Edmondson TEDx Talks: What She’s Learned Post NXIVM Before Big Portland Crowd

On May 20, Sarah Edmondson was among 11 featured speakers and four musical artists who gave a “TEDx Talk” in Portland, Oregon, before an audience of more than 3000 people.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and a TEDx talk is a public event where speakers and performers appear before a live audience.

TEDx events are independently planned and coordinated on a community-by-community basis.

Portland’s TEDx event centered around the theme of “confluence,” which was described on its website:

In a world that’s often polarized and divisive, we choose to come together as one. At the intersection of skepticism and curiosity are understanding and innovation. The power of ideas is what propels us forward. Inspired by the confluence of water where the Willamette River meets the Columbia, purpose and persistence find their way to the sea. Year 11 will embrace fluidity, strength, and balance. We will celebrate the contrarians, open-minded thinkers, and doers committed to creating a better tomorrow for our city and the world. Together, we will ebb and flow and find our way.

A more hard news description is found on KGW8 News, which announced:

“The speakers and performers were announced at midnight on Friday. From a mental health advocate, to a physician whose work revolutionized COVID-19 testing, to a finalist of NBC’s ‘The Voice’ and an actress who exposed a cult — the lineup is made up of diverse people from a wide range of backgrounds.”

Tickets to attend the event started at $79.

Edmondson was “the actress who exposed a cult” and she made, as did other speakers, a 15-minute TEDx talk presentation.

While the video of the event is yet to be released, Edmondson shared her sentiments on social media.

In social media posts, she says she has been out of NXIVM – that is “OUT and AWAKE” – for six years.

Edmondson has made a name for herself as a cult survivor, whistle blower, and advocate. She has appeared on podcasts, news interviews, and reports, YouTube interviews, starred in HBO’s The Vow, wrote a book, “Scarred,” and hosts her own popular podcast with husband, Anthony ‘Nippy’ Ames, called “A Little Bit Culty.”

Sarah Edmondson’s book about her experiences in NXIVM

Edmondson says she was drawn to NXIVM at age 27 because she yearned for success. At the time, she was a struggling actress living in a basement suite. As she rose in the MLM ranks, she began making five figures a month in NXIVM and purchased a million dollar penthouse.

The high-energy Edmondson was NXIVM’s top salesperson, recruiting about 2000 students – mostly in Vancouver. She regularly gave presentations to potential students and asked them to put their faith in the efficacy of the pricey NXIVM classes called ‘Intensives’.” They were based on the teachings of a man she believed was the smartest and most ethical man in the world, Keith Raniere. While students might have considered the remote and dubious Raniere profound, it was Edmondson’s charisma, her success, her winning charm, that prompted recruits to join and recruit others themselves, with a steady upflow of money from her downline. It felt like success.

There is archival footage shown in The Vow of Keith Raniere coaching Edmondson on making her live presentations scintillating.

Did Edmondson use what she learned from Raniere to perform her TEDx talk, warning people about the dangers of people like him?

She is entitled to take the good and reject the bad.

And the same intensity and high energy Edmondson displayed in building NXIVM she used in tearing it down. She began by disenrolling her students, contacting this writer, who broke the stories of the worst of the cult — the branding and blackmailing of women — something she recently learned and was victimized by – and astonishingly – she did what was perhaps the most striking act in the entire NXIVM/Raniere takedown. She pulled down her pants a little and showed the New York Times her brand, which was duly published on the front page.

In the “tribute” section of her Instagram post, she doesn’t thank Raniere though, perhaps she should, for in an ironic way, he has been the cornerstone of her career.

For a dozen years, Edmondson followed him, and earned good money. For six years, she opposed him and gained great fame as one of the leading cult experts. She is more than an expert for she worked to bring down a cult and its leader. She is a speaker sought after in the growing anti-cult world.

She thanks two former NXIVM members, former business partner Mark Vicente, and husband Anthony, who held “down the fort at home” while she appeared in Portland.

Though her jargon might speak to another breed than the staid and conventional with such colorful figures of speech as “tick something meaningful off the bucket list,”and “full on vulnerability hangover,” at 45 years of age, Edmondson might have arrived.

Edmondson Reflects on Her TEDx Talk Journey

 

By Sarah Edmondson

LONG POST ALERT (part one of three)…

First. I have a full on vulnerability hangover.

Second….holy shit. Where to start?

