Best Swami J Podcasts (2024)

1
Joelle Tamraz, Part 2 - Meeting The Elders, Emotional Manipulation, and Moving On 1:16:33

17h ago1:16:33

1:16:33

This week is part two of a fascinating discussion with Joelle Tamraz, author of The Secret Practice: 18 Years on the Dark Side of Yoga. The story gets more wild! Joelle shares how her spiritual partner, Arun, became her husband, and how he brought her deeper into his world, including the strange visions he revealed to her. PLUS, the financial abuse…

1
Joelle Tamraz, Part 1 - Traveling to India, Meeting a Swami, and "Past Lives" 1:10:47

15d ago1:10:47

1:10:47

Today is part one of our interview with Joelle Tamraz, author of the book The Secret Practice: 18 Years on the Dark Side of Yoga. She will tell us about her introduction to different yoga practices at a young age including TM, or transcendental meditation, the hunger she felt for a deeper spirituality that landed her in India when she was fresh out…

1
Sara Teitelman - The Culty Elements of Technology 1:17:27

9d ago1:17:27

1:17:27

Today’s guest is Sara Teitelman, tech consultant and author of a forthcoming book about tech who’s going to talk to us about the culty elements of technology. While Sara’s specialty lies more in optimization of the nonprofit workplace, we’re going to have more of a philosophical discussion about how we’re expected to just trust in our tech overlord…

1
Min Zhou, Part 2 - Labor Camps, Persecution, and Mass Killings in the Cultural Revolution 54:29

29d ago54:29

54:29

In part 2 of our interview with Min Zhou, survivor of the Cultural Revolution and Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at UCLA, we’re going to talk more about Professor Zhou’s personal experience. We’ll discuss why her dad was a target of the Red Guards, what it felt like knowing her family was in danger at such a young a…

1
Min Zhou, Part 1 - The Cult of Mao Zedong, and Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution 58:56

1M ago58:56

58:56

Today is part one with Min Zhou, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies at UCLA, who also grew up during the Cultural Revolution: a decade of social chaos in China in the 1960s and 1970s where intellectuals, artists, and anyone perceived as representing capitalism or the "old ways" were persecuted and murdered in the hundre…

1
Tia Levings, Part 2 - Questioning Fundamentalism, Motherhood, and the Dangers of Christian Nationalism 56:46

1M ago56:46

56:46

In part 2 with Tia Levings, author of A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy, Tia she discusses how, in the midst of a church-sanctioned abusive relationship, motherhood began to change her beliefs - at first making her more zealous. She’ll talk about how her time trying to save her baby in the children’s hospital, plus working wi…

1
Tia Levings, Part 1 - A Well-Trained Wife in the Christian Patriarchy 50:57

2M ago50:57

50:57

Today is part one with Tia Levings, author of A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy. We talk about the church her family joined when she was young, how it was connected to Bill Gothard and the IBLP - which is why you may have seen her in the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People - how it grew more fundamentalist, and how she met h…

1
Andrea Dunlop, Part 2 - A Family Torn and a Critique of Take Care of Maya 53:32

2M ago53:32

53:32

In part two of our interview with Andrew Dunlop, sister of a perpetrator of Medical Child Abuse (aka Munchausen by Proxy) AND host of the podcast No One Should Believe Me, we discuss the red flags that made her family realize what was going on, why CPS showed up at her sister's door, the 73,000 pages of medical records she found for her five year o…

1
The Book Tour Episode Twenty-Five (Final): An Author Looking for a Story 11:05

1M ago11:05

11:05

On the last night of my book tour, I look for an interesting story and end up in a tricky situationBy Jill Culiner

1
Andrea Dunlop, Part 1 - Munchausen by Proxy, a Faked Miscarriage, and a Perpetrator in the Family 59:10

2M ago59:10

59:10

Today our guest is Andrea Dunlop, novelist and host of the podcast Nobody Should Believe Me, which is all about Munchausen by Proxy. She talks about Munchausen by Proxy, or medical child abuse, from a new point of view: what it’s like being related to the perpetrator. She’ll tell us about what her sister was like growing up, how she had exhibited M…

1
J. Wesley Boyd - When Physician Health Programs Go Wrong 1:15:38

2M ago1:15:38

1:15:38

Today our guest is J. Wesley Boyd, psychiatrist, professor, and the director of education at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics. He joins us to talk about Physician Health Programs, (or PHPs) which are under-the-radar programs that most states have. They're supposed to be a place where doctors who are struggling with substance abuse or…

