Corporate Vagina: Star Stone on OneTaste (Part 2)

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[00:02:30] And this is A Little Bit Kulti, the podcast where we unpack cults, control, and coercion. We woke up from a cult. The whole wild ride ended up in The Vow on HBO and in my memoir, Scarred. Now, after eight seasons of hearing every kind of culty story imaginable, we've bottled up everything we've learned into a book, also called A Little Bit Kulti. It's available now in all formats on Amazon, Audible, and where fine books are sold. Or get a signed, personalized copy on our website.

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[00:03:54] Click, Colt. What? Welcome back. Oh. Welcome back to Part 2 with Star Show. If you didn't listen to Part 1, I really encourage you to do that because it will set the stage for this and... Home. Stick around to the very end because if you're lucky, you're going to hear a little excerpt from Star Show. Coming soon to a theater near you. Check our show notes for all the details. Thanks for listening.

[00:04:23] And enjoy Part 2 with Starstone. When you look back... So, you know, this is where we pull the value out for our listeners. What were the red flags that you had along the way? And we've talked about some of them. Inconsistencies. Coursework with no graduation. Yeah. Kind of. And no syllabus.

[00:04:50] What were some of the other red flags that you now see looking back? I think that it has to do with how they handled when someone would violate the container, right? So we're talking assault. If, you know, you're putting yourself in a sexual environment, even if it's... Even if they want to market it to you as super clinical or try to paint it as this is very businesslike, very transactional. This is just for your personal development. This is just for your empowerment.

[00:05:20] This is so that you can live it, quote unquote, turned on life, right? This is for the woman. This is for your pleasure. That's like what it is. But okay, you can say all of that as much as you want. But when it comes down to the bottom line, is this a safe place for women? Is it a safe place? How do you handle accountability? What happens when someone violates the container? How do you show up for someone who's paying to be here, right?

[00:05:46] And like how they handled that showed me everything. I mean, there was no protocol in place, not during my time. If someone violated the container. When I was having a difficult time, a challenging time, when my safety was put in jeopardy with one of the other members there who volunteered his time regularly with the organization. I don't even know if he was on their payroll.

[00:06:13] But when he was acting out of integrity and acting in ways that were violent towards me. And they knew that. And there wasn't any accountability. There was no safety in this space. So if you're selling sex and consent and accountability and safety is not a part of your programming, then, you know, we need to get the fuck out immediately.

[00:06:42] How would they say that, like, I mean, that seems like an obvious thing they need to put in place. Would they, like, do they, is there no, there's no, like, if this happens, then this? There's nothing like that? There's no protocols for? During my time, there was not a, and I can only speak for when I was there. But when I was there and in my experience, there was no consent talk.

[00:07:11] There was no protocol or support. When I spoke to a staff member about a private home that I had, you know, her response was very much like, yeah, that happens. I wouldn't worry about it. Yeah. In order. Where a boundary was crossed. Well, the problem is if you're going to go put guardrails and architecture to this, you're going to have to be transparent about what you're doing. And it's going to require you to go through the rigors of some sort of process of what is this? What are you selling? What's the thing?

[00:07:41] What, you know, and it seems like they were allergic to any sort of. Protocol. Yeah. And criticism. Yeah. And investigation of like, what is this? Yeah. Yeah. Investigation. Yeah. Which is ultimately what you found out in your own way. Right. I mean, I was having experiences with people that, again, were boundary violations. I had even asked some people around this one person. I was like, okay, well, has this happened to you?

[00:08:11] And they said, yeah, of course. Many times. It's like, okay, so this is just happening here. And I remember I tried so hard to reach out and to share my story and on women's group chats within the organization. I was, I didn't understand what was really happening. I was very confused. And it was the first time it had happened to me in my life. Like, I didn't know to call it rape or assault. I didn't know what, because you're a consenting adult, you're engaging in a sexual practice. It was confusing to me. I'm like, is this, do I report this?

