Let's Talk About Sects

With the recent investigations into ‘The Reformers’, the secretive right-wing Christian sub-faction of the New South Wales Liberal Party, as well as the inquiry into the Redeemer Baptist School – also in New South Wales – Former Tangara School for Girls student Claire Harris and former Redfield College student Tim Pocock spoke with LTAS about their experiences in the brother-and-sister Opus Dei affiliated NSW private schools that they believe need some serious reforms of their own.

Links

Purity: An Education in Opus Dei — Four Corners, ABC, first broadcast 30 January 2023
The Truth Will Set You Free: Growing Up Gay in Opus Dei — by Tim Pocock, Hachette Australia, 2025
Opus: dark money, a secretive cult, and its mission to remake our world — by Gareth Gore, Scribe Publications, 2024
I went to an Opus Dei school. What I was taught was unbelievable — by Claire Harris, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 August 2026
'Men are like dogs': what I was taught about sexual assault at my Catholic private school — by Claire Harris, The Guardian, 6 March 2021
Beyond Purity: The Story Behind the Four Corners Investigation — by Claire Harris, National Secular Lobby, 12 May 2023
Purity, hypnosis and hiding — how a gay teen survived Opus Dei — Conversations with Richard Fidler, ABC Radion National, 1 July 2025
Sydney schools linked to conservative Catholic group Opus Dei investigated over 'broad' curriculum concerns — SBS News, 30 January 2023
Redeemer Baptist School Inquiry — Parliament of New South Wales, 2026
Allegations concerning possible offences under the Electoral Funding Act and other matters (Operation Rosny) — NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Investigation related to 'The Reformers', 2026
An Open Letter to the Principals of Opus Dei Schools in Sydney — by Pared Alumni, Medium, 25 March 2023
Tim Pocock — Tim's IMDB profile
How I Left the Opus Dei — TV miniseries, 2025
The Good Spirit: Behind the Doors of the Opus Dei — TV miniseries, 2026

Credits:
Produced by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould

You can support Let's Talk About Sects here. Sarah will be appearing at the Decult Conference on 25 October 2026, more info about that here. And Joe Gould who you'll know as the composer of this podcast is touring with his band The Crooked Fiddle Band for their 20th anniversary – they count Brian Eno amongst their fans. More info about that here.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Victorian Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee has published their final reports from the Parliamentary Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups, which commenced in April 2025. There are two parts, Volume 1: ‘Crossing the line’ and Volume 2: ‘In their words’. They set out 39 Recommendations which the Victorian Government now has six months to respond to. In this interview episode, lead author of the Beyond Belief submission and advocate Patrick McIvor shares his insights into the landmark report which includes a recommendation of criminalising group-based coercive control, and what the next steps will be.

Links

Reports from the Inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups — Parliament of Victoria
Patrick McIvor — Patrick's website
Beyond Belief — Inquiry submission, 31 July 2025 (plus Sarah's submission here, 29 July 2025)
SOCCHG — Survivors of Coercive Cults and High Control Groups
Stop Religious Coercion Australia — website, Facebook group, TikTok and Instagram
Australian Cult Survivors Network — Facebook group

Credits:
Produced by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould

You can support Let's Talk About Sects here. Sarah will be appearing at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney on Saturday 22 August, chairing Anke Richter's session which also features Laura McConnell, more info about that here. And Joe Gould who you'll know as the composer of this podcast is touring with his band The Crooked Fiddle Band for their 20th anniversary – they count Brian Eno amongst their fans. More info about that here.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a sleepy Canberra suburb, Bek Condello was raised in a strict patriarchal Pentecostal movement. The influence of the Geelong Revival Centre extended deeply into the lives of the congregation, promoting discipline and dictating how girls and women behaved, who they socialised with and who they would marry. After finding her way out and discovering her own identity, Bek has written a memoir, out on 14 July, called Can You Handle a Girl Like Me. Through her story she hopes she can inspire others to rebuild and thrive after deep loss.

Links

Can You Handle a Girl Like Me — by Bek Condello, Penguin, 2026
Secrets We Keep: Pray Harder — Richard Baker's podcast about the Geelong Revival Centre

Credits:
Produced by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould

You can support Let's Talk About Sects here. Sarah will be appearing at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney on Saturday 22 August, chairing Anke Richter's session which also features Laura McConnell, more info about that here. And Joe Gould who you'll know as the composer of this podcast is touring with his band The Crooked Fiddle Band for their 20th anniversary – they count Brian Eno amongst their fans. More info about that here.

If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carol Merchasin is the newly appointed President of the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). Drawing on decades of experience in law, investigations, and survivor advocacy, Carol has led inquiries into allegations of misconduct within prominent spiritual and religious organisations and has worked extensively with survivors of coercive control and abuse. Through her legal practice, public education efforts, and leadership at ICSA, she has become a leading voice on cultic abuse, human trafficking, labour exploitation, and the protection of vulnerable individuals within high-control environments.

In this interview episode, we chatted about the role of ICSA, where Carol sees the organisation going next, what's upcoming at the 2026 ICSA Conference in July, and some of the trends and shifts the organisation is seeing with coercive groups, holding them to account, and the media landscape.

Links

International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) — official website
ICSA Conference 2026 — 1-4 July, San Diego USA

Credits:
Produced by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould

You can support Let's Talk About Sects here. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via internationalculticstudies.org). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hoyt Richards spent over two decades in Eternal Values, after first meeting the man who called himself Frederick von Mierers on a beach at the age of 16. Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, out now on HBO Max with episodes releasing weekly, explores Hoyts’ journey alongside other actors and models of the era, and Hoyt has spent the years since his exit dedicated to educating people about the red flags to watch out for so that they don’t ever have to go through the experience that he did.

When Hoyt finally left Eternal Values, at the age of 37 and years after Freddie himself had died, it wasn’t because he had realised it was a cult; he had hit rock bottom, felt like he wasn’t up to the group’s work and was letting everyone down. Until he reconnected with fellow former member, actor and filmmaker Dar Dixon, and they started examining their experiences more deeply together, he really didn’t know exactly what had happened to him – even though cult accusations had been brought against the group for years.

Links
Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult — HBO Max
Hoyt Richards — official website, including Hoyt's cult education work
East Side Alien — by Marie Brenner, Vanity Fair, March 1990
Hoyt Richards IMDB profile

Credits:
Produced by Sarah Steel
Music by Joe Gould

You can support Let's Talk About Sects here. If you have been personally affected by involvement in a cult, or would like to support those who have been, you can find support with or donate to Cult Information and Family Support if you’re in Australia (via www.cifs.org.au), and you can find resources outside of Australia with the International Cultic Studies Association (via www.icsahome.com). If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support right now, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 in Australia, or find your local crisis centre via the International Association for Suicide Prevention website at www.iasp.info. Find Sarah's audiobook Do As I Say here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.