My June Podcast Selection
Back with some more great new Podcasts that have been keeping me entertained over the last few weeks.
1. Camp Hell: Anneewakee - From iHeartRadio.
Camp Anneewakee was a:
“… Treatment Center for Emotionally Disturbed Youth operated in Douglasville, Georgia for over 25 years.” (Source here).
It was portrayed and advertised as a place where parents could send their troubled children for help, somewhere that they would receive treatment, therapy and counselling and at the same time learn the importance of hard work, how to follow rules and to adopt “normal”, societal approved and expected behaviours. However, this was far from the reality of what Anneewakee really was and involved. Anneewakee Treatment Center was:
“… a breeding ground for abuse.” (Source here).
In this Podcast we learn the real story of what life at Camp Anneewakee actually entailed. We hear from former patients who were children/teenagers when they attended Anneewakee but are now adults. We also hear from some past staff members and counsellors of Anneewakee. The truth is hard to hear, we learn of the forced child labour that took place and involved rattle snake bites, alligators attacks and third degree burns from harmful chemicals which they had to use without any protective equipment or clothing. Hardest of all to hear are stories of sexual and physical abuse some of the patients encountered at the hands of the despicable Louis “Doc” Poetter who was the head and founder of Anneewakee and a somewhat “God” like figure - an untouchable.
2. The Turning: The Sisters Who Left - Hosted By Erica Lantz for iHeartRadio & Rococo Punch.
The Turning: The Sisters Who Left Podcast is a deep delve into Mother Theresa’s Catholic order the Missionaries of Charity. More about this Podcast:
“Thousands of women gave up everything to follow Mother Teresa, joining her storied Catholic order, the Missionaries of Charity. But some found that life inside this fiercely private religious order was not what they’d imagined. Former sisters who worked closely with Mother Teresa describe her bold vision and devotion to charity and prayer. But they also share stories of suffering and forbidden love, abuse and betrayal. If you make a lifelong vow, what does it mean to break it? What is the line between devotion and brainwashing? Can you truly give yourself to God?” (Source here).
I am really enjoying this Podcast. In the second episode they take you behind the doors of the convent, into the daily lives of the Sisters which I found so interesting:
“We enter a hidden world behind convent walls to learn what it’s like for a young sister to join the Missionaries of Charity. MC sisters take strict vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor. As aspirants, they start to learn the rules of this closed society, one that contains secret ceremonies and countless rituals.” (Source here).
The third episode follows on from here and we learn more about what it means to be married to Jesus and Mother Theresa’s sentiment that “love to be real has to hurt”:
“The sisters learn more about sacrificial love and what it means to be married to Jesus. Mother Teresa believed suffering brings you closer to Christ, so the sisters look for opportunities for sacrifice – including sacrifices Mary never expected.” (Source here).
The Mary referred to above is Mary Johnson who spent 20 years as a nun with the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, joining them at the age of 17. We hear a lot from Mary throughout the Podcast. When Mary left the order she later (2011) wrote a best selling non-fiction memoir entitled “An Unquenchable Thirst” about her experiences and life with the Sisters of Mother Theresa. This Podcast is inspired by Mary Johnson’s memoir.
There are four episodes of this Podcast available so far and I am definitely looking forward hearing the rest of this story and must track down a copy of Mary’s book.
3. A Death in Cryptoland - Hosted By Takara Small for CBC Podcasts.
Another great CBC Podcast was released at the end of May 2021, A Death in Cryptoland. As the title suggests, this Podcast investigates the death of Gerald Cotten, CEO of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange and the subsequent consequences of this death on his company, involving the loss (or disappearance) of millions of dollars:
“When the young CEO of Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange is reported to have died while honeymooning in India, it sets off a cataclysmic chain of events that would leave about 76,000 people out of a quarter of a billion dollars and a trail of conspiracy theories around whether Gerald Cotten is dead or alive. A Death in Cryptoland is an original podcast series about a crypto-tycoon, his secret past, his sudden demise, and an online sleuth’s obsession to unravel the truth behind QuadrigaCX.” (Source here).
If you liked The Missing Cryptoqueen Podcast that I featured in my The Forgotten Podcasts blog then you will definitely be interested in A Death in Cryptoland.
There are four episodes available now so plenty to get you started.
4. The Vaping Fix - Hosted By Laura Beil for Wondery.
James Monsees and Adam Bowen, two Stanford graduate students want to create a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes, one which will eradicate the world of smoking. This is how their vaping device “Juul” is born. However, the story is not quite as straight-forward as it sounds and it isn’t long before “Juul” is making headlines for all the wrong reasons!
“Two young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs set out to rid the world of smoking with an incredible new product. The device stands to disrupt the tobacco industry and make them rich, until it falls into the wrong hands and lives are ruined. From classrooms to hospitals, boardrooms to the Oval Office, what can be done to protect teenagers and is it too late?” (Source here).
There are four episodes of this Podcast available so far.
5. Lost Hills - Hosted By Diana Goodyear for Western Sound & Pushkin Industries.
This is a true crime investigative Podcast that is focused on the 2018 murder of Tristan Beaudette in Malibu Creek State Park and the events that led up to his murder:
“On June 22, 2018, Tristan Beaudette is brutally murdered in front of his two young daughters while camping in idyllic Malibu Creek State Park. The killing stuns the tight-knit, privileged community of Malibu. More stunning? The fact that the cops anticipated the attack, but didn’t move to stop it. And the culprit they identify insists he’s being framed.” (Source here).
After Tristan was killed, other victims come forward with similar stories of a sniper in Malibu:
“After Tristan Beaudette’s murder, other victims come forward telling similar tales. . . of a sniper in Malibu who has been shooting at campers and at moving cars for the past 18 months. Always in the dark of night, at 4AM. The cops say they can’t connect the crimes, but then they arrest a drifter: 42-year-old Anthony Rauda, who lives under a tarp behind the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. Is he the killer, or a scapegoat?” (Source here).
This is a very well presented Podcast. We hear from a lot of different sources including locals, the police and Tristan’s wife. There are eight episodes plus a bonus “The Eyewitness” ninth episode available now.
If you've any questions, suggestions or just want to say hello, contact me via the Contact Form, Instagram (@noroadlongenough) or By Email noroadlongenough1@gmail.com