[00:08:39] Like, I didn't know what my options were. And therefore, I stayed silent, right? Like, I didn't talk out about it. I mean, like, I brought it to a staff member at first, thinking like, hey, shouldn't I tell someone about this? But ultimately, I didn't really understand. I didn't know what to do, how to help myself, how to support myself. And I tried my best to communicate to others what was going on. There was a lot of, like, spiritual bypassing and gaslighting happening from people in the organization, not from staff members,

[00:09:07] but just from other people that were there. Because I think it probably was really rampant. And it happened a lot to other people, too. And I guess for their own sanity. And, you know, I mean, because I'm sure this, you know, this probably happened a lot. But yeah, I think that was my story. My story with them has a lot to do with confusion, lack of accountability, not being safe with the members who are engaging in these practices.

[00:09:36] And beyond practices, right, there was this thing called a makeout that they had, which wasn't something that was strictly a course. It wasn't something that they really taught or talked about. But it was one of those cultural things that happened there that I think was brought in from or, like, grandfathered in. But, like, it was, like, carried forward from their early days. And a makeout is kind of like the one-taste practice, only it happens with sex.

[00:10:05] So that's another container. So there was a 15-minute clitoris stroking practice and there was a makeout, which was, like, a timed sex with a person. So there were all these different ways in which we were engaging with each other within community. And yet boundaries, consent, sexual health, there were so many safety things that were missing from this organization.

[00:10:29] So, like, you could ask somebody to do an OM with them and then it turns into a makeout and that would be a problem if that's not what you asked for. Well, no, there were different things. So you could, yeah, so an OM was one thing and then, like, a totally separate schedule or totally separate time would have been a makeout. There wouldn't be, there would have been two totally different moments.

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[00:17:25] Break time's over. Let's get back to the show. Those are definitely some heavy red flags. Was there a particular, like, specific time that you packed your bags and got out? Or was it a slow withdrawal? How did you exit? I mean, it's a both, actually. I think trying to get out happened a few times, as I think maybe that happens, like, when you're in an unsafe environment.

[00:17:53] It's a little challenging when you've made it your world. But how many years were we talking at this point? About, like, two and a half-ish. But, like, not fully the whole time. But around that time, like, two and a half years. And because the coaching program was really when I was like, like, what is this? And I need to leave. I just kind of got that clear moment. So I pulled away then. But I went to a place called The Land.

[00:18:22] They had acquired land in, like, a remote location in Northern California. And honestly, getting to The Land, I have seen a lot of cold documentaries. And they all end up on land, right? And once they're on land. Such a red flag. Once they're on land. The Land. And it was called The Land. They're not very creative over there, are they? The turn on. The make out.

[00:18:52] The land. Do you want to do a turn on or a make out on The Land? Okay, what was The Land like? The Land. Wow. I just felt like it was like, I mean, I think cinematically. So I was like, this feels like a Manson documentary. This feels like Brian Jonestown Massacre. Like, I was just thinking, I was scared. When I got there, I was like, this doesn't feel right. Something is terribly off. That's all I could think about.

[00:19:20] Because I had just seen so many movies and documentaries about land and the creepy things that happen on the land. So when I got there and I felt that, I knew I needed to get out. Like, get out. Like, the movie. Like, I felt like something like that was going to happen. I was like, what is this? And so The Land had animals. It had, like, a cafeteria. I mean, it seemed from the outside, it just looked like a cool place, a farm, you know?

[00:19:46] But energetically, I was having an experience of must get away as soon as humanly possible. Like, I just felt so creeped out. There were cabins. There were a lot of people there when I was there. There were programs and courses happening. Was the idea that you were supposed to stay and work there and live there? Or what was, like, what was the plan? No. You know, it was, again, going back to what I was saying earlier around the secrecy and kind of,

[00:20:13] like, hidden things and things being revealed over time. The land wasn't something that was promoted or openly disclosed. Like, it was very much, like, you needed to be invited and kind of in the inner circle or, like, signing up for something. And there were lots of things I didn't know about. Maybe some people had paid to be there. I don't really know what everyone's personal history or relationship was. But I had an in with someone who was already being invited and going to the land. So they brought me.

