Was I in a Cult?

In 2007, at 19-years-old, Hella had a boss who molested her at work, and no one to turn to. Then one day, walking through her university square in Amsterdam, she met a group of people full of conviction. Passionate about the injustices in the world. And passionate about doing something about it.
They were a far-left political group. A Trotskyist splinter organization called the International Socialists (aka Internationale Socialisten). They knew who was to blame (the capitalists). And they knew what it would take to fix it...
...a goddamn revolution.
14 years later, after giving them her money, her twenties, and her autonomy… after the tragic death of a fellow female comrade… Hella woke up to something she couldn't unsee: 
The exact thing she'd been fighting against was running rampant inside the group that claimed to be against it.
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FIND HELLA
You can find Hella on Facebook (Hella Baan). She said if you'd like to send her an email, go for it! ISculty@proton.me
HELLA'S WRITINGS DURING HER TIME IN THE GROUP

Hella's article archive at socialisme.nu (in Dutch) — the articles she published as a comrade, a rare window into her voice from inside the organization
REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini 
The Guardian's 2013 coverage of the SWP / Comrade Delta case -- Shiv Malik and Nick Cohen's reporting on the Martin Smith rape allegations and the party's internal cover-up
Monty Python's "Splitters!" scene -- the People's Front of Judea vs. the Judean People's Front
Monty Python's "meeting" scene -- where the People's Front of Judea proves you can have all the feminist rhetoric in the world and still be an all-boys club
IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER
 "The SWP Crisis: Some Reflections" -- a widely-cited insider account of the 2013 crisis at the SWP, written as it was happening
"Apology Not Accepted" -- a 2024 follow-up from ex-members proving the pattern Hella describes is alive and well today
The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism by Aidan Beatty -- the definitive account of the abuse and authoritarianism inside one of the most infamous British Trotskyist groups, and the lineage Hella's organization descends from
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Join our Patreon!
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HAVE A CULTY STORY?
Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

Hoyt Richards, a "Was I in a Cult?" legend, is back.
After our original three-part series, Hoyt returns to talk about Bring Me The Beauties, the new HBO documentary about his life inside, and eventual escape from, the cult known as Eternal Values.
It's a conversation about what happens after your story is out there for all the world to see. What the doc captured, what still haunts him, and how love, family, and hard-won accountability helped bring him back to himself.
And just when you thought Hoyt's story had reached its final frame, it may not be done with the screen just yet…
Today, Hoyt is an actor, writer, and producer, who works to support cult survivors and families affected by high-control groups.
FIND HOYT:
Website (speaking, blog & cult-recovery resources): https://www.hoytrichards.com
Instagram: @hoytrichardsofficial
Watch his new HBO docuseries
"Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" — directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, Bad Vegan, American Movie), streaming now on HBO Max.
___________________________________
FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)
 
HAVE A CULTY STORY?
Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

A dear friend of the show, Hoyt Richards, who we had on the show back in 2023, has a new HBO docuseries "Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" featuring his story. We caught up with Hoyt to discuss everything. But before we air that, we're going to re-releasing our original three-parter we did on his incredible story. 
Before the footage, before the headlines, before the world could see the jawline for themselves, Hoyt shared his story with us. 
Listen here, watch the doc, and come back next week for our brand-new interview with Hoyt about what it's like to have a hit documentary about your very personal life out there for the world to see.  
THIS IS PART 2 ... 


The now quasi-famous group takes it to the next level. They get a name, a book, a show, a hit song, and a distant star doomsday getaway. Hoyt, meanwhile, becomes his own star, modeling for millions but returning home to sleep on the floor. All is going well (or so they think) until the group puts a well-known phrase to the test. Is there really no such thing as bad press?

 
FIND HOYT:
Website (speaking, blog & cult-recovery resources): https://www.hoytrichards.com
Instagram: @hoytrichardsofficial
Watch his new HBO docuseries
"Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" — directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, Bad Vegan, American Movie), streaming now on HBO Max.
___________________________________

FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult

SUPPORT THE SHOW
Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)
 
HAVE A CULTY STORY?

Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

A dear friend of the show, Hoyt Richards, who we had on the show back in 2023, has a new HBO docuseries "Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" featuring his story. We caught up with Hoyt to discuss everything. But before we air that, we're going to re-releasing our original three-parter we did on his incredible story. 
Before the footage, before the headlines, before the world could see the jawline for themselves, Hoyt shared his story with us. 
Listen here, watch the doc, and come back next week for our brand-new interview with Hoyt about what it's like to have a hit documentary about your very personal life out there for the world to see.  
THIS IS PART 1 ... 

It was 1978, and the effortlessly handsome Hoyt Richards was a 16-year-old football talent summering in Nantucket. Chasing girls and free beer was about all on this young boy's mind. So when he meets a man on the beach who was rumored to throw great parties, Hoyt thinks nothing of it. Little did Hoyt know & he had just come face-to-face with a budding cult leader that would take his life in a direction he never could've dreamed. 
 
FIND HOYT:
Website (speaking, blog & cult-recovery resources): https://www.hoytrichards.com
Instagram: @hoytrichardsofficial
Watch his new HBO docuseries
"Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" — directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, Bad Vegan, American Movie), streaming now on HBO Max.
___________________________________

FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult

SUPPORT THE SHOW
Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)
 
HAVE A CULTY STORY?

Email us → info@wasiinacult.com

A dear friend of the show, Hoyt Richards, who we had on the show back in 2023, has a new HBO docuseries "Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" featuring his story. We caught up with Hoyt to discuss everything. But before we air that, we're going to re-releasing our original three-parter we did on his incredible story. 
Before the footage, before the headlines, before the world could see the jawline for themselves, Hoyt shared his story with us. 
Listen here, watch the doc, and come back next week for our brand-new interview with Hoyt about what it's like to have a hit documentary about your very personal life out there for the world to see.  
 
THIS IS PART 3 ... 

 

 
The final part of Hoyt Richards' incredible journey into and out of a UFO doomsday cult. The damning Vanity Fair article throws Hoyt's family into chaos as they attempt to intervene. And right when you think he might finally be getting out, his fellow brothers go to extreme lengths to keep their financial backer from leaving. And it works. Until it finally doesn't. Thank you again, Hoyt. He is a brave and inspirational human, and we loved having him on the show.

 
FIND HOYT:
Website (speaking, blog & cult-recovery resources): https://www.hoytrichards.com
Instagram: @hoytrichardsofficial
Watch his new HBO docuseries
"Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" — directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, Bad Vegan, American Movie), streaming now on HBO Max.
___________________________________

FOLLOW US  → For more culty content — follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacult


SUPPORT THE SHOW

Join our Patreon! Get ad-free episodes, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes conversations. (And our forever gratitude)


HAVE A CULTY STORY?

Email us → info@wasiinacult.com