Author and Former Cult Member Spencer Schneider

How a Cult Member of 23 Years Finally Got Out
Spencer Schneider Shares an Insider View into Cults

Have you ever wondered about cults? How do you get into one? How do you get out? Why don’t you leave when things get abusive? Why do people stay? Spencer Schneider is a former member of a Manhattan cult, who finally got away after 23 years in the cult.

His new book Manhattan Cult Story covers the journey from how he got in, to how he got out, and all the sordid details in between. In our chat we learn how people were targeted, some of their internal vocabulary they use, and how he came to doubt himself. We talk about gaslighting, mind games, and how relationships were regulated. Plus, how Spencer finally was able to leave.

It’s a rare insider view to the world of cults and how they work, with a strong dose of hope at the end.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Pam and Spencer

About Spencer Schneider

A native of Long Island, Spencer Schneider is practicing attorney who specializes in corporate litigation in New York. Mr. Schneider is also an open water marathon swimmer and ice water swimmer. He is employed as an ocean lifeguard, operates a lifeguard training academy, and co-founded a water rescue group. Mr. Schneider is a contributing writer of EAST Magazine. His book, “Manhattan Cult Story: My Unbelievable True Story of Sex, Crimes, Chaos, and Survival,” will be released by Arcade Publishing and distributed by Simon & Schuster on July 5, 2022. Mr. Schneider lives in New York and East Hampton.

Mr. Schneider received his BA in Philosophy from Washington University in 1982, and his JD from Cardozo School of Law in 1985 where he was Articles Editor of the Arts and Entertainment Law Journal. He received the annual faculty award for best Law Review note. He began his legal career in 1986 at a predecessor firm to the New York City branch of Hogan Lovells.

For more about Spencer, check out his website: spencer-schneider.com
For his book, Manhattan Cult Story: Click here
Check out his blog here: cultrevolt.com
Follow him on Instagram at @OfficialSpencerSchneider

Intelligence Expert & Bestselling Author Bob Baer on The Fourth Man

Intelligence Expert & Bestselling Author

Anyone who is a spy history buff will know that American Intelligence caught three high-profile Russian spies in the 90s: Aldrich Ames and Edward Howard from the CIA, and Robert Hanssen from the FBI.  But did you know that there have always been rumblings that there was a fourth man?

Bestselling author and intelligence analyst for CNN, (one of the most accomplished officers in CIA history), Robert Baer says it’s time to talk about The Fourth Man (the title of his new book!) – someone who may be the greatest traitor in American history – and who may still be alive.

In our chat we find out how the intelligence organizations discovered the three moles within, and why there is credible belief that there was a fourth mole – the Fourth Man – and how these spies allowed Putin to come to power. In addition, we discover why people become spies, what the state of US spycraft is today, and what is the biggest danger in the world today. Plus – how he made ME part of the spy story!

Click the player below to hear the chat with Pam and Bob

About Bob Baer
Robert Baer, one of the most accomplished officers in CIA history, is a bestselling author and intelligence analyst for CNN. Over several decades, he served everywhere from Iraq to New Delhi and was awarded the Career Intelligence Medal for his efforts. Baer is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including his first book, See No Evil, the basis for the Academy Award-winning film Syriana. He is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Middle East and frequently appears on all major news outlets. Baer has contributed to TIMEVanity FairThe Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.
For his book, The 4th Man: Click here

NatGeo Explorer Gabby Salazar on Women Explorers and Scientists

No Boundaries!
NatGeo’s Gabby Salazar on  her New Book
No Boundaries – 25 Women Explorers & Scientists

When I was a little girl, all the astronauts were men. We would watch TV shows about Dr. Leakey, the archaeologist. And of course, we loved watching the shows with Jacques Cousteau.

These were amazing people.  But where were the women? We never saw role models at the time in science and exploration to inspire us. Could we even BE scientists and explorers?

Fortunately, now we are starting to hear more of the stories of the women who pioneered the way in those areas. And for young women, and girls, National Geographic brings us No Boundaries… 25 Women Explorers and Scientists Share Adventures, Inspiration, and Advice.  It’s a wonderfully colorful book, filled with bits and pieces of wisdom, and backstories on these women scientists.

