Something Was Wrong – S24 Ep23: “Your Money or Your Child’s Life”

Release Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Tiffany Reese, Broken Cycle Media
Guests: Max (survivor) and Max’s dad

Episode Overview

This powerful episode of Something Was Wrong dives into the world of the “troubled teen industry,” with survivor Max and their father recounting Max’s journey through two notorious institutions: Sage Walk Wilderness School and Mount Bachelor Academy. Through candid recollections and critical discussion, the episode exposes the manipulation, trauma, and systemic failures embedded in these programs, while exploring the family dynamics and desperate decision-making that often precede such placements.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Examination of the “troubled teen industry” and its exploitative practices
• Personal narratives of trauma, survival, and family impact
• Institutional manipulation and the business of behavioral rehab programs
• The lingering effects of forced wilderness therapy and boarding schools on youth

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background: The Troubled Teen Industry (02:49 – 06:31)

• The troubled teen industry includes wilderness therapy and therapeutic boarding schools marketed to desperate parents.
• Sage Walk Wilderness School and Mount Bachelor Academy both had histories of documented abuse and ultimately closed following investigations, lawsuits, and declining enrollment.
  • Notable Quote:
    “One complaint said this case involves institutionalized physical and psychological child abuse.” – Tiffany Reese (05:48)

2. Max’s Childhood and Family Dynamics (07:09 – 13:42)

• Max describes a childhood in a high-achieving, suburban environment with little supervision and significant family instability (parental divorce, remarriage, ongoing conflict).

• Early behavioral challenges and likely undiagnosed neurodivergence led to therapy, heavy medication, and ongoing family stress.

  • Max:
    “They were like, my child has problems. Let me just try to fix it. ... if you look at the environment at the time, it would make a lot of sense why I was having behavioral outbursts.” (09:25)

• Max’s dad recognizes the emotional dysfunction passed down from his own upbringing.

  • Dad:
    "I decided, well, I’m just going to work super hard and I’ll provide for my family, and I’ll be 1950s working dad... There was lots and lots of yelling in the house.” (11:40)

3. Adolescence Escalation and Parental Desperation (13:43 – 19:39)

• As family issues and substance abuse escalated, Max experienced increasing behavioral problems, self-harm, and disordered eating.

• The family endured contentious custody battles, geographical moves, social isolation, and Max withdrawing further.

  • Max:
    “The behavioral problems were increasing. I would steal alcohol ... I had started cutting at that time. I was bulimic. So it was all ramping up really intensely.” (15:54)

• Dad describes feeling increasingly alarmed and powerless, seeking advice from therapists, peer groups, and law enforcement-oriented parental programs.

4. Choosing Wilderness Therapy (24:09 – 30:02)

• Max’s dad was referred to Sage Walk via community, therapy professionals, and program marketing. The program was expensive and sold as a last-resort, potentially life-saving option.
  • Dad:
    "The sales pitch is when you balk at the it’s going to be $25,000... They go, well, what’s more important, your money or your child’s life?" (26:46)
• He describes feeling manipulated and isolated in the decision-making process.
  • Dad:
    “It’s like paying people to come in your house. And kidnap your child. It was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.” (30:06)

5. The Transport – “Go with them” (30:26 – 34:27)

• Max recounts the trauma of being “transported” (forcibly removed from home by strangers in the night), a common practice in the industry.
  • Max:
    “Your life is never the same after that one singular moment. ... I have weapons by my bed because if that ever happens to me again...” (32:58)
• The transporting agents intimidate Max, emphasizing their “legal right” and control.

6. Life at Sage Walk Wilderness School (34:27 – 55:10)

• Max describes dehumanizing intake procedures: blindfolding on remote drives, humiliating medical exams, enforced uniforms, and harsh rules.
• Isolation, survival tasks, and neglect were routine: rationed food, little medical care, military-style drills, punitive responses to minor infractions.
  • Max:
    “If you try to run away, you will die out here because nobody’s going to be able to find you if you take off your orange clothing.” (36:37)
• Emotional regulation and connection are intentionally broken down.
  • Max:
    “There was definitely a scarcity mindset that was impinged upon you throughout these experiences.” (39:45)
• Counseling advertised as part of the program was nearly nonexistent; staff were typically young and unqualified.
  • Max:
    “I never saw anyone who would have been a Licensed therapist, as far as I know. I never was put on any type of plan.” (47:28)

