What’s it like to grow up in a world where your life’s only purpose is to serve the men around you? Cait West knows firsthand. Raised in a household steeped in Christian patriarchy—a radical movement that places men in absolute control over their families—Cait was homeschooled, groomed to be an obedient wife and mother, and forbidden from pursuing a career or formal education. By the time she escaped at 25, she had no driver’s license, no real job experience, and few resources to navigate life outside the confines of her upbringing.

Despite all of that, Cait built a new life for herself. She’s now a writer, podcaster, and the author of Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy. She also co-hosts the podcast Survivors Discuss and serves on the editorial board of Tears of Eden, a nonprofit supporting survivors of spiritual abuse.

In this episode, Cait shares her journey out of Christian patriarchy, unpacks the disturbing ideologies at its core, and talks about how she reclaimed her independence and sense of self. Be advised: this episode includes discussions of religious trauma, sexual trauma, and the movement’s toxic views on race and gender.

Cait’s resilience is inspiring, and her story sheds light on the often-hidden realities of religious abuse. Don’t miss this fascinating and deeply important conversation.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Emma Diehl and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

This episode is brought to you in part by Squarespace. Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULTY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULTY.

This week, we sit down with medium Jonathan Mark, who brings closure to grieving families and assists law enforcement in solving cold cases. Jonathan opens up about his journey from reluctant medium to trusted investigator, sharing personal stories, insights into high-profile cases like Gabby Petito’s, and the emotional toll of his work.

Jonathan also offers a reading, providing deeply personal insights, and delves into chilling revelations about the NXIVM cult, including potential clues to unresolved mysteries. This one’s for our NXIVM nerds and those of us trying to find closure with these unresolved deaths. Even just the notion that there is healing on the other side was incredibly cathartic for us.

We understand that there are many folks out there operating with negative intentions, working as “mediums” and grifting grieving families, but we personally do not think Jonathan is one of them. We also understand that this subject matter is not everyone’s cup of tea and we totally get it if you’d rather skip this week’s episode.

Again, this episode reflects only our personal beliefs and is not meant to malign anyone or anything. As an “Always On” podcast, sometimes we need a break from the normal format - it’s just for fun. It’s also not an endorsement for mediums, but we do invite you to listen with an open mind.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Amanda Zaremba and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

This episode is brought to you in part by Squarespace. Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULTY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULTY.

John Ramsey knows a lot about culty thinking within police investigations. He experienced it firsthand after his daughter, JonBenét Ramsey, was murdered in 1996. JonBenét was the six-year-old beauty queen found strangled and beaten to death in her Boulder, CO home. Despite DNA evidence pointing to an unknown male intruder, John and his family were the prime suspects for years, and they weren’t officially exonerated until 2008.

The inexperienced Boulder police department bungled this investigation from day one, but their tunnel-vision and group-think when it came to suspects might really be what thwarted justice. JonBenét’s case remains unsolved to this day.

John Ramsey is here to discuss how culty mindsets and a lack of critical thinking can hamper police investigations. We get into the way his daughter’s case was mishandled, how the police turned a blind eye to evidence that didn’t fit the narrative, and how modern technology might finally solve this little girl’s murder.

If you'd like to sign the petition mentioned in this episode, visit: https://www.change.org/p/boulder-police-department-submit-jonbenet-ramseys-evidence-in-for-dna-testing-justice-for-jonbenet-ramsey-and-her-family?source_location=tag_

Please note that what happened to JonBenét is truly horrifying. Big trigger warning this week.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Emma Diehl and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin