Delve into the coercive world of cults with writer, filmmaker and award-winning podcaster Sarah Steel. Together with guests who have been involved with...

Sects, Lies and Cults

Location:

The Great Hall, Level 5, Tower Building
2007 NSW
Australia

Venue:
Vivid Ideas Exchange - UTS, The Great Hall
Sects, Lies and Cults
Sects, Lies and Cults

Featuring

Sarah Steel

Sarah Steel

Sarah started Let's Talk About Sects from her bedroom, and the podcast has since been downloaded over 3 million times, won an Australian Podcast Award for Best Independent True Crime, and was an Honoree at the international Webby Awards. Sarah's work has been featured on ABC Radio National and ABC News online, and she is currently writing her debut non-fiction book about cults, charisma, coercive control and our communities for Pan Macmillan.

https://www.ltaspod.com/ 

Laura McConnell Conti

Laura McConnell Conti

Laura left a rural sect with no name, sometimes called The Truth or the Two by Twos, when she was 19 years old. She rebuilt her life, spent 15 years working in finance, then co-founded the social enterprise #GoKindly. Laura is now based in Melbourne and is a feminist activist and storyteller, passionate about supporting women from non-mainstream backgrounds (like her own) to study, work, and have successful careers.

https://www.gokindly.com.au/

Laura Sullivan

Laura Sullivan

Laura grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, in a highly controlling and little-known Australian "church" called Outreach International. Since leaving the sect, she moved to Sydney's inner west, continued her work in television production, and has turned her note-finding passion into the art project Found By Laura with multiple exhibitions and a coffee table book.

https://www.foundbylaura.com/

Claire Ashman

Claire Ashman

Claire grew up in a very strict religious movement before being married as a teenager and following her husband into the Nowra compound of The Order of St Charbel. After challenging the authority of leader William Kamm, she was evicted with her 8 children in tow. Claire was determined that her children would not suffer as she did, being home-schooled and ignorant about the world and its ways. She has since published her memoir, Lessons from a Cult Survivor.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Lessons-Cult-Survivor-Claire-Ashman-ebook/dp/B07G7276P5

Access and Inclusion

  • Auslan Interpreted - Auslan interpreted events are for audiences who are Deaf and use Australian Sign Language (Auslan) as their primary means of communication. Experienced Auslan theatre interpreters stand to the side of the stage and translate what the speakers are saying or Auslan signing the text and dialogue live. Audiences requiring this service are seated in the section closest to the interpreter to ensure good sightlines.
  • Companion Card Acceptance - The Companion Card is for people with a significant permanent disability, who always need a companion to provide attendant care type support in order to participate at most available community venues and activities.
  • Hearing Loop - A hearing loop (sometimes called an audio induction loop) is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids. The hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to 'T' (Telecoil) setting. Many venues have an induction hearing loop system. Check if your venue has this system.
  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.

Event Details

Delve into the coercive world of cults with writer, filmmaker and award-winning podcaster Sarah Steel. Together with guests who have been involved with cults, Sarah unveils the seductive power of their charismatic leaders and asks whether you might be more susceptible to cult-like thinking than you realise.

Sarah’s podcast Let’s Talk About Sects provides an important outlet for those who have been involved in cults. She has interviewed ex-members of David Koresh's Branch Davidians, Anne Hamilton Byrne's The Family and many others. After sharing her insights, Sarah is joined by a panel of courageous women who have direct experience in cultic groups. Find out what their lives were like and what it took to liberate themselves from entrapment.

Laura Sullivan spent her first 32 years in an Australian/Canadian cult that you couldn't even google until very recently. Laura feels that Outreach International stole her youth and she has fought hard to regain control of her life and womanhood since leaving.

Claire Ashman was raised in one strict religion only to enter William Kamm's infamous doomsday sect The Order of St Charbel after getting married as a teenager. Claire was eventually evicted with her eight children, not even knowing how to open a bank account.

Laura McConnell Conti left The Truth as a 19-year-old in 1999. She found herself alone, knowing little about the world outside her community, and is now passionate about raising awareness of the lives of women inside Fundamentalist Christianity.

Take a closer look at what keeps followers enthralled and discover how this is mirrored in other examples of coercive control – from one-on-one domestic abuse relationships to totalitarian regimes. Ultimately, what can we learn from cult dynamics that can help communities make better decisions and improve society as a whole?

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Access and Inclusion

  • Auslan Interpreted - Auslan interpreted events are for audiences who are Deaf and use Australian Sign Language (Auslan) as their primary means of communication. Experienced Auslan theatre interpreters stand to the side of the stage and translate what the speakers are saying or Auslan signing the text and dialogue live. Audiences requiring this service are seated in the section closest to the interpreter to ensure good sightlines.
  • Companion Card Acceptance - The Companion Card is for people with a significant permanent disability, who always need a companion to provide attendant care type support in order to participate at most available community venues and activities.
  • Hearing Loop - A hearing loop (sometimes called an audio induction loop) is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids. The hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid when it is set to 'T' (Telecoil) setting. Many venues have an induction hearing loop system. Check if your venue has this system.
  • Wheelchair Accessible - Access to the venue is suitable for wheelchairs (toilets, ramps/lifts etc.) and designated wheelchair spaces are available.

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