Blown for Good: Scientology Exposed

Empty Halls, Full Ledgers: How Scientology Still Brings In Cash - Secrets of Scientology #3

Send a textStep inside Scientology’s balance sheet and the picture changes fast: small, friendly intro courses up front, a steep climb of costly counseling and training behind the curtain, and one Florida powerhouse quietly bankrolling the whole machine. We break down how local orgs pitch low‑cost classes, enforce nightly study quotas, and celebrate tiny wins, even as their course rooms sit empty. Then we follow the cash to Clearwater, where Flag Land Base concentrates services, pressure, and status to pull in one to two million dollars a week, covering international management, massive events, and a constant burn of promo and mailings.We unpack the franchise‑style setup that sends rent back to an “International Landlord,” the weekly finance policy that slices income into rigid buckets, and the pivot from service delivery to pure fundraising for buildings and the IAS war chest. You’ll hear how prepaid “up to Clear” packages become a revenue trap, why commissioned recruiters have powerful incentives to push harder, and how the 1996 Golden Age rollout coincided with deep declines across key stats. We also compare glossy claims of “unprecedented expansion” with a striking data point: an ideal org’s two‑month completion list that could fit at a single table.The human story runs just as deep. We revisit Heber Jentzsch’s final years, allegations of isolation at the international base, and a death certificate listing “Golden Era Homes-Hospice” at the very address of the Hole—raising urgent questions about elder care, licensing, and transparency. Along the way, we talk Sea Org labor at Flag, foreign recruitment, and the day‑to‑day grind that keeps the flagship humming while local orgs scrape by.If you value clear, sourced, and candid reporting on high‑control organizations, hit follow, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review with the one question you want answered next. Your support helps more people find these stories and make informed choices.Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

What Happens When A Church Builds A Prison Out Of Policy - Secrets of Scientology #2 w/ Mat Pesch

Send us a textA “rehabilitation” unit that looks like a labor camp, a policy that promises rest and study while people lie on foam pads after all-nighters, and a workforce that builds studios, refaces Big Blue, and even handles VIP logistics—this is the RPF as told by those who lived it. Marc and Mat pull apart Flag Order 3434RB line by line, then hold it up to the light of real conditions: black uniforms, isolation from crew, silence rules, and the RPF’s RPF—punishment inside punishment. If you’ve ever wondered how a religious order justifies a prison within its walls, this conversation connects the policy to the practice.Mat spent 27 years in the Sea Org and served on the RPF twice, eventually running the LA unit. He describes being flown, traded, and repurposed as a “coin” to satisfy manpower demands. We walk through assignment triggers like “rock slams” on the e-meter, and the wave of faulty devices that sent dozens at a time to the program. We look at twinning—where your fate is bound to someone else’s—and how transfers or escapes reset hard-won progress. And we dig into the ledger: quarter pay that sometimes became zero, weaponized reports, and meals scavenged after the main crew ate first.The episode traces major moments: the International Base construction push, the Portland Crusade where RPFers slipped into suits to run logistics and PR, and an “impossible” Christmas deadline to water blast, reglaze, and polish the vast Big Blue complex—met anyway. Along the way, we talk about minors on the RPF, family separation, security checks, and the relentless information control that keeps each base in the dark. On paper, Hubbard’s policy lists rights. In practice, the system harvested labor and obedience while calling it redemption.If this story resonates, share it with someone who still wonders what really happens behind those blue walls. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what RPF questions you want answered next.Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

Freedom Day: Claire’s Escape From Scientology - Secrets of Scientology #1

Send us a textFreedom doesn’t always announce itself with trumpets. Sometimes it looks like a quiet walk past an optometrist’s office, a cab ride that feels like a lifetime, and a choice that will cost you every family tie the group controls. We’re marking Claire’s 21st anniversary of leaving Scientology’s International Headquarters—a date that, by eerie symmetry, lands on the 40th anniversary of L. Ron Hubbard’s death, a milestone the organization still avoids acknowledging.We open up about the machinery that makes leaving feel like a sin: disconnection policies that weaponize love, “blows and recoveries” that rename escapes and kidnapping attempts as internal metrics, and the secret “door welded shut” approach to anyone fleeing Int Base. From forced divorces inside RTC to the Hole’s coercive environment, we lay out how language, policy, and fear knit together into a durable cage. We also map the institution’s obsession with rewriting history—editing Mary Sue, Nibs, and long-time insiders out of films and lectures to sanitize the past—while highlighting the independent sources that preserved the record, from Sarge’s accounts in Going Clear to meticulous journalism.There’s a tactical layer too. We break down how protests were anticipated and neutralized, how thought-stopping turns curiosity into a trigger, and why even a well-meaning conversation with declared SPs can implode a young member’s standing overnight. For anyone on the fence, this is our harm-reduction guide: understand the risks before you engage, and know that questions have consequences in high-control systems. We also talk about healing—adrenal exhaustion, the simple miracle of sleep, and the way health returns when chronic stress recedes—because life after control isn’t theoretical; it’s better.If this story resonates, share it with someone who needs a map, subscribe for future deep dives into cult tactics and recovery, and leave a review so more people can find it. Your voice helps others find their way out.Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

