This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Are cult leaders born or made? Did we get sucked into NXIVM because of our attachment styles? Was Vanguard always just wookin’ pa nub in all the wrong places? In this episode of A Little Bit Culty, licensed therapist and social media sweetheart Eli Harwood joins us for a chat about the way that attachment patterns impact our vulnerability to culty situations and vice-versa. It can be a real intricate venn diagram, ya know? (Or maybe it’s a line graph, or a Gantt chart. We don’t know. We’re not chart people.) But however you map it, this stuff is always way better when you navigate it with a pro. The brilliant Ms. Harwood explains the brainy stuff of attachment theory along with D-I-Y tricks for better relationships, and helps us process our stuff in a way that made us laugh, cry, and also cry-laugh. We loved it so much, we rolled it right into a two-part episode. Here’s part one, ALBC listeners!

Show Notes:
Eli Harwood is a licensed therapist and educator with more than two decades of experience helping people process relational traumas and develop secure attachment relationships in an accessible way. She wrote the guidebook Securely Attached: Transform Your Attachment Patterns Into Loving, Lasting Romantic Relationships to help folks cultivate lasting, loving relationships. Her latest title, Raising Securely Attached Kids: Using Connection-Focused Parenting To Create Confidence, Empathy, And Resilience is available for pre-order now. Eli has three children, one husband, one cat, and an extraordinary number of plants. Under the social media moniker of Attachment Nerd, and with hundreds of thousands of followers, Eli shares her light-hearted, sensible insights on the intersections of attachment style, relationship, parenting, and more.

Check out @attachmentnerd on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Threads, and YouTube.

Become a member of the Nerd Herd

Check out her online courses, upcoming books, and in person workshops at www.attachmentnerd.com

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: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

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

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Happy Mother’s Day Monday, ALBC babies. To celebrate the occasion, we unlocked a Patreon episode starring none other than Sarah’s mom. We talk a lot about culty villains on this podcast, but we always want to highlight the heroes, too…and Ellen is an embodiment of what it looks like to heroically love someone through—and out of—a cult journey. She joins us in this very special installment of the show to talk about what it was like to witness Sarah’s initial NXIVM days, and what happened when the going got whistleblowing levels of rough. She’s also a seeker and a licensed therapist who isn’t afraid to let her professional opinions fly: Like what she always thought was slimy about Keith Raniere’s shtick, and why she still has nothing but empathy for Nancy Salzman. There will be tears and laughs in this one. Enjoy: And don’t forget to call your Mama.

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: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

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

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.

Sometimes predators hide in plain sight. Like on the set of your kids’ favorite TV shows. The docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" (Investigation Discovery) exposes the dark allegations haunting some of the most popular late 90s to 2000s Nickelodeon productions created by executive producer Dan Schneider. “Quiet” builds on groundbreaking 2022 reporting by Business Insider senior correspondent Kate Taylor, who serves as a producer on the series, to depict an environment rife with workplace horrors. Kate joins us today to delve into the story behind the headlines and to help us wrap our heads around the outrageous ways that networks, unions, and parents fail to protect child actors. It’s a real angry-making cluster that is not unique to Nickelodeon. Be warned that this episode contains conversations around child abuse and sexual assault, so please listen with care.

SHOW NOTES

About Kate Taylor: In her 2022 exposé, Business Insider senior correspondent Kate Taylor looked into the disturbing reality behind Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider's shows, revealing accounts of verbal abuse, inappropriate conduct with underage cast members, and gender discrimination. Schneider's Nickelodeon empire, once celebrated, is now under scrutiny in the 5-part docuseries, with cast and crew recounting their experiences. Watch the trailer here. Learn more about Kate’s work at katehtaylor.com and follow her on Twitter/X: @Kate_H_Taylor

ADDITIONAL CITATIONS:

The Cut Article: “Dan Schneider Made a 19-Minute Apology Video”

Since this conversation was recorded more controversy has erupted around the Dan Schneider story, and the making of the ‘Quiet on Set’ series. Here are links to recent coverage in Deadline, Vanity Fair, and Entertainment Weekly.

Also…Let it be known far and wide, loud and clear 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: Citizens of Sound

Producer: Will Retherford
Researcher & Episode Writer: Amanda Ambrose

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

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