[00:20:41] And the way that it happened was when I was there, yeah, they just had courses and were talking. But I didn't understand. Again, I didn't understand what are we doing? Like, there wasn't a, there were no pro, it wasn't like programming. It was just sort of, we were all just there. And I didn't understand why. That was, it was my experience at one taste was constantly, like, what is the purpose of this? Why are we doing this? What does this have to do with anything? How are these things connected? Why is it called orgasm meditation? If there's no orgasm, no meditation, but yet you want to have an orgasm, but yet you're saying it's a goal as practice. Like, what is happening?

[00:21:11] And I felt like the same thing was happening here where I was like, what is this land being used for? What is it really being used for? Because this doesn't seem right. They didn't exercise with blindfolds at one point and I just took off the blindfolds and I left. They didn't want to know what the blindfolds were for. I was like, I'm done. I'm good. So what was your escape? How did you get out? So I moved cities. I moved, I mean, because at that point, after my teacher training in the Bay Area, I just ended up staying in the Bay Area and working there and living there.

[00:21:41] And then after this, I picked up my life and moved back to LA, which is where I was before all this started. And that was really hard for me and really scary and very isolating. And it's a very difficult time in my life to leave that. And I was still kind of connected. The staff was still reaching out to me. They were still texting me. I was still trying to stay connected. They had a one taste. They had one taste in LA as well. So there was still all of that going on. But I just really needed to rebuild my life and get away from all of that.

[00:22:10] And so, yeah, I moved to LA. What did you tell them? Oh, I didn't tell them anything. I just left. And they tried to get you back? They were just texting me like all was well. Yeah. And checking in on me. Did you do any more in LA or did you make a clean break from it all? No, I went to some of the LA things because I was still connected with some people and they were coming down to LA, I think because of support or working for them.

[00:22:39] Or there were some, I don't really know how it was working with their staff at that time, but they were coming down. Some of the people were coming down from the Bay Area to LA to do things. And so, but eventually I, you know, cut all of that off and got into therapy and moved my life away from that. And when did you make the cult connection? Well, I'm wondering, that's a great question. When did that happen?

[00:23:05] So I think I kind of always knew because of the way that I stayed away from them at first and the way that they were approaching people at events felt very much like Jehovah's Witnesses, like when they were in the subway in New York. And just, there was a lot of similarities between Hare Krishnas. And I like saw, I kind of felt energetically, I felt all of that before I even joined. But it was like my intuition protecting me, but I was like, I've got to just know.

[00:23:31] And I had this drive and I had this desire, I guess, to just be in it and to find it out and to seek it out and to know all the things. So I overrode the original meaning. And then so later on, I think it was when I started working, I started being in therapy and I watched something on Netflix about agama yoga. And I'm trying to remember the other cults that were in that documentary, but I kind of put everything together and kind of reminded myself and realized, whoa, this is bigger than I thought.

[00:24:00] I had a bigger experience than I thought. I seeketh to myself a little too far. Mm-hmm. Yeah. What was the, tell me about your therapy and your healing and why you decided to write a show. Yeah. I ended up moving back to New York with a different show I was working on and therapy had supported me so far, but I still hadn't, I think, made peace with the parts of me that

[00:24:30] were very alive during One Taste and before One Taste. And I think I just, some parts of me just didn't exist or I isolated them. I exiled them. And so I moved, I was living in Costa Rica and I was living in community and I hadn't really, I had really stayed away from that word, from anything community related for a very long time. But I was in this community in Costa Rica and it all kind of somehow being in the jungle,

[00:24:59] being in community brought everything up to the surface that I had been ignoring about me and about my experience. And it was brought to me in such a way that I couldn't ignore it. And so just for like a year and a half living in Costa Rica, I was reliving in a very visceral way, in a very somatic way. I was re-inhabiting my body in a way that therapy wasn't doing for me talking about it.

