Daniella Mestyanek Young - Sex Cult Survivor
Divorced: The Children of God cult
TW: Discussion of CSA and military sexual assault
DANIELLA MESTYANEK YOUNG is an American author and speaker who was raised in the religious cult, Children of God.
She later served as an intelligence officer for the US Army for over 6 years, making the rank of Captain, and became one of the first women in US Army history to conduct deliberate ground combat operations when she volunteered to serve on a Female Engagement Team, and received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Daniella is a wife and mother in Maryland and holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the Harvard Extension School.
In today’s episode, Daniella discusses escaping from the Children of God and trying to integrate into secular life, as well as parallels between all cultish groups (including the military).
For more from Daniella, join us online in October at CORT2023
Get an ad-free version of this podcast here or watch here:
Support this podcast on Patreon and get access to bonus content and ad-free episodes:
SPECIAL THANKS to our newest patrons: Sacha, Anne, Paul, and Sheila!
Subscribe to the audio-only version here.
Get your free consultation with Janice, book 1:1 sessions, or sign up for the Divorcing Religion Workshop here.
Get your recordings from the Shameless Sexuality: Life After Purity Culture conference here.
Follow Janice and the Conference on Religious Trauma on Social Media:
Twitter: @divorcereligion
Twitter: @Wise_counsellor
Twitter: @ComeToCORT
Facebook: janice.selbie
Facebook: DivorcingReligion
Facebook: ConferenceOnReligiousTrauma
TikTok: @janiceselbie
Instagram: @wisecounsellor
The Divorcing Religion Podcast is for entertainment purposes only. If you need help with your mental health, please consult a qualified, secular mental health clinician.