1
R. Derek Black, Part 2 - How a White Supremacist Changed Their Mind 1:01:23

3M ago1:01:23

1:01:23

Today is part two with R. Derek Black, former white supremacist turned anti-racism advocate, and author of The Klansman's Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism. Today we discuss how and when Derek’s identity became exposed to their friend group, including drastically different reactions from fellow students, how they were invited to …

1
The Book Tour Episode Twenty-Four: Driving to the U.S.A. for Pizza with Michael "Crash" Caplan 6:53

3M ago6:53

6:53

In the early 1960s there was no place to eat pizza in Toronto (as far as we knew). The closest was across the border, in the U.S.A., but that wasn't too far away for "Crash" Caplan, a youth known for wrecking cars in terrible accidents.By Jill Culiner

1
R. Derek Black, Part 1 - Former White Nationalist, Growing Up in the KKK, and Cognitive Dissonance 57:24

3M ago57:24

57:24

Today our guest is R. Derek Black, former poster child for white supremacy (now turned antiracist advocate) and author of the new memoir The Klansman’s Son. Derek, who came out as trans in this book, walks us through the white supremacist movement, where it stands now, what it was like growing up in a white nationalist family, being close to promin…

1
Ian Rafalko, Part 2 - Son of a YouTube Scientologist Health Guru 1:31:00

3M ago1:31:00

1:31:00

In part two with Ian Rafalko, we go deeper into how he left Scientology, what that meant for his family life, and how his dad's lucrative online presence and supplement company tows the line of multi-level marketing. Ian will talk about the viral TikTok video he posted in which he said he was going to end his own life, why he decided not to, how hi…

1
Ian Rafalko, Part 1 - Former Scientology Auditor 1:01:19

4M ago1:01:19

1:01:19

Today is part one Ian Rafalko, a former scientologist from a prominent scientologist family AND son of a prominent YouTube health guru. We explore how his family joined Scientology, what it was like growing up in a group where children are treated as adult spirits in small bodies, whether Scientology creates little sociopaths, and some of the more …

1
Aliia Roza - Former Russian Secret Agent and Sex Spy 1:25:12

4M ago1:25:12

1:25:12

Subject of the new Neil Strauss podcast "To Die For", Aliia Roza shares about her childhood in Russia, her father who worked for the government, the training school and how she was coerced into joining a secret program for sex operations, the seduction and manipulation techniques she learned, how she was sexually abused in school, how she used thos…

1
Rabia Chaudry - Serial, True Crime, & Countering Violent Extremism 1:10:07

4M ago1:10:07

1:10:07

Lawyer, advocate, podcaster, writer, and the reason you know about Adnan Syed from Serial, Rabia Chaudry, talks about her experience advocating for him, what it was like entering the true crime world, why Adnan is free now, what disappointed her about the coverage of his story, her work in CVE (countering violent extremism), how any group or religi…

1
Jessica Kahn - Y2K Cult 1:16:00

4M ago1:16:00

1:16:00

Today we chat with Jessica Kahn, former member of a group we're calling "The Narrow Road." She'll tell us about being born into this isolated fundamentalist Christian sect that was originally formed as an addiction treatment program, the leader's connection to the founders of AA, how every part of life was strictly controlled, how they believed tha…

1
Madi Stroud - Daughter of a Cult Leader: Love Has Won & Amy Carlson 1:13:43

4M ago1:13:43

1:13:43

Today our guest is Madi Stroud. She was featured on the HBO docu series Love Has Won, and is late cult leader Amy Carlson’s daughter - the one whose mummified body was found wrapped in Christmas lights in Colorado. Madi shares what she remembers of her mom as a kid, how it felt after Amy suddenly left Madi and her brothers when she was only 7, and …

1
Dr. Inna Kanevsky - Pseudoscience, TikTok Psychology, & Culty Psychologists 1:23:07

5M ago1:23:07

1:23:07

Dr. Inna Kanevsky, psychologist, professor, and debunker of pseudoscience psychology TikToks, discusses the misinformation videos that got her started on the path of debunking, why mental health labels can be helpful but can also lead us to incorrectly self-diagnose and take on labels that do not belong to us, and why it’s a problem when we make a …

1
Warren Kohl, Part 2 - The Pressures of Preaching in a Secretive Cult 1:07:16

5M ago1:07:16

1:07:16

Today is part two with Warren Kohl, former member and religious leader within the 2x2s (Meagan's secretive childhood group that technically has no name). Today we'll hear how Warren left behind his dreams of medical school to become a "worker" (a minister who stays in people's homes). He'll talk about the pressure to speak with some kind of authori…