[00:25:25] And through that process, I ended up writing the show. And also what's really interesting too is that I was working with the social media team at the time and someone on my team was like, hey, did you know this is happening with One Taste? They knew. And they were talking to me like, hey, you should like make some content around this and talk about your experience? Because I think the New York Times is covering Nicole. And I was like, wait, what? And they were like, yeah, you know, they're going to be in trial. And I was like, what?

[00:25:54] And it was around the same time already that I had that intuition or that I was healing and doing work around this topic. And I was already ready to talk more publicly about it. And then, yeah, that kind of helped me. And then I just wrote the show. And then more interesting things happened. I wrote the show. So we premiered it at New York Fringe. And Ellen, who was on your show, right? She reached out to me and she was like, hey, do you remember way back when you were saying

[00:26:24] that you were going to write a show about this and you really wanted to talk publicly about it? And she's like, yeah, I wrote this book and you're doing your show. And it was happening at the same time. And she was in town for the trial. So she was able to come see my show. But it was just interesting that all of this came up at the exact same time. It was so interesting that all of this happened simultaneously. And I was really happy about that. Like, it just felt finally like I could talk about it.

[00:26:53] I had processed it. It went through my body. And through writing the show was the most healing thing I could have possibly done. And I'm so grateful. That's great. What specifically was cathartic about it? I'm asking as a fellow theater performance major, a BFA from somewhere else. I know you would too. But like writing, this is a solo show, right? Like it's just you? Yeah, just me. Yeah. What did you come to terms with that you hadn't before?

[00:27:22] I found how hilarious it was. I was like, wait, this is actually like really funny to me. Obviously, there was a lot of trauma. But I mean, when I think about it from just a person who didn't go through it first, but I'm like thinking about it in the third person. I'm like, wait, what? Like I was just... Corporate vagina. Corporate vagina. It's hilarious. I'm like, wait a second now. This is silly.

[00:27:50] And like the fact that I can laugh at it and that I can tell this story and that I can have fun with it. It's just like the way in which it's so wild and so out there and so over the top and so unbelievable is just somehow to be able to laugh at it. My director said that comedy is trauma plus time. I really always say this. I feel like this is my quote now of hers because I really believe that's true.

[00:28:18] Like there's something funny about this whole thing that I like had a bed made and that I was in this like sex cult. And, you know, it just it's I don't know something about it talking about it and making songs about it. Did you write the music? I did. I have a collaborative. Yeah, I wrote. I collaborated. Yeah, I made we made original songs for this. You were going to say you wrote a song about. Oh, about vaginas.

[00:28:47] Oh, yeah. That's what rock and roll is. Let's be honest. I wrote it. Yeah, I wrote a song about that. But I also I have a song called Red Flags. I have a song about narcissism. And I have, of course, I have a song about coming because. Yeah. Yeah. That's important. Or not coming as. Or it's just goalless. Right. What's the audience's response been like?

[00:29:16] I mean, it's it's been all over the place. I think that there's a lot of people say that I'm brave for talking about it. There's been that feedback around, like, just the bravery that I have for sharing my story, the importance of talking about this and talking about, you know, in a way, because I think in a way it's helpful because of all of the ways in which spiritualized intimacy is can be dangerous. And there's a lot of influencers and people that are kind of taking advantage of people online a bit.

[00:29:45] And these spaces are very prevalent now. They're not all cults, but they're still. There's a lot of cults, though. A lot of cults. They're still they're still exploitative. They're still predatory environments. Those are still happening. And there's a lot of people who are in positions of unqualified, have no credentials. They're in positions of power. They have platforms. And a lot of these people have gone through one taste. And I know who they are. But I'm not going to lose.

[00:30:11] We have a similar experience in our space of people who are like trauma therapists who trained in landmark. Time to have a little word from our sponsors. Owning a home is amazing. Until it's not. One minute you're sipping coffee, feeling accomplished, maybe admiring your new countertops.

