Shows
The StrataEpisode 12.12 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 12Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedark
The complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.
Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, Death
Created by Mark R. Healy
Cast:
Jason Churray
Rhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.com
Alyssa Marteja
Michelle Mosley
Wyatt Henry
Paul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.co
Chloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-07-0131 minThe StrataEpisode 12.11 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 11Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedark
The complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.
Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, Death
Created by Mark R. Healy
Cast:
Jason Churray
Rhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.com
Alyssa Marteja
Michelle Mosley
Wyatt Henry
Paul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.co
Chloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-06-1729 minThe StrataEpisode 12.9 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 9Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedark
The complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.
Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, Death
Created by Mark R. Healy
Cast:
Jason Churray
Rhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.com
Alyssa Marteja
Michelle Mosley
Wyatt Henry
Paul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.co
Chloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-05-2029 minThe StrataEpisode 12.8 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 8Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedark
The complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.
Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, Death
Created by Mark R. Healy
Cast:
Jason Churray
Rhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.com
Alyssa Marteja
Michelle Mosley
Wyatt Henry
Paul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.co
Chloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-05-0626 minThe StrataEpisode 12.7 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 7Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedarkThe complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, DeathCreated by Mark R. HealyCast:Jason ChurrayRhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.comAlyssa MartejaMichelle MosleyWyatt HenryPaul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.coChloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-04-2232 minThe StrataEpisode 12.6 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 6Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedarkThe complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, DeathCreated by Mark R. HealyCast:Jason ChurrayRhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.comAlyssa MartejaMichelle MosleyWyatt HenryPaul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.coChloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-04-0825 minThe StrataEpisode 12.5 - Stronger Than Blood - Part 5Support this podcast and hear episodes a week early, ad-free at patreon.com/beyondthedarkThe complete subscription-only series The Strata: Luna is also available now on Patreon.Content Warning: Blood, Gratuitous Violence, Gun SFX, DeathCreated by Mark R. HealyCast:Jason ChurrayRhiannon Moushall - www.rhiannonmoushall.comAlyssa MartejaMichelle MosleyWyatt HenryPaul Warren - paulwarren.carrd.coChloë Elmore - www.c...
2025-03-2527 min
A Little Bit CultyRecollected Self: Jaime Mahler on Breaking Toxic Cycles (Part 2)Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Here’s part two of our conversation with Jaime Mahler, MS, LMHC, who is the woman behind the popular Recollected brand on social media, as well as the author of TOXIC RELATIONSHIP RECOVERY: Your Guide to Identifying Toxic Partners, Leaving Unhealthy Dynamics, and Healing Emotional Wounds After A Breakup. If you didn’t listen to part one, pause and rewind so you can avoid being extremely confused. As a reminder, in the last episode we focused on Mahler’s past involvement with a “cult-like version of Catholicism.” She explained som...
2023-11-3042 min
A Little Bit CultyRecollected Self: Jaime Mahler on Breaking Toxic Cycles (Part 1)Today’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Jaime Mahler, MS, LMHC, is a New York-based psychotherapist and mental health educator who recently published her book TOXIC RELATIONSHIP RECOVERY: Your Guide to Identifying Toxic Partners, Leaving Unhealthy Dynamics, and Healing Emotional Wounds After A Breakup. She’s also the powerhouse behind the explosively popular social media brand, Recollected. Her podcast, ‘Unlearned,’ helps people of all sexual orientations and genders to heal from relationship trauma, narcissism, and beyond…certainly a lot of the BS we find ourselves tackling on this podcast. But today, in episode one of this...
2023-11-2749 min
ArbejdstitelMed Tal RDagens gæst i Arbejdstitel er kunstneren Tal R med det
borgerlige navn Tal Rosenzweig. Tal R er en af landets absolutte sværvægtere, når det kommer til moderne kunst. Han bevæger sig flydende og frit mellem maleri, skulpturer, farver og offentlig udsmykning, og har efterhånden malet sig op i en superliga, hvor han bider skeer med de store, internationale navne.
Tal R er selvfølgelig en skarp og velformuleret gæst med et
nysgerrigt og originalt blik på verden, hvilket ikke mindst kommer til udtryk i det faste format Overvurderet/Undervurderet, hvor han bered...
2023-11-2358 min
A Little Bit CultyShiny Happy Warrior: Lindsey Williams on the IBLPThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Have you seen Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Prime yet? Ooooof! We have and it’s really, really good. Also hard to watch. Also a bit infuriating. In other words: A culty docuseries. If you’ve already followed the Duggars, the reality TV mega-family behind the hit show 19 Kids and Counting, you know it’s all a lot to process. Shiny Happy People gets deep into the weeds of the story behind their story: Chock-full of disturbing insights into their scandals, their demons, and the radical organization underpinning the who...
