Trust Me Podcast: "Erika Lantz & Elin Lantz Lesser - Book Burnings, Rapture Drills, & the River Road Fellowship"

Podcast: Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
Hosts: Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth
Guests: Erika Lantz & Aylin Lantz Lesser
Date: September 17, 2025
Episode Focus: Exploring the harrowing true story of River Road Fellowship through insights from the creators of "The Turning" podcast.

Episode Overview

This episode delves deep into the story of the River Road Fellowship, a secluded, abusive religious group led by Victor Bernard. Guests Erika Lantz and Aylin Lantz Lesser—sisters and hosts of the documentary podcast "The Turning"—share findings from their season focused on survivor Lindsay Tornombi. The hosts and guests unpack patterns of manipulation, gradual indoctrination, and the psychological aftermath of growing up in high-control groups. The story is told with compassion and detail, highlighting first-person accounts and recurring dynamics found in cults and other closed communities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of "The Turning" Podcast & Focus on Abuse in Devotional Communities

• Erika and Aylin’s interest comes from exploring how extreme devotion, whether in religion or art, creates conditions for abuse.
  • Past seasons covered Mother Teresa’s order and the world of ballet, revealing cultish dynamics in "mainstream" spaces.
  • Season 3 escalates to a “full-blown cult” with a criminal leader (Victor Bernard).
  • (18:08 - 19:11)

2. Discovery of River Road Fellowship Story

• Despite being Minnesotans interested in cults, Erika and Aylin learned about the group post-news cycle, drawn by its proximity and extremity.
• Lindsay Tornombi, a key survivor and whistleblower, became their central storyteller.
  • (19:20 - 21:05)

3. Lindsay's Childhood & Entry into the Fellowship

• Lindsay enjoyed a typical ‘90s childhood—Backstreet Boys, Beanie Babies—but her parents' religious searching led them from "The Way" to River Road after a dinner with Victor Bernard.
• The family was “always looking for a leader”—highlighting that vulnerability to such groups can happen to anyone.
  • (24:23 - 25:41)

4. Gradual Indoctrination & Relocation to the Compound

• Entry wasn’t instant; a series of fellowship meetings and idyllic-seeming camp visits preceded selling their home and moving to rural Minnesota.
• Families gradually cut ties with the outside world, physically and symbolically.
  • (28:04 - 29:57)

5. Book Burnings & The Elimination of Identity

• New arrivals were encouraged to burn personal belongings (“earthly things”), culminating in a multi-day bonfire.
• Lindsay recounts throwing her teddy bear in; another survivor, Christa, had her "Little House on the Prairie" books burned by her mother.
  • (36:12 - 37:39 & 38:36 - 41:21)
• Quote: “She threw in her teddy bear into the fire and watched it burn.” —Aylin (37:17)
• Quote: “Christa actually burned her hands trying to save her books.” —Erica (41:21)

6. Escalating Control: Isolation & Readiness for the 'Rapture'

• Members could not leave a 30-minute radius, to “be ready” for Christ’s return.
• “Rapture drills” included the alarm “the eagles are gathering.” During a fake drill, members left food on stoves, shampoo in hair, to run to the meeting spot.
  • (69:00 - 71:12)

7. The "Maidens": Institutionalized Abuse Under the Guise of Honor

• Ten girls (“maidens”), all from special-status families, were separated from parents and tasked to serve Victor—cleaning, cooking, but also enduring systematic sexual abuse.
  • Parents saw this as an “honor,” coerced and manipulated by Victor’s status as “God’s apostle.”
  • (45:07 - 48:26)
• Quote: “After some time had passed…he told them, we’re gonna keep them here, and when they turn 18, I may sleep with them as part of that. Of course, at this point, he’d already been raping them.” —Erica (47:23)

8. Mechanisms of Control: Spiritual Threats, Single Authority, and Isolation

• Victor positioned himself as the sole spiritual authority, threatening followers with exclusion from a promised “special heaven.”
  • “You’ll never see your family again, not only in this life but in the next.” —Erica (51:45)
• New rules were often arbitrary and changed at Victor’s whim—e.g., which books had “devil spirits.”
  • (40:31 - 41:01)
• Emotional bonds within families purposefully undermined; parents and children were set against each other, weakening any resistance.
  • (58:22 - 62:03)

9. Wrestling With Parental Responsibility

• The hosts and guests grapple openly with understanding how parents allowed or enabled their children's abuse due to deep indoctrination and fear for their family’s eternal fate.
  • (48:26 - 48:46)

10. Lindsay’s Escape: Gradual Disillusionment & Exposure to the Outside World

• Lindsay found hope and perspective during a trip to Brazil, her first time outside the compound, followed by more real-world exposure while running a cleaning service.
• The final catalyst: learning Victor also abused adult, married women—this revelation, plus distance from Victor, helped persuade her to leave.
  • (65:47 - 77:58)

11. Parallels Across Cults & Power Dynamics

• Many patterns found in River Road echoed in other abusive groups: a single source of truth, isolation, behavioral and emotional control, and the incremental normalization of harm.
• The emotional power of first-person storytelling is highlighted as a tool for breaking through indoctrination and aiding survivors.
  • (83:51 - 85:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Book Burning:
“She threw in her teddy bear into the fire and watched it burn.”
—Aylin (37:17)

On Book Ban Arbitrary Rules:
“Little House in the Prairie books was one of those things...maybe just because it had these strong women.”
—Erica (39:45)

On Parental Complicity:
“At some point, don’t you protect your child, regardless of brainwashing?”
—Erica (48:19)

On Spiritual Threats:
“You’ll never see your family again, not only in this life, but in the next.”
—Erica (51:45)

On Cognitive Dissonance after False Rapture Drill:
“The general mood was laughter and...bonding, as opposed to anger.”
—Aylin (72:18)

On Power and Abuse:
“Is it that people who seek power are those who are more likely to abuse, or is it that power corrupts?”
—Aylin (32:30)

On Father Against Family as Control Tactic:
“The breaking up of the family unit is such an important tactic...It just is this perfect storm for the cult leader to get more power.”
—Megan (61:15)

Final Reflection:
“She's creating the childhood she didn't have. Her childhood was fully robbed from her and she is, like, giving that to her daughter.”
—Erica (79:57)

Important Timestamps

• Origins of The Turning: 18:08–19:11
• Discovering the River Road Fellowship: 19:20–21:05
• Lindsay’s Childhood: 24:23–25:41
• Entry to Compound: 28:04–29:57
• Book Burnings: 36:12–37:39, 38:36–41:21
• Control and Rapture Drills: 69:00–71:12
• Institutionalized Abuse ("Maidens"): 45:07–48:26
• Leaving the Group: 65:47–77:58
• Cults Across Society: 83:51–85:30

Takeaways & Themes

• Red Flags: Control of information, isolation, demonizing the outside, shifting goalposts, symbolic purges.
• Impact on Survivors: Long-term trauma, lost childhood, struggle for normalcy, gradual healing likely only post-escape.
• Parental Complicity: Explored with nuance—brutally honest about brainwashing, but also about moments survivors are failed.
• Parallels in Power Dynamics: From overt cults to ballet or religious orders—control tactics are scarily similar, suggesting the "cult" label applies across surprising environments.

Where to Find More

• The Turning: River Road – wherever podcasts are available.
• Trust Me Podcast – Apple, Spotify, iHeart, and more.

Content warning: Contains discussions of sexual abuse, spiritual manipulation, and psychological trauma. The episode leans into first-person, survivor-centered narrative with compassion and candor, while also using dark humor and critical analysis to unpack how such groups function—and how people break free.