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[00:34:47] Now available in Canada and the UK too. That's quince.com slash culty. All right, everybody. That little break is over. Let's get back to our story. Landmark! Wait, sorry. I got excited. Did you do an episode of Landmark? Oh, yeah. We've done a bunch. Okay, yeah. Because I went to Landmark once. I've done a lot.

[00:35:15] I've been in a lot of cults actually, but only once. Like only one time going, visiting and going, okay, you're a cult and I left. But yeah, I went to Landmark Forum. I did that. Yep. Went there one time. Mm-hmm. It's before One Taste. Went before One Taste. Yeah. And I was like, what is this? But it's interesting because I had the exact same experience at Landmark that I had at One Taste, only they weren't offering a sexual path and I was interested in the sexy stuff. So see, that's why. Yeah, everyone's got their hook. Everyone's got their area. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:35:44] You had ours. No judgment. You know, we all have a hook, right? We all have the thing that we're- Yeah, we do. All the groups exploit in a way it's money, sex, or power. Exactly. Or all three. All of them, yeah. Yeah. Speaking of the unregulated wellness industrial complex, what do you think needs to change to protect people? Well, I think there needs to be regulation. I think that there needs to be something in place to regulate what's happening, especially

[00:36:12] because there's so much access now because of social media. There's so much knowledge without people being vetted. There's not a proper vetting system anymore. It's not like lineage-based. It's more like, I have a platform. Here I am. And, you know, people can get away with charging however much they want to charge. They feel empowered in that way. And yet, so there needs to be something to be done. Yeah, some type of regulation. And because we can't just say discernment.

[00:36:40] And I mean, I would love to be like, yeah, everyone should just be discerning. Discerning with your dollar. But we need process. So yeah. Have you ever connected with the people at Seek Safely? Yeah. I haven't. You know, I signed up for their conference and then I ended up not going. It was an online conference. I'd really like to connect with them. Yeah. I would like that. Yeah. They're doing important work in this space. Yeah. Yeah. I'd like to see them do something in person too. I really, yeah.

[00:37:09] That's how I feel very, I'm very, I feel very strongly about these things. Totally. Good. And so for anyone's listening who does, is drawn to sexual wellness or spiritual communities, because there's nothing wrong with either of those things. Yeah. What would you say that they ask themselves to give them some tools to listen to their discomfort so they have an out? Like what are some tools for the tool belt for the spiritual or sexual seeker? Yeah.

[00:37:35] Well, one, if you're saying no and your no is not respected and they're turning it around and saying, lean into your discomfort. This is an edge for you. Let's play with your edge. Let's play with your growth. Your turn off is actually your turn on or, you know, your adversity, your adverse response is your turn on. That's where you should lean into so that you can grow and, you know, move that edge. You need to get the, don't do that. Yeah. Your no is your no. Your no is your no. No, period. There's nothing.

[00:38:05] No is a complete sentence. No. That's number one. Number two, I think we've got to be able to, when we walk into a space, especially if you're giving money to somebody, okay, how do you handle consent? How do you handle my safety? Like, what are your protocols? Ask questions. Find out what their accountability looks like. What are their approaches include? You know, find out where are they trained? Where, ask questions.

[00:38:34] Like, find out their bio, their real bio. Discover, don't just talk to people who've gone to their courses and have maybe potentially, you know, really believe in that person or advocating for them. But start to be a little bit more, I hate to use the word discernment because it's just, it's so much, you need so much more than that. People can think they're being discerning and then confronted with the, some of the things you talked about. Also, it can be lied to. Yeah. Right. But there's, there's needs to be more like accredited institutions that have stood the

[00:39:02] test of time that are not these like fringe institutions, but are more like, like cross, like cross reference things, like have any scholarly or like universities platform these people. And even then sometimes, because, you know, Nicole had a Ted talk. I mean, like there, but you've got to like, like there has to be some level of vetting. We know we, we have to, it's tough.

