Well, this is a first for us. Today, we’re covering the Zion Society, which was a cult run by a landscaper, Arvin Shreeve. Based out of Ogden, Utah, Shreeve and his followers had some of the most manicured lawns in the neighborhood. But, behind lush green lawns hid sinister secrets. This polygamist sect had about 100 members at its peak, hiding in plain sight in a quiet suburban cul-de-sac. Former lieutenant Mike King was the one to discover them. With a tip from one of the former followers, Mike helped put Shreeve and many of his followers behind bars for life.

Mike King is the creator and host of Profiling Evil, a YouTube channel and podcast that covers breaking true crime stories, as well as the author of “Deceived: An Investigative Memoir of the Zion Society Cult.” We spoke to him this summer in front of a live audience at CrimeCon. Now, we’re sharing it on our main feed. In this episode, we dive deep into the practices of the Zion Society and Mike’s investigation that ultimately brought the cult down.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Emma Diehl and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

If you haven’t seen the Netflix series “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult,” it’s worth a watch. It follows Robert Shinn and his Los Angeles-based church, Shekinah, which has engaged some heavy-hitting social media stars to make a ton of money for his church. The families of those social media stars — who have been cut off from their loved ones by Shinn — think that Shekinah is a cult. And, well, we agree that it sure does seem a little culty. This week, we talked with Andrea Marks — a journalist who has covered both Robert Shinn and his church for Rolling Stone, and who spoke on camera in “Dancing for the Devil.”

Andrea Marks is a freelance journalist who has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and many other outlets, where she covers crime and subculture. In this episode, we get into the lawsuits surrounding Shinn, the allegations of abuse, and how a social media-focused cult can thrive in the age of constant connection. Plus, Andrea touches on her time reporting on NXIVM.

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Emma Diehl and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin

Usually what happens behind the Patreon, stays behind the Patreon. But, not today!

In this preview behind the paywall, we’re featuring one of our favorite people, who just so happens to be a newly-minted New York Times bestselling author! Tia Levings released her memoir ‘A Well-Trained Wife’ in August, and the book became an instant bestseller. The deeply personal memoir details Tia’s experience in and eventual escape from Christian Fundamentalism.

If this sounds familiar, you may have heard Tia when she appeared on the pod for a two-part interview (listen to Part 1 & Part 2 here).

Tia joined Sarah and Nippy over on the ALBC Patreon for a special live Q&A session about her book, the rise of tradwife culture, and all the details that didn’t make it into the book. Listen in for a sneak behind the scenes, and grab a copy of ‘A Well-Trained Wife’ today.

Keep up with all things Tia here:

Twitter

Website

Also… let it be known that:

The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad.

Check out our lovely sponsors

Join ‘A Little Bit Culty’ on Patreon

Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag

Support the pod and smash this link

Cult awareness and recovery resources

Watch Sarah’s TEDTalk

CREDITS:

Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames

Production Partner: Amphibian.Media

Writer & Co-Creator: Jess Tardy

Associate producers: Emma Diehl and Matt Stroud of Amphibian.Media

Audio production: Red Caiman Studios

Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin