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The Red Weather | E3 | Tree Time

Pod Meets World

Sat Mar 14 2026

Summary

Pod Meets World: The Red Weather | E3 | Tree Time

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Date: March 14, 2026
Episode Title: The Red Weather | E3 | Tree Time
Summary by [YourName]

Episode Overview

This episode delves deeply into the history and mysteries surrounding Tender Hearts—a controversial commune on the edges of Ryder Strong's childhood and at the center of a possible crime. Ryder investigates the disappearance of Anna Trainor in 1995, unraveling the realities and myths about the commune's founder, Elric Light, the organization's origins, allegations of cult activity, drugs, and what actually happened to Anna. The episode weaves personal memoir, investigative journalism, archival tape, and contemporary commentary to clarify what Tender Hearts was—and what it was not.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Elric Light and the Tender Hearts Commune

Origins: Tender Hearts wasn't simply a cult or commune, but evolved from a women's shelter (Bevillian House) in San Francisco, where Elric (Eric Litsky) worked ([25:52]).
- "It grew out of a women’s shelter, really." – Howard Tripp ([25:59])
Leadership & Reputation:
- Elric is heard through archive tapes, shifting from philosophical ramblings ("Let it fall. Let it fall. And be free." [05:38]) to self-reflection:
  "I've done bad things. I know I've done bad things. Just like you. Just like all of you." – Elric Light ([06:04])
- Outsiders in Sonoma County saw Tender Hearts as a cult, especially as rumors of polygamy grew, but "none of that ... was actually true. Those are all lies." – Ryder Strong ([21:08])

2. Investigation into Anna Trainor's Disappearance

Law Enforcement's Focus: Initially, suspicion centered on Anna's boyfriend, Mick, but shifted to Tender Hearts and Elric Light.
Elric's Alibi: Despite the commune’s claim that all adults were away at a sunrise séance when Anna vanished, this soon fell apart.
Transcripts & Police Attitudes:
- Police transcripts reveal investigative bias, especially a homophobic outburst by Sheriff Maldonado ("What do you know? The swami turns out to be a faggot." – RM [47:17])
- Tender Hearts’ secrecy and unconventional lifestyle amplified community suspicion.

3. Alternative Lifestyles in Sonoma County

Local communes and “intentional communities” were not unusual, but Tender Hearts' secrecy, unconventional “skin bombing” protests (naked demonstrations to discourage outsiders [10:58]), and factionalism bred rumors.
- "If there was a confrontation ... the women of Tender Hearts like to enact what they called a skin bombing. They’d go out naked." – Ryder Strong ([10:58])
Sociological Context: Howard Tripp, author and historian, provides context into intentional communities and how Tender Hearts didn’t quite fit traditional definitions of communes, cults, or faith-based sects ([13:46-15:19]).

4. Tree Time & Elric's Philosophy

"Tree Time":
- Elric's teachings include the concept of "tree time," aligning human life with the scale of redwoods (sequoia sempervirens), stretching a human lifespan across thousands of years ([19:00+]).
  - “In tree time, seasons last three days. All of American history would happen before you were 8 years old.” – Elric Light ([19:43])
- His philosophy borrows from Krishnamurti, Castaneda, and New Age spirituality, but avoids authoritative cult-leader trappings:
  "So, no, I am not your guru. I am not anyone’s savior." – Elric Light ([16:50])

5. Money, Drugs, and Survival

Funding the Commune: Tender Hearts, like many northern California communities in the '90s, funded themselves through marijuana cultivation ([31:39-32:18]).
- "Almost half of the communities are funded by weed, hence the cannabis that was in the barn the night Anna disappeared." – Howard Tripp ([31:39])
- CAMP (Campaign Against Marijuana Planting) made such operations risky and further complicated the group's legal standing.

6. Gender, Sexuality, and Secrecy

Elric Light's Sexuality: The investigation unearthed Elric’s closeted sexuality—he maintained a romantic relationship with a man in the East Bay, which became law enforcement’s focus rather than substantive evidence ([42:54]).
- "A pioneering feminist commune led by a gay man who didn’t come out of the closet. So the Tender Hearts were complicit in letting the world think they were something they weren’t." – Ryder Strong ([43:47])
Myth vs. Reality: The group let rumors of cultish and sexual activity persist as a deterrent, especially against men and outsiders ([30:02]).

