So happy to share Part Two of our conversation with the unforgettable Tracy Nusbaum.

It’s Chele here, personally writing this blurb of Episode 15, as I felt the need to share about how deeply touched I was by our intimate discussion with Tracy. I was so enthralled with our conversation, that it’s the very first episode where I literally forgot to read the quote of the day.

Being reminded of what happened to Tracy and all of us that have escaped from the ICOC‘s prison bars that incarcerated our minds moved me, and spoke to me in ways that words cannot encompass.

As I re-listened to the episode before it was uploaded for the rest of you to hear, I went on a long walk through my neighborhood and I just wept—I wept tears of loss, tears of regret, tears of sadness, tears of anger, and tears of painful memories. But these tears eventually evolved into feelings of resolve and strength and empowerment. This is what happens when we can acknowledge what we have been through, where we are now, and ultimately where we are headed.

Tracy, your willingness to be so vulnerable and share so specifically about what you experienced inside of the ICOC underscores the fact that we were mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically and financially violated on a daily basis in that group.

But yet here we are, broken out of our cocoons with big butterfly wings that carry us and our voices to places we probably could have never even imagined!

Thank you Tracy for using your voice to share your story, as it’s already having great impact, and validating the complexity and pain of surviving any type of cultic experience.

We also appreciate the way you peppered in some organic humor—it helps us to laugh at the ridiculousness of what ICOC survivors have been through. You are wonderfully and perfectly made, and the world is enriched by your experiences and perspective!