2023-10-021h 28
A Little Bit CultyA Radical Awakening: Dr. Shefali on Guru CultureToday’s episode is sponsored by BetterHelp and More Labs. Dr. Shefali is a renowned authority on family dynamics and personal development who has published four books (three New York Times best-sellers) and teaches classes and seminars across the globe. She has all the makings of a guru, but is the first to say she doesn’t dig guru culture - and in fact has some pointed thoughts on the personal transformation space, the patriarchy, the way society mindfucks mothers, and navigating the self-help path without it going all to hell. She’s not our typical...
2023-09-251h 01
A Little Bit CultyBursting the Bubble: Morgan Tyler on Leaving the ChurchThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. In the age of social media, many of us are aware that choices are increasingly made for us by algorithms—which is unfortunately not a reference to Vice President Al Gore’s dancing abilities. But even if we are living in our own little bubbles, it doesn’t quite match the extremities of, let’s say, someone who was raised within a radically nondenominational Christian sect, wherein music, media, beliefs, and friends were all hand selected by a group of men who decided they were pastors and wanted an ironclad g...
2023-07-171h 09
A Little Bit CultyBehind the “Reality:” Jessica Willis Fisher on her Childhood AbuseThis podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. While in their youth, Jessica Willis Fisher and her eleven siblings were thrust into the spotlight for being the perfect musical family. Having achieved nation-wide fame on America’s Got Talent, the Willis Fishers scored their own reality show in 2015, letting cameras into their pristine and heavily Christian home to document the daily lives of a happy, smiley family trying to make it in the famously non-toxic (just kidding) entertainment biz. So when allegations of child abuse and molestation broke out against the family’s patriarch, Toby Willis, Americans and onlookers acros...
2023-07-101h 06
A Little Bit CultySubversive Science: Isabella Constantino on NXIVM’s Tourettes Study (Part 2)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Of the many subplots within the NXIVM story, one of the most unusual (and that says a lot) was the cult’s dance with Tourettes Syndrome and research surrounding it. TS for short, the syndrome involves involuntary tics and has no known cure. On today’s episode, which is a continuation from last week, our guest Isabella Constantino discusses the final punctuation to her time with NXIVM after being brought in hoping that they cult could help with her TS—a claim NXIVM was boasting about without a ton of empirical scienti...
2023-07-0339 min
A Little Bit CultySubversive Science: Isabella Constantino on NXIVM’s Tourettes Study (Part 1)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. NXIVM’s timeline unfolds like a (horror) film with its own subplots. One of the cult’s best known smaller mythologies was its ability to cure Tourette's Syndrome, which is a condition in the nervous system that causes tics like sudden and uncontrollable movements or vocal outbursts. It should be noted that while there are certainly various treatments for managing TS, there is still no known cure. This explains why today’s guest, Isabella Constantino, was attracted to NXIVM and the extraordinary results they were boasting about with their TS stud...
2023-06-2642 min
A Little Bit CultyShiny Happy Wife: Tia Levings On Christian Fundamentalism (Part 2)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you didn’t listen to part 1 of this double whammy—stop, drop, and scroll down (or up, depending) because you’ll be lost without the context. On this continuation, we hear more from author Tia Levings about her experiences with Christian Fundamentalism, and more specifically how she got out of a situation that was “a little bit culty,” to say the least. We also dip back into the Duggar family and the recent documentary uncovering the less-than-perfect reality hidden by a shiny, happy front. The story is, unfortunately, far more com...
2023-06-1943 min
A Little Bit CultyShiny Happy Wife: Tia Levings on Christian Fundamentalism (Part 1)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Just as roses have thorns, so too do pristine, seemingly blemish-free families have their own dark sides. For example, we have the Duggar family and their show 19 and Counting, which broadcasted the daily lives of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their army of children between 2008 and 2015 to millions of viewers around the world. Now, a new documentary on the family called Shiny Happy People, according to TIME, “includes testimonies from daughter Jill (Duggar) Dillard, her husband Derick Dillard, niece Amy (Duggar) King, as well as several former IBLP members, reveals that the fa...
2023-06-1256 min
A Little Bit CultyI Was a Child Bride: Dr. Tamara MC on the Language of Manipulation (Part 2)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. In part two of our conversation with Dr. Tamara MC, we get into everything that happened after she was married in a secret wedding ceremony, including attending the 8th grade (she was only 12-years-old) and keeping her religious life a secret from the rest of the world. As a reminder (and don’t forget to listen to part one if you haven’t), Dr. Tamara MC’s father introduced her to a highly abusive religious cult in which, above all else, men controlled every aspect of womens’ lives, incl...