In this episode, we talk with Gabby Salazar, one of the authors, and a nature and conservation photographer and social scientist, who has traveled the world, living in tropical rain forests and on tropical islands. We’ll ask her how they chose the women to be included in the book, which story inspired her, and what she hopes girls and young women will take from this book. It’s a conversation sure to inspire you – and the young girls in your life!

Click the player below to hear the chat with Pam and  Gabby Salazar

About Gabby Salazar

GABBY SALAZAR is a National Geographic Explorer, a nature and conservation photographer, and a social scientist. As an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, she has worked on environmental photography projects across the globe, spending months at a time living in tropical rainforests and on tropical islands. Salazar has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Science, where she studies environmental marketing. She is committed to environmental education and uses photography to get kids outdoors and to connect them with nature.

For more about Gabby Salazar: Click Here​
F
or her book, No Boundaries: Click here
Follow her on Twitter: @gabbyrsalazar
And on Instagram: @gabbyrsalazar

 

Bestselling Author Michael Farquhar Shares More Bad Days in History!

Think You’ve had a Bad Day?
Michael Farquhar Delves into the Day-to-Day Saga of
Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence in History

I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much in an interview – especially one that included carbuncles, cannibalism, and Thomas Jefferson’s rear end. Bestselling author Michael Farquhar shares More Bad Days in History and reminds us that history is not all black and white – that complexities exist – and that we are all pretty much the same.

Michael tells us how General Patton’s widow put a Hawaiian curse on her husband’s mistress, how Joe DiMaggio gave Florence Kotz a doozy of a day, and how Colonial Massachusetts had some terminal consequences for disobedient children.

Having a bad day? You won’t feel so bad after listening to our chat!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Michael Farquhar and Pam

About Michael Farquhar

A former writer and editor at The Washington Post, Michael Farquhar is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the critically acclaimed Behind the Palace Doors and Secret Lives of the Tsars, as well as the popular Penguin “Treasury” series: A Treasury of Royal Scandals, A Treasury of Great American Scandals, A Treasury of Deception, A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans. His latest titles are Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year, and its sequel More Bad Days in History: The Delightfully Dismal, Day-by-Day Saga of Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence Continues. He lives in Washington, D.C.

For more from Michael Farquhar: Click here

Never Kiss a Chicken – Bottom of the Sky Author William C. Pack has a Children’s Book!

William C. Pack – Bestselling Author of
The Bottom of the Sky
Writes about Kissing Chickens in his New Children’s Book!

How do you go from the crazy world of Wall Street to the chicken coops of Montana, and write a sweet book for children, after you have a bestselling novel for adults?

William C. Pack explains why he wrote “Never Kiss a Chicken” after the success of his adult novel “Bottom of the Sky.”  We talk divisiveness, niceness, kindness (both active and passive) and why one should never kiss a chicken.

And, it turns out, we both speak chicken! A delightful conversation with an interesting man.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with William and Pam


Photo Credit: Mallory Regan Photography

About William C. Pack

Wlliam C. Pack Photo Credit: Melanie Nashan Photography
Wlliam C. Pack Photo Credit: Melanie Nashan Photography

William C. Pack is a multi-award winning author. Born and raised in rural Montana, Bill left home at an early age and worked a variety of jobs from truck driver to cook before earning his GED and, at age 21, joined a major Wall Street firm. He rose to become the youngest Executive VP/Divisional Director of the largest investment firm in the world while simultaneously acting as CEO of a private food manufacturing company affiliated with Beatrice Foods and served a prestigious 3-year appointment with the NASD (now FINRA) in creating and enforcing rules and regulations on Wall Street.

At 43, due to an illness, Bill left Wall Street to pursue lifelong goals. Bill took the SATs and earned a slot at Stanford University as the oldest undergraduate on campus. In 3 years he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction and high honors. His thesis received the Annual Reviews Prize in Anthropological Sciences and Bill became the chief archaeologist of Stanford’s Greater Yellowstone Archaeological Site Survey.