7. Institutional Gaslighting and Parental Manipulation (48:14 – 49:01, 55:27 – 56:08)

• Letters home from participants were scripted and monitored, with staff warning parents not to trust complaints from their children.
  • Dad:
    “Before I even got any sort of negative feedback from Max, they already told me it’s very common for your child to make up stories... so you’ll come get them for you.” (48:36)
• Parents are repeatedly pressured to pay for extended stays and further transfers:
  • Dad:
    “They’re fucking smart. They got it down.” (55:27)

8. Trauma, Isolation, and Aftermath (49:03 – 58:07)

• The isolation and “solo” time in the wilderness were particularly traumatizing.
  • Max:
    “I think I spent the first four days of it just crying. ... They just let you experience that because they think…you need to be on your own while you’re dealing with that, which is a really wonderful way to destroy someone’s attachment style...” (52:11)
• Max discovers they will not be returning home, but transferred directly to Mount Bachelor Academy—another high-control, unregulated program run by the same parent company.
• The ripple effects of Max's absence and trauma impact the entire family—especially the younger sister.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What’s more important, your money or your child’s life?” (Max’s Dad, 26:46)
  – A line emblematic of the coercive sales strategies used by the troubled teen industry.

• “It’s like paying people to come in your house. And kidnap your child. It was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life.” (Max’s Dad, 30:06)

• “Your life is never the same after that one singular moment...” (Max, 32:58)
  – Referring to being forcibly transported.

• “If you try to run away, you will die out here because nobody’s going to be able to find you if you take off your orange clothing.” (Max, 36:37)

• “There was never any real therapy. The staff were in their 20s, maybe early 30s, and none of them were licensed.” (Paraphrased, Max, 47:10 – 47:28)

• “It’s the worst kind of scam because they use people that are desperate for a solution, and they know you’re desperate. They’re fucking smart. They got it down.” (Max’s Dad, 55:27)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:49] — Troubled teen industry background, history of Sage Walk/Mount Bachelor, abuse allegations
• [07:09] — Max’s early years and family context
• [13:43] — Escalation of family conflict, Max’s behavioral health and self-harm
• [24:09] — Dad’s perspective: desperation, isolation, referral to Sage Walk
• [26:46] — The manipulation and coercive sales pitch: “What’s more important, your money or your child’s life?”
• [30:26] — Max’s experience being transported (“kidnapped”) for wilderness therapy
• [34:31] — Arrival at Sage Walk: rules, daily life, deprivation and punishments
• [47:17] — False promises of counseling and “healing”
• [48:14] — Letters home and institutional gaslighting
• [49:03] — Trauma from staff, “Monsoon” and suicide watch, emotional breakdown
• [55:27] — Extension of stay: financial and emotional manipulation
• [56:14] — Being transferred/funneled to Mount Bachelor under pressure
• [58:13] — The aftermath: family impact, lingering trauma

Final Reflections and Teasers

The episode concludes with Max recounting the transfer to Mount Bachelor Academy, their exhaustion, and the trauma of nearly two months at Sage Walk. Max’s father expresses regret, insight into institutional manipulation, and the enduring harm to the family as a whole.

Teaser for Part 2: The next episode promises to explore Max’s experiences at Mount Bachelor, including further examples of degrading “life steps” and the punitive, performative rituals imposed on students.

Tone & Language

The episode is deeply candid, often raw and emotional, mixing Max’s dry humor and searing sarcasm with moments of heartbreak and clarity. The host, Tiffany Reese, offers space, affirmation, and attentive questioning, ensuring the survivor’s voice is at the center throughout.

“Your life is never the same after that one singular moment. ... The level of trauma and PTSD I have around kidnapping and home invasions is not irrational because it’s based in something.”
– Max (32:58)

“It’s the worst kind of scam because they use people that are desperate for a solution, and they know you’re desperate. They’re fucking smart. They got it down.”
– Max’s Dad (55:27)

For more resources or to connect with survivor support, see the episode notes provided by Something Was Wrong.

[End of Summary]