We Honor Friends, Challenge Scientology’s Myths, And Launch A Comedy Fundraiser To Help Survivors

Send us a textGrief and grit can share the same room. We open with a tough roll call—Mike Rinder, Jeff Hawkins, and Heber—names that shaped how the world understands Scientology from the inside. Their stories invite a wider look at power, control, and the tactics used to keep people quiet, from humiliation and bullying to PR games that promise access and deliver nothing.We revisit the surreal “inch wives” spectacle and pull out the pattern: deny, distract, and dehumanize. It didn’t hold because people like Jeff turned the lights on—documenting contradictions, sharing receipts, and writing books that translated insider systems into plain language. That legacy matters. It gives new listeners a map and reminds seasoned skeptics why persistence wins. Along the way, we also puncture a familiar myth: getting sick isn’t “PTS.” It’s not proof of hidden enemies. It’s life. When doctrine demands magical thinking, reality eventually walks in.From loss we pivot to building: Comedy Works Denver is hosting a benefit for the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation. Tickets directly support people leaving high-control groups with housing, transport, guidance, and a community that answers the phone. It’s fitting—and a little subversive—that a comedy club anchors this effort. Scientology brands humor as “joking and degrading.” We call it oxygen. Laughter helps us carry heavy truths without breaking, and it invites more people to care. Expect stories, support, and a few surprises as we rally a room to turn empathy into action.If you can’t make it to Denver, consider donating, sharing the event, or sending an item for the silent auction. Your help builds the safety net that makes leaving possible and recovery sustainable. Subscribe, rate, and leave a review to push these stories further—and tell us: what question do you want answered next?Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...

From Crisis Calls To New Beginnings, We Show How Leaving Scientology Becomes Possible

Send us a textA year of relentless help and louder hope. We open the doors on how the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation turned complaint campaigns into fuel, scaled a 24/7 crisis line, and put bold billboards across Los Angeles and London so Sea Org members know a safe exit exists. With Claire, Mark, Phil Jones, Matt Pesch, Amy Scobee, and mental health coordinator Jeff Beaumont, we walk through what real support looks like when disconnection has burned bridges and erased lifelines.You’ll hear how law enforcement partnerships now include an anonymous reporting portal and a dedicated agency hotline, making it easier for investigators to understand Scientology’s control tactics and move cases forward. We dig into the support groups led by cult-recovery therapist Rachel Bernstein, why anonymity matters for new escapees, and how a peer buddy system helps during holidays and tough nights. Then we get practical: education grants, GED pathways, and a 2026 push into vocational training so survivors can land steady work fast. Career counselors translate “Sea Org” experience into civilian resumes, replace paper systems with modern tools, and rebuild confidence step by step.We also celebrate momentum: recurring donors are up, total donations jumped, and aid requests more than doubled. Testimonials—kept anonymous to protect safety—show lives stabilized, apartments secured, classes started, and families holding onto hope despite disconnection. Along the way, we share powerful cultural moments: a teaser for Brothers Broken, which lays bare the cruelty of disconnection, and John C. Christensen’s Pain to Promise, a frontline look at how help becomes a new life. The takeaway is simple and stubborn: when a high-control group tries to silence help, the answer is to grow that help, register everywhere, document everything, and keep picking up the phone.Want more people to find this work? Subscribe, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us what you learned or what you’re still curious about. Your voice helps someone else hear the lifeline.Support the showBFG Store - http://blownforgood-shop.fourthwall.com/Blown For Good on Audible - https://www.amazon.com/Blown-for-Good-Marc-Headley-audiobook/dp/B07GC6ZKGQ/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Blown For Good Website: http://blownforgood.com/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2131160 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blown-for-good-behind-the-iron-curtain-of-scientology/id1671284503 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2131160.rss YOUTUBE PLAYLISTS: Spy Files Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWtJfniWLwq4cA-e...