iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

A few snaps from yesterday’s Anti-Slavery Forum Workshop at NSW Parliament House, exploring where cult experiences are falling through modern slavery framework gaps. I was honoured to be invited to moderate a survivor panel with thanks to the NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner and his office.

Mirriam Francis, NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner James Cockayne and Sarah Steel at NSW Parliament House

Clare Heath-McIvor, Sarah Steel and Brendan McDonnell at NSW Parliament House snapping a quick selfie prior to the cults and modern slavery workshop

Carli McConkey and Sarah Steel standing out the front of NSW Parliament House following the workshop

021

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Taipei too, right in the middle of the Ximending Walking District

A purple stall advertising Shen Yun – staffed by two people handing out flyers and manning a desk behind a screen playing footage of dancers

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Sad but not surprised to catch some Shen Yun advertising on my Taiwan trip – this billboard for “The world’s top performance from New York” with “performances in seven major cities” (according to my translate app) displayed at Sun Moon Lake.

An image of billboard advertising for Shen Yun performances in Taiwan, my translate app has this as “Shen Yun Evening Party 2026, The world’s top performance from New York, 12/30-2/8 performances in seven major cities in Taiwan”

100

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

I know we all know that private schools get too much taxpayer funding in Australia already, but they’re actually taking out billboard ads to congratulate year 12 on their results these days?

A billboard ad at Summer Hill train station congratulating PLC Sydney’s class of 2025 for their year 12 results

020

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Have been taking a little break. It’s been very good for my brain, I think. Here’s me in the Valbonë Valley of northern Albania.

Sarah standing on a rock with some majestic, also rocky, mountains behind her, in the Valbonë Valley

030

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 14/09/2025

(Co-)won an award, stoked! This generous recognition from a survivor-led organisation means a lot. It’s no easy thing to talk about these kinds of experiences, and victim-survivors of cults feeling respected through this work matters a great deal to me. thefreedomtrainproject.org/meet-the-202...

141

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Slight imposter syndrome over at the Marrickville Library (spotted by a friend)

A copy of Sarah Steel’s book ‘Do As I Say’ on a library shelf right by Deepak Chopra and a copy of the Holy Bible itself (also Dawkins but let’s not mention that)

130

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Popped into the ABC this eve to chat with Dave Marchese on Triple J’s Hack about cults recruiting at universities www.abc.net.au/triplej/prog...

Sarah Steel, a brunette with a fringe and brown eyes, in front of a Triple J sign before a radio interview

041

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Liz Cameron’s excellent book is in stores across Australia now (and on audiobook internationally), get yourself a copy if you can!

A picture of Cult Bride by Liz Cameron on a bookstore shelf

211

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

New LTAS ep out now: the wonderful Liz Cameron on her time with South Korean cult Providence/JMS and her memoir that's in all good bookstores (and online if you're not in Australia) now, 'Cult Bride'. www.ltaspod.com/cult-bride

A picture of a brunette young woman with blue eyes and pearl earrings next to a quote: " Whether we are in or outside of the church, doesn't mean we're against you. We want your groups to be safer. We don't want the same thing that happened to us to happen to other people." – Liz Cameron, Author, Cult Bride & former member, Providence/JMS – Interview episode out now – Let's Talk About Sects

001

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Had a chat with the wonderful Ryan & Catherine Carey about the work they've been doing with other cult survivors which has led to the current Victorian Inquiry. Hope you'll take a listen, their advocacy is fantastic. Inquiry info here: www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved...

A picture of a white woman and man, both with glasses, holding a sheet that says "Personal Accounts: Stop Religious Coercion" next to a quote: "We wanted to put the fire out and then clean up the mess instead of just trying to clean up the mess while the fire kept going." – Catherine & Ryan Carey, Former members, Geelong Revival Centre, Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into Cults: Interview Episode Out Now, Let's Talk About Sects

021

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Jaya was at the very first Shen Yun performance and headed up global marketing for the Epoch Times during his time as a Falun Gong practitioner. He has a deep understanding of the organisation, and he speaks out about his experiences in the hopes that his story could help support others who leave.

A picture of a bearded man with glasses and a baseball cap, next to a quote: "I want to help others leave the group, and I want them to get professional help before they go through what I’ve gone through. Because I left the cult in 2012, and I’m only just dealing with it now." – Jaya Mangalam Gibson, Former practitioner, Falun Gong / Falun Dafa – episode out now – Let's Talk About Sects

010

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

New LTAS episode out now: Falun Gong, with insights from former Head of Global Marketing for the Epoch Times Jaya Mangalam Gibson.

