“The Guru's Secretary” Sheela Birnstiel Pt. 1

It was supposed to be the happiest night of Samantha Miller’s life, but moments after her wedding reception, a speeding car slammed into a golf cart carrying the newlyweds. Miller was killed, while her new husband, Aric Hutchinson, and two others were left seriously injured in th ...  Show more

Behind the glamorous online persona of a rising OnlyFans star was a relationship spiraling out of control. When Courtney Clenney’s boyfriend, Christian Obumseli, is fatally stabbed inside their Miami condo, investigators are left piecing together years of volatile, publicly-docum ...  Show more

Prophesied to die young and surviving near-death-experiences, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh felt discomfort with his own mortality from a young age. Over time, his spiritual studies and strong beliefs about capitalism and sexuality led Rajneesh to become a charismatic cult leader. This ...  Show more

Ma Anand Sheela orchestrated Rajneeshpuram’s movement from India to Oregon. As Rajneesh himself faded into the shadows, the cult’s grabs for political power led to wiretapping, poisoning, fraud and murder plots. We examine how Sheela was driven towards chaos by her husband’s deat ...  Show more

In April 2017 YouTube recommended reporter Jennings Brown watch a self-help video from Teal Swan, a spiritual guru with a global online following. He’d spend the next year trying to understand whether or not she’s dangerous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices. ...  Show more

In the early 1990s a devout Catholic and former school principal starts claiming she’s a divine prophet with a special connection to the Virgin Mary. Within a decade, Debra Geileskey has hundreds of followers in Australia, a monopoly over the town of Helidon, and donations pourin ...  Show more