Survivor stories of claiming independence after leaving high-control groups & people.
Cults to Consciousness is a YouTube channel and podcast, hosted by Shelise Ann Sola (a former devout Mormon & CSA survivor) and her Producer husband, Jonathan Rosales.
C2C delves into the nuanced experiences of individuals who have escaped a broad spectrum of high-control groups and coercive environments. They are not anti-religious but firmly anti-abuse, aiming to shed light on manipulative practices and systems, while promoting compassion, understanding, and accountability. C2C has attracted a kind and engaged community who thoughtfully support their guests. Follow to join them on their advocacy mission.
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Shalom’s childhood and education were dominated by intense religious indoctrination. He attended a strict ultra-Orthodox school 365 days a year, where boys studied religious texts from early morning until late at night, with little secular education and frequent physical punishment from teachers. The rigid environment, lack of emotional support, and strict moral expectations led to anxiety, obsessive religious guilt, and deep internal conflict, particularly around sexuality and personal identity. The community’s teachings pushed him toward early marriage as a supposed solution to normal sexual urges and loneliness. He then became a Rabbi and eventually left it all behind. We discuss all the ways rigid patriarchy harms the men too and the consequences of strict gender roles void of choice.
**Disclaimer: This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**
The Dark side of My ULTRA ORTHODOX Childhood in Jerusalem
Episode 371
Monday, April 13, 2026 • Duration 01:22:33
Shalom Shore grew up in a strict ultra-Orthodox Jewish environment in Jerusalem connected to the organization Aish HaTorah, dedicated to its mission of bringing secular Jews back to strict religious observance. As the oldest of nine children, Shalom grew up in a household that appeared ideal, but was marked by emotional neglect, financial stress, and a constant focus on religious outreach.
Shalom’s childhood and education were dominated by intense religious indoctrination. He attended a strict ultra-Orthodox school 365 days a year, where boys studied religious texts from early morning until late at night, with little secular education and frequent physical punishment from teachers. The rigid environment, lack of emotional support, and strict moral expectations led to anxiety, obsessive religious guilt, and deep internal conflict, particularly around sexuality and personal identity. The community’s teachings pushed him toward early marriage as a supposed solution to normal sexual urges and loneliness. He then became a Rabbi and eventually left it all behind.
Confronting My Polygamous Cult at a Funeral (ft. Amanda Rae Grant)
Episode 362
Monday, March 23, 2026 • Duration 52:49
Escaping a cult and finding peace on the outside is one thing, but what happens when you feel obligated or even required to go back into the same environment that harmed you for so long? Amanda Rae was born and raised in The Order, a polygamous offshoot of Mormonism known for its incestuous marriages. Barely an adult, she escaped and made it her mission to expose the Order while helping other members find their way out. However, a death in the family led her back into the belly of the beast, where she had been shunned and cut off, forced to face the people and places that left physical and emotional scars.
Click here to watch on YouTube
Find Amanda:
YouTube: @TheAmandaRaeGrant
IG: @amandaraegrant
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Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast.
**Disclaimer: This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**
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The Dark Side of Jehovah’s Witnesses: My Husband Refused to Let Me DIE Despite Blood Doctrine
Episode 272
Thursday, August 28, 2025 • Duration 01:21:17
As a 4th generation Jehovah’s Witness, Alissa Watson followed the path laid out before her and married young at a month past 19. Against the recommendation of the doomsday cult, she had chiIdren. During the birth of her first chiId, a pool of lost blood scared her husband into looking into the doctrine of blood transfusions being a punishable sin. Unwilling to lose the life of his wife or baby during the next delivery, he confessed to his wife that he would not be following the blood doctrine if it came down to it. Alissa agreed, but had no idea it had sent her husband down a slow and secret path of deconstruction, until she confronted him about his absence in the church. Research of rampant CSA coverups, a wishy-washy governing body leader under oath and more left her shocked. Their exit out of the religion was messy and hurtful, leaving behind their entire family who refused to even look at them due to the strict practice of shunning.
