Podcast Summary: The Turning – Season 3, Episode 11

Episode Title: Postscript: Lindsay
Podcast: The Turning (River Road)
Host: Aelin Lance Lesser
Guest: Lindsay Tornambe
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This candid, emotional “Postscript” conversation serves as a reflective coda to Season 3 of The Turning: River Road. Host Aelin Lance Lesser meets with Lindsay Tornambe, the central figure of the season, to discuss her reactions after hearing her story unfold publicly, the ongoing journey of healing, and her life now as a survivor, mother, and advocate. The episode explores how recounting her past has affected Lindsay, her relationships, and her sense of self, offering insight into trauma processing, generational cycles, and resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hearing Her Own Story in Public

• Reaction to the Podcast: Lindsay describes the unique experience of hearing her life’s story told back to her in full, rather than sharing fragmented versions herself across different settings.

  • “It’s such a different experience hearing it being told… There's been moments when I've been really sad for that girl. There's moments when I'm so proud of her for her courage and bravery.” (03:28 – 03:59)
  • Listening in chronological order provided clarity and validation—she didn’t find it triggering but did experience a range of deep emotions. (03:59 – 04:56)

• Therapy & Stockholm Syndrome: Lindsay openly discusses how therapy has helped her process feelings of shame around mixed emotions towards her abuser (Victor), including moments of doubt and nostalgia.

  • “Was any of it real? Did he ever really, truly care about me?... My therapist…she was like, Lindsay, everything you're saying is totally normal. And we started talking about Stockholm syndrome…” (05:04 – 07:10)

2. Trauma Processing, Recovery, and Ongoing Self-Understanding

• Lindsay explores how processing trauma changes over time, reflecting on how certain reactions and behavioral patterns in other relationships (with family, authority figures) trace back to her cult experience and conditioning. (07:57 – 10:41)
  • “It's helped me see…maybe certain family members…who had this authority, I wanted to make them happy…it's been really, really good.” (09:50 – 10:41)

3. Community Feedback & Relationships

• Community Responses: Lindsay describes overwhelmingly positive support from listeners, friends, and even strangers.

  • “People…have heard your story and support you…even a customer…emailed me…” (11:09 – 12:03)
  • Mixed responses from family—support from some, silence from others—highlight the continued rifts and hopes for future understanding and reconciliation. (12:03 – 13:28)

• Former Cult Members: Contact from siblings of other “maidens” brought comfort, and validated her calm, truthful storytelling style. (13:28 – 14:44)

4. Emotional Memories and Loss

• Hearing Old Voices: The interview rekindles memories through others’ voices in the podcast—especially prosecutor Reese Fredrickson and the other maidens.
  • “Hearing Reese’s voice on the podcast brought back a lot of memories from that time.” (14:58 – 15:09)
  • The loss of her friendships with fellow maidens remains a source of enduring pain. (16:59 – 18:02)
  • Discusses the death of fellow survivor Jess, the deep sadness stirred by her absence, and the gratitude for good memories. (18:03 – 19:57)
  • “When I think of Jess and I now, I always just picture us playing our guitars together…” (19:11 – 19:43)

5. Motherhood & Breaking the Cycle

• Contrast to Childhood: Lindsay draws a powerful distinction between the love she gives her daughter Frankie and her own unmet needs as a child.

  • Refers to her moving letter to her mother featured in episode 10, especially now that she’s a mother herself. (24:16 – 25:06)
  • “Breaking the cycle, that's been like a big topic that's been on my mind…so many people could go through something like this…and people say, ‘oh well, look at how they were raised.’…When it doesn’t have to be that way.” (25:15 – 26:54)

• Mother–Daughter Moments: Therapy has helped Lindsay talk to Frankie about her history in age-appropriate ways, using gentle metaphors to explain that some truths are “too heavy” for children to carry yet.

  • “So I always use that with Frankie now just to give her, like, a visual. So I just tell her, let Mommy carry it for now…” (30:26 – 31:22)

• Parenting with Empathy: Lindsay shares several stories illustrating how she parent’s differently than her mother, always striving to ensure Frankie feels safe, loved, and never abandoned. (32:50 – 33:55)

6. Advocacy, Legacy, and Support for Other Survivors

• Lindsay talks about connecting with other survivors who have reached out after hearing her story.
  • “This is what I wanted from this…if people reach out…being ready and able to do that…” (34:32 – 35:54)
• Expresses a hope that her openness will bring comfort or insight to others navigating trauma or abuse.