2023-06-051h 07
A Little Bit CultyI Was a Child Bride: Dr. Tamara MC on the Language of Manipulation (Part 1)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. When she was only 12-years-old, Dr. Tamara MC had a secret wedding ceremony in the middle of the night. Shrouded in pitch black and with no one present but her new husband, a much older man who could supposedly guide her to the kingdoms of knowledge and heaven, this night further cemented Tamara’s place in a highly abusive religious cult. Above all else, men wielding black leather whips forced females to surrender their “nafs”—the Arabic word for “self.” As she put it in an article for Mother Well Mag, the girls in...
2023-05-2956 min
A Little Bit Culty‘Uncultured:’ Daniella Mestyanek Young on COG and the US Military (Pt. 2)Today’s episode is Sponsored by BetterHelp. We’re back for part 2 of our interview with Daniella Mestyanek Young, the badass author of Uncultured: a Memoir. In her book, Young gets into the nitty gritty of growing up in the Children of God cult, now known as “The Family International,” with their horrifying pedophilic practice called “Law of Love.” In part 2, we dive deeper into Young’s time as a Captain in the US Army—a role that threw Young back into the trenches of misogynist and coercive abuse resembling the neglect she survived in her childhood. How did mil...
2023-05-081h 05
A Little Bit CultyInto Quicksand: Kate Amber on How Cults Pull You InThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Landmark Worldwide is a corporation that offers personal and professional development programs with a total of over 2.4 million (!) past participants in 21 countries. Yikes on bikes—that sounds a bit like NXIVM on steroids. Well, while Landmark isn’t technically a cult, it certainly is “A Little Bit Culty”, with no shortage of spirit-stomping coercive control and intimidation in order to create “A world that works for everyone by 2020.” Wait, is that how 2020 went and we’re just misremembering it?! Today’s guest, Kate Amber, survived Landmark and went...
2023-04-241h 00
A Little Bit CultyHey, Hun: Emily Lynn Paulson on MLMs and Other LiesThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Imagine this: an invitation comes your way to join a group of friends, mostly moms (and let’s assume you are one). Primary activities involve drinking lots of wine, relishing in sisterhood and female empowerment, and best of all, making loads of money. It’s enticing as hell, which explains why Multi Level Marketing groups (MLMs) remain ubiquitous today. What could go wrong? A shit ton! Hence why our guest today, author and mother Emily Lynn Paulson, believes that all MLMs—which form a $180 billion industry—are cults. Oh, but t...
2023-04-171h 16
A Little Bit CultyLeading Nowhere: Jordan Harbinger on Self-Help HellThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Today’s guest, Jordan Harbinger, went from Wall Street lawyer to interview talk-show host. Turns out he’s been pretty damn good at both careers, with some even calling him “The Larry Kind of Podcasting.” On The Jordan Harbinger Show, he’s now spent 14 years deconstructing the most successful people in the world and asking them how they got to where they are. Inevitably (to us) but unexpectedly (to Jordan), one thing that’s come up a lot on the show? Cults, especially self-help cults, and the absolute ubiquity of coercive con...
2023-04-031h 12
A Little Bit CultyPress Replay: Robert Gavin on the NXIVM TrialsThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. The press has been perhaps the most crucial third party for world happenings since, well, whenever the press was invented. While there is of course no shortage of fake news out there, the main goal of the press is to keep society honest, investigating everything from corrupt governments to those cute little cliques we like to call cults. Robert Gavin has been a news reporter for 28 years, having also worked for two years as an editor. Originally from Staten Island, Gavin began his career by covering t...
2023-03-271h 12
POPULUXEAt the Edge of a Cliff in Dubrovnik with Mathias RosenzweigMathias Rosenzweig is one of the most talented creative persons I have met. You have probably read his work through the pages of V Magazine, an authority voice in fashion. Mathias started as a writer covering the music scene for Interview Magazine and quickly rose to an editor's role covering fashion shows all over the world. His portfolio includes directing and hosting the podcast V Wanna Know (backed by V Magazine), in which famous students are connected to world renowned experts to explore the student's topic of interest in depth.An avid traveler, people observer, and creative...
2023-03-2332 min
A Little Bit CultySinner or Saint: Will Retherford on Navigating Religious WatersThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. There’s certainly no shortage of groups that are A Little Bit Culty. That said, there are some major differences between cults and organized religions, and it’s worth remembering that not ALL religion is bad, per se. Our very own producer and editor, Will Retherford of Citizens of Sound, grew up in the Evangelical Church, specifically the Word of Faith movement, and even ventured off to countless missionary campaigns across the globe to spread the good word. He became a worship leader, was on his way t...