A picture of a bearded man wearing glasses and a baseball cap next to a quote: "Yes, organ harvesting is real. Falun Gong is a cult. Yes, it’s being persecuted by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party]. All of those things are true... It’s a nuanced situation." – Jaya Mangalam Gibson, Former practitioner, Falun Gong / Falun Dafa – episode out now, Let's Talk About Sects

012

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

I did it. I stopped scrolling for a few days and went on some nice hikes.

A picturesque view of a coastline, trees in the foreground, lush green hills above a beach, blue ocean and a blue sky with some scattered white clouds

020

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

Here's what the Anderson Report said back in 1965, for the State of Victoria by Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C.: "Scientology is a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception. While making an appeal to the public as a worthy system whereby...

A picture of a young woman with blonde-brown hair and red lips, wearing tortoiseshell glasses, next to a quote:
"As early as 1965, we had the Anderson Report... and the report is so extensive and so damning in regards to the harms of Scientology, of Hubbard's practices. Reading it, it just makes your hair stand on end."
- Mirriam Francis, Former Scientologist, Interview Episode out now, Let's Talk About Sects

121

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Maria Esguerra's words moved me to tears more than once during this interview (and then again in the edit), and I can't thank her enough for the ways in which she shares her story to illustrate what children and SGAs are dealing with when it comes to growing up in a cultic organisation.

A picture of a white woman with blonde hair down to her shoulders, the sun glinting off it. She wears a white shirt, gold earrings and a gold necklace. Next to her is a quote: " I was 12 years old and I'm down the streets going, “We've been accused, we're not abused!” We were told to chant that, after the raids. So I suppose they look at us and think, ‘Oh, well, the kids want to be there. They're not abused.’ But they don't realise that we didn't know what abuse was." – Maria Esguerra, Psychologist born into the Children of God / Interview episode out now / Let's Talk About Sects

030

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

There it is! My book in “the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI”. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

A search of The Atlantic’s LibGen database tool showing ‘Do As I Say’ by Sarah Steel showing up in the results

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Recruiting drive is on in Melbourne, but at least a little less underhanded than my Sydney mail? They didn’t seem to be getting a lot of takers in the Arts precinct.

A flyer when headshots of lots of smiling, diverse faces and the words “I’m a Scientologist.” and “Curious?” above a QR code

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Dani came across the Hare Krishnas in Christchurch as a teenager. As the only child of a single mother, she understands the appeal of the affordable food that was on offer at the temple. Part 1 of our ISKCON episode is out now, part 2 available to Patreon supporters already and on the feed next Wed.

Quote from former Christchurch ISKCON / Hare Krishna devotee Dani Morningstar: "When we had our big earthquake here and everything kind of fell down, the Hare Krishnas put out there that that happened because the deity of Prabhupada in the Christchurch temple was being looked after by former morphine addicts. It was really weird. And so these people were being blamed for an earthquake, for a natural disaster, because they had formerly been drug addicts."

040

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

There are extra complications in seeking justice when the institution an abuser works for has no official name or registered organisation. My thanks to Abbi and Mike Prussack for sharing their work shining a light on some big problems within the Two by Twos. Interview out now on the LTAS feed.

A graphic of a quote from LTAS interviewee Abbi Prussack, former member of the Two by Twos AKA The Truth: " Imagine that you are a survivor of abuse by a person who, in the time that they have been abusing people, has never had an address. And all documentation of where they have existed has been intentionally destroyed. And the people who might hold that documentation are the people who also don't want anybody to know that that person was abusive."

021

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

I had a good think about whether I should do a Christmas Day (AEDT) pod release. But it being part 2 of an episode about the Jesus Christians? I guess it had to be done.

021

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Ross was with the Jesus Christians from their very early days. He was cut off without even a 'goodbye' after 30 years of knowing founder Dave Mckay. Part 1 of this 2-parter is up on the LTAS feed now, and part 2 will be out in a week – or you can access it immediately if you're a Patreon supporter.

White text on a black background that says:
"His argument was that any small group like ours has enemies, and you have to be careful what you say to them. And you have to be dishonest to them at times if necessary. So the enemies of the group need to be deceived. You have to be careful what you say to the media or whoever out there, and deceiving them is part of the strategy you would use." – Ross, Former Jesus Christian, member for 30 years

020

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

I recently moderated a session at the very first Decult conference in NZ entitled 'A new media narrative: Survivor-focussed cult reporting'. The audio of the session is now on the Let's Talk About Sects feed, and a package of recordings from the conference is available at www.decult.net/tickets

030

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

It's been a while since my last deep-dive LTAS episode. The Revival Fellowship is an Australian Pentecostal sect that teaches Bible Numerics, British Israelism, and that salvation can only be secured through speaking in tongues and baptism by full body immersion. On the podcast feed now.

