WTF is on my Mind?!
Author, Speaker, Whistleblower and award-winning Director Mark Vicente was behind the sleeper hit “What The Bleep Do We Know?!” Several books have been written about the film’s remarkable grassroots marketing campaign, which led to its unprecedented success. Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1965. Taking his first photograph at age four, he quickly discovered his passion for being behind the camera. After attending film and drama school in South Africa, he began working his way up the ranks of the camera department, from Assistant to Operator to Cinematographer. His first big break came as Director of Photography on the musical “SARAFINA,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. In 1992, he set his sights on Hollywood and relocated to Los Angeles to shoot his first studio picture for Disney; “FATHERHOOD,” starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry. At the age of 26, he became one of the youngest cinematographers to shoot a big-budget studio picture. Over the next few decades, he went on to shoot an additional 14 feature films and numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials. Mark soon found there were in him, untold stories he desperately wanted to express as a Director. He was driven by the conviction that tales of greatness, nobility and introspection could be exciting and financially successful. Perhaps because of the very obvious race and class iniquities in South Africa, he found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. Beliefs about human behavior, cosmology, religion, existentialism and mysticism. Along the way, he stumbled into a few situations where leaders with malignant pathologies (masquerading as saintly philosophers) spoke the talk of self-improvement but did untold damage to their followers... and him. Looking back, he can now say he has been in at least two cults. His last foray into personal growth and his defection from NXIVM was chronicled in the HBO series “The Vow”. Mark and a few plucky whistleblowers exposed the criminal activities of the organization, resulting in multiple arrests and indictments. He doesn’t consider himself a cult expert, but by his own admission, “I’m an expert in being screwed over, waking up, and knowing how to spot them.” He’s got a pretty salty approach to most things and is fascinated by the myriad patterns in the human psychodynamic that create the best and the worst in civilization. Join Mark as he unpacks a whole range of topics to do with: Psychology, Consciousness, Morality, Narcissistic Abuse, Spirituality, Cults, Propaganda, Science, Filmmaking, and Philosophy.You never quite know what you’re going to get, as it really does depend on… WTF is on his mind?!
Episodes
Psychological abuse, narcissistic abuse, and gaslighting can completely distort your sense of reality and self-trust.
In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jaime Zuckerman about what survivors actually experience after emotional and psychological abuse—and how they begin to heal.
https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/
We focus on reclaiming identity, rebuilding trust, and why “just get over it” is one of the most damaging th...
I just watched the documentary Corey Feldman vs. the World and—holy S H I T. It’s hard to describe the experience. It’s messy, mesmerizing, disturbing, and somehow still deeply human.
So I had to talk to the woman behind the lens.
In this episode, I sit down with filmmaker Marcie Hume, who spent nearly a decade embedded in Corey Feldman’s chaotic world — documenting a surreal mix of abuse allegations, musical ambi...
Carina Eriksson is an international matchmaker and dating consultant with over 20 years of experience. She runs Atlas International, a boutique firm helping accomplished individuals build meaningful relationships through her signature approach called "relational agility." Carina is also one of my mentoring clients, and our conversations have opened my eyes to so much about the divide between men and women.
In thi...
I was at the gym when I looked up at the TV and saw my local weather duo doing their usual performative dance—fake smiles, scripted banter, corporate personas. That's when it hit me: this isn't just bad television, it's cult-like behavior.
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for GROUND NEWS using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93
In this solo epi...
In this episode, I delve into one of the most controversial and misunderstood programs in modern history: MK Ultra. Joined by Richard Grannon and screenwriter Adam Simon, we explore the reality versus the fiction of government mind control experiments, the psychology of brainwashing, and how these techniques have evolved into something far more insidious—mass manipulation through social media and modern media.
We break dow...
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for GROUND NEWS using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93
After spending over 10 years in a cult, I became obsessed with recognizing the patterns. And now? I see them everywhere—especially in our political tribes.
Everyone's busy calling the other side a cult while refusing to examine their own behavior. In this episode of WTF is on...
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for GROUND NEWS using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93
In this episode of WTF is on My Mind, I sit down with author and dark psychology educator Richard Grannon to explore something that’s been gnawing at my Patreon community: the disturbing rise of post-cult interviews where former NXIVM insiders speak as though they’re remorseful, but their ...
What does it really take to stop repeating toxic patterns? To finally choose yourself after trauma, addiction, and emotional chaos?
In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, I sit down with Jared Mello — aka The Wizard of Radical Self-Respect — to unpack the brutal, beautiful road to reclaiming yourself after abuse, addiction, and entanglement with toxic systems and people.
