Show Notes
Rusty is a highly regarded New Zealand comedian based in Christchurch, known for his award-winning stand-up and energetic live performances. He has been a staple of the South Island comedy scene and has been described as a "cult classic" comedian. Rusty is known for his fast-paced, often chaotic, and "hilarious" storytelling, with reviews calling his work a "finely polished masterwork". His material often focuses on absurd observations and personal stories. He is a long-standing performer in the New Zealand comedy circuit, with a career spanning over 17 years as of 2018. Rusty grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and walked away as a teenager — and now he turns that world into comedy gold. His humour is dark, a little irreverent, and deeply personal, pulling from the strange, intense, and sometimes surreal moments of life inside a high-control religion. We met him at the Doomsday Comedy Event, loved his set, and invited him on the pod to unpack the story behind the jokes.
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For 10 years Nicola Ranson was a disciple of the guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (AKA Osho) from India to Oregon until the commune collapsed amid criminal activity. She became a somatic psychotherapist specialising in trauma and has worked with many cult survivors. Nicola taught Counselling Psychology for 17 years on the adjunct faculty at National University. Her memoir, A Slice of Orange: loving and leaving the Osho/Rajneesh cult will be published by Unsolicited Press this December
Bec Sonkkila survived six years in the MISA yoga cult. Rebuilding her dismantled identity became her life's work. Today, she is an international recovery and relationship coach specialising in coercive control and post-cult identity. Using somatic practices, hypnotherapy and lived experience, Bec helps clients distinguish genuine connection from compliance. She splits her time between New Zealand, Australia and Finland, and is writing a book about finding a self you can trust.