A quote next to the silhouette of a woman: "I just had this fear of people just disappearing. And that happened to me my whole upbringing. Like, you would have relationships with people, and then you wouldn't." – 'Alex', Former member, Revival Fellowship

012

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 16/10/2024

DECULT 2024 (19-20 Oct, at which I am moderating a panel on media representations) has sold out – but anyone can attend the first NZ cult conference online. Organiser and “Cult Trip” author Anke Richter is offering a 15% discount with code DECULT. Check out the programme at decult.net/programme/

110

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 10/10/2024

Moved to a new place. Letterbox was chockers with culty literature.

Leaflets from Scientology, Falun Gong, and evangelical comics

141

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 22/08/2024

Dr Caroline Ansley has personal experience with NZ's notorious Centrepoint cult. As Senior Clinical Editor of Canterbury and West Coast Community HealthPathways, she is uniquely positioned to help health practitioners navigate the complexities around healthcare for current and former cult members.

A picture of a brunette woman with shoulder-length hair and a nose piercing, next to the quote: "It devastates me to think about second-generation adults struggling to deal with complex health needs that may have been entirely preventable because of this appalling neglect of their health." – Dr Caroline Ansley, Centrepoint Restoration Project and HealthPathways – Interview episode out now – Let's Talk About Sects

010

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 21/08/2024

Sharing a warning from a listener who has also been approached repeatedly – Kenja seems to be focusing on recruitment again. Younger backpackers may be a particular target.

A FB post that reads: A
Warning to young Females in particular.
Whilst sitting at Maroubra beach by myself (headphones in) I was approached by an older couple Lesley and Andrew (I think that was his name) late 50s/early 60s.
They appeared friendly enough making basic conversation, asked where I was from, if I was visiting, what I do for work. Wearing a cap and sunglasses may have given an impression of a much younger age and backpacker vibes.
Andrew led the conversation to talk about a story of a guy Ken, who was in the army served in World War 2, came back to Australia and started working with the community to help with spiritual healing and lifestyle... still considered it to be a friendly enough chat until...
I was invite to an event in Surry Hills 26th August where a lady Jan talks about all these inspirational guidances etc. They offered to help get me a ticket if I was interested.
I politely declined but asked the ladies name (Jan Dyer) and they accepted my decline and eventua

001

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 18/01/2024

LTAS’s first ever live episode is out now! Recorded at Woodford Folk Festival on 1 Jan, what a start to the year. It’s all about The Twelve Tribes, who used to build a massive cafe at the festival each year. All the research links mentioned on the day are also available here: www.ltaspod.com/45

001

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 31/12/2023

Will be signing books tomorrow at the Woodford Folk Festival merch store, 5pm! After I record a live podcast episode about the Twelve Tribes, who used to build a cafe here every year. No sightings of their green drink in the shop this time (it was there last festival).

010

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 12/12/2023

Yaakov and Shula grew up in the Chassidic sect of Chabad. Today, both are involved with the @tzedekcollectiv and attend Sydney’s pro-Palestine rallies every Sunday in Hyde Park calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Hear some of their stories in this bonus episode. www.ltaspod.com/bonus-chabad

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 14/11/2023

Rachel Bernstein has over 30 years’ experience in cult intervention and re-acclimation, and her methods are quite different to what some think ‘intervention’ involves. More effective ways of speaking with those enmeshed in cults include respect and an openness to listening and learning.

A picture of a woman with auburn hair, a white scarf and a green top next to the quote: “Their cult has probably prepared them for someone swooping in and wanting to take control and taking them away, and that’s not at all what I want to do. I really want there to be this sense that I am interested and I am curious – and I am.” – Rachel Bernstein, IndoctriNation podcast host & therapist, Let’s Talk About Sects interview episode out now

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 24/10/2023

I pitched a live LTAS episode about the Twelve Tribes to Woodford Folk Festival and I’m pleased to say they’re letting me do it! TT used to have a huge stall at Woodford every year, so this should be interesting. woodfordfolkfestival.com/programme/ar...

000

Sarah Steel @letstalkaboutsects.bsky.social · 14/10/2023

The October LTAS ep is a big 2-parter about a Columbus, Ohio church once known as Xenos, now known as Dwell. Big thanks to Jessica McNulty and Desiree Gaylord who shared their stories as well as a huge amount of material for the research. Part 1 on the 18th, part 2 on the 25th, both on Patreon now.

Graphic with the words: Four days to new episode! October 18, 2023, Xenos/Dwell

010