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How THIS Jehovah’s Witnesses Leader Aligned with Hitler in WWII ft. Owen Morgan Telltale
Episode 271
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 • Duration 01:15:26
During WWII the horrific extermination of religious and ethnic groups forced people to denounce their faith and hail Hitler for their own survival. Owen Morgan, former JW and successful YouTuber @OwenMorganTelltale dove into the rabbit hole to extensively research the position and stories of the JW people at the time. He explains how Joseph Franklin Rutherford, the second leader of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, made an attempt to align with the Nazi regime to maintain freedom of worship. However, he took things a step further, actively harming the witnesses and taking the religion in a cultic direction.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses Stole My Family (ft. Stop the Shunning)
Episode 270
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 • Duration 01:01:00
Bethany was raised in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, only to realize she had been part of a cult for thirty years. The psychological pressure cooker exploded in her 20s with quickly deteriorating mental health. The faux perfectionism drove her into an eating disorder as a means to gain any form of control over her life. When she could no longer pretend anymore, questioning authority and pursuing her personal freedom cost her, her devout family. She now has a YouTube channel where she discusses the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ harmful policies.
Today we are going LIVE with Bethany to further dive into how the Jehovah’s Witnesses completely ruined her relationship with her parents.
The best way to reach her is via email: bethanylegerwriter@gmail.com
How Jehovah’s Witnesses Psychologically Tortured Me for 30 Years
Episode 269
Tuesday, August 26, 2025 • Duration 01:25:58
Bethany Leger was raised in the Jehovah’s Witnesses, only to realize she had been part of a cult for thirty years. The psychological pressure cooker exploded in her 20s with quickly deteriorating mental health. The faux perfectionism drove her into an eating d*sorder as a means to gain any form of control over her life. When she could no longer pretend anymore, questioning authority and pursuing her personal freedom cost her, her devout family. She now has a YouTube channel where she discusses the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ h*rmful policies.
Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast.
Confronting Our Mormon Polygamous Cult Compound 25 Years Later
Episode 268
Monday, August 25, 2025 • Duration 01:03:31
Melanie and Cory grew up in the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) at the Montana compound. They wouldn’t meet, however, until long after leaving the cult and all their family behind. Almost a polygamous wife, Melanie had a horrible arranged marriage at a young age and did whatever it took to get out and become free. Now, we look at what happens when a funeral brings them both back to the compound to face estranged family members as apostates. How did their families react to them now that they have a YouTube channel exposing the AUB? Tune in to find out!
My Father is the Polygamist Prophet of the AUB Mormon Sect
Episode 267
Thursday, August 21, 2025 • Duration 01:33:10
One of the polygamous offshoots of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) where the famous Kody Brown and Sister Wives come from. Melanie grew up in this group with 4 mothers and 34 and counting siblings. Her Father was an apostle when she was growing up, but would go on to become the prophet. A position that is said to commune directly with God and Jesus themselves. The highest calling on Earth. Melanie and her siblings were shocked when such an ab*sive man would be given such a sacred calling. Melanie, destined to become a plural wife herself, would have to put up with her spouse courting a 16 year old girl while she was pregnant! She lived a life full of grief and pain and void of real romantic love, until she gained the courage to escape and leave her entire family and community behind.
Why I Fell For America’s Most VioIent Hate Movement at 16
Episode 266
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 • Duration 01:02:20
Shannon Foley Martinez was a vict*m of CSA at age 14. Never quite able to meet her parent's expectations, Martinez sought out other angry teens. By 16 she was a sk*nhead spouting white supremac*st rhetoric, giving stiff-armed N*zi salutes and tagging public property with swast*kas. Fortified by the love of an adopted family, Martinez left the sk*nheads behind, and today is committed to devoting the rest of her life to helping dismantle the culture of white suprem*cy, as well as helping others find their way to the other side of a life of hate.
