CultNEWS101 Articles: 10/10/2025

[Patrick Ryan]

Cult Education Tour, Troubled Teen Industry, Kingdom of Kubala in Jedburgh

Folio: The Psychology of Cults

"Most of what we think we know about cults comes straight from Netflix binges and Hollywood thrillers, and it’s easy to take that at face value without ever digging into the reality. The truth is, cult psychology runs a lot deeper — and a lot stranger — than the stereotypes. Some of the sharpest, most capable people end up getting pulled in. And a cult doesn’t always look like robed figures on a mountaintop screaming about the end of days. Sometimes it’s subtler. Sometimes it’s in your school, your office or even your neighbor’s backyard.

 

For Ashlen Hilliard, growing up in Utah, where culture, religion and history collide, is what sparked an early fascination with belief and influence. That curiosity eventually pulled her back after college, where she took on the tough job of helping people leave Mormon Fundamentalist polygamous communities across the West. The work was intense, sometimes dangerous, but it forged her into a fierce advocate for survivors.

 

In 2022, Hilliard launched People Leave Cults, a resource hub for survivors and the loved ones trying to help them. As one of the few Cult Intervention Specialists in the country, she works with a team of experts to design personalized strategies for families dealing with everything from cults and gangs to trafficking, domestic violence and violent extremism.

 

Her path here is backed by serious credentials. Hilliard earned her MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control, and her published research, “Understanding Reproductive Coercion in Cults and Destructive Group Settings,” broke ground as the first exploratory study of its kind. Before founding People Leave Cults, she also served as director of events for the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), where she organized workshops, conferences and support programs for people affected by cults and psychological manipulation.

 

And now, she is bringing her studies to the stage for a live show where she takes audiences deep inside the world of cults — how they start, why people get pulled in and what it really takes to break free. From notorious groups like Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, and NXIVM to lesser-known but just as dangerous organizations, she unpacks the psychology, the manipulation and the subtle tactics cults use to keep control.

 

We had the opportunity to sit down with Hilliard before her show at the Florida Theatre on Oct. 8 to get an exclusive look at what to expect during her show.

Carmen: What inspired you to turn your work into a live show?

 

Hilliard: Oh, I love that question. Thank you for asking that. I, you know, I’ve been working with cult survivors now for seven years, and next year will be my eighth year working with survivors of high-control and cultic groups. And what I have found is that one of the most important aspects of prevention that can help keep people from falling into these systems is education. And it’s something that I do with people who’ve left cults who are like, “I can’t believe I got into this thing, and I want to better understand what happened to me.” And I think similarly, people want to know how to protect themselves. We have really great documentaries that are out about cults and survivor stories, and how all this can look. But I think there’s still a large percentage of people who think this could never happen to them. And I really wanted to show people how this can, in fact, happen to anyone. People aren’t immune, and I want to equip them with tools and knowledge and understanding about the psychology of cults, so that people can better protect themselves and also learn how to help survivors who’ve been in groups.

 

Carmen: I am so invested [in your work], it has always been a huge interest of mine. You mentioned you’ve worked closely with survivors. So what do you think is the most misunderstood aspect of cult involvement?

 

Hilliard:  I think people can see a group on TV or see what leads someone into a cult, and I think, unfortunately, there’s this misconception of, like, only stupid people end up in these groups, that they were just gullible. But cults actually recruit the best and the brightest among us, because if you think about it, not everyone can hang with the demands of being in a high-control system. The amount it takes out of you. And intelligent people are really good at playing with ideas. You know, we all have a set of understanding fundamental assumptions about how the world works, and some people never really want to go beyond their fundamental assumptions to deviate from that. But people who are really intelligent like to sort of play with ideas and sort of think about what a new religious group has to offer the world. And so I think it’s important for people to realize you are not dumb or stupid if you end up in a cult. They recruit the best and the brightest."

People: Is Wayward a True Story? Inside the Real-Life Cults and Troubled Teen Institutes That Inspired the Netflix Thriller

• Wayward quickly rose to the Netflix Top 10 after being released on Sept. 25
• The eight-part Netflix thriller explores a troubled teen institute known as Tall Pines Academy
• Creator and star Mae Martin has spoken about the real-life inspiration behind the thriller

Sky News: Mother calls for 'brainwashed' daughter living with 'cult' in Scottish wood to be deported back to Texas

"A Texas woman has told Sky News an African "cult" brainwashed, lured and coerced her daughter to move 4,000 miles away to a Scottish forest by preying on her vulnerabilities.

Aspiring lawyer Kaura Taylor, 21, was reported missing from Dallas in May 2025.

Her family then spotted an online image of her living as a "handmaiden" in the so-called Kingdom of Kubala in Jedburgh, Scotland.

Sky News can reveal Scottish authorities are assessing a report involving welfare and safety concerns.

Speaking exclusively in her first on-camera interview from Texas, Kaura's mother, Melba Whitehead, pleaded for authorities to urgently deport her daughter to the US so they can be reunited.

In a separate development, Councillor Scott Hamilton, deputy leader of the local authority, said police, sheriff officers and other agencies went to the camp on Thursday morning and evicted the trio.

He told Sky News: "So, this group obviously arrived in Jedburgh a number of months ago. They set up camp here.

"They were originally on Scottish Borders Council land, and they set up camp and claimed they were a Kingdom of Kubala. And this, quite frankly, was ludicrous.

"It broke laws. It broke the rules. And as landowners we took action, as well as private landowners, to ensure this outcome today."

The group, dressed head to toe in traditional African attire, is run by Kofi Offeh - who refers to himself as "The King" - and his partner Jean Gasho, who goes by "The Queen"."

News, Education, Intervention, Recovery

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