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My Parents Gave Me to a Cult Leader at 15 (Hidden in the Woods with Newborn)

Cults to Consciousness

267,745 views

It started when Maria’s mother was k*dnapped and taken to Canada before somehow convincing her parents to give marital consent. Maria would end up being one of 11 children who were moved over and over from different Amish and Mennonite settlements. Maria’s father was a wannabe cult leader and stirred up trouble wherever he went. Homemade preaching tapes sent out to the world would attract predat*rs into Maria’s home. One of them being a Russian man named Sergey, a cult leader himself. At 15, Maria’s parents willingly gave her to Sergey to marry off to another man. At 16 she was alone, hidden in a swampy woodland without electricity or running water, struggling to survive with a newborn.

Watch our follow up LIVE with Maria: My Parents Gave Me to a Cult Leader at 15 ...

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Chapter Marks

00:00:00 Intro
00:03:11 What motivated Maria to tell her story
00:09:11 How Maria's parents got involved
00:12:29 How Maria's family became Mennonite
00:16:37 Not fitting in with church communities
00:24:55 Growing up in a community with the Amish
00:30:06 The Russians
00:35:57 Schooling and education
00:39:48 Parentification
00:50:30 Maria is forced to get married
01:05:05 How Maria ended up leaving
01:18:41 How Maria navigates relationships now
01:24:49 What brings Maria joy now
01:26:43 Linda, listen

**Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority.

This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**

20 Comments

@myworld_prism 7 months ago

Thank you for giving me a space to share my story and all the supportive comments. ❤

@gracequalls9770 7 months ago

Maria, had you not spoken I don’t think I would have realized my family was a part of this cult. You never said the town names but I know which ones. My parents grew up right there. I never had a name for it because of how they picked certain pieces from other cults. I had friends sent to that ALERT camp. Thank you so much for helping me come to SO SO SO MANY realizations of my own story ❤

@digitalliqour2708 7 months ago (edited)

You didnt ruin your kids lives by leaving you saved them.

@ShanPz 8 months ago

Maria kept saying “that’s when it got really bad” but objectively everything was REALLY BAD!!! Oh my goodness I am so glad she made it out.

@blayneelizabeth2098 8 months ago

Hey shelise- i am a therapist (LMSW) and i just wanted to say your interviewing skills are incredible and therapist like- I know you don’t have that formal education- but you are ROCKING IT. 🎉

@LauraOttawa 8 months ago

She graduated from nursing school while she was a mother, that's amazing in itself!

@katwitanruna 8 months ago

Break the silence. Break the cycle.

@LauraOttawa 8 months ago

Heartbreaking to think of a teenage girl not allowed to talk to her mom about being pregnant 😢

@lilf8195 8 months ago

I don’t know if the guest realizes how bad the story about her mom being a trafficked victim is. I’m so sorry. He should be in jail.

@hollywebster6844 8 months ago

Maria's story makes me so curious about how many of these small cults are in this country. I'm so grateful that she was able to maintain her sanity and escape with her children.

@ceyepie6789 8 months ago

Wow. My jaw was on the floor the whole time! You survived, and I’m so proud of you!

@LauraOttawa 8 months ago

I'm probably not the only person to think she looks 27 herself I wouldn't guess she has a 27-year-old child

@twinnish 8 months ago

Jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Getting married to escape an abusive father is next level sad. A child. 😢

@phoenixcaira1132 7 months ago

I wanna know who the HELL talked the grandmother into letting the mom marry her kidnapper

@professionalpainthuffer 8 months ago

me learning algebra at 28 because my parents refused to send me to school 🤝 today's guest teaching herself under cover of night because her parwnts refused to send her to school.

Academic neglect is a *bitch*. The emotional trauma, the lack of social skills, it's all gnarly to deal with, but the fact that I never made it past middle school science and algebra 1 has wrecked my adult life in ways that should honestly be studied by science. You can fake and brute force and therapize your way through the psychological damage, but there's no shortcuts around school.

@HalfBananaWoman 8 months ago

What Maria did for herself and her children is absolutely amazing. The amount of inner strength it takes to do the right thing and call the police on her ex when everyone around her was telling her she was wrong. And then to put herself through college as well. Absolutely incredible. I’m so sorry she was in a situation where she had to be this strong

@poponotthe5oh 8 months ago

Ohhh! My. Goodness!!
This woman is INCREDIBLE!
I don't think she sees it. The sheer amount of Strength she has to not only survive, but to escape and Grow and THRIVE!
What a beautiful human, inside and out!
Thank you, so much for sharing your story with us. I know it has to be difficult. Just know, its definitely appreciated! ❤

@robinedwards8796 8 months ago

Maria, thank you for telling your story.

@mikaelamoyher5156 7 months ago

To report an abuser is the most bravest thing you can do, you not only save yourself but so many more. I reported my brother for sa towards my siblings and my family has turned to protect him the abuser I'm on the outs but I'd do it again to protect them !