Uncover- Escaping NXIVM

Podcast For a while all I knew about this group was that the girls from Smallville were in it. Allison Mack is now awaiting sentencing Kristin Kreuk wasn't in it very long so probably wasn't very involved in the underground stuff. But this story is about Sarah Edmondson and how she got out of what she calls a cult. We find out how she started and why this organization appeals to actors and similar. NXIVM was all about making your own path or role; actors have to find the jobs, the movies, even the fame but all of that is dependant on some luck and timing. So when they hear that they don't have to sit around and wait they jump at the opportunity and trust me, once they start feeling better about themselves and more in control they want to keep feeling that and getting better. That is how cult, religion and causes get followers and it's kind of worked forever. In Utah where I live we have a lot of Multi-level Marketing organizations and that is how Keith Raniere ran NXIVM at first. I've seen first hand how these things seem perfect but they only work for people annoying or desperate enough to force it. So that is what Sarah did. She found something that made her feel confident, in control and even successful and she ran with it. She recruited others to help them succeed. And then one day she reached the next level and that is when everything changed. It's also a story of friendship though. See early in to her days of NXIVM she met her best friend who was also her maid of honor. She also met her husband in the program but this is about her friend. Lauren did everything with and for Sarah and then after years of friendship she convinced her to join a smaller more inner circle inside the group which seemed to Sarah the next step. However it had a lot more rules and a lot more requirements. Sarah got branded once she joined DOS that was the final straw that made Sarah see the light. I'm going to let you hear how she got out, because she got really lucky. And it's a good story. I also really appreciate this podcast because it's mostly told from her perspective. It's really good. Plus Canada does great podcasting so now I follow the whole series.