Podcast
Pod Candy - Cults, Crimes & Killers
Hosted by Dr. John Mayer · EN
Stacey Flaster and Dori Goldman are two ladies obsessed with cults and true crime. Join them as they take us into the depths of some of the most notorious cults, crimes, and killers that the world has ever known. They consume content and ask deep dark questions that only a certified expert can answer... enter Dr. John Mayer. Dr. John is an internationally known Forensic Psychologist and expert on violent behavior and crime prevention, with 35 years of experience consulting to law enforcement and testifying in hundreds of court cases as an expert witness. He is the "Real Deal" and will help Stacey and Dori get to the bottom of of their curious criminal minds.
15episodes
Episodes
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The Best Of Our Cult Episodes
4d ago01:00:09Tap to summarizeSix cults. One episode. And for the first time ever, we let Dr. John skip the green room and join us right at the top — no donuts, no punchki, no waiting his turn.In this special Best Of, we're revisiting the cult stories you loved most: the Duggars and IBLP in Shiny Happy People, Warren Jeffs and the FLDS in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, spiritual influencer Teal Swan in The Deep End, Harvey Weisberger's journey out of an ultra-Orthodox sect, the tantric nightmare of Twisted Yoga, and the one that started it all — Gwen Shamblin and The Way Down. From weight-loss churches to sex cults to prophets running the show from prison, Stacey and Dori bring the outrage and the laughs while Dr. John Mayer brings the diagnosis — psychological murder, sublimation, grooming, narcissism, and why any of us could get pulled in.Content warning: this episode includes discussion of sexual abuse, child abuse, and other sensitive topics. Please listen with care.New here? This is the perfect place to start. Longtime Candy? Consider it your greatest-hits reel.
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The Alien Beauty Cult
3w ago00:55:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer dive into the bizarre and unsettling story behind Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, the HBO docuseries about Frederick von Mierers and his doomsday cult, Eternal Values.The hosts unpack how charisma, confidence, vulnerability, beauty, fame, and manipulation created the perfect conditions for people to follow a man whose beliefs became increasingly extreme. Dr. John Mayer breaks down the psychology of cult leaders, the power of control, why interventions often fail, and how people can become trapped in belief systems that seem impossible to understand from the outside.Our hosts explore the role of Jackie and Fabio in helping expose and escape the group, the impact of AIDS on von Mierers’ final years, and how Hoyt Richards, one of the first male supermodels of the 1980s, spent nearly 15 years under Von Mieres' control inside Eternal Values.
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The Yogurt Shop Murders
Jun 2300:58:05Tap to summarizeGrab a snack (maybe not frozen yogurt). Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John are back to break down HBO Max's The Yogurt Shop Murders. It's a heavy one, but leave it to these three to find the heart, the outrage, and a few laughs along the way.Underneath the banter is a real conversation about coerced confessions, a justice system that failed almost everyone it touched, and how much compassion we owe the people it chewed up. Dr. John brings the psychology: why exhausted people confess to things they didn't do, what decades of unresolved grief does to a family, and why a horrific upbringing doesn't have to be destiny.Gutting and weirdly comforting all in one podcast. Watch the doc, then come hang with us.Content warning: violent crime, the murder of children, sexual assault, and lasting family trauma. Please take care of yourself as you listen.
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The Murderous Ogre of Gilgo Beach
Jun 901:00:49Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer take on the chilling Gilgo Beach murders and Peacock’s docuseries The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets. The team dives into the disturbing case of Rex Heuermann, the Long Island architect who pleaded guilty to murdering eight women over a span of 17 years.The hosts examine the shocking contrast between Heuermann’s public life as a husband, father, and professional, and the horrifying crimes he committed in secret. They discuss how his family processed the truth, the role of denial and cognitive dissonance, and the painful question of how someone can still love a parent while confronting the fact that they are capable of monstrous acts.Dr. John brings his forensic psychology insight to the discussion, breaking down Heuermann’s compartmentalization, his need for control, the significance of his home environment, and why some serial killers stop, or become sloppy over time. The episode also explores the impact on families left behind, the trauma of law enforcement searches, the role of therapists and mandated reporting, and the larger failures that allowed these women’s disappearances to go unresolved for so long.