When I was asked to be a part of year 11 at TEDx, it was an easy decision… I was honoured to be asked and was excited to tick something meaningful off the bucket list… Most importantly, I wanted to share my message of cult literacy and some of the nuggets we have learned from all of the experts and survivors we have interviewed on @alittlebitculty and who have been a part of our healing process. I was nervous but pumped!

BTW-we have been OUT and AWAKE for SIX years TO THE DAY today.

So, it seemed PERFECT. A dream come true!

BUT I honesty didn’t know what I was getting myself into…

@TEDxportland

(Part two of three)

How to distill 6 years of de-programming into a 15 minute talk? What have I learned that I can share with the general public that will help them in their seeking travels? What would have been most helpful for me to know as a 27 year old back in 2005? What do I want the world to know? As with TED tradition, what was my single IDEA that I wanted to leave the audience with?

This part of the process was almost as hard as trying to get the words, once written (Thank you @jesstardy for your wordsmith skills and wisdom) into my body. I rehearsed minimum three times a day for the 10 days leading up to it- the butterflies in my stomach swirling, over zoom and in person- with anyone who was interested (thank you friends, families and neighbours, you know who you are!)

A few days beforehand I had stressed myself out with nerves – about all the things that could go wrong… I had the thought “why did I agree to this?? This is absolute torture”.

But THEN….I arrived in Portland. And MAGIC happened. The team, the people, the events, the support the kindness the CONFLUENCE of ideas, beliefs and talent exploded and everything came together.

Being on that stage- with 3200 people in the audience- strangers, supporters, family and friends – sharing my story….ROCKED me.

@markvicente – you were right – I was vibrating with purpose and meaning.

I loved it. Every second. And when it was over and had a front seat to my fellow speakers and @therealgza from WU TAN CLAN (performing with the @phunkynomads) and then the unbelievable @thunderstormartis. What a gift. What an experience. Goosebumps!!!
(More to come). 📷 @and_rew_and_you @tedxportland @ted

(Part three of three)

Lunch break consisted of giving away 100 signed books (thank you to my publisher @chroniclebooks ) and hearing what people took away from my time on stage. #missionaccomplished

Thank you to everyone who came to say hi and share their harrowing stories.
Thank you to @brenda_bartlett my book signing body guard and to @mindfuljordan (the queen of wellness for the speakers) for grounding me.


Thank you to my fellow speakers. You are all an inspiration!

Thank you to all the volunteers and sponsors who made it happen.
Especially Dave Rae and @dustinfernandes @jhern86 and your whole team.

I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Promise to post the EDITED link as soon as I have it!

#TEDxPortland #speaker #seeksafely #cultliteracy #igotout

Writing @JessTardy
New hair by @yesimmegan
Jump-suit from @revolve Fanny pack by @admonishshop
Jewelry from @pennypreville
Especially to @anthonyames11 for holding down the fort at home. LOVE YOU!

In support of @seeksafely
And @igotout @tedxportland @ted

About the author

Frank Parlato

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Meowkitty
Meowkitty
10 months ago

I get she’s annoying and very sales and quite into herself. But the thing is, she was very brave going against the group when she did. At the time, it was very possible Bronfman would go after her forever and bankrupt her family, possibly even put her in jail. They knew what the group did to defectors. She’s annoying, but she’s brave as hell and I admire her for it.

NiceGuy
NiceGuy
10 months ago
Reply to  Meowkitty

Meowkitty-

You make an excellent point.

I agree with you.

She is annoying and self absorbed, but also a heroine.
***

Now, if she’d only change her hair color back to brunette. The blond hair doesn’t match her complexion and ages her.

Nothing is all black/All white
Nothing is all black/All white
10 months ago
Reply to  Meowkitty

Well said, she’s annoying yet brave. I just think her whole “post-cult mission” would be more relevant if she had a little less “saviour complexe”
Others are doing it and they are not hated. Janja Lalich, Steven Hassan for example. They use their experience to empower others, they even went and studied to have credibility in the matter. Sarah Edmonston doesn’t deserve to be silenced (not does Vicente) I just feel like their approach would be more healthy if they didn’t try as hard to “brand” themselves in the persona they are trying so hard to convince us that they are. The “Im such a unique, complexe hero survivor. I now have knowledge and I am ready to teach the world”. I don’t want to insult or shame them but: what if we don’t need them. Would that be so hard to accept?
Also: I would respect them more if, in stead of going on Ted Talks while suing other NXIVM victims, they would give back from what they got from the abuse of NXIVM ($). They are very public about everything they do yet I have never seen them post anything about this matter. If they wanna be public and have recognition, they should be transparent about that too.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Yeah
Good luck with that

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

The market will dictate. Don’t you worry your pretty little head.