Bill’s greatest dream was to be a novelist. He was a Lucas Artists Fellowship Writer in Residence and in 2007, his first short story was published. Soon after, his debut novel, THE BOTTOM OF THE SKY, a rags to riches family saga published to great critical acclaim. The novel was a finalist for the National Best Book Award and a contender for the Pulitzer Prize. THE BOTTOM OF THE SKY was also chosen for the prestigious One Book Billings Award and has been taught in advanced university literature and creative writing classes.

Bill has been featured on NPR affiliates, the PBS-syndicated show Between the Lines, Face the StateForbes Personal Best, and a host of local and regional radio and television shows.

Bill has used his book sales to raise money for women’s and children’s charities, including: Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse in SF, The Nevada Women’s Fund, the Angel Fund in MT, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Reach Out and Read CO, Reach Out and Read AZ, Babcock Elementary in Sacramento, Rafael House in Portland, and others. Bill was a Board member of the Institute of the Americas, solving energy issues in the Americas, and of other charities.

Bill Pack is married with grown children and delightful grandchildren. After residing in Northern California for many years, Bill and his wife returned to Montana, where he enjoys hanging out with his big dogs and even bigger wildlife. NEVER KISS A CHICKEN! is Bill’s first children’s book.

  • Photos courtesy of Mallory Regan Photography and Melanie Nashan Photography

For more about William C. Pack: Click here
For his book, Never Kiss a ChickenClick here
William C. Pack on Facebook: @williamcpack

Gaia Exec Producer Melissa Tittl Talks Unearthing Nazca Documentary

Are we the only beings in the universe?  You know you’ve thought about it. For decades the American public has postulated that beings from other planets or galaxies have come to earth and lived among us.

Unearthing Nazca: The Complete Story, is a new documentary produced by Gaia that just premiered on their site. It’s about controversial mummies that were found in Peru and covers the latest findings – and controversies  —  and what the experts are saying.  Could these be beings from another planet?

Our guest, Melissa Tittl, is the executive producer of the documentary, and the Director of Original Content for Gaia. We’ll ask her about how these mummies were found, what medical and forensic experts are saying about them, and if they could be a hoax.

Plus – are there more mummies out there? Why is the Peruvian government hindering their investigation, and what we can expect from Gaia in the future.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Melissa and Pam

About Melissa:  For more than a decade, Melissa has been developing and producing motion pictures and television. Her particular expertise is to create narrative stories around non-fiction subjects. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Melissa is an investigative journalist in the government conspiracy realm and science fields. She produces and writes TV shows for several major networks.

In addition to her production work she also writes graphic novels, screenplays and has become a consultant for new film makers in the investigative government conspiracy space.

Following the viral success of last year’s short-form original series Unearthing Nazca, Melissa produced an original documentary on the latest findings and controversy surrounding the discovery of several ancient and anomalous mummies in Nazca, Peru. Unearthing Nazca: The Complete Story premiered on Gaia.com October 7. See the trailer here.

A Gaia original production, Unearthing Nazca: The Complete Story documents the culmination of years of analysis, patience, and persistence by an international team of professionals attempting to signal to the scientific community what could be one of the most important discoveries in human history.

Curious viewers can watch the full story as we know it today, including the latest scientific findings and CT scans of the mummies, behind-the-scenes politics and efforts to shut down a global investigation into the original of these beings, and never-before-seen footage of the location where the mummies were discovered.

For more on Unearthing Nazca: Click Here
Find out more about Gaia here: www.Gaia.com
Keep up with their twitter here: @YourMotherGaia

Dr. Jonah Berger and Invisible Influence

So you think you have a mind of your own? That no one influences your choices? Dr. Jonah Berger, marketing professor at Wharton and author of the new book Invisible influence, says whether we realize it or not, the actions and behaviors of people around us affect us and OUR behaviors more than we know!

We’ll learn how we’re affected by others, how losing can actually lead to winning, and why being different is good – but not TOO different! We’ll also find out what cockroaches can teach us about how we behave! Jonah shares some things that may change how we act!

Click here to listen to the chat with Pam and  Jonah

Jonah Berger is a marketing professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On and Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior.

Dr. Berger has spent over 15 years studying how social influence works and how it drives products and ideas to catch on.  He’s published dozens of articles in top-tier academic journals, consulted for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, and popular outlets like the New York Times and Harvard Business Review often cover his work.