1
Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult 48:17

5M ago48:17

48:17

Today's guest is Warren kohl, a fifth generation member and former “worker” (or minister) in the 2x2’s, the group that Meagan grew up in. Warren shares how devout he was to the group at a very young age, having your entire life controlled, and how utter heartbreak in high school led him to celibacy and a deeper commitment to the group. Trust Me is …

1
Nadine Macaluso - Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds 1:27:10

5M ago1:27:10

1:27:10

Psychologist, trauma bond expert, and author of Run Like Hell: A Therapist's Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds, Nadine Macaluso share about her relationship with ex-husband Jordan Belfort (aka The Wolf of Wall Street) and how it led her to become a therapist with a focus on trauma bonds. They also discuss "mind mapping",…

1
Zoe & Lillian, Part 2 - Troubled Teens, Midwest Academy, and Solitary Confinement 53:07

6M ago53:07

53:07

In part two with Zoe and Lilly, survivors of Midwest Academy, one of the abusive troubled teen programs in the same organization that was spotlighted in the docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, we dig deeper into Lily’s experience. She’ll tell us how she was in solitary confinement for two months, and how her reaction was to rebel i…

1
Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - The Program, Ivy Ridge and Casa by the Sea 55:45

6M ago55:45

55:45

Survivors of the infamous WWASP schools, Zoe & Lillian, share about their experiences being forced to join Ivy Ridge, Midwest Academy, and Casa by the Sea; All schools featured in the current Netflix docudrama, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping. Lola & Meagan dig into how these programs were marketed to parents, the dramatic ways Zoe & Lilli…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Swami J Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Stories/Travels

Jill Culiner

1
Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

PodcastOne

1
Anaganaga

Anudeep Gunuputi

1
Joelle Tamraz, Part 2 - Meeting The Elders, Emotional Manipulation, and Moving On 1:16:33

1
Joelle Tamraz, Part 1 - Traveling to India, Meeting a Swami, and "Past Lives" 1:10:47

1
Sara Teitelman - The Culty Elements of Technology 1:17:27

1
Min Zhou, Part 2 - Labor Camps, Persecution, and Mass Killings in the Cultural Revolution 54:29

1
Min Zhou, Part 1 - The Cult of Mao Zedong, and Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution 58:56

1
Tia Levings, Part 2 - Questioning Fundamentalism, Motherhood, and the Dangers of Christian Nationalism 56:46

1
Tia Levings, Part 1 - A Well-Trained Wife in the Christian Patriarchy 50:57

1
Andrea Dunlop, Part 2 - A Family Torn and a Critique of Take Care of Maya 53:32

1
The Book Tour Episode Twenty-Five (Final): An Author Looking for a Story 11:05

1
Andrea Dunlop, Part 1 - Munchausen by Proxy, a Faked Miscarriage, and a Perpetrator in the Family 59:10

1
J. Wesley Boyd - When Physician Health Programs Go Wrong 1:15:38

1
R. Derek Black, Part 2 - How a White Supremacist Changed Their Mind 1:01:23

1
The Book Tour Episode Twenty-Four: Driving to the U.S.A. for Pizza with Michael "Crash" Caplan 6:53

1
R. Derek Black, Part 1 - Former White Nationalist, Growing Up in the KKK, and Cognitive Dissonance 57:24

1
Ian Rafalko, Part 2 - Son of a YouTube Scientologist Health Guru 1:31:00

1
Ian Rafalko, Part 1 - Former Scientology Auditor 1:01:19

1
Aliia Roza - Former Russian Secret Agent and Sex Spy 1:25:12

1
Rabia Chaudry - Serial, True Crime, & Countering Violent Extremism 1:10:07

1
Jessica Kahn - Y2K Cult 1:16:00

1
Madi Stroud - Daughter of a Cult Leader: Love Has Won & Amy Carlson 1:13:43

1
Dr. Inna Kanevsky - Pseudoscience, TikTok Psychology, & Culty Psychologists 1:23:07

1
Warren Kohl, Part 2 - The Pressures of Preaching in a Secretive Cult 1:07:16

1
Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult 48:17

1
Nadine Macaluso - Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds 1:27:10

1
Zoe & Lillian, Part 2 - Troubled Teens, Midwest Academy, and Solitary Confinement 53:07

1
Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - The Program, Ivy Ridge and Casa by the Sea 55:45

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