Worry about making your own living and let people support themselves and live their lives the way they choose. Both of the other people you mentioned besides Sarah have very vocal critics. Pretty much anyone who puts themselves out there publicly is going to have detractors.

Dont expect anybody to stop what they’re doing because some Anonymous commenter doesn’t like it. (Including this one) That would be a sad world.

Question for our host --
Question for our host --
10 months ago

NXIVM’s “Executive Success Program” was promoted as training that could make any student a millionaire.

As a long-time reader and occasional commenter on this site, I don’t recall any stories of any ESP student becoming a millionaire. And surely NXIVM would have touted that to recruitment prospects in the multi-level marketing scheme that ESP was.

Yes, some of the ESP students were ALREADY millionaires, particularly Bronfman’s and some of the Mexicans, but as far as I recall reading, they all LOST money supporting Raniere.

And even Raniere lost millions (questionably transferred from ESP students) in the commodities futures markets, and Los Angeles real-estate markets.

But I think there is one case of ESP actually creating a millionaire: Sarah Edmondson. She was an actress in Vancouver Canada, barely breaking even, until she met producer/director/cinematographer Mark Vicente, who sold her on ESP. They jointly opened the Vancouver Canada ESP centre, which was probably the most successful ESP centre outside of Mexico. Ms. Edmondson recruited about 2000 students to ESP, and maintained what was, by all accounts that I know about, a safe and sincere (if vastly overpriced) mutual self-help network.

Most of the student fees I assume went back to NXIVM in Albany, but over about a decade her share was likely considerably more than a million (Canadian) dollars. Which allowed her to buy a nice condo in a nice neighborhood in Vancouver Canada. Those cost more than a million dollars.

My own opinion on Sarah Edmondson’s ethics is mixed. I don’t doubt her sincerity in believing and promoting the value of the entry-level ESP modules; they were constructed to be such, by plagiarizing Scientology and Erhard Seminars Training (known as est in the 1970’s, now re-branded as Landmark) and other self-help programs. Over her involvement with NXIVM (more than a decade) it’s hard to believe that she didn’t realize that no one ever “graduated” from ESP into becoming an independent “Executive Success.” All that ever happened was students were persuaded to recruit more students, and teach them the ESP modules, without being paid themselves.

But Sarah Edmondson herself DID become a millionaire. And I think that she is the only one that ESP ever produced.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Barbara Jeske did as well. She, Sarah & Emiliano pitched La Ketch together..if Barbara was part of his harem ( she certainly had long hair)
I sincerely Doubt Sarah didn’t know about It. This shows her awareness of the subject.
I do wish that she would hold Nancy, Lauren accountable along with Raniere. Thats where this suit belonged in my opinion.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Have you ever fantasize about everybody loving you, admiring you. You know, as a teenager. That’s what Sarah Edmonston looks like.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Dont be a negative ninny, she’s just a typical thespian type. Knew many in high school. Anne Hathaway is like that, and also gets a lot of internet hate. Give it a rest?

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Sarah, this is what you tell yourself to feel better.
Don’t take it as hate or shaming. You deserve respect and I don’t want to disrespect you.
It’s the vibe around you, that’s all.
Give a little more credit to others, act a little less “promotional” with cult stuff. Remembering that cults are traumatic, not a business brand. Let’s start by that and well see if your work will come as a little less cringe.
Peace ✌🏼

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

The paradoxe is that Mark Vicente did a TED talk about NXIVM in the past. Promoting the company.

As an ex cult member, I stay away from all the behaviours I had in the cult. Clearly it’s not the way these people have chosen.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Yeah… The fact that she still had “give a Ted talk” on her bucket list rings very much of executive-success self- improvement type striving.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

I totally agree with all the comments about Bonnie not getting enough credit. Sarah never mentions Bonnie or anybody else. Sadly, it’s pretty much always about her. I do not mean to undermine anything she has done. It took a lot of courage and I don’t think it would be fair to erase that. But the thing is that there is something “off” with her. And I would say it’s a lack of integrity.
She’s greedy for external validation, admiration, social status. It’s probably what got her in the cult and it’s (in my humble opinion) what she should be careful about.
People she’s targeting with her podcast and everything, have been destroyed by people who wanted to be their saviour/coach/inspiration and whatever we wanna call it. So Sarah, please be careful. Ex cult members have the bullshit radar on… and we can smell your bullshit. just remember that you are not anybody’s hero, saviour, model or whatever. People have strength in themselves and the point is to empower them.
We can see beyond the words that you prononce. We can feel the vibe. Just remember that: we’re good, we don’t need you. Do your life, focus on your health, happiness, kids, husband…. You don’t have to incarnate this new role you have given yourself. You look like you’re in a NXIVM program. It’s weird.

