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. This also includes non-religious cults and extreme political movements including the more divisive elements of MAGA and left-wing culture war issues. There is nothing off-limits but we always try to be respectful of the people involved even if we do not respect the beliefs or actions involved.
Episodes
Episodes



Saturday Oct 18, 2025
Speaking of Cults...Scientology, Nazis and the REM Model with Jon Atack
Saturday Oct 18, 2025
Saturday Oct 18, 2025
This week I welcome back Jon Atack to discuss his new book about the common origins of Naziism and Scientology, and then go deep into the REM Model of Human Behavior which I created and how that explains so much of what Hubbard was about, as well as how to undo cultic manipulations. Enjoy!



Saturday Oct 11, 2025
Speaking of Cults...Chase Hughes and the NLP Grift with Zach Elwood
Saturday Oct 11, 2025
Saturday Oct 11, 2025
This week I welcome Zach Elwood, host of the People Who Read People podcast and a very fun guest to discuss the entrepreneurship of influence that is quite popular on social media these days especially as personified by Chase Hughes. Zach discusses his history with NLP and we talk deeply about the consequences of these practices. Enjoy!
Zach's channel: @PeopleWhoReadPeoplepodcast



Saturday Oct 04, 2025
Speaking of Cults...The Religion/MAGA Connection with Jennie Gage
Saturday Oct 04, 2025
Saturday Oct 04, 2025
This week I welcome Jennie Gage, an ex-Mormon/MAGA/trad wife who has a story to tell about her upbringing in the Mormon world, how she was literally trafficked before escaping into abject poverty to rebuild her life from scratch. As part of this, we go deep into the MAGA/Evangelical mindset, since there are such whopping contradictions between what Christian Nationalists say and what they do that it's impossible for most people to reconcile how any of it makes sense. Jennie helps up unpack all of that and both of us have a lot to say about it. Enjoy!
Jennie's channel: @lifetaketwo7662



Saturday Sep 27, 2025
Speaking of Cults...Growing Up a Witness with Bethany Leger
Saturday Sep 27, 2025
Saturday Sep 27, 2025
This week I welcome Bethany Leger, host of the Stop the Shunning podcast and a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. She has a few interesting twists in her childhood growing up in the JWs and we had a lot to discuss in recovering from the cult experience.
Bethany's channel: https://youtube.com/stoptheshunning



Saturday Sep 20, 2025
Speaking of Cults...Let's Talk Cult Recovery with Michael Shemwell
Saturday Sep 20, 2025
Saturday Sep 20, 2025
This week I welcome Michael Shemwell, host of the Shunned podcast and a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. We met while filming the Jubilee production about cults and here discuss our mutual experiences and the ups and downs of cult recovery. Michael's podcast: https://shunnedpodcast.com



Saturday Sep 13, 2025
The Problems of Growing Up in Scientology with Pamela Williams
Saturday Sep 13, 2025
Saturday Sep 13, 2025
This week I welcome back Pamela Nickel Williams, whose new memoir about her time growing up in and around Scientology has now been released. Pam has quite a story to tell and I hope you'll give it a look.
Pamela's Website: https://clearlyliesaretrue.com



Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Speaking of Cults...The Occult Roots of Nazism and Scientology
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
This week I welcome back podcast favorite Jon Atack to discuss his brand-new book, "If Scientology Ruled the World: Nazi Occultists, Sex Magick, Space Aliens, and the Second Coming." This book is as wild as it sounds and uncovers some things I can almost guarantee you have never heard or seen before regarding the common origin story of the Nazi's Aryan race theory and Hubbard's ideas about body thetans and spiritual rehabilitation. Enjoy!
Link to Jon's website: https://jonatack.co.uk/
Link to book: https://www.amazon.com/If-Scientology-Ruled-World-Occultists-ebook/dp/B0FP5PMNJT



Saturday Aug 30, 2025
Speaking of Cults...The Secret History of the Mormon Church
Saturday Aug 30, 2025
Saturday Aug 30, 2025
This week I welcome back Bryce Blankenagel and Shannon Grover to discuss events the Mormon Church would rather you don't know about. There's a lot and we only scratch the surface in this episode. Enjoy!
Bryce and Shannon's podcast: https://glassboxpodcast.com
Note: this podcast had an audio issue and had to be re-uploaded. Sorry for any confusion about that.

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.