2023-03-201h 11
A Little Bit CultyStop the Presses: Vanessa Grigoriadis on NXIVM (Part 2)This episode is sponsored by Better Help. This is Part 2 of our interview with Vanessa Grigoriadis, an award-winning longform journalist and podcaster who has published profiles on the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, and Arianna Huffington. So how did she get tied up in NXIVM’s bullshit while also reporting on the cult? Well, the short answer is: anyone and everyone is susceptible to coercive control and persuasion, even members of the press. The long answer? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out. You can listen to Vanessa’s podcast Infamous here.
2023-03-1352 min
A Little Bit CultyStop the Presses: Vanessa Grigoriadis on NXIVM (Part 1)This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Vanessa Grigoriadis is an award-winning longform journalist and podcaster, having published profiles on the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Lady Gaga, and Arianna Huffington. So how did she get tied up in NXIVM’s bullshit while also reporting on the cult? Well, the short answer is: anyone and everyone is susceptible to coercive control and persuasion, even members of the press. The long answer? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out. Make sure to catch the end of our conversation next week, when we drop part 2!
2023-03-0655 min
A Little Bit CultyStolen Youth Continued: Zachary Heinzerling on Larry Ray’s CultThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. If you haven’t heard of the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult, it is perhaps time to get out from under that rock you’re living under. Also, you should listen to our last episode with Daniel Levin, for which this episode is part two! But essentially, after being released from prison, Ray moved into his daughter’s student residence just 30 minutes north of Manhattan and began terrorizing her friends through physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. This lasted a shocking ten years before Ray was finally arrested and held accountable for his wrongdoings.
2023-02-2751 min
A Little Bit CultyStolen Youth: Daniel Levin on Larry Ray’s CultThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. If you haven’t heard of the Sarah Lawrence Sex Cult, it is perhaps time to get out from under that rock you’re living under. After being released from prison, Ray moved into his daughter’s student residence just 30 minutes north of Manhattan and began terrorizing her friends through physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. This lasted a shocking ten years before Ray was finally arrested and held accountable for his wrongdoings. Our guest today, Daniel Levin, was one of Ray’s victims, and has survived to tell the tale...
2023-02-201h 01
A Little Bit CultyDarkness Unveiled: Sochil Martin Exposes LA Luz Del MundoThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Around the same time as Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous arrest, another billionaire was going to court for similar appalling crimes. Naasón Joaquín García, the ongoing leader of the Light of the World non-traditional La Luz Del Mundo (LLDM) church is currently serving a maximum of 16 years and 8 months in prison for the sexual abuse of minors. The self-proclaimed “Apostle of God” was eventually denied bail after setting that bail at $50 million, which according to the California Attorney General, was the highest ever imposed on an individual by the Los Angeles C...
2023-02-131h 15
A Little Bit CultyThe Antidote: Diane Benscoter on Getting Victims OutThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. It was the early ‘70s and life was weird. War was still going on in Vietnam, and those back in the US of A were struggling with political, societal, and economic changes. One day, Diane Benscoter passed a van where some strangers were giving out bananas. She grabbed a snack and avoided making conversation with the van people. Shortly after, she was on a five-day trek from Omaha to Des Moines with those banana enthusiasts, who were in fact Sun Myung Moon enthusiasts. Next thing you know, Diane’s cut off all of h...
2023-02-061h 11
A Little Bit CultyRevisiting ‘The Vow’: Season 2 Recap with Ayla FitzpatrickThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Do you have a million questions about season 2 of HBO’s The Vow? Do you want to be part of a super exclusive club full of people that are rock and roll as fuck? Do you get a buzz out of supporting culty content creators and storytellers? Then you should totally join our Patreon, where we unleash a whole slew of bonus content for our nearest and dearest listeners. But while we’ve traditionally reserved our coverage of The Vow for said exclusive cult—sorry, I mean cl...
2023-01-301h 18
A Little Bit CultyThe Community: Jamiyla Chisholm’s Memoir of a Brooklyn Islamic CommuneThis episode is sponsored by Better Help. Hold onto your seatbelt, cuz we’re blasting back to the ‘70s for this one. Here’s the scene: we’re in Brooklyn, New York, at a time when all five boroughs were spiraling into ungovernable anarchy, with crime, violence, and widespread racism leaving the deteriorating metropolis totally ungovernable. If you were Black, you were particularly ostracized and lived in constant danger as a second class citizen (if only this weren’t still true today). And so it’s no real surprise that when people like Jamiyla Chisholm’s father heard about a religious co...