**Disclaimer: This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter Marks
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:27 What it was like growing up as a Jehovah's Witness (pressures & disfellowshipping)
00:11:07 Why Alissa wanted to be homeschooled
00:13:16 Alissa meets her husband at 17 and doubles down on the religion
00:16:14 Dating as a Jehovah's Witness
00:18:33 The pressures of being a teenage girl having to get married
00:23:52 Alissa gets engaged, sins and thinks Satan is attacking her relationship
00:26:51 Jehovah's Witnesses discourage having chiIdren
00:30:43 The "no blood" rule causing a scare during birth
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter marks:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:09 Owen's motivation for researching the N*zi's treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses during World War II
00:04:26 Owen's reasons for leaving the church
00:06:36 German Christian national*sm and H*tler's connection to the Jehovah's Witnesses
00:10:53 Rutherford's letter to H*tler
00:12:10 JW's support of N*zism vs the well known rule of no politics
00:15:44 Frank's story as a JW in N*zi Germany
00:21:24 Paul Balzereit's story
00:23:40 How JW's were forced into signing the declaration to H*tler
00:25:35 How Rutherford came into leadership and the changes he brought
00:31:51 Why Rutherford released the statement and the resiliency of JW members
00:37:44 Corruption in leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses vs Mormonism
00:41:15 Rac*sm in the Jehovah's Witness religion and Mormonism
00:44:46 Different schisms of Jehovah's Witnesses and their similarities with the main group
00:48:17 Word of wisdom hot drinks vs caffeine debate in Mormonism
00:51:44 How and why trivial religious rules and how they can dictate people's entire lives
00:57:21 Other recent changes to the religion
01:00:05 Financial holdings and corruption in the JW religion
01:07:17 Guilt and being a good person as a Jehovah's Witness
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter Marks:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:25 Defining the Jehovah's Witness religion as a cult-like group
00:06:02 What Bethany's family was like growing up
00:11:08 Core beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses
00:15:23 Bethany's gut feelings about the church and the obligation to fulfill duties
00:23:20 CW: ED Developing h*rmful behaviors and realizing how being a JW makes Bethany really feel
00:25:21 CW: ED Bethany's experience in high school that led her to evaluate the Jehovah's Witnesses
00:38:45 What Bethany's mom did to keep her in the religion
00:41:16 Bethany's parents' conflicting values and where that confusion ultimately led her
00:46:26 How self policing kept Bethany as a Jehovah's Witness after high school
00:49:30 The tension in Bethany reaches a breaking point CW: su*cid*l ideation
00:51:54 The last time Bethany stepped foot in a Kingdom Hall
00:58:29 The moment that changed Bethany's perspective forever
01:02:02 CW: SA Jehovah's Witness SA cases in Australia
01:03:12 CW: SA The two witness rule and how it allows rampant ab*se to fester for years
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter Marks
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:36 Why Melanie Started Sharing Her Story; Her ChiIdhood
00:08:07 Melanie’s Father Had a Favorite Wife and How it Impacted Her as a ChiId
00:16:40 Specifics about the AUB and Melanie’s First Marriage
00:22:42 Melanie’s First Husband, and How Her Mother Taught Her Not to See Race
00:25:39 CW: CSA, SA, Beginning of Melanie’s First Marriage & How She Avoided Getting Pregnant
00:30:55 CW: Mentions of Self-H*rm, Melanie Shares How Marriage was as a Teenager in the AUB and How It Impacted Her
00:38:15 What it Was Like Dating Her First Husband and a Potential Plural Wife
00:46:28 CW: CA, Melanie’s Faith Crisis After Her Father Became an Apostle & Her First Time Leaving the AUB
00:52:35 Returning to the AUB for A Time After Her Son was Born
00:56:03 Getting Divorced and Meeting Her 2nd Husband
01:05:47 Melanie’s Deconstruction & Her Father Becoming Prophet of the AUB
01:11:04 Shocking Information about Her Best Friend
01:18:15 Melanie’s Life Now and the Progress She's Made
01:27:06 Final Thoughts and What Brings Melanie Joy
**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**
Chapter Marks
00:03:27 Shannon's chiIdhood and vulnerabilities that led her to joining a Neo N*zi group
00:12:06 How sports helped Shannon
00:15:34 How moving during a vulnerable developmental age effected Shannon
00:24:39 What high school was like for Shannon
00:28:35 A night that changed Shannon's life at 14
00:30:42 CW: r*pe How Shannon's traum*tic experience at a party led to h*rmful behaviors
00:35:34 Shannon's mom blamed her for be v*ctimized
00:43:32 How Shannon's undirected anger led her to the wrong crowd
00:49:16 How rac*sm come into play for Shannon
00:55:15 What a woman's role in the movement looks like
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