology. We recorded this last week and it was just yesterday that news came down that Haney’s appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected. That decision doesn’t change the opinions we offer here about what went wrong on her case and hopefully how we can make sure the same mistakes are not repeated again.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #275: Scientology Lawsuits – A Legal Opinion appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Dec 05, 2020
Lies Your Psychologist Told You ft. Dylan Aames
Saturday Dec 05, 2020
Saturday Dec 05, 2020
This week I welcome local Denver author Dylan Aames to discuss his book Lies Your Psychologist Told You, a critical take on some of the taller tales that have been accepted as literal or practical truth when perhaps they should not be, including in the very textbooks of psychology. We have some lively and interesting discussion in this one. Enjoy!
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Saturday Nov 28, 2020
The Scientology Experience with Shane Rybacki
Saturday Nov 28, 2020
Saturday Nov 28, 2020
This week we are doing a bit more of a raw interview than usual as I discuss the Scientology experience with former member Shane Rybacki, a second gen member from Detroit and Orange County who had quite a few wild experiences growing up in and around Scientology including a brief stint on the EPF and working for the Office of Special Affairs in Orange County. Now he’s ready to start talking about them. This is the first time I’ve had to bleep out content in one of my podcasts for legal reasons, so don’t be surprised when those pop up. Enjoy!
Shane’s GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/syute-family-in-need
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #273: The Scientology Experience with Shane Rybacki 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.