2023-01-231h 09
A Little Bit CultyOne Billion Years: Mike Rinder on How Scientology Could EndThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Scientology: You know it, you hate it. To be fair, unless you’re a Scientologist, they hate you too! So it’s all even-stevens. But one person they really hate is Mike Rinder. How could anyone hate someone who’s last name sounds like reindeer, especially just a few weeks after Santa made his international rounds on that reindeer-driven slay? Well, having spent his youth doing things like, for example, swabbing the decks of L. Ron Hubbard’s yacht, Rinder eventually made it into the elite sect of Scientology known as the Sea...
2023-01-161h 23
A Little Bit CultyThe Kids Are Alright: Sarah & Nippy on Zen ParentingThis episode is sponsored by Better Help and was originally released on Zen Parenting Radio. Here’s a scary thought: fully-grown adults are susceptible to cults, or cult-adjacent behavior (there is truly cultish influence all around us in politics, wellness communities, and so on). So imagine how dangerous this whole world is for children, who are far less likely to have the wherewithal to identify and refute coercive persuasion. If you’re one of our regular listeners, you already know how ubiquitous this shit is (unfortunately); so what can we do to protect our youth? Well...
2023-01-091h 09
A Little Bit CultyCult to Comedy: Shannon Payton on Turning Trauma into HumorThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Shannon Payton, perhaps better known online as “Shanny Pants,” is a hilarious mother of three whose Tiktoks (etc.) have turned her into a viral queen, with her videos even appearing on TVs across the nation via The Kelly Clarkson show. It’s crazy to think that, for the first 31 years of her life, Payton was actually living something more similar to The Culty Clarkson show (we’re so sorry, we had to try), having grown up in Northern California within a community that her grandparents originally joined as a non-denominational bible study club before i...
2023-01-0252 min
A Little Bit CultyHot Mess Express: Karen Unterreiner on Dating Keith RaniereThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We all have exes we wish we could forget—the narcissists, the psychopaths, the ruthless, small-handed cult leader currently serving #120years in prison. It’s a tale as old as time! But few people have lived that story quite like Karen Unterreiner did when, at only 18-years-old, she became romantically intertwined with Keith Raniere. Over the next 40 years, she’d go on to become a top level NXIVM trainer, a key figure of the Executive Success Programs’ leadership committee, and an overseer of administration (bookkeeping) and IT. Now free of Ranie...
2022-12-2654 min
A Little Bit CultyParent Traps: Diane Dierks & Dr. Rick Voyles on Co-Parenting DilemmasIf conflict resolution were easy, North and South Korea would no longer be at war, Princes Harry and William would be enjoying tea time together, and videos of irate plane passengers losing their God damn marbles would no longer fill our TikTok feeds. But we all know that resolving or letting go of hot blooded arguments is no easy task. Enter licensed marriage and family therapist Diane Dierks with Dr. Rick Voyles, the CEO of the Center of Dispute Solutions, and their fabulously insightful podcast “Co-Parent Dilemmas,” which aims to provide practical solutions to families struggling with co-parenting.
2022-12-191h 03
A Little Bit CultyPerfect Prey: Dr. Christine Cocchiola on Coercive ControlThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. The Latin root for the word “coercive” literally means to surround, encompass, restrain, confine, and so on. So what does “coercive control” look like in real life, you ask? Well, it could involve isolating someone away from friends and family, depriving them of basic human needs (food, water, etc.), humiliating them, managing someone else’s finances, and the like. If it’s a shitty way of controlling another human, like having an invisible chain wrapped around their ankles, it’s coercive control. If you want a pop culture reference, look no further than Britney Spears...
2022-12-121h 01
A Little Bit CultyThe Redeemer: Cathrine Moestue on Shame & Radical Identity ChangeThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. If you could be a part of the team that ends world hunger, wouldn’t you be? That’s what Cathrine Moestue thought she was signing up for back in 1984 and 1985, when the then 19-year-old moved from Oslo, Norway to the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden, and met an English teacher who claimed he knew how to end the devastating famine taking place in Ethiopia at the time. The man told her he was from Paraguay and was the leader of a revolution. The rest, my friends, is culty history. Today, Moestue is a...
2022-12-051h 03
A Little Bit CultyStolen Innocence: Elissa Wall on Growing up FLDS (Part 2)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. We’re getting into a whole lot of mess with this one, so if you haven’t listened to Part 1 of this story from earlier this week, you’ll be mighty confused. Make sure to give it a listen before diving in here. Many people became aware of the horrors taking place within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (if you were really in touch with God s/he’d have given you a better name) after watching Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey on Netflix. Our guest...