7. Personal Reflections and Larger Themes

Revisiting Memories: Ryder’s understanding of his childhood neighbors shifts as he learns about the real origins and intentions of Tender Hearts.
- "This new understanding ... was more radical and ahead of its time than any of Elric’s professed insights." – Ryder Strong ([28:10])
Community and Utopia: The hosts and contributors consider whether communes or modern co-living arrangements could work now, reflecting on both the allure and challenges of intentional communities ([44:43]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the stigma of communes:
- "From the outside it looked like your classic guru cult situation." – Ryder Strong ([21:08])
On community origins:
- "It was like an outdoor version of a women’s shelter." – Ryder Strong ([27:43])
On investigative bias:
- "The swami turns out to be a faggot." – RM/Sheriff Maldonado ([47:17])
On philosophical rambling:
- "My ankles burst under the weight of ill consumed mother fucking damn it." – Elric Light ([17:02])
On time and age:
- "A child would be born, grow to be 12 in the span of a summer vacation." – Elric Light ([19:43])
Reflections on secrets:
- "The Tender Hearts were complicit in letting the world think they were something they weren't ... but they were also deceived from within." – Ryder Strong ([43:47])
On the modern commune ideal:
- "Co-working space for parties and whatever else … seems pretty idyllic.” – Orion ([45:35])

Timestamps for Key Segments

[03:34] – Elric Light’s tapes: opening meditations, philosophy, and confusion.
[06:04] – Elric’s confessionals and emotional ramblings.
[13:46] – Ant historian Howard Tripp contextualizes local counterculture.
[15:31] – Discovery of Elric’s newsletters, tapes, and commune ephemera.
[19:00] – Introduction and explanation of “tree time.”
[25:52] – The real origins of Tender Hearts as a women’s shelter.
[31:39] – Commune funding, marijuana, and run-ins with law enforcement.
[32:25] – CAMP raids, 1980s-90s drug enforcement in Northern California.
[38:09] – Sheriff’s transcripts: procedural bias, missing interviews.
[42:54] – Revelation of Elric’s sexuality and law enforcement focus.
[47:17] – Maldonado’s prejudice exposed in the transcripts.

Conclusion

This episode unpacks the tangled realities behind a supposed cult in 1990s Northern California, shedding light on how secrecy, rumor, gender, and survival shaped the fate of Tender Hearts and its community. Ryder Strong's narration and interviews skillfully walk the line between personal reckoning, sociological analysis, and a gripping cold case, offering listeners much more than just true crime—it's a meditation on memory, myth, and the meaning of home.

For listeners interested in communal living, New Age philosophies, or the complexities underlying true crime cases, this episode is deeply informative and moving, blending archival audio and present-day interviews for a uniquely layered podcast experience.

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Transcript

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Ryder Strong (9:43)

Except for Elric. Oh, so you knew this too? Yeah, almost immediately. Monica Tremblain was reporting for the press Democrat in 1995. It was only a few days after Anna was missing that the seance story, it fell apart. A few of the women came forward. So where was he? And what did that mean for the investigation? And who were Tender Hearts in the first place? When I started interviewing friends, I quickly realized I knew very little about their alternative living situations. Orion's commune had failed almost immediately. The community kind of got a little more contentious and a little more distance and kind of factioned off. You know, my mom describes it kind of just like, you know, not really lasting. There are a lot of strong personalities out there, you know, people who want to get away from it all, I think, have some strong reasons sometimes. And I didn't realize that my friend Cole's parents actually met when his dad was handing out pamphlets for a cult in San Francisco. I don't think it lasted. It didn't last in its like, hey, let's build a spaceship form much into the 80s. It was called Stell, and they had a charismatic leader that was quite questionable, but the plan was to build a spaceship to. To escape the end of the world in 2004. Obviously it came and gone, but I'm pretty sure it kind of folded up when it realized that rocket building was hard. I'm just assuming. I'm just assuming that, like, a bunch of people out in Kornfields. Just real limitation about building a rocket. The Tenderhearts weren't that unusual for the area, but of course, once Anna disappeared, there were a lot of questions about them. A big part of the problem was they were just secretive. They didn't want to talk to the cops. I mean, they didn't trust anybody, but they really didn't trust authority figures. They had been targeted before by Maldonado, specifically. Yeah, yeah, we had them up on a few violations. They had a problem with one of their neighbors. Had to do with a truck or something. There was some argument over noise, and they took the tires off a neighbor's tractor. That escalated to some incidents. With animals. Dead llamas. Oh, that's right. I remember them. Yeah. Well, some of those llamas would get out and then they'd get sick at some point. There were accusations about poisoning. Well, I just remember, look, you got to understand, I. I get out there and I'm just, I'm there to calm the situation, you know, cool it down a little bit. But you got a group of women, very, very angry women, and they're, they're topless. Some of them were even butt naked. If there was a confrontation or if someone walked onto the property, the women of tender hearts like to enact what they called a skin bombing. They'd go out naked. I kind of love that. It was a very specific non violent tactic. It throws you off, you know, put you on guard. I'm not talking about it in a good way. One thing about growing up in west county, if there was ever a gathering of some sort, there was always at least one person naked. A lot of confusing messages. A lot of it was like, you know, people are swimming or, you know, like you had a pool and people, you know, we were in the hot tub or the pool or whatever. My parents, friends were definitely hippies and of the casually nude variety when there was, was any call for it. It was part of the culture, a general belief in who needs clothes, be natural. It wasn't threatening or anything, but still as casual as I think the adults wanted it to be. When you're a kid, you could never not notice it. If Willow and I went to that, like, main area, the kind of deck that wasn't finished with the boards laid out on the ground, there might be someone naked because they had an outdoor shed that was right there. That's why I always felt like it was a little weird. But I didn't feel like I could say it was weird, you know, because if you did, you would be lame. But beyond the skin bombing and fights with neighbors, I wanted to know what they were all about. I found a historian who specializes in intentional communities, which I learned is the newer, preferred term for a commune.