7. Reflections on the Cult, Victor, and Accountability

• What Did They Know? Lindsay is adamant that adults involved—particularly the elders and parents—were aware of the abuse, rejecting the “brainwashing” defense.

  • “I personally will never not think that they didn’t know, especially the elders…” (43:13 – 44:44)
  • She discusses her parents’ complicity and the pattern of avoiding responsibility. (46:14 – 49:32)

• Victor’s Mindset: Speculates that Victor would interpret the podcast as further proof of his “persecution” rather than reckoning with the harm he caused.

  • “He talked so much about the persecution…in the end times…that this is just more of, like, persecution and me not sticking to my vows and…my place in heaven is gonna be less…” (36:13 – 37:05)

• Outsider Perspectives: She describes the pain of learning that, as a child, some group members viewed the maidens with envy or awe, unaware of the daily abuse. (50:56 – 51:46)

8. Life Today and Looking Forward

• New Projects: Lindsay mentions working on essays, pursuing speaking engagements, and being in touch with a book agent.

  • “A couple essays that I’m going to submit…have been in touch with a book agent…want to do more speaking engagements…” (52:44 – 53:36)

• Motherhood: Shares details about her life as a single mom—supporting Frankie at rodeos, sports, and daily life—emphasizing gratitude and joy at being able to give her daughter a freer, happier life. (54:10 – 56:50)

9. Gratitude for the Podcast Team

• Lindsay closes with warm thanks to the host and whole production team for honestly, compassionately bringing her story to the world. (57:35 – 57:55)
  • “I'm just so thankful for you and Erica and the whole team…thankful that you guys helped make this a reality.” (57:35 – 57:55)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Listening to Her Story:
  “There's been moments when I've been really sad for that girl. There's moments when I'm so proud of her for her courage and bravery.” — Lindsay (03:29)

• On Stockholm Syndrome:
  “She put down her pad and pen, and she was like, Lindsay, everything you're saying is totally normal…we started talking about Stockholm syndrome…” — Lindsay (06:35)

• On Breaking the Cycle:
  “Breaking the cycle, that's been like a big topic that's been on my mind. And I think it's important…when it doesn’t have to be that way.” — Lindsay (25:15)

• On Parenting Frankie:
  “Like, I will always be there for you… knowing that…she'll never feel that kind of abandonment…” — Lindsay (33:55)

• On Moving Forward:
  “I'm really glad that you're feeling good in general about it all and that you feel like you have some exciting things on the horizon. That's great.” — Aelin (53:36)

• On Support & Connection:
  “This is what I wanted from this…if people reach out, being the state of mind that I'm at, the healing that I've done, being ready and able to do that…” — Lindsay (34:32)

Key Timestamps

• 02:11 – Start of the main conversation and Lindsay responds to hearing the season released
• 03:28 – Lindsay on the emotional experience of hearing her story
• 05:04 – Reflections on therapy, Stockholm Syndrome, and processing abuse
• 10:41 – Lindsay on how her trauma influences other relationships and family dynamics
• 12:01 – Experiences of support and silence from family and community
• 15:09 – Memories reawakened by hearing voices of others
• 17:37 – Loss of community and friendship due to cult involvement
• 24:19 – Episode 10 and the emotional letter to her mother
• 26:54 – Emphasis on breaking intergenerational cycles of abuse
• 30:26 – Communicating her story to her daughter in therapy
• 33:55 – Parenting moments illustrating generational change
• 34:32 – Lindsay's desire to help other survivors
• 43:13 – On what people in the cult knew and the question of complicity
• 46:26 – Critique of “brainwashing” and parental accountability
• 52:44 – Lindsay’s current and future plans (essays, book, speaking)
• 54:10 – Frankie’s rodeo and reflections on motherhood
• 57:35 – Lindsay’s gratitude to the podcast team

Tone & Takeaway

The conversation is open, honest, and anchored in Lindsay’s empowered, soft-spoken resilience. While Lindsay doesn’t shy away from pain—loss, abuse, betrayal—she highlights moments of healing and hope, especially in her parenting and advocacy work. The episode offers both closure and a doorway for continued discussion on healing from cult abuse and breaking cycles for future generations.

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode provides a moving, hopeful, and practical look at what healing—imperfect, ongoing, hard-won—can look like after surviving the unimaginable.