2022-12-0144 min
A Little Bit CultyStolen Innocence: Elissa Wall on Growing up FLDS (Part 1)This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Many people became aware of the horrors taking place within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (if you were really in touch with God s/he’d have given you a better name) after watching Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey on Netflix. Our guest on today’s show, Elissa Wall, had to live through them. Born into a polygamous family within Salt Lake City, Utah’s FLDS—which is how we’ll be referring to it from here on out— Wall was only 14 when church leaders orche...
2022-11-2843 min
A Little Bit CultySpot A Spider: Dr. Amy Saltzman on Identifying Webs of AbuseThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Fact: Studies suggest that one in four females and one in six males are sexually abused before the age of eight. What the actual fuck? So there must be tons of material out there educating children on what abuse looks like, and what they should do if they are abused, right? Wrong—such resources have been virtually non-existent thus far. Today’s guest and actual angel on Earth (but not in a culty way), Dr. Amy Saltzman, is working on changing that with her Spot a Spider series, designed specifically for chil...
2022-11-2159 min
V Wanna KnowMaggie Rogers Learns About Pleasure ActivismWhile on tour for her sophomore album Surrender, singer Maggie Rogers joins host Mathias Rosenzweig in conversation with Adrienne Maree Brown, the author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, to dive deeper into the subject. What exactly is pleasure activism, and how can we incorporate it into our everyday lives in order to not only feel better, but also participate in a form of revolution? Why has pleasure been top of mind for Rogers, who recently earned her Masters from the Harvard Divinity School? And what does it feel like to release your album on the same...
2022-09-2140 minV Wanna KnowHayley Kiyoko Learns About GerrymanderingWhile touring across the USA for her sophomore album, PANORAMA, singer Hayley Kiyoko (known amongst her fans as the Lesbian Jesus) took a moment to join host Mathias Rosenzweig in learning about gerrymandering. Because like, what even is that?
Our specialist on today’s episode is Mark Gaber, the Senior Director of Redistricting at Campaign Legal Center, where he manages lawsuits to fight gerrymandering and racial discrimination in voting. Mark is a graduate of Stanford Law School.
The nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center advances democracy through law. They work at all levels of government to protect yo...
2022-09-0838 minV Wanna KnowSlayyyter Learns About Killer WhalesUnderground pop princess Slayyyter joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about killer whales, also known as orcas, from Dr. Michael Weiss—the Research Director for the Center for Whale Research. What happens to these beautiful giants when humans put them in captivity (remember Blackfish)? Do we have any chance of being able to communicate with them? Why were some researchers dropping acid with dolphins? And do whales like Slayyyter's music?
That's what Slayyyter would like to know.
V WANNA KNOW is hosted by Mathias Rosenzweig
It's produced by Ryan Killian Krause and Mathias Rose...
2022-08-2438 minV Wanna KnowFin Argus Learns About the History of Gender QueernessSinger and actor Fin Argus, one of the stars of Peacock's Queer as Folk reboot, joins host Mathias Rosenzweig as well as associate professor and author Eric Stanley to learn about the history of gender queerness. The topic is broad and thus impossible to cover in a single episode. That said, Fin and Eric hone in on representations of gender queerness throughout history, the semantics surrounding queerness, and their own personal journeys through gender exploration.
V WANNA KNOW was created by the host Mathias Rosenzweig
The show is produced by Ryan Killian Krause and Mathias R...
2022-08-1030 minV Wanna KnowAngel Olsen Learns About SynesthesiaThis week, American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about synesthesia, the perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. Like, what does that even mean! Angel learns: what are the different types of synesthetes? How did we prove that this is a real phenomenon and not just a bunch of cooky mooky? And is she herself a synesthete?
Our specialist on today's episode is artist and founder of the American Synesthesia Association Carol Steen.
Click here to fi...
2022-08-0132 minV Wanna KnowBrooke Candy Learns About FairytalesThis week, the very iconic Brooke Candy joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about fairytales from Dr. Jeana Jorgensen. We've all heard fairytales, but where do they come from? Is it true that originally they were super fucking dark and twisted before Disney made them more kid-friendly? How do fairytales approach topics like sex and death? And out of the 700-1000 tattoos that Brooke Candy has, are any of them fairytale related?
Jeana Jorgensen earned her PhD in folklore from Indiana University, and she has gone on to teach at universities around the Midwest as well as...
2022-07-1339 min
V Wanna KnowBonus Episode: Kim Petras and Uffie on How to be a Pop StarThis week, we take a break from our normal format (where we ask celebrities what they want to learn more about before pairing them with an expert on that subject).
