In this illuminating conversation, Kacey Baker, host of The Cult Vault podcast, shares her journey from lockdown podcaster to advocate and expert in coercive control. What began as a way to stay mentally stimulated during COVID isolation while caring for her newborn has evolved into nearly episodes featuring survivor stories and in-depth discussions about cults and coercive control. Throughout the episode, Baker discusses how her understanding of cult dynamics and coercive control has transformed through years of interviewing survivors.
She candidly acknowledges her own past misconceptions about people who join cults or remain in abusive relationships, explaining how direct conversations with survivors helped reshape her perspective. A key insight from her work is recognizing how coercive control manifests across various contexts — from cults to domestic relationships, military training, workplace abuse, and human trafficking. While this law criminalizes coercive control in domestic settings, she explains its limitations in addressing group contexts like cults.
She explains how most guests reach out to her independently, and she offers various options to protect their identities, including the use of pseudonyms and careful omission of identifying details.
She discusses her role at CrimeCon events, where she often invites survivors to speak alongside her, ensuring their voices remain central to discussions about cult experiences.
Her journey demonstrates how taking time to understand complex issues with compassion and curiosity can lead to significant positive change, both personally and societally. Witch Hunt is hosted by Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson, exploring historical witch hunts and their modern implications.
