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.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
FLDS Sex Cult
2w ago01:06:58Tap 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
4w ago01:05:19Tap 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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The Devil Inside Andrea Yates
Mar 301:02:08Tap to summarizeIn this deeply unsettling episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer unpack HBO Max’s The Cult Behind The Killer: The Andrea Yates Story—and the disturbing web of severe mental illness, postpartum psychosis, religious extremism, and coercive influence surrounding one of the most devastating crimes in modern American history. Rather than reducing the Andrea Yates case to a headline, the conversation digs into the warning signs, the role of Michael Woroniecki’s radical teachings, and the broader systems that failed Andrea and her children. Listen as we examine how cult-like ideology, fear-based religious messaging, and untreated psychological crisis can collide with horrifying consequences. They also explore the unsettling parallels raised in the documentary, including the normalization of child abuse, the emotional fallout for survivors like Moses Storm, and the lingering questions about accountability that still remain today. This is one of Pod Candy’s heaviest episodes—thoughtful, emotional, and unflinching in its search for context beneath this horrific crime.
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The Best Of Our Episodes About Killers
Feb 1701:06:00Tap to summarizeIn this very, very cool Pod Candy bonus episode we're giving you a best-of “killers” mashup featuring highlights from past episodes, stitched together into one dark, bingeable ride. In this compilation, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer revisit four infamous cases—pulling the most jaw-dropping moments, sharpest psychological insights, and most heated “wait…WHAT?!” reactions.
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Corey Feldman vs Angels and His Demons
Feb 301:01:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into Corey Feldman Versus the World—a YouTube documentary filmed around 2016 that tracks Corey Feldman during a turbulent stretch of touring, isolation, and relentless public scrutiny. What starts as “wait…what am I watching?” quickly turns into something darker: the documentary’s “angels” era—young women recruited into Feldman’s orbit—raises unsettling questions about control, power, and cult-like dynamics, including reports of strict rules and basic-needs restrictions while on the road. Joining them, Dr. John zooms out from the spectacle and into the psychology—connecting paranoia, “dark media” conspiracies, and the “love and light” self-mythology to a broader pattern of delusion and grievance. Stacey and Doris’ minds are blown when Dr. John drops his most provocative comparison: parallels to Charles Manson—the entourage structure, the messiah framing, and the obsession with being recognized as a “real” artist. Find out what happens when childhood fame, unresolved trauma, and the need to control the narrative collide… and who gets hurt along the way.Content warning: This episode discusses childhood trauma, abuse and mental health struggles.Source Documentary: "Cory Feldman vs The World" on Youtube TV
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Evil Influencer with Deadly Connextions
Jan 2001:05:39Tap to summarizeIn this chilling episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori unpack Netflix’s documentary “Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story” a real-world case of charisma turned coercion, where a Utah therapist-turned–“life coach” allegedly leveraged religion, fear, and authority to control families and justify horrific abuse. The trio digs into how Hildebrandt built an “empire” through her “Connextions” program—pushing rigid “truth vs. distortion” rhetoric, encouraging no-contact separations, and draining families financially—while allegedly isolating partners and turning spouses against each other. They also explore the explosive crossover with YouTube mom Ruby Franke, and the harrowing details that emerged after one of Franke’s children escaped for help, exposing evidence of extreme neglect and torture. Joining them, Dr. John Mayer adds clinical insight into the psychology of manipulation—why vulnerable communities can fall into moral panic, how “authority” becomes a weapon, and why it’s crucial to verify a therapist’s credentials. Especially when someone rebrands as a “coach” to dodge accountability. The conversation is equal parts furious, heartbroken, and laser-focused on the bigger takeaway: when “family values” become a shield for control, the harm can be devastating.Source Documentary: "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hilderbrandt Story" on Netflix
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