Cult Diaries

About Cult Diaries

Welcome to Cult Diaries, a podcast where courageous voices come together to share the raw, real stories of life after cults. Hosted by an ex-Jehovah’s Witness who knows firsthand the journey from control to liberation, each episode dives into personal experiences of those who have broken free and are ready to tell all. Here, we believe these stories deserve to be heard—not only to shine a light on hidden truths but to empower others to know they, too, can rebuild their lives and find freedom. Join us for honest conversations, resilience, and a shared journey toward reclaiming identity and hope

Publisher

Brooke Deanne

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jan 2025

Latest episode

6 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Nov 2026

   Breaking the Chains: Unraveling Religious Programming

   What if the greatest prison you'll ever escape is the one you don't even realize you're living inside? Leaving a high-control religion doesn't necessarily mean you've broken free from the beliefs, fears, and conditioning that shaped your identity. In this deeply personal episode of Cult Diaries, I'm celebrating the release of my newest book, Breaking the Chains: Unraveling Religious Programming, and sharing the journey that inspired me to write it. As a former Jehovah's Witness, I spent years trying to understand why I continued repeating unhealthy patterns, struggling with guilt, fearing rejection, and questioning my worth long after leaving the religion. It wasn't until I began exploring the connection between childhood conditioning, religious trauma, and the nervous system that I started to recognize just how deeply those experiences had shaped my life. In this episode, I share the painful awakenings, losses, and discoveries that led me to confront the beliefs I had inherited and begin reclaiming my identity. We'll explore why leaving religion is only the beginning, how fear-based programming can continue influencing our relationships and decisions, and why deconstructing our beliefs is such an important part of learning to trust ourselves again. I'll also introduce The Liberation Method, the framework behind my new book that guides readers through recognizing their conditioning, regulating their nervous system, rewriting limiting beliefs, and reconnecting with their authentic selves. This book isn't about telling you what to believe. It's about giving you permission to question, explore, and discover what is true for you. Whether you've left a high-control religion, experienced spiritual abuse, or are questioning the beliefs that have shaped your life, this conversation is for you. Because leaving is one thing. Learning how to truly live free is another. Breaking the Chains: Unraveling Religious Programming is now available on Amazon. Paperback (https://a.co/d/0irQndgX) Kindle (https://a.co/d/0eNSQh2V) Don't forget to follow Cult Diaries as we begin a new series exploring religious trauma, deconstruction, nervous system healing, and reclaiming your personal freedom. Keep questioning. Keep growing. Keep choosing freedom.

2. 

   19 Oct 2026

   When Religion Makes You Sick: The Hidden Cost of Living in Fear

   What happens when the very people and belief systems that promise to protect you become the source of your deepest wounds? And what happens when your body begins carrying the pain you've spent a lifetime suppressing? In this powerful episode of Cult Diaries, host Brooke Deanne sits down with fellow former Jehovah's Witness Joanne Canaan, an Integrative Natural Health and Toltec Healing Practitioner, founder of Natural Wellness 360, and host of the Decode Your Healing podcast. For the first time, Joanne openly shares her journey of growing up inside the Jehovah's Witness organization while navigating a deeply controlling family environment filled with narcissistic abuse, emotional manipulation, fear, and religious conditioning. From childhood experiences of abuse that were dismissed by religious authorities to years of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and declining physical health, Joanne reveals the devastating toll that living in a constant state of fear and survival had on her mind and body. Together, Brooke and Joanne explore the connection between religious trauma, chronic stress, nervous system dysregulation, and the unconscious patterns that can keep us trapped in unhealthy relationships long after we've left a high-control environment. They also discuss the courage it takes to trust yourself again, recognize the patterns you've been conditioned to accept, and reclaim the freedom to choose who you want to become. This episode is a powerful reminder that leaving a high-control religion is only the beginning. True freedom comes when we begin releasing the fear, shame, and conditioning that followed us out. Whether you're questioning your beliefs, recovering from narcissistic abuse, navigating religious trauma, or learning to reconnect with yourself, this conversation offers hope, validation, and a reminder that healing and reclaiming your life are possible. Connect with Joanne Canaan: Natural Wellness 360 (https://www.naturalwellnessinfo.com/) Decode Your Healing Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/6tukqv9k6OZOux12d5BVKU?si=dcf9cf5fa40f4f78) Connect with the Host: Brooke Deanne (https://www.brookedeanne.com/) If this episode resonates with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that they are not alone in their healing journey. Breaking free is just the beginning. Reclaiming yourself is where the real transformation happens.

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   The Risk It Takes to Blossom: Life After Religious Control

   Lindy Jacomb (https://nz.oliveleaf.network), an advocate, educator, and lived-experience leader from New Zealand who was raised in the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, formerly known as the Exclusive Brethren. At just 20 years old, Lindy was excommunicated after questioning the teachings she had grown up with, suddenly finding herself outside the only community and way of life she had ever known. She is also an upcoming speaker at the DECULT conference (https://decult.net/), October 24 & 25 in New Zealand or online. Grab your ticket! Together, we explore the striking similarities between different high-control religions, including the “us versus them” mentality, claims of being the chosen ones, restrictions around education and outside relationships, information control, unquestionable leadership, and the devastating practice of shunning. Lindy shares what it was like to lose her family overnight, rebuild a life she had never been prepared to navigate, and eventually transform her experience into advocacy for others leaving high-control religious groups. We also talk about something that deserves far more attention: when does religious freedom cross the line into coercive control and the violation of individual autonomy? Today, Lindy is the founder of the Olive Leaf Network, an organization focused on aid, advocacy, and awareness for people leaving high-control religious groups, and co-host of the Cult Chat Podcast.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

47,080

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

81

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.