Two more weeks, Wellington folks - see you there!

Die Autorin bin ich, und dies ist eine Gratwanderung, da es auch um ISTA geht. Ein heikles und fuer mich zutiefst persoenliches Thema, das die die taz sensibel und ohne Sensationslust umgesetzt hat. Am 4. Juli rede ich darueber in Berlin.

Big stuff for me in Germany's newspaper taz: my deeply personal account of diving into the world of sex cults - with an exclusive piece of news about ISTA. A rape victim reported one of their teachers in Israel to the police. Watch this space. taz.de/Missbrauch-in-…

"How Not To Start a Cult", our sold-out workshop in Christchurch last night, was a deep-dive into red flags and abusive power dynamics in groups. Cult proofing yourself is as important as understanding consent and trauma. It's the next frontier for creating safer spaces.

First time that I've been interviewed by a professional cult counselor (and in three parts). Pod host Jennifer French in Los Angeles does incredible work for cult justice and recovery. Sisters in arms! projecthopepodcast.libsyn.com/s2-ep17-anke-r…

Last winter, I escaped to the legendary Esalen Institute in Big Sur - once the launching pad for psychonauts, the human potential movement, and Bert Potter. Thanks for putting the story up, @NorthSouthNZ ! northandsouth.co.nz/2023/06/13/exp…

Aotearoa finally his its first cult podcast - with a power house of three female presenters who will tackle all the hot topics in the cultiverse with their expertise and some hard questions. Massive shout out and congrats! open.spotify.com/episode/4Ykxjz…...

What Rammstein has in common with Mama Hooch in Christchurch and how an Auckland poet reacted to it: all in my latest column for taz taz.de/Die-Wahrheit/!…

Had a bit of fun with comedian Jonathan Falconer a while ago, geeking out (without drugs) on... you guessed it... cults! If you can catch his live show in person, don't miss. That's where we first met. youtube.com/watch?v=28bNkw…

Berliners! Come here me talk on a panel at the taz newspaper tomorrow about cultic dynamics and sexual abuse in the new-age scene. Free event (in German) but you need a ticket. taz.de/Sexueller-Miss…

...then we take Berlin! Went on my first German panel about cults and consent at taz - taz-Talk. Goosebump moments when a group of survivors from the Otto Muehl commune (the Austrian equivalent to Centrepoint) approached me afterwards. It's a universal topic.

Live from Berlin: You can now watch our recorded taz-Talk panel about cults, consent and abuse in the spiritual scene. Heavy topic, but we rocked it, Ondra Veltruský 🇺🇦❤️! Enable subtitles under the video if you don't speak German. It's a global topic. youtube.com/watch?v=j14yz7…

What a cool surprise that WORD Christchurch used the cover art from "Cult Trip" for our session on 26 Aug. Stoked to be in this line-up with such good writers, on an important topic, in my own city, at my favourite book festival. wordchristchurch.co.nz/programme/coer…

Out today: Susie Ferguson's excellent audio doco series on misinformation in Aotearoa and its impact on democracy. I have a stint in the second episode. Tune in! rnz.co.nz/programmes/und…

"It goes way beyond your usual activism. This is like a religious fervor." Hear me talk about Liz Gunn, Sue Grey and other key figures of NZ conspirituality on RNZ's Undercurrent (video in the link). I'm still not quite sure how to pronounce "martyr". ;-) rnz.co.nz/programmes/und…

That was fun: Another culty conversation in German - on a podcast with a name that translates as "Many roads lead to OM". Thanks for having me!

Out today: My feature in The Listener about the mental health crisis of New Zealanders coming out of groups like Sri Chinmoy and their need for specialised support. Big gratitude and shout-out for all the courageous interviewees who shared their deeply moving stories.

Just learned that our session at WORD is one of the fastest selling ones of the festival - and that there'll be security guards. This is the sad reality for brave activists like Byron C Clark 🍠, author of "Fear", who have been targeted by far-right disinformation spreaders.

Cult leaders/abusers: Need a defense lawyer who's good at misogynistic cross-examination and victim blaming but missed the class about coercive control and grooming? Marcus Zintl is your man. NZ judiciary: Go get professional training in cult awareness. thepress.co.nz/a/nz-news/3500…

Before you head to the ballot box, listen to the bonus episode of "Undercurrent" about conspiracy candidates in ACT, NZ First and National Party - and Winston Peters' complete 180. Big shout-out to FACT Aotearoa - Fight Against Conspiracy Theories for helping to bring these issues to light. rnz.co.nz/programmes/und…