[00:39:24] It's tough out there, but I feel like we've got to, we've got to try to take care of ourselves because that's the most important thing is you've got to take care of you. I don't know. A lot of people won't. Yeah. Well, I hope that people come see your show. Tell, tell our listeners. If we're in New York, which we probably will be at some point this fall, we're, when is your show and where? Yeah. September 10th and 11th at 10 30 PM. Cause it's a sexy time for the show at under St. Mark's.

[00:39:52] So it's playing two nights only at Neurotica festival at under St. Mark's tickets are available on my Instagram bio, the link for tickets or on frigid. NYC. And then it's playing again at Brooklyn comedy collective on October, October 4th, I believe at 7 PM, which I think is a Sunday and tickets are available for the show. That on Brooklyn comedy collective website. Yeah. Is there anything that we didn't ask you that you want to say? That's important to.

[00:40:22] Yeah. I have something I forgot to mention entirely is around like, why are people drawn to organizations like this in terms of like seeking out ways to deepen your pleasure and learning about bodies and accessing pleasure as a woman, I think is something that I just wasn't handed to in my upbringing. There wasn't a whole lot of education or access around that. I think that now generations now have so much more access. But at the time it was really something I was seeking out.

[00:40:51] And so I think that's important to include in my story because it sounds, I think what I was sharing previously was, yeah, I was intrigued by like female empowerment, but it was really also like, I really did want to have like multiple orgasms. Like I wanted to be an orgasmic woman. That was really intriguing to me. And that's exactly what my show is about. Like that journey to orgasm. Do you mind me asking, we can cut this out if you don't want to be public, but just as I'm curious about our age. My age? Yeah.

[00:41:19] So like I was like 28 when I got into One Taste or 27 and I'm 40 now. Okay. Okay. So late 20s was when I was, yeah, but like when I was really like wanting to deepen my sex, wanting to like, that was late 20s when I was like, hey, actually like I want to have the best sex ever. And if this place knows how to do that, then I want to be in on whatever that is. Absolutely. Well, I think you've given us lots of juicy stuff.

[00:41:45] And so we're going to send this to you as a thank you for being on the show. And I think that you'll find, I hope that you find some extra layers of healing and bonus nuggets that we sum up in the book pretty well. I think. Pleasure chatting with you. I hope that the show goes really well. I hope this does well. We can maybe do something on there. We can do something on our Instagram too. That might. Thanks. Get people to the show. I'm just looking at your Instagram right here and we can maybe repost the dates or something

[00:42:15] like that. Yeah. That'd be helpful. Yeah. If you tag us, then we can put it in our stories too. Okay. Well. Yeah. Do that. That would be. Yeah. Thank you so much, Star. Good luck with the show and keep in touch. Thank you, Star. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Bye.

[00:42:31] Welcome everyone. Welcome to Turn On.

[00:42:57] Who wants to get turned on tonight? Well then come on up here and join me in the hot seat. Wow. So many eager hands. What does that name type say? Jess-a-bath? No. Jess-a-bath. Have you ever done a hot seat before? No. Of course not. I'll demonstrate for you. How do you like your tea?

[00:43:27] Huh. Warm. With honey. With lemon. Good. Now come on down, Jess-a-bath. Who's got some questions for Jess-a-bath? I thought I was here to learn how to cum. Not learn communication names with the programmers at Facebook. What in the corporate team build was this? And no one even batted an eye. Everyone was way into it.

[00:43:56] Oh, and by everyone, I mean the tech bros. Now, this was a decade before the crypto tech bros that you meet in Costa Rica and they ask you to join their mastermind and mansplain the art of the feminine to you. No, this was the low social skills. Khakis and polos tech bros. Well, after this, one of the staff members named Jen, I mean, she cornered me. Sorry. Come closer to my table. How was it turn on, baby?

