Authbition Weekly — The Accidental Cult of Parenting
How fear, faith, and family can blur the line between guidance and control
Welcome to the weekly newsletter for Authbition—it’s Authenticity and Ambition. It’s the best of the best, built on vulnerability, non-attachment, caring, thoughtfulness, and whole-mindedness.
The Podcast
Six months into Authbition, I’m still learning what it means to share my real voice — not the polished one, but the human one. This week, I read My Parents’ Fear of Cults Made Them Act Like One and reflected on how fear can shape love. Then, David Milgrim’s Are Podcast Pals Real Pals? made me think about what it means to truly connect through a microphone — to be authentic enough that the people listening aren’t just followers, but friends.
Read the original essay on Medium:
My Parents’ Fear of Cults Made Them Act Like One
Watch or listen on your favorite platform:
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music
Reflection
I think it’s safe to say most parents want what’s best for their kids. But as a parent still figuring out what’s best for me, I have to ask — how could I possibly know what’s best for anyone else?
With Halloween around the corner, I wanted a story that felt a little spooky. Scrolling through my essays, I stopped at one about my parents’ fear of cults — a fear that shaped much of my childhood. I wrote it after learning about BITE, a framework developed by Steven Hassan, a former cult member turned counselor. It stands for Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotional control.
What struck me about BITE was how easily good intentions can slip into control — how parenting, done from fear, can start to resemble the very thing it’s trying to prevent.
What’s scarier than a parent accidentally using cult-like methods in the name of protection? Sounds like a Halloween thriller — or maybe just real life.
But in the spirit of Authbition, goodness prevails. We grow up. We question. We find our own truth and follow our intrinsically motivated ambitions.
Highlight of the Week
Are Podcast Pals Real Pals?
By David Milgrim
This week’s highlight, Are Podcast Pals Real Pals? by David Milgrim, stopped me in my tracks. As a podcaster, I think a lot about what it means to connect with someone through a mic — to feel known, or to help someone feel known. David’s essay explores the strange intimacy of podcasts: how we can feel a genuine bond with someone we’ve never met, and how that can be both beautiful and a little unsettling.
It made me think about my own responsibility as a host. I don’t want to create a version of myself that’s edited for likability or influence. I want to show up as me — unpolished, curious, thoughtful, sometimes awkward — and hope that those who listen are drawn not to a persona, but to something real.
There’s something profoundly human about finding friendship in a voice. I just want that voice — mine included — to be honest.
Read David’s full story on Medium:
Are Podcast Pals Real Pals?
Thank you for taking the time to read, listen, and watch Authbition. I appreciate you.
Sharing Authbition with your friends and letting me know what flows is the water that keeps this podcast journey swimming.
Health, happiness, kindness, respect
for every being and all things.
— Andrew
