A Little Bit Culty

Michael Shamblin Black is back for Part 2, and this one goes to the darkest corners of life inside Remnant Fellowship—and the even darker corners of life after it. Michael walks us through the red flags he couldn't ignore: Gwen's suffocating control, the Remnant "guidance system" cataloging every member's doubts and mapping their homes (collateral, just without the branding), an arranged marriage designed to keep him monitored, Joe Lara's sniper threat with a Creedmoor round, and the moment the plane went down and he felt, honestly, relief. We talk about what it's like to be PIMO—physically in, mentally out—for years, secretly recording meetings and writing in a hidden journal while singing worship songs on stage. Then comes the aftermath: sleeping on an air mattress chasing rats with a machete, stress-induced chest pain, hair falling out in clumps, suicidal ideation, and a stalker with 15 arrests who'd been at it since 2010.

Michael's still here, still fighting, and still hoping his kids find their window out. We end with his message to anyone still inside Remnant, the healing power of finally being able to say the things out loud, and the wild fact that Jennifer Grey—yes, Baby from Dirty Dancing—plays his mother in the Lifetime movie, Starving for Salvation. Reaction video incoming…

Follow Michael Shamblin Black on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, or TikTok. Also check out our chat with ex-Remnant member Gina Wilson from Season 4.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of suicidal ideation, depression, stalking, death threats, physical abuse, and grief.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.
Check out our amazing sponsors
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources
Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Shamblin Black joins ALBC to talk about growing up inside his mother Gwen Shamblin’s world, featured in the HBO Max docuseries The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin. He reflects on life in Remnant, his current efforts to expose the church, and how therapy with Dr. Laura Anderson (past S6 ALBC guest) has helped him gain clarity while he works through long-held trust issues.

He shares a deeper look at Gwen’s early worldview, including how her anti-authority instincts, fixation on submission, and resentment toward male leadership shaped the messaging that later became Remnant Fellowship. That message shifted from weight loss and “personal revelation” into a church culture that emphasized control, appearance, loyalty, and separation from outside influence.

Michael talks about how the church’s collapse accelerated once its public legitimacy cracked, how the plane crash and the docuseries further damaged the brand, and why he now sees Remnant as an appearance-driven system built on shame and power. He also describes his own path into music, the opportunities that vanished when the backlash began, and the painful realization that his family story, his career, and the church were all entangled. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the conversation on Thursday.

Follow Michael Shamblin Black on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, or TikTok.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of cults, coercive control, physical, religious, and emotional abuse, family conflict, shame, manipulation, and trauma recovery.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.
Check out our amazing sponsors
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources
Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Corey Jentry, we pick up where we left off and follow the long, winding path out of the troubled teen industry and the program founded by Bob Meehan. Corey shares how years of coercive control, dependency, and identity-shaping didn’t simply end when he left the program; they followed him into the world of recovery, where he found himself grappling with many of the same dynamics inside certain corners of 12-step culture and the addiction-treatment industry. We talk about the dangers of pathologizing autonomy, the power of belonging, and why it can take decades to untangle beliefs that were imprinted during adolescence.

Our conversation also explores Corey’s evolution from survivor to researcher and advocate. He reflects on discovering how the business of treatment really works, recognizing familiar patterns across the behavioral health, rehab, and youth treatment worlds, and why he’s dedicated so much of his work to understanding indoctrination, radicalization, and coercive influence. Thought-provoking, nuanced, and occasionally darkly funny, this episode is a masterclass in spotting the difference between genuine support and manufactured dependence.

Pick up Corey’s book, Selling Sanity: The Troubled-Teen Industry, the Insane Profits, and the Kids Who Pay the Price, and follow him on his website, coreyjentry.com, Substack @drcoreyjentry, or on LinkedIn.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of psychological manipulation, coercive control, addiction treatment programs, suicide, overdose, mental health struggles, emotional abuse, and experiences within the troubled teen industry.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.
Check out our amazing sponsors
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources
Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Part 1 of our conversation with Dr. Corey Jentry, we dive into a side of the troubled teen industry that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: the programs that didn’t need to kidnap kids in the middle of the night, because they convinced them to walk in willingly. Corey shares how, as a struggling teenager looking for connection, he was drawn into what would become a five-year stay inside the Insight Substance Abuse program, formerly Palmer Drug Abuse Program (PDAP), a highly controlling treatment program founded by Bob Meehan, the controversial architect behind a network of adolescent rehab programs that many former participants now describe as cult-like.

What starts as a story about teen treatment quickly turns into a masterclass on love bombing, recruitment, and coercive influence. Corey walks us through the carefully crafted world of attractive young counselors, instant belonging, and promises of friendship that made the program feel like the answer to every teenage problem—until it wasn’t. We unpack the origins of Meehan’s treatment empire, the business model behind the industry, and how vulnerable families were sold a solution that often created far more harm than healing. Corey’s story is equal parts fascinating, infuriating, and eye-opening—and this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Thursday.

Pick up Corey’s book, Selling Sanity: The Troubled-Teen Industry, the Insane Profits, and the Kids Who Pay the Price, and follow him on his website, coreyjentry.com, Substack @drcoreyjentry, or on LinkedIn.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of psychological manipulation, coercive control, addiction treatment programs, family dysfunction, emotional abuse, and experiences within the troubled teen industry.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.
Check out our amazing sponsors
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources
Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hoyt Richards is back for Part 2 with the escape story nobody knew they needed: love, coercion, a shaved head, and the unlikely guardian angel who turned out to be Fabio. After Frederick's death, the new cult leader still made Hoyt's life hell. When Hoyt fell secretly in love with Donna over four years and dared to question the apocalypse timeline (spoiler: it didn't happen by 1999), he was forced to break up with her, shave his head to prevent modeling, and do slave labor while facing nightly verbal firing squads. He tried to escape three times before finally succeeding—and that's when he discovered who actually had his back.

We talk about Fabio. Yes, that Fabio. How a Renaissance man electrical engineer in a romance novel cover became Hoyt's sanctuary when he showed up at his door a shadow of himself, giving him safety without questions. We discuss his reunion with his brother Rory (ten years of silence, then grace), reconnecting with Donna, and the painful realization that some people from the group are still devoted to Frederick—framing abuse as training.

Hoyt shares his nuanced take on victim-blaming, using Allison Mack from NXIVM as an example of how we focus on the perpetrator she became rather than understanding how she was seduced and manipulated. He explains why the lens should be on the seductor, not the seduced, and his mission to make cult awareness accessible by framing it on the continuum of everyday power dynamics: coaches, bosses, lovers, and family members who make us give our power away. We wrap with Wellspring, creative arts as healing, and the shaman's wisdom about flipping the tortilla.

Follow Hoyt Richards at hoytrichards.com and on Instagram @hoytrichardsofficial, and Bring Me the Beauties on Instagram @bringmethebeauties.

Trigger warning: This episode contains frank discussion of emotional and psychological abuse, physical violence, coercive control, and cult dynamics.

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.

Buy the A Little Bit Culty book on Amazon or order a signed copy.
Check out our amazing sponsors
Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon
Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag
Support the pod and smash this link
Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources
Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred

CREDITS:
Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames
Production Partner: Citizens of Sound
Co-Creator: Jess Tardy
Audio production: Will Retherford
Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore
Writer: Sandra Nomoto
Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane
Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.