Instead, V Magazine's PRIDE cover star Kim Petras joins fellow musician, the very iconic Uffie, to discuss their respective careers and the shifting archetype of a pop star. Specifically, who can be a pop star in 2022 who wouldn't have been previously "accepted?" How do you balance commercial success with artistic freedom? And why is Kim so damn obsessed with gay clubs?
V Wanna Know was cr...
2022-06-2934 minV Wanna KnowEthel Cain Learns About NXIVMThis week, singer-songwriter and all-around southern bell Ethel Cain joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about cults, specifically NXIVM. Ex-member and current actress/podcaster Sarah Edmondson (of the "A Little Bit Culty" podcast) discusses the moments in which she became suspicious of what she believed to be a personal and professional development company that, ultimately, left several members branded with the founders' initials, plus answers a few more questions, such as: how does one get deprogrammed after leaving a cult? Why do people wind up joining cults in the first place? And what are they key differences between a...
2022-06-2247 minV Wanna KnowSigrid Learns About Black HolesFresh off the release of her sophomore album, 'How to Let Go,' Norwegian pop star Sigrid sits down with host Mathias Rosenzweig and astrophysicist Lia Medeiros to learn all about the mysterious and terrifying subject of black holes. What happens if you get sucked into one? How did we predict they existed? And, with this episode being released just a few days after new photos emerged of our very own galaxy's black hole...how the hell can we photograph something so far away?
Our expert Lia in fact wrote one of the six main papers that came out last Th...
2022-05-1855 minV Wanna Know24kGoldn Learns About PsychedelicsOn today's episode, rapper 24kGoldn joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about the ins and outs of psychedelics. Why do psychedelics even exist in nature? Why did the US government slip LSD to unsuspecting American citizens during the Cold War? And what was it like for 24kGoldn to do shrooms with his mom?
We asked a smart person: Dr. Albert Garcia-Romeu, a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a Guest Researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Intramural Neuroimaging Research Branch.
V Wanna K...
2022-05-0434 minV Wanna KnowBanks Learns About Modern WitchcraftThis week, singer-songwriter BANKS joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to discuss modern witchcraft (and a bit of its history) with Dr. Ethan Doyle White, a specialist on the topic.
We’re all familiar with witchcraft. The spells, the brooms, the toads. While these are typical of fictional worlds on TV and in books, there is a very real and non-fictional presence of witchcraft in our world. Thousands of people across the globe consider themselves witches, such as Wiccans—people who celebrate pagan holidays and practice witchcraft as a religion in a very literal sense.
But how do we...
2022-04-2043 minV Wanna KnowGAYLE Learns About Diet CultureThis week, "ABCDEFU" singer GAYLE joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to discuss the ins and outs of diet culture with PhD Lindo Bacon.
Each year, 45 millions Americans spend $35 billion on weight loss products. But to what degree are weight loss and health actually synonymous? What affects are diet culture having on our youth? And most importantly, who exactly is making the rules around how much we should weigh?
V Wanna Know was created and is hosted by Mathias Rosenzweig
The show is produced and edited by Ryan Killian Krause
2022-04-061h 03V Wanna KnowTinashe Learns About the MetaverseSinger and general queen Tinashe joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn more about the metaverse. The term metaverse originated from a 1992 “cyberpunk dystopia” novel—apparently that is a thing—called Snow Crash. It’s since become a reality which will only continue to grow in presence.
Our expert on the metaverse is Lindsey McInerney, a futurist who’s been exploring the intersection of emerging technologies and how they’ll come to life.
V Wanna Know was created by Mathias Rosenzweig
Our producer and editor is Ryan Killian Krause
Tinashe’s 333 Deluxe album is out now...
2022-03-2345 minV Wanna KnowNicole Richie Learns About Food Seasonality from Antoni PorowskiReality TV star, designer, hip-hop diva and general pop culture icon Nicole Richie joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to discuss food seasonality and reducing food waste with Antoni Porowski of 'Queer Eye.'
What does it actually mean to eat seasonally? What are the best tips and tricks that we can use in both the grocery store and the kitchen to minimize our waste? And how can the average person make small changes that can have big impacts?
You can watch Richie's series Nikki Fre$h on Roku. Antoni's new book, "Antoni: Let's Do Dinner" is...
2021-09-1044 minV Wanna KnowVincint Learns About DreamsAmerican singer-songwriter Vincint joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to learn about dreams with Harvard professor, psychologist and dream specialist Doctor Deirdre Barrett. Why do we dream? Can we interpret our dreams to figure out the deeper meaning behind them? Can you teach yourself how to lucid dream? And do creatives really dream up their work before they create it?
V Wanna Know is produced and edited by Ryan Killian Krause.
