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 May 06, 2023
#385: Should Religions Have Tax Exemption with Liz LaPoint
Saturday May 06, 2023
Saturday May 06, 2023
This week I am joined by Liz LaPoint (“Godless Liz”), a fellow content creator and promoter of skepticism and critical thinking, to discuss tax exemption and whether churches/religions should have it. We offer some food for thought in arguments for and against, and I hope you’ll give it some consideration.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #385: Should Religions Have Tax Exemption w/Liz LaPoint appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
#348: Doug Wilson, Christian Cult Leader ft. Dr. Clint Heacock
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
Saturday Apr 29, 2023
This week I am joined by old friend and fellow podcaster Dr. Clint Heacock, a former Evangelical pastor, to discuss some disturbing religious/political issues surrounding a man named Doug Wilson, an untrained and uncertified religious leader who appears to check every cult leader box on the list and is running an extremist sect in Moscow, Idaho. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #384: Doug Wilson, Christian Cult Leader appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
#383: Katherine Spallino - The Bad Cadet
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
Saturday Apr 22, 2023
This week I am joined by Katherine Spallino, a member of the Sea Organization’s “lost generation,” children raised in the 1980s and 90s within the confines of the Church of Scientology and were neglected, abused and even assaulted. In this show we discuss the new book Katherine wrote, The Bad Cadet, and her experiences in and out of Scientology. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #383: Katherine Spallino – The Bad Cadet appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
#382: Liana Shanti and Online Cults ft. Kacey Cult Vault
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
This week I am joined by Kacey from The Cult Vault to discuss, in detail, the online predations of Liana Shanti, a so-called internet guru who has been extracting money from hapless victims and encouraging familial disconnection (shunning) as a way of improving one’s life. It’s awful stuff but it’s only a sign of what’s already come in our internet age and the new wave of cults we have to beware of.
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #382: Liana Shanti and Online Cults appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
#381: Post-Cult Life, Hypnotism and Scientology ft. Jon Atack
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
This week I am joined once again by Jon Atack for an almost satirically long podcast ranging over such things as post-cult behavior in our various communities, to thought reform and exact methods of hypnotism all around us every day. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #381: Post-Cult Life, Hypnotism and Scientology appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
#380: Social Media, Scientology and Cultic Thinking ft. Alexander Barnes-Ross
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
Saturday Mar 25, 2023
This week I am joined once again by Alexander Barnes-Ross to discuss social media, Scientology rules and experiences and how this all relates to cultic thinking. Enjoy!
Alex’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@apostatealex
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #380: Social Media, Scientology and Cultic Thinking appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
Sensibly Speaking Podcast #379: Why Knowledge is Not Enough
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
Saturday Mar 18, 2023
This week I welcome educator Melanie Trecek-King to discuss her methods and philosophy behind teaching critical thinking not just as a set of ideas or things to be memorized, but skills to be utilized for the rest of one’s life. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #379: Why Knowledge is Not Enough appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.
Saturday Mar 11, 2023
#378: Scientology and Bad Press with Dodge Landesman
Saturday Mar 11, 2023
Saturday Mar 11, 2023
This week I am joined by Dodge Landesman, a TV news reporter who was fired from his job at an NBC affiliate in Arizona because he dared to report on Scientology and its connection with Lisa Marie Presley. We cover not only what happened to him but how and why Scientology deals with negative press the way that they do. Enjoy!
The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #378: Scientology and Bad Press with Dodge Landesman 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.