For more about Jonah, Click here for his website
F
ollow Jonah on Twitter: Click here
Pick up Invisible Influence on Amazon here

Rich Dad Poor Dad Author Robert Kiyosaki Returns to Talk about FAKE

Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki returns to chat with Pam about how we got suckered into paying back the guys who ripped us off in the bank debacle, how the student debt crisis is bigger than the 2007 sub-prime crisis, and how parents might start moving in with their kids. As outspoken and controversial as ever, the author of FAKE talks about the gold standard, mistakes he has made, and the living liability that you may not have considered!

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Robert and Pam

Best known as the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad—the #1 personal finance book of all time—Robert Kiyosaki has challenged and changed the way tens of millions of people around the world think about money. He is an entrepreneur, educator, and investor who believes that each of us has the power to makes changes in our lives, take control of our financial future, and live the rich life we deserve.

With perspectives on money and investing that often contradict conventional wisdom, Robert has earned an international reputation for straight talk, irreverence, and courage and has become a passionate and outspoken advocate for financial education.

Robert’s most recent books—Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and More Important Than Money—were published in the spring of this year to mark the 20th Anniversary of the 1997 release of Rich Dad Poor Dad. That book and its messages, viewed around the world as a classic in the personal finance arena, have stood the test of time. Why the Rich Are Getting Richer, released two decades after the international blockbuster bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad, is positioned as Rich Dad Graduate School. Robert has also co-authored two books with Donald Trump, prior to his successful bid for the White House and election as President of the United States.

Be sure to pick up his book Fake, and learn more about Robert Kiyosaki: Click Here

Inside the Kushner family with Vicky Ward

As we begin to fully understand all the ins and outs of the current administration, a big question is – who really are Jared and Ivanka Kushner? Who are the people behind the façade? Acclaimed author and investigative journalist Vicky Ward draws back the curtain and gives us some insight into Kushner, Inc., which happens to be the title of her NYTimes bestselling  book.

We find out how Jared and Ivanka’s fathers informed so much of their lives, and how Jared’s father thought his family was just like the Kennedy’s.  We’ll also understand why Jared bears so much animosity towards Chris Christie, and what his 3-point plan was to rehabilitate the family name and reputation.

Plus – Vicky tells us how dependent Ivanka is on her father’s approval and how Jared and Ivanka have an authenticity problem.

We didn’t have near enough time to ask everything we wanted, but here’s our chat with Vicky that will be leaving you wanting to know more about Kushner, Inc.

Click on the player below to hear the chat with Vicky and Pam

Vicky Ward is a New York Times bestselling author, investigative reporter, and magazine columnist.

Currently, she is the editor at large of HuffPost and HuffPost’s long-form magazine, Highline, as well as at Town & Country magazine. Previously, she was a contributor to Esquire and contributing editor to Vanity Fair for eleven years where her articles covered politics, finance, art, and culture.

She was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair for eleven years where her articles covered a wide array of subject matter: politics, finance, art and culture and society. Among other things she wrote about Hewlett PackardMorgan StanleyBruce Wassersteina failed coup in AfricaKate MiddletonValerie Plamecounterterrorist czar Dick ClarkeBrooke AstorVeronica Hearstthe Guggenheimthe GettyPhillips de Pury LuxembourgSt Barths, VivendiJeffrey EpsteinWashington Internsthe Fairfield Greenwich hedge fund and Bernie Madoff.

She has also been a columnist for the London Evening Standard and has contributed to, among others, The Financial Times, the New York TimesThe London Times and Sunday TimesThe Daily Telegraph, the UK Spectator MagazineBritish VogueUS Harpers Bazaar and Porter.

She is a graduate of Cambridge University in the UK, where aged 24 she was awarded runner-up for the Catherine Pakenham award, Britain’s most prestigious prize for longform writing by women under the age of 25.

Vicky’s Website: vickyward.com
Vicky’s instagram: www.instagram.com/vpjw_
Vicky’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/VickyPJWard/
Vicky’s Twitter: @VickyPJWard

For your own copy of  Kushner Inc.  Click Here