Ps: i don’t mean that ex cult members should be silent. I’m talking about Sarah Edmonston’s specific approach here.

Peace

Wee wee we
Wee wee we
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Speak for yourself.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I hear you on most fronts but Sarah publicly acknowledges Bonnie all the time. Just sayin. Peace ✌️

Loved One Missing
Loved One Missing
10 months ago

Unsolved Mystery!!!!!!

RE Where is Bangkok:

Did Bangkok disappear the same way Ben Szemkus did?

They posted on the Frank Report and the went silent.

What’s Frank not telling us?!?

Both men were involved with the Frank Report. I don’t want to believe Frank had any involvement. However, the alleged evidence speaks for itself and
CONTRADICTs Frank’s story – is Frank’s story a self-serving
narrative?

Frank Parlato
Admin
10 months ago

Almost all narratives are self-serving. The only exception is Nice Guy — love drips off every word he says.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Frank Parlato

—Almost all narratives are self-serving.

Exactly! You bolstered my thoughts!

thanks

“”Love drip”, correct! My love is on a drip!!!! Does your cup runneth over? Mmmh!

Batty Masterson
Batty Masterson
10 months ago

How many more years will Edmondson be doing her victims tour?

Mrs. Miah Cochburns
Mrs. Miah Cochburns
10 months ago

Mr. Masterson,

Answer:
Until the money stops flowing.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

I think people should stop tagging

Tenzin
Tenzin
10 months ago

I don’t understand this apportioning blame to whistleblowers?
Had Sarah said nought, Raniere’s victims would have numbered almost three hundred by now.
Sarah stopped a juggernaut with a brand on her body, the truth and a pair of high heels.
So, if someone is fiddling kids in daycare, and someone finds out, they shouldn’t speak? Is that the argument. Don’t rat? Don’t snitch? If that’s your point of view, then I hope it’s your kids next. You deserve it.
Sarah, Mark, Bonnie, Catherine and Frank derailed Raniere. They put Bronfman in jail, where she belongs, Salzman senior left not knowing her arse from her elbow. Dr Ugly stopped from practising. Poor Nicky spiralling the drain. A family, A WHOLE FAMILY in Mexico ground zero devastated by the square footed genius with a 7 and a half inch dick.
Lauren Salzman was a victim. She became a middle aged woman under the shadow of a tyrant. Incapable of making a choice about her own body. Whether or not to have a child? As a mum, I know what she missed out on, so does Sarah. Lauren was dug in like a tick, Sarah was a hot match that released her. It was always going to hurt.
Keep employing lawyers Keith.
Stop paying for them Claire. I think I found your alias. Kites eh! Never thought you would have to learn to do that.
“My life is in your hands”
Isn’t that what he said?

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Tenzin

— 7 and a half inch dick.

LOL. Yeah right. Don’t inflate a megalomaniac’s already huge unwarranted ego.

Pilgrim
Pilgrim
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I heard Vanturd is hung like an elevator button.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Pilgrim

LMAO!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

—7 and a half inch dick.

That’s Nippy’s size. Some say he’s black. I say he’s savage.

Muahaha
Muahaha
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

That half inch could make all difference…

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Muahaha

Regarding Nippy…….

Sarah wasn’t born bowlegged.

Frank Parlato
Admin
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Listen asshole get your mind out of the gutter and look up at the stars.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Frank-

My second love after the ocean is looking up at the stars. I own a Dobsonian telescope
(more bang for the buck).

These days when I journey to the ocean, the LED lights of civilization destroy the view of the stars!!!
I’m not kidding!
It’s total BS!!!!

I use to see shooting stars all the time!!!!

South Pacific south Atlantic resorts all have LED!!!

So no, there are no Goddamn stars.
Save the planets and Orion[the major constellations.
No more stars and no more Cuban cigars!!!!

Now I’m gonna have to journey out to the ocean or go to Nova Scotia!!!!

“No more stars! Now I just collect dog crap. Death, where is thy sting!!!
I’ve collected all the dog crap!
There is nothing left, God!”
-The Dude

I’m bored!!!!