Ryder Strong (38:09)

Chris. Yeah? They're here. I got an email from Sheriff Lachlan with a PDF attachment. They had a watermark across every page. R. Strong. And they were a total mess. The names were hard to figure out because everyone was designated by their initials. Oh, okay, so RM Seems like he's the one in charge. That's. That's Maldonado. I had two main guys working with me. It would have been Carrillo. He headed up anything with grow operations or substances. He was kind of like our vice squad. And then I think I put Orin. Yeah, I put Bob Orin as my other lead. She sent me like, there's a couple interviews with a few different people. Look, this one is actually your neighbors. Then. Dude, this is me. This is a transcript of me getting interviewed. No. Yes. Look, it's quote. No. We were at Connor's house. And Willow was with you? Yes. And you didn't hear anything? Not until the news. Connor's mom made us pancakes. And she told you about the fire? Yeah. Oh, my God. She put my interviews in here. Who did? Lachlan, the sheriff. She sent me my own transcripts. But why? I don't know just what to say. You lied. We have a record of you lying. Oh, this chick has it out for you. She also didn't include any of the interviews with Mick Bowden. It was only me and Elric. Oh, it looks like there's four different ones here. Oh, here. The ceremony. Does that involve the kids? And he goes, no, they press him. Why not? Something you don't want them to see? And Elric says, absolutely not. Okay, now we got. We got three women, three of your women, Your women, by the way, on the record, and they say you weren't there at all. You let off the Blessing the Wind song or whatever it's called, and they didn't see you until Wednesday. At some points, Elric got defensive. There is nothing wrong with taking a hike to see a sunrise, is there? And Maldonado says, that depends. And Elric goes, how? There is nothing. Do you go to church? The other cop is like, I have no problem with the hike. And Elric, he's not letting it go. You go to a church and pray. You go into a building, we go outside. That's the difference. That's the only difference. I mean, it's a good point. It's a great point. This dialogue definitely could use a punch up, though. It's not dialogue. Wait, we should do this as a reading. Yes. We printed out two copies. Yes. All right. I'm the cops. Both of them, of course. You don't have to anymore. I'm gonna pick up the slack. Brainwashing ladies is one thing. Why are you doing a New York action? Brainwashing the ladies is one thing, but the kids, you get their checks, food stamps. Elric says I don't steal from kids. We had a ranch, Bob. When was that? A few years. 11 kids. 11 kids, and none of them was in school. All of the Tender Hearts kids go to school. No electricity checks come in every month. And these kids are put out to the field. It was. It was their balls come to life. These poor bastards coming in from the fields. What are they talking about? I have no idea. Okay, they're talking about this, like, some situation where they arrested other people with a bunch of kids. It seems like they were trying to catch Elric admitting that Tender Hearts was making money off welfare. Then they start fishing about drugs.