2021-09-0346 min
V Wanna KnowAlex Cooper Learns About Astrology with Susan MillerAlex Cooper joins host Mathias Rosenzweig and international horoscope sensation Susan Miller to discuss the ancient art of Astrology. What can the stars allegedly tell us about ourselves? Are certain signs more compatible with others? What exactly is a Saturn return? And, most importantly, what can Alex's birth chart tell her about her own life?
V Wanna Know is produced and edited by Ryan Killian Krause.
2021-08-1338 minV Wanna KnowEmma Chamberlain Learns About the Evolution of MediaAward-winning Content Creator and "The funniest person on YouTube" (according to the New York Times) joins host Mathias Rosenzweig and Brown University Professor Lynne Joyrich to discuss the evolution of media over the last several decades. How has the shift to digital media changed how we engage with each other...and with different types of media? And what role do identity markers like race and gender play? Why did Emma delete TikTok off of her phone? We answer your burning questions.
"V Wanna Know" is produced by Ryan Killian Krause.
Don't forget to rate, review an...
2021-07-3039 minV Wanna KnowKing Princess Learns About ExtraterrestrialsKing Princess joined host Mathias Rosenzweig to discuss the reality of extraterrestrial life with Harvard professor and physicist Avi Loeb. What can we make of the government's recent declassification of UFO-related documents? Does this mean aliens exist? Have they visited earth? Will King Princess write a song about them? Listen to find out.
2021-07-1644 minV Wanna KnowFinneas Learns About Gun Control8-time Grammy Winner Finneas joins host Mathias Rosenzweig to talk to author Adam Winkler, a constitutional law professor at UCLA and author of 'Gunfight: The Battle Over the Fight to Bear Arms in America,' to discuss gun legislation in the USA. What does the Second Amendment actually say, and why has America failed to pass any major gun legislation in the midst of mass shooting after mass shooting?
2021-07-0236 minV Wanna KnowMadison Beer Learns About the History of PsychiatryWorld-renowned singer Madison Beer discusses the history of mental health with host Mathias Rosenzweig and Edward Shorter, a doctor and professor of psychiatry. The singer, whose debut album ‘Life Support’ dropped this February, got candid about her own struggles in order to help destigmatize the topic. This episode touches on the history of mental asylums, the misdiagnosis of women's mental health throughout the centuries, and issues with the current state of affairs within the psychiatric field.
2021-06-1840 minV Wanna KnowZara Larsson Learns About the History of ContraceptionOn our third episode, we paired Swedish Pop singer and songwriter Zara Larsson with Dr. Carrie N. Baker, an American lawyer and Professor at Smith College, to discuss the vastly (over)complicated world of contraception. What were some of the earlier forms of contraception? Why is there not a widely-used contraceptive pill for men? Will Zara Larsson grow to enjoy TikTok? Let's find out.
"V Wanna Know" was created and is hosted by Mathias Rosenzweig. The show is produced and edited by Ryan Killian Krause.
This is a V Magazine podcast, powered by Yoox.
...
2021-05-2848 minV Wanna KnowMarina Learns About the Psychology of FandomOn our second episode, we paired international Pop superstar Marina with clinical therapist Dr. Donna Rockwell to learn more about the psychology behind fandom and “stanning.” What cerebral activity is going on in our brain when we see an artist that we’re a fan of? Why do some of us lose interest in certain artists while others remain fans throughout their lives? And why do fans sometimes turn on their beloveds?
(Marina's new album "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land" will be out on June 11th)
2021-05-1451 minV Wanna KnowBrittany Xavier Learns About Genetic GenealogyOn our first episode, Instagram and TikTok fixture Brittany Xavier leans into her true crime obsession by connecting with CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist who helped develop and pioneer the DNA-based technology that led to the capture of criminals like the Golden State Killer.
2021-04-3048 min
V Wanna KnowV Wanna Know TrailerA new podcast from V Magazine.
The concept is like the inverse of Masterclass. Instead of famous teachers, we have famous students (the guests) coming on to connect with a specialist in an area of interest. Some of music and fashion's biggest names will interview experts on subjects like forensic science, the psychology behind online trolling, alien life, and more.
Episodes will be released every other Friday.
2021-04-2700 min
V The PeopleV The People: Noah CyrusMathias Rosenzweig spoke to Noah Cyrus about a few days before the launch of her latest EP, THE END OF EVERYTHING, out now.
2020-05-2213 minV The PeopleV The People: Melanie C.Mathias Rosenzweig spoke with solo artist and Spice Girl Melanie C. on March 30th during the international lockdown. She’s literally a Spice Girl. Tune in to hear her incredibly endearing accent.
2020-04-2818 min