Frank Parlato
Admin
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

‘I can’t see the stars because of LEDs’ is a feeble excuse for a mind that constantly thinks of smutty things. John Dobson was a great guy, and I remember him from the 1970s and 80s before he became famous. He would sell these little pamphlets about astronomy and the Vedanta philosophy, having been a Hindu monk at one time. We all thought he was a little bit cranky, but we liked him and helped him sell his pamphlets.

Pilgrim
Pilgrim
10 months ago
Reply to  Tenzin

Tenzin, someone else who have eventually blown the whistle. Sarah is responsible for 2000 NXIVM followers. The fact she blew the whistle does not negate her role in growing NXIVM. My biggest issue is she make a career out of whistle blowing. Books, Ted Talks, media, etc. She jumps in front of any camera she can and cries about horrible and traumatic her CONSENSUAL decisions were on her. She could have walked away anytime she wanted. Which she eventually did, but not before recruiting more women into DOS. she’s just a first world problem having asshole.

Endowed Guy
Endowed Guy
10 months ago
Reply to  Pilgrim

Pilgrim-

The irony is not lost on me either.

If you trace the downline of Sarah(via Vincente) : the Bronfmans, Hildreth, Kreuk, Mack, Oxenberg, and thousands more.

Sarah turned NXIVM into a powerhouse.

She did do the right thing, at the very end—does it negate her role? I don’t have the answer.

She should walk at the very least have Nicki dropped from the lawsuit.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Endowed Guy

Only because Mark told her the FBI was Investigating not to do the right thing.
Without Sarah’s recruitment many wonderful people never would of been involved and so deeply hurt.
Shes allowed to recover, they’re not

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Exactly

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Tenzin

No diddling was going in in childhood school though.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Tenzin

Sarah didn’t stop Raniere. I wish people would stop giving her all the credit.

Sarah rode the tails of everyone else who put in the efforts to stop Raniere.

She basically tagged along and it was a good thing there was movie cameras involved or she would of been checked out.

Had it not been for Bonnie risking her marriage & Mark finally waking up to the horrors of what was happening DOS could still be happening.

Let’s face it Mark had the biggest influence in NXIVM to pull people out internationally. Sarah had her little slice of the pie in Vancouver BC.

Had thinot ended would of Sarah been the top enrollment officer in DOS as she was in all of NXIVM?

Sarah had slaves who were branded & handed over collateral. That tell us she didn’t see anything wrong with it until Mark called her and told her this is some bad shit.

Because Bonnie doesn’t need or want to be the center of attention, nor was she in DOS or had a brand Sarah has become the poster woman of all things “take down” and doesn’t correct anyone when they give her that credit.

It took a village to take down NXIVM. It started with Bonnie.

The package that went to the FBI was put together by years of peoples works.

The FBI talked with many people to put their evidence together.

It wasn’t just Sarah.

Wrong
Wrong
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Anonymous at 5:48 am

The woman who succesfully prosecuted Keith Raniere has stated that it was the New York Times article in which Sarah showed her brand that caught her attention and is the reason Moira Penza initiated a case on Keith.

The lead prosecutor knows a little bit more than you do about bringing down Keith. And achieving justice.

Without Sarah Edmondson the Vanguard would be free. Nicki Clyne would still be enslaved. Clare would be trying to have “enemies” of Nxivm arrested and suing them all into bankruptcy. Nancy Salzman’s reign of terror and enabling would still be in effect DOS would have grown their numbers of branded and blackmailed slaves.

It was a group effort and everyone played an important part. But there’s no question that Sarah Edmondson was a very crucial element.

Just ask Frank.

Frank Parlato
Admin
10 months ago
Reply to  Wrong

It was a group effort and Sarah was part of the group. A big part.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Wrong

So your saying Sarah was the only DOS woman brave enough to step forward and show her brand on the cover of a major news paper that landed her a book deal.

Yawn… don’t think so.

I’m sure Mark Vincent could of found a few who could see the advantages of being in such an article.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

No that’s not what I’m saying at all. It sounds like that’s what you’re saying.

I’m saying that the woman who successfully prosecuted Keith has publicly said on more than one occasion that the New York Times article and Sarah’s brand got her attention and made her begin to investigate whether there was a case against Keith.

I was absolutely crucial because the District of New York that Keith had multiple complaints brought to authorities in Albany never decided to pursue a case. Moira Penza realized that the RICO crimes had entered her area and that she could investigate a case against Keith.

Frank's the best
Frank's the best
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

It took frank writing 800 stories 1st. Then life fell into its exact place for all things macabre .