[00:44:26] Love your vibe. I think you'd be perfect for our intro to Ohm's Saturday. That's our orgasm meditation demo. And it's only a hundred bucks. We just found out we have one spot remaining. One spot just became available. Can you believe it? Are you in? Welcome, everyone. I'm Jen. Head of sales. And today you're in for a real trade. It's truly an honor.

[00:44:55] Please put your hands together for Rachel. Thanks, everyone. Thanks, Jen. Thanks so much for joining today. This practice has truly changed my life. And I know that it'll change yours.

[00:45:24] So in a moment, you'll be witnessing this practice. Ohm is a goal, this practice. And as you're watching, I want you to focus on sensations that you feel. Because as you do that, you'll be doing that when you owe yourself. And you'll also be connecting with me. I will also be focusing on my own sensation. Wow. Wow.

[00:45:54] Just wow. Wow. Okay. So, um, everyone, we're going to timbre. It's a little while Rachel transitions. Everyone just remember to breathe. Okay. Okay. They roll out a steel table on wheels. And Rachel gets up on the table. And then a man in business casual attire puts on gloves with lube. And I watched him stroke her clitoris for 15 minutes. You have so many questions?

[00:46:24] Me too. Like, why was it called orgasmic meditation if there's no orgasm and no meditation? Yeah. Exactly. But if this demo was a breadcrumb, I was brittle. I just have to try it just to make sure there was nothing I was missing.

[00:47:01] Okay, everybody. I hope you enjoyed that special two-parter. Sure. In the interim, something kind of cool happened that I wanted to share on this episode. Clip cult? No. I like saying it. It's got a ring to it. Clip cult. One of our all-time favorite listeners and long-term listeners, Nancy, just sent us $200 to basically purchase books for our guests and for people in different cults that maybe can't afford to buy it.

[00:47:28] So we want to do a special shout-out. Nancy Keery. Thank you so much. This is a real gift. Anyone who wants to follow suit, please DM us and we can figure out how to do that. But the first batch of books went to the young women who survived Sam Bateman's cult in Utah, thanks to Christine Marie and the fine filmmakers who made Trust Me, the False Prophet.

[00:47:54] Those ladies got the first batch of books, thanks to Nancy Keery. So that's some exciting news. Hope you enjoyed this episode and that little update. We'll see you next time on A Little Bit Cult-A.

[00:48:13] If you're finding this podcast helpful, please do us a solid. Drop a rating, leave a review, and hit subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:48:38] And if you're feeling extra culty, join our Patreon at patreon.com slash a little bit culty for early, ad-free episodes and all the bonus content. Even better, pass this episode along to someone who might need it. Maybe they're in a cult. Maybe they're just a little bit suggestible. Or maybe they just can't resist a good cult story. Oh, if you want the full download of everything we've learned over eight seasons, grab our new book, A Little Bit Cult-A. It's out now on Amazon, Audible, and anywhere you can get books. By the way, we narrated the Audible. It's super fun.

[00:49:08] Your local bookstore or library can order it too. Share the love and spread the culty wisdom. Thanks for listening and catch you next time on Season 9. A Little Bit Cult-A is a Trace 120 production. Executive produced by Sarah Edmondson and Nippy Ames in collaboration with producer Will Rutherford at Citizens of Sound. Our co-creator is Jess Temple-Tardy and our production coordinator is Leslie Dinsmore. Writing and admin by Sandra Namoto and social media marketing by Eric Skrasinski and Brooke Keane. Our theme song Cultivated is by the artists John Bryant and Nigel Aslan.

[00:49:49] Kia ora. I'm Anke Richter, the founder of D-Cult, a groundbreaking cult awareness conference happening again this October in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We're going to have two days of powerful conversations about healing and justice with survivors, experts, lawyers, therapists and authors and we're live streaming them around the world. D-Cult will make a huge difference for people who've come out of cults.

[00:50:16] Join us from 24th to 25th of October in Christchurch or online for D-Cult 2026 Voices of Courage. Go to D-Cult.net to register now.