This Patreon-exclusive drop was born out of my current preoccupation with the upcoming election here in the United States. I share my growing understanding of the MAGA-cult dynamics at work in the hopes that both you and I might respond to supporters from a place that is more grounded and informed. October 18, 2024 >> MAGA-Cult Mentality & The Fascist Playbook that Shapes It In this episode, I share: Brief reference to the MAHA...
I recorded this episode on a whim over the weekend. This one is for all of my fellow new-age apostates + anyone who catches themselves checking their smartphone WAY too often. September 23, 2024 >> Losing My Religion + Is Social Media Colonizing Us? In this episode, I talk about: Healing as an active state (vs. a destination) & why I think writing the 'cult'ure series book may take long than I think. Is new-age spirituality a...
This week, Candice is honored to welcome New York Magazine's Cover Story: Power Trip producers Lily Kay Ross & David Nickles to the pod. Lily & Dave share about the behind the scenes events that led to the 2021 launch of their investigative podcast series and about the backlash they’ve experience researching and reporting on abuse in psychedelic communities. Topics touched upon in this episode include: how trauma shapes our...
This week, I sit down with Joelle Tamraz to discuss her award-winning memoir, The Secret Practice: Eighteen Years on The Dark Side of Yoga. Here's a quick summary: "Joelle Tamraz was barely past twenty when she traveled to India in search of spiritual enlightenment. In Rishikesh, the home of yoga, she met an alluring older man who offered to teach her a secret practice. This encounter would realign her next twenty years. Joelle was controlled...
Welcome to the second half of a two-part exposé on the NAR movement in America. Candice continues her conversation with former insider, Nikki G, who shares more about the strategic aims of this belief system and how dominion theology has long been carving out a space in US politics. They touch a bit more on the Heritage Foundation’s presidential playbook (Project 2025), specifically its focus on unitary executive theory; in other words, the...
Hey friends. Once again, I'm coming to you solo with a new episode of Deconstructing Dogma, because our examination of how to make meaning without making a gd-mess is far from over. And in this week's release, I'm sharing more personally about my own journey with spirituality and ontological inquiry. dd #61 - The Empty Husk: Belief, Indoctrination, & Healthy Alternatives In the first few minutes of this episode, I share some...
American democracy is hanging on by a thread. But how did we get here? Today's episode offers an insider's peek into Christian nationalism. You may remember Nikki G from Ep.77; she was on the pod back in January, sharing about her work as a Certified Trauma Recovery Coach who specializes in spiritual and religious abuse. In early March, Candice invited her to sit down again for this two-part conversation. Nikki is a former devotee in the...
If you’ve been listening to the pod recently, you know that I’ve made the choice to shift away from featuring stories about ‘the Org’ on the main feed (really hoping it will stick). There’s now a literal digital library of evergreen episodes - between the main feed and Patreon - that all focus on the mind-body fitness brand / cult-fitness movement that I was once a part of. And frankly, there are many other topics that I’ve been...
In this week's episode of Deconstructing Dogma, I'm coming to you solo with a metaphysical buzzkill - as I dissect dogma, magical thinking, and how they shape our perceptions of the world and of one another. I offer up some personal stories - a few of which I've shared before - to illustrate what I (we?) often mean when we say something looks, feels, or sounds 'culty.' And I celebrate how, at times, magical thinking can be...
This week's release features an excerpt from the episode that I recorded but didn't release last November; you might remember is as the one that was supposed to wrap the 'cult'ure series. I pulled it at the last minute & I'm still sitting on the bulk of the content (for reasons that I won't go into here). Pulled from the intro to that episode, I share a story about a recent run-in with my first-ever cult, Dahnhak (aka 'Dahn Yoga' aka 'Brain...