Aristotle’s Sausage
Aristotle’s Sausage
10 months ago

Edmondson joined Nxivm because she yearned for success.

Damn straight. She wasn’t brainwashed, she wasn’t mind-controlled. She was eager for what Nxivm was selling. Executive Success.

Success meaning $$$. Also influence, power, status. It’s all kind of ugly if you think about it. These people didn’t think about it.

It’s easy to fool people who want to be fooled. That’s how cons, and cults, work.

The people who got involved in Nxivm were naive, they eagerly believed this scam would make their dreams come true. That’s why they ignored all the red flags.

Edmondson yearned for success. $$$$. She was looking for a get rich quick angle And she found it. She was making five figures a month selling Nxivm intensives. Why would she question anything about that sweet setup?

Edmondson is greedy and ambitious. Hyper ambitious. She was even absurdly jonesing after that next stripe on her sash- she says so in her book, blissfully unaware about how that sounds now. She desperately wanted to advance up that stripe path. Those stupid, gaudy, cheap polyester sashes. She’s still proud of having been Nxivm’s top salesperson. That what she was selling was a fraud and a scam concerns her not in the least.

Edmondson joined the Nxivm cult and stuck with it for so long because she believed in what the cult was selling. She wanted to believe. That’s true of most people who joined this and other cults.

Clyne talks to this day about her spiritual quest and how she thought Raniere could help her with that. She too desperately wanted to believe. Mack was dissatisfied with merely being an actor making a few paltry millions on TV. She wanted to make an impact on the world. She wanted more, more, more. She believed in Raniere because she so desperately wanted to believe.

People don’t join cults because they were mind-controlled. They join because they’re predisposed to joining a cult. (See the Erikson-Lifton totalism theory). They want what the cult is selling. Spiritual fulfillment, a path to success, win friends and influence people, a seat on the spaceship when the aliens come.

In Sarah Edmondson’s case, this self-deluding yearning is obvious.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

What makes you an expert on cults?

Aristotle’s Sausage
Aristotle’s Sausage
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I read. You should try it sometime.

Start with Edmondson’s book. And Rober Lifton’s. Then there’s this https://www.cesnur.org/2003/smart_anthony.htm

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

The only reason you can talk about NXIVM, stupid sashes, and your pretentious “Erikson-Lifton totalism theory” is because Edmondson stuck out her neck, showed the world her dumb pelvis scar, and blew the whistle. You should be thanking her.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Glad to see she’s moving on, living well and doing good.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Moving on? She was making money off of NXIVM for well over a decade and she’s still effectively doing so now.

Sarah E: Realty vs Perception
Sarah E: Realty vs Perception
10 months ago

It appears to me that Sarah E. somehow managed to influence who got charged or obtained lighter sentences. Lauren committed similar or even more crimes than others who got prison, but Sarah supported and fought for leniency for her, because they’d been best friends and she still cared for her very much. I also believe this is why Lauren and her mother were removed from the civil lawsuit brought on by Sarah et al.

Sarah is taking credit, but the real heroine is Bonnie P. It’s only after Bonnie finally convinced her husband, Mark, then he confronted Sarah AND told Nippy, did Sarah admit to being in DOS and revealed the branding.

When Nippy found out Keith’s initials had been burned into her flesh near her crotch, he went bezerk. Only then did she speak out as a “victim”. Prior to that, there’s a recording of her in a phone conversation with Mark, where he’s asking her if she’s aware of DOS, and at first she feigns ignorance, then she reluctantly says, “Well, if someone was in a secret organization they wouldn’t be able to tell you, because it’s secret.” She didn’t say, “Oh my God, Mark, thank God you know… please help me… what they did to me was horrible…”

Only AFTER Nippy found out, did Sarah make the switch from willing slave to her master and best friend Lauren, to deceived victim of a sex cult. She also only closed her centre and refunded people’s money after she became fearful she could be charged with financial (and other?) crimes.

My bet is on Lauren and Nancy being dropped from the civil suit because Sarah and Lauren are in touch again, and Sarah’s wanting Lauren back into her life.

As for the milking and monetization of her Nxivm experiences, Sarah’s just doing what she’s always been good at: selling. Instead of Nxivm courses, now it’s Nxivm stories.

I’m happy to see Bonnie going back to making a living with her talents as an actor and singer. I’ve never seen any of her acting, but she’s an absolutely glorious singer. She has authentic, superior talent when it comes to singing, that’s for sure.