Find Jared Mello Online:
- YouTube: @jaredmello
- Website: https...
In this episode, I sit down with Richard Grannon to ask the question that’s been on my mind for a while: What is Borderline Personality Disorder? And when you're trying to figure out someone's irrational behavior, is it BPD? Complex PTSD? Or Vulnerable Narcissism?
I’ve encountered some wildly confusing behavior in recent years—emotional whiplash, contradictions, disappearing boundaries—and I’ve been trying to make sense of...
This conversation with Richard Grannon covers a topic I’ve been wanting to unpack for a long time: the tension between self-reflection and what often gets labeled as victim blaming.
If you’ve experienced narcissistic abuse, coercive control, or cult manipulation, you’ve probably come up against this moment — where someone talks about agency or healing, and it lands like blame. I’ve felt that too.
Richard and I dive into why that ha...
To De-Cult your news feed, sign up for Ground News using my affiliate link. 40% off the normal price. https://ground.news/checkout/all?fpr=mark93
What if narcissistic abuse doesn’t show up right away… but builds up like radiation in the body—silent, invisible, and devastating over time?
In this solo episode, recorded from Cape Town, I reflect on family lineage, legacy, and the long-term effects of being around nar...
In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, I sit down with Dr. Peter Salerno — a retired psychotherapist and author who has spent decades studying personality disorders, psychopathy, and complex trauma.
Our conversation dives straight into one of the most heated debates in psychology: are narcissists shaped by trauma and upbringing, or are some people simply born with traits that evolve into full-blown disorders? Dr. Salerno ...
New Youtube Channel and Podcast - "Remember Your Greatness"
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In this episode of WTF Is On My Mind?!, I sit down with Richard Grannon for a deep dive into the strange history of psychology, its blind spots, and what happens when we ignore the transpersonal, morality, and meaning.
We ask the uncomfortable questions: Why did Freud’s worldview win out over Jung and Adl...
In this follow-up conversation, filmmaker, whistleblower, and podcast host Mark Vicente sits down again with Sarma Melngailis, the woman at the center of Netflix’s Bad Vegan.
While the series portrayed her as complicit with Anthony Strangis and ignored key truths, Sarma’s new memoir, The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, reveals the deeper story: years of coercive control, psychological abuse, and dissociation.
1st Inter...
In this episode of WTF is On My Mind?!, filmmaker and whistleblower Mark Vicente explores what happens when we try to understand an irrational or dangerous mind. Whether it’s a cult leader, an abuser, or the mainstream media—attempting to “map” insanity can destabilize one’s own sanity.
Brain Talk: How Mind Mapping Brain Science Can Change Your Life & Everyone In It - by David Schnarch
Mark unpacks the concept of mind mapping—our...
In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, filmmaker and whistleblower Mark Vicente sits down with Richard Grannon for a conversation that begins with vampires and then branches into a whole labyrinth of topics. They explore how myths like Dracula and other vampire lore may have been early attempts to explain narcissism and psychopathy before psychology even existed. From there, the discussion moves into why narcissists drain people t...
In this episode of WTF Is On My Mind?!, Mark Vicente pulls back the curtain on one of the most insidious tools of social control: shunning — not just as a personal act of rejection, but as a systemic, psychological weapon masquerading as moral high ground.
This isn’t just about cults. It’s about how cult behavior has gone mainstream — how families, political factions, media outlets, and activist circles now use public exil...
What happens when people finally see through the lies? Mark Vicente breaks down the Epstein cover-up, government blackmail operations, and why we can't wait for heroes to save us. Mark connects the dots between cult dynamics and political power structures, drawing from his experience as a NXIVM whistleblower.
The Epstein Cover-Up and What It Really Means: Mark digs into why the official narrative around Epstein's...
In this unflinching conversation, Richard Grannon and Mark Vicente dissect a crucial Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan discussion about how cluster B personalities infiltrate movements and institutions. We explore the dark psychology behind "parasitized empathy" and why good intentions can make you vulnerable to manipulation.
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Key Topics Discussed:
- The 4-5% Problem: How cluster B personaliti...
Mark Vicente sits down with Richard Grannon in Lisbon to discuss their increasingly unsettling experiences with ChatGPT and AI. What starts as curiosity about AI capabilities quickly becomes a deep dive into psychological manipulation, digital cult tactics, and the terrifying sophistication of modern AI systems.
Key revelations from this episode:
- How AI accurately profiled Richard's personality, IQ, and behavioral ...
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