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FLDS Sex Cult
May 2601:06:58Tap to summarizeThis week on Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer break down Netflix’s Trust Me: The False Prophet, the disturbing four-part documentary about Samuel Bateman and the splintered FLDS community he manipulated after Warren Jeffs was sent to prison.Bateman claimed to be the new prophet, convinced followers that Warren Jeffs was speaking through him, and used faith, fear, sex, and salvation as weapons of control. The episode dives into how he exploited a community already shaped by isolation, obedience, polygamy, and generational brainwashing, and how women and children became currency in his quest for power.Stacey and Dori unpack the documentary’s most shocking moments, from Christine Marie and Tolga’s hidden recordings to Julia’s incredible courage in helping expose the abuse. Dr. John Mayer joins the conversation to explain coercive control, groupthink, indoctrination, and why people born into systems like the FLDS often cannot see a way out until one small crack of doubt appears.This is an emotional, disturbing, and powerful episode about false prophets, survival, and the women who risked everything to tell the truth. Please listen with care.
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Bob Barker's Beauties Brutalized
May 1201:05:19Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes and Killers, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer pull back the curtain on one of television’s most beloved figures: Bob Barker. For decades, The Price Is Right projected bright lights, big prizes, and wholesome Americana — but behind the scenes, former models and staff described a workplace marked by control, sexism, racism, lawsuits, and unchecked power.Our hosts discuss the disturbing allegations explored in the documentary, including the treatment of the “Barker's Beauties,” the toxic culture backstage, Barker’s public image as America’s friendly game show host, and the darker claims that challenged that carefully protected legacy. Dr. John Mayer adds a psychological lens, examining how fame, narcissism, and a lack of boundaries can create a culture where abuse of power is allowed to thrive.It’s a conversation about nostalgia, betrayal, celebrity image-making, and what happens when the person America trusted on screen may have been very different offstage.
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Urine Drinking Yoga Cult
Apr 2801:03:40Tap to summarizeYou sign up for yoga hoping for clarity, healing, maybe even a little enlightenment. But what happens when that search for peace leads straight into control, coercion, and something much darker?In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John dive into Twisted Yoga, the Apple TV+ documentary about controversial spiritual leader Gregorian Bivolaru and the international yoga movement that former members say became a system of manipulation, sexual exploitation, secrecy, and abuse. The conversation unpacks how “spiritual growth” can be weaponized, why people stay when their instincts are screaming, and how money, fear, isolation, and the promise of transformation can keep people trapped.From tantric “initiations” and surrendered passports to cult-like loyalty, cognitive dissonance, and Dr. John’s take on fear as control, this episode gets into the psychology behind how seemingly empowering communities can become dangerous.
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The Subway Guy - Monster Pedophile
Apr 1401:08:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into the disturbing case of Jared Fogle, the former Subway spokesman whose wholesome public image hid a far darker reality. As they revisit the documentary Jared From Subway: Catching a Monster, they break down how an American success story unraveled into a horrifying criminal case involving child exploitation, undercover recordings, and years of hidden abuse.They also examine the woman who risked everything to help expose him, the larger web of people tied to the case, and the failures that may have allowed the abuse to continue. With insights from Dr. John, the episode explores the psychology behind predatory behavior and the devastating impact these crimes leave behind. It’s a furious, emotional, and deeply unsettling conversation about manipulation, power, and the monsters that can hide in plain sight.*Listener discretion advised.Source Documentary: "Jared From Subway: Catching a Monster" on HBO Max.
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Murder in Glitterball City
Mar 3101:01:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy, we unpack HBO Max’s Murder in Glitter Ball City, a shocking true crime story set in Louisville’s flashy nightlife scene, where sex, drugs, and a brutal murder collide. Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John break down the twisted relationships, the toxic dynamics, and the courtroom chaos behind a case that feels almost too bizarre to be real. Listener discretion is advised for explicit themes, drug use, and violence. Source Documentary: "Murder in Glitterball City" on HBO Max
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The Heinous Hollywood Hustler
Mar 1701:01:52Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer break down Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam & Scam, the jaw-dropping documentary about Zach Horowitz, the aspiring actor who built a Hollywood fantasy so convincing that friends, investors, and insiders handed over millions. What started as promises of exclusive film distribution deals with major studios and streamers unraveled into one of Hollywood’s most shocking Ponzi schemes. As they unpack the layers of deception, Stacey and Dori dig into the power of image, access, and manipulation in an industry where perception can easily outweigh reality. They debate whether the people closest to Horowitz truly had no idea, or whether some ignored the red flags because the lifestyle was just too good to question. Dr. John joins the conversation to explore the psychology behind grifting, sociopathic behavior, enabling, and how charm and confidence can keep even the smartest people hooked.It’s a wild conversation about greed, illusion, loyalty, and the danger of believing the story someone wants you to see.Source Documentary: "Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam & Scam" on Prime Video
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