AI
AI
10 months ago

This post says it all. Bonnie P does not get enough credit for being the one who took down NXVIM. All the pieces fell after Bonnie convinced Mark. There is a part in The Vow when Bonnie says to Mark, “Your going to have to live that part of your life without me.” Bonnie worked hard to convince Mark. But what if it didn’t happen? Mark stays loyal. Sarah gets the brand but stays loyal. Nippy still has his conniption over Sarah getting the brand, but he is the outcast. And NXVIM still lives. Sarah E definitely taking too much credit. She won’t act anymore. Just wants to be a public speaker about taking down NXVIM.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  AI

Thats what phones do

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Phony’s*

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  AI

Agree about Bonnie. She is a true hero who does not go looking for the lion’s share of the credit

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Puck
Nice Bonnie can persue her dream
Too bad Sarah ruined so many others dreams.

There are no ultimate victims
There are no ultimate victims
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

You sound like you need an EM

Only you can ruin your dreams.

Have you thought about not feeling like Sarah is responsible for other people’s dreams? Maybe they’re responsible for their own dreams?

May be… blaming Sarah is just a way to absolve themselves from not pursuing or achieving their own dreams?

What would your life look like if you took full responsibility for achieving your own dreams?

What is keeping you from taking full ownership of your dreams instead of blaming other people for not succeeding?

How does this behavior reward you?

Do you think you are addicted to feeling like it’s other people’s fault you that haven’t succeeded?

If you could make the choice to be responsible for your own dreams what would that look like? How would it feel? Is it more empowering to be responsible for your own dreams?

This was a complimentary exploration of meaning the next intensive is $20,000 please sign up right away and you get a 2% discount!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Some of your points are just false.

Sarah told iher husband the brand was of Keith’s initials. Nipoy didn’t, “find out”. His wife told him .It’s a very sexist narrative. People keep pushing.

When Mark asked Sarah about the slave organization she was blackmailed. She was told if she revealed any of the secrets all of her blackmail would be released.

Nippy has stated consistently that he and Sarah set up a false narrative of him being angry so that they could leave under those circumstances. And be less likely to be hounded by tactics the cult used on defectors.

How could Anyhony be be mad at Sarah (as many have stated in the past) for getting a brand of a man’s initials when Sarah never knew it was his initials until afterward?

That makes zero sense.

There’s even a trail of things Sarah and Nippy did before they together intentionally chose to confront Lauren publicly at the coaches summit, showing that they made a conscious decision to pretend Anthony was angry about his wife being branded. Which I’m sure he actually was mad that somebody disfigured and hurt his wife. But they wanted to leave and it was the cleanest way and a chance to expose what was going on further

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

This lady has it all. She’s tops but how do we get to hear what she said ?

Pilgrim
Pilgrim
10 months ago

Sarah should be getting sued for luring and recruiting unsuspecting women into a cult.

Nippy is a fucking little bitch who backed down to Vanturd. You should be getting sued too.

Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock
10 months ago
Reply to  Pilgrim

Nippy has to live with the fact the whole world knows,
the wifey,
has another dudes initials above her [redacted] burger.

Poor guy.

Ice-nine
Ice-nine
10 months ago

Sarah is a bonafide heroine in the NXIVM saga. She, along with her compatriots, deserve every award, dollar, and accolade they can get. She earned this.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Ice-nine

Oh don’t worry, she will Milk it for ALL its worth!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, stick with being a burnet! Blonde hair only makes a middle-age woman look older—

You look so much younger as brunet. I’m not being an asshole. I am being honest. You are beautiful.

I’m a fan.

Nippy’s opinion doesn’t count. He’s a loving husband & your hair dresser wants to keep you as a client.

Loose the blonde!

You ended Keith’s reign.

I wish you well!

Take it easy!

Anna
Anna
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Don’t ever tell a woman what color hair she should wear.

You’re a man. You know nothing. Hope you’re not married. This woman is beautiful. She looks great as a blonde.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anna

Anna-

Undoubtedly, you have no appreciation for aesthetics or refinement. Most likely you come from a world of salad bar restaurants.
I don’t fault you. You have good intentions. I wish you well!

Anna
Anna
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

If you’re a man I have no interest in anything you have to say. I know who I am. I am woman. You have no business even talking to me.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anna

Hello Deary!

“I have no interest in anything you have to say.”

Why then, did you comment on my comment?

“You have no business even talking to me.”

You spoke to me first. I only responded to you in kind. Go get a pedicure and cool your jets.

