Cult Chat

What do cult recruitment tactics and a high-end kitchen gadget have in common? More than you might expect. In this episode, we unpack Cialdini’s Seven Principles of Influence, using Liz’s enthusiastic love of her new Thermomix (and some playful attempts to persuade Lindy to buy one) as a light-hearted case study. We then turn the lens to how these same persuasion techniques are deliberately used in cult recruitment and control, revealing how influence works, why it’s so powerful, and where it crosses the line into manipulation.

Why are the Cult Chat trio recording this week's episode on a beach? What have glamping and fire-dancing got to do with cults? Something? Nothing? Join us as we chat from a summer beach location while reflecting on our learnings from 2025. We get an update from Liz on the Gloriavale School closure and the criminal conviction of the cult’s leader, and we share our hopes for the 2026 NZ cult awareness movement. 
Show Notes
Interview: RNZ Doomsday Comedy with Jonas Skogstroll and NZ Tour Dates
Interview:  Get a Life Podcast with Steve Simmons (Ex Exclusive Brethren - Lindy’s Dad).
Article: Convicted sex offender Howard Temple attends the community market while on bail
Article: RNZ What Will Happen to Gloriavale’s students over the school closes?

What is awe, and how is this emotion exploited by cults? How is awe related to infatuation, to the experience of falling in love romantically, and what has it got to do with babies and cults? How can humour be used to breakdown the residual after effects of awe for those who have left cults? Join us for a fascinating conversation with Dr Yuval Laor about these emotions and how they are manipulated in cults and how understanding their effects can support recovery.

Lindy has an interesting chat with Rose Stanley about burnout, boundaries, the need for a sane spirituality and how to rebuild with clarity, courage, and compassion. The Cult Chat team then joins the discussion to unpack what healthy spiritual life really looks like. This episode offers a gentle, practical guide to staying sane and whole in faith spaces.

This week we meet Jonas, stand-up comedian, former Jehovah’s Witness, and goat-farmer living in Norway. Laugh along with the Cult Chat trio as they learn what it is that goats and worldly people have in common, and exactly how Jonas decides which parts of being in a cult are ok to joke about. This episode comes in advance of Jonas’ trip to New Zealand in January where he will be staging a peaceful protest at the Annual Jehovah's Witness convention and touring NZ with his Doomsday comedy show.