Pod Candy - Cults, Crimes & Killers

In this episode of Pod Candy, we're stepping into the rotting farmhouse of one of the most terrifying figures in American true crime history, Ed Gein.  His crimes shocked the nation and inspired some of the most infamous monsters in pop culture.  But the real Ed Gein was far more terrifying than any movie villain.  Join Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John as they unravel this heinous story and get to the bottom of what psychologica...

In this episode Stacey, Dori and Dr. John dive deeper into the madness of Ed Gein through the eyes of two of the industry's leading experts.  Alex Flaster is the writer and producer of Biography's "Ed Gein" documentary.  Adam Rockoff is an industry expert on slasher films, and author of the critically acclaimed books; The Horror of It All: One Moviegoer's Love Affair with Masked Maniacs, Frightened Virgins and the Living D...

In this episode, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John examine one of the most elaborate catfishing schemes in recent history.  The gang picks apart the Netflix Documentary; Sweet Bobby My Catfish Nightmare.  It's a wild story about a London based radio host who endured a nearly ten year relationship with a handsome cardiologist named Bobby, only to find out it was all a fictitious web of cruel deception.  Stacey, Dori and Dr. John d...

In this riveting and deeply personal episode of Pod Candy, your hosts Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer flip the script and share their own brushes with the dark world of manipulation, fraud, and deception. From Dr. Mayer's jaw-dropping story of identity theft and near ruin, to Dori’s financially and emotionally devastating entanglement with a predatory “tax loophole” scheme, to Stacey’s close call with a shady pyramid orga...

In this powerful and emotional episode of PodCandy, Stacey, Dori and Dr. John dive deep into the harrowing yet inspiring story of Chavie Weisberger, a brave woman who escaped the confines of an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish sect—led by her own grandfather. From forced marriage and suppressed sexuality to a traumatic custody battle, Chavie’s journey reveals the dark side of religious extremism and the systemic control of wo...

In this powerful and disturbing episode, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John take a deep dive into Shiny Happy People, the chilling docuseries exposing the Duggar family and their ties to the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a fundamentalist Christian organization led by the controversial Bill Gothard. What lies beneath the surface of big smiles and modesty? Abuse, control, and a dangerous culture of silence.

The hosts dis...

This week on PodCandy, Stacey and Dori dive into the disturbing case of Keith Hunter Jespersen—infamously known as the Happy Face Killer. A seemingly average long-haul trucker turned serial murderer, Jespersen left a trail of victims across the country while signing his confessions with a chilling smiley face.

Dr. John helps to dissect Jespersen’s psychology, exploring his need for control, lack of remorse, and what might h...

In this powerful episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into Surviving Ohio State, the documentary exposing one of the largest sexual abuse scandals in U.S. history. They discuss the decades of abuse committed by Dr. Richard Strauss, the silence of Ohio State University, and the devastating toll on more than 300 male athletes whose voices went unheard for far too long.

Joined by Dr. John Mayer, the conversation unpacks ...

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into Betting on Zero and expose the dark underbelly of Herbalife—a company accused of preying on vulnerable communities under the guise of opportunity. Joined by Dr. John, they peel back the layers of manipulation, exploitation, and broken promises that define multi-level marketing. In a groundbreaking moment, the hosts identify a new cult category—the “MLM Cult”—where rec...

Stacey and Dori turn their attention to Teal Swan, a spiritual influencer whose teachings on healing and suicide have made her both magnetic and deeply controversial. Drawing from the docuseries The Deep End, the hosts unpack how Swan shapes her image, the unsettling dynamics within her inner circle, and why so many vulnerable people are drawn into her orbit. With Dr. John weighing in, the conversation digs into the psycho...

In 1998, 23-year-old Amy Lynn Bradley vanished without a trace from a Caribbean cruise ship — and her story has haunted the world ever since. In this episode, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John unpack one of the most chilling disappearances in modern history: Was Amy the victim of foul play, suicide, or something even darker like human trafficking?

From the baffling eyewitness sightings to the disturbing photos that surfaced years ...

Netflix may be shining a new spotlight on one of America’s most disturbing figures with Monster: The Ed Gein Story, but Pod Candy was there first. In this chilling mashup episode, hosts Stacey and Dr. John Mayer revisit their most fascinating and unnerving conversations about the real-life “Butcher of Plainfield.” With commentary from Dori, filmmaker Alex Flaster (who produced the A&E Biography on Ed Gein), and horror ...

In this chilling episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes & Killers, Stacey Flaster and Dori Goldman unpack Netflix’s shocking true-crime documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. What begins as a disturbing case of anonymous harassment among Michigan teens quickly spirals into one of the most jaw-dropping catfishing stories ever told.
Joined by forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer, the hosts break down the ps...

In this gripping episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer break down the shocking world revealed in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, the documentary exposing the Fundamentalist LDS and its infamous prophet, Warren Jeffs. Pulling directly from survivor accounts and documentary footage, the hosts unpack how obedience, isolation, and religious manipulation were weaponized to create a closed, abus...

In this gripping episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive deep into the tragic, turbulent, and endlessly controversial life of Eileen Wuornos—one of America’s most infamous female serial killers, and the subject of Netflix’s newest true-crime documentary.

Through raw discussion, personal reflection, and expert insight from forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer, the hosts unpack the layers behind Wuornos’s story: a childhoo...

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into a raw, emotionally charged conversation sparked by Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor. They focus on the bigger questions the documentary raises—about boundaries, neighbor conflicts, police response, fear, and how everyday tensions can spiral into irreversible tragedy 

Their discussion moves candidly between empathy and accountability as Stacey and Dori debate personal res...

In this chilling episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori unpack Netflix’s documentary “Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story” a real-world case of charisma turned coercion, where a Utah therapist-turned–“life coach” allegedly leveraged religion, fear, and authority to control families and justify horrific abuse.

The trio digs into how Hildebrandt built an “empire” through her “Connextions” program—pushing rigid “truth ...

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into Corey Feldman Versus the World—a YouTube documentary filmed around 2016 that tracks Corey Feldman during a turbulent stretch of touring, isolation, and relentless public scrutiny. 

What starts as “wait…what am I watching?” quickly turns into something darker: the documentary’s “angels” era—young women recruited into Feldman’s orbit—raises unsettling questions about con...