Cults to Consciousness
Stories of claiming independence after leaving high-control groups.
Hi! I’m Shelise Ann Sola— former devout Mormon. On C2C, my husband Jonathan and I dive deep into the nuance of culty organizations. From Extreme Christian Fundamentalism, FLDS Polygamy, Amish, Mennonite, Mormonism, Scientology, Ultra Orthodox, and Jehovah's Witnesses, to cults featured in popular docu-series, we interview cult experts, survivors, advocates, therapists, way-showers, authors, and more, to uncover how they find independence and healing through awareness and true individual sovereignty.
New videos weekly!
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Cults to Consciousness
Escaping CHILDREN OF GOD, the Aftermath (ft. Daniella Mestyanek Young)
Growing up abroad in the COG cult meant that Daniella Mestyanek Young was isolated from birth to be a subservient, s*x item for the men in the group. At 15, a few months before she was about to be "on the menu" she realized she needed to get out. We talk about how difficult it can be when leaving a cult and rediscovering one's identity along with learning how the world works.
Daniella Mestyanek Young is an Author, a TEDx Speaker, a s*x-cult survivor, a US Army Combat Veteran, an extremely advanced knitter, and someone who studies & thinks a lot about toxic group behavior and leadership demagoguery.
Click here to watch on YouTube
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Daniella on social!
TikTok: @daniellamestyanekyoung
IG @daniellamYoung_
Website: https://www.uncultureyourself.com/
Amazon: "Uncultured: A Memoir"
- How Children of God is a cult
- Cults often present as "shiny, happy, people"
- Learning young, how to respond to "outsiders"
- Daniella's "ah-hah" moments when she decided to escape
- Marriage & forced polyamory
- TW: Mentions of child sex abuse
- When Daniella starts rebelling to get kicked out
- How Daniella escaped from Mexico to the US at 15
- When trauma catches up & finding identity without culture
- Finding freedom after a cult & pushing back
- When did the REAL Daniella come out?
- TW: Mention of suicide ideation
- Parenting and life for Daniella now
- Tips from Daniella about finding community after a cult
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Theme Song Produced and Composed by Christian Guevara
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**