13 - Sarah Edmondson - Escaping the Cult
Sarah Edmondson
Today on the balanced girl is Actress Sarah Edmondson who was a member of the NXIVM cult, she came forward in a New York Times interview that helped bring the group down and facilitate legal action against its founder, Keith Raniere, who was convicted of sex trafficking of children, and conspiracy to commit forced labor who was sentenced to 120 years in prison.
-Listen to the podcast episode-
Sarah is now the focus of HBO's new documentary series, The Vow, which follows her life and the lives of several others once affiliated with NXIVM.
Edmondson wrote a book, Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult That Bound My Life, that was released in September 2019
She's since returned to acting and has a new movie coming out on Hallmark this September.
-Key Points-
Introducing Sarah and her story
Sarah shares a deeply emotional experience of breaking free from what seemed to be a place of comfort
There is terror, love, brainwashing - ‘A little culty’ is the name of Sarah’s Podcast
Remember this can happen to anyone!
Sarah started ‘I got out’ movement
Branding cult members is more common than you think
How does it make you feel when you are a property of someone else
Healing is a journey Sarah is working on helping victims overcome trauma and live their life
Sarah Edmondson
“When you are layered in toxic indoctrination and are fully focused it can take only 3 days for you to start changing your believes”