Take care!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anna

It’s true, we don’t have to talk to you.

Jdax
Jdax
10 months ago
Reply to  Anna

She’s a beautiful woman but blonde doesn’t suit her… what’s wrong with being honest?

Source: I’m a woman.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Sarah you look like a Shicksa!

Blonde hair ain’t kosher!

Every Jew and Sicilian has a
Aunt Rose. Ask her what she thinks.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Yes I’m Megan should be BOYCOTTED!!!!!

They ruined Sarah!!!!

“New hair by @yesimmegan”
Sarah Edmondson

Pyriel
Pyriel
10 months ago

Beetleejuice, Beetlejuice…

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Pyriel

Bangkok is coming…..

Beetlejuice!

Beetlejuice!

Beetlejuice!

ShadowState1958
ShadowState1958
10 months ago

Portland Oregon is filled with Communist Crackpots.
Their city motto is “Keep Portland Weird.”

A recent Mayor of Portland was Sam Adams who had to resign as Mayor of the Rose City after his pedophilia was revealed.
That is not a joke.
Mayor Sam Adams of Portland was removed when his pedophilia was revealed.
Former Assistant Says Ex-Portland Mayor Sam Adams Routinely Sexually Harassed Him
The staffer alleges that Adams made obscene gestures, talked about his own sex life and demanded graphic details about others’ sexual experiences.
The Rise and Fall of Sam Adams

Oregon Mayor Admits Past Relationship With Teen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_TYBT31ys

If Sarah Edmondson and her husband are hanging out n Portland Oregon they have merely changed cults.
Portland Oregon is its own cult.
They traded the NXIVM cult for the Portland cult.
This is what Portland’s human tragedy looks like

ShadowState1958
ShadowState1958
10 months ago

Some people might assume my comment above is an exaggeration.
It is not.
I have a friend who lives in the Portland suburbs.
Her name is Svetlana.
Her family came to America from Byelorussia.
She was hoping that America would be more normal than the old Soviet Union.
She found that the Pacific Northwest, especially Portland Oregon, is an insane asylum without walls.
This was before the 2020 riots.
Portland Oregon is the epitome of Wokeness and Woke Madness.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

I concur about Portland, I also have a friend that lives there.
And I absolutely believe she took everything he taught her which proves his classes had value, btw.
There’s No Eyeroll Big Enough for this and the hair does prematurely age her.
Ted Talks was NXIVM goal.
Beetle juice is right!

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Her hair looks great and look at that body. She is gorgeous. Love her🇱🇮in my country.

Anonymous
Anonymous
10 months ago

Hmm
I remember Nicki being attacked for running an establishment that the owner/ manager came from Portland, Oregon, those people who were so looked down upon?

About the Author

Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist.

His work has been cited in hundreds of news outlets, like The New York Times, The Daily Mail, VICE News, CBS News, Fox News, New York Post, New York Daily News, Oxygen, Rolling Stone, People Magazine, The Sun, The Times of London, CBS Inside Edition, among many others in all five continents.

His work to expose and take down NXIVM is featured in books like “Captive” by Catherine Oxenberg, “Scarred” by Sarah Edmonson, “The Program” by Toni Natalie, and “NXIVM. La Secta Que Sedujo al Poder en México” by Juan Alberto Vasquez.

Parlato has been prominently featured on HBO’s docuseries “The Vow” and was the lead investigator and coordinating producer for Investigation Discovery’s “The Lost Women of NXIVM.” Parlato was also credited in the Starz docuseries "Seduced" for saving 'slave' women from being branded and escaping the sex-slave cult known as DOS.

Additionally, Parlato’s coverage of the group OneTaste, starting in 2018, helped spark an FBI investigation, which led to indictments of two of its leaders in 2023.

Parlato appeared on the Nancy Grace Show, Beyond the Headlines with Gretchen Carlson, Dr. Oz, American Greed, Dateline NBC, and NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, where Parlato conducted the first-ever interview with Keith Raniere after his arrest. This was ironic, as many credit Parlato as one of the primary architects of his arrest and the cratering of the cult he founded.

Parlato is a consulting producer and appears in TNT's The Heiress and the Sex Cult, which premiered on May 22, 2022. Most recently, he consulted and appeared on Tubi's "Branded and Brainwashed: Inside NXIVM," which aired January, 2023.

IMDb — Frank Parlato

Contact Frank with tips or for help.
Phone / Text: (305) 783-7083
Email: frankreport76@gmail.com

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