Media Appearances

Interviews | Podcasts

Film

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets

Amazon Prime Original Documentary

A limited docuseries exposing the truth beneath the wholesome Americana surface of reality tv's favorite mega-family, The Duggars, and the radical organization behind them: The Institute in Basic Life Principles. As details of the family and their scandals unfold, we realize they're part of an insidious, much larger threat already in motion, with democracy itself in peril. 

Podcasts

Stories From the Desert

Featured on The Desert Sanctuary

On this episode, Emily chats with Karl and Laura and discusses her involvement in a fundamentalist cult and how parents can help protect their children against sexual predators within the church and their community. 

Inside Bill Gothard's Homeschool Cult

Featured on Preacher Boys

On this episode of the Preacher Boys podcast, Eric Skwarczynski chats with IBLP survivor Emily Elizabeth Anderson about her life growing up in The Advanced Training Institute, a homeschooling cult founded by Bill Gothard. Emily shares how she was targeted by Gothard, and sexually groomed by him for several years before she eventually found freedom outside the cult and reclaimed her voice.

Jinger Duggar, “Becoming Free Indeed”

Featured on Preacher Boys

On this episode of the Preacher Boys podcast, Eric Skwarczynski chats with IBLP survivor Emily Elizabeth Anderson about Jinger Duggar Vuolo's new book, Becoming Free Indeed.

Thriving Forward: Emily’s Fight For Justice - Part 1

Featured on The Modesty Files

This week on The Modesty Files we welcome guest Emily Elizabeth Anderson. Growing up in the Insitute in Basic Life Principles, Emily reveals life as a teenager in the church and how the church handled her chronic illness. She then details her first-hand experience with the notorious church leader, Bill Gothard, and how his grooming behavior led her to eventually becoming a plaintiff in a lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse made by many women.

Thriving Forward: Emily’s Fight For Justice - Part 2

Featured on The Modesty Files

Today we’re continuing our conversation with Emily from Part One. In today’s episode, Emily will walk us through her experience as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Gothard, leaving IBLP, and her journey towards recovery.

The Domino Effect: An Inside Look at Josh Duggar's Arrest

Featured on The Modesty Files

On April 29th, Josh Duggar, the oldest son of the TLC reality show family was arrested by federal authorities and now faces charges of possessing depictions of sexual abuse of children. Today we talk with Emily Elizabeth Anderson who we believe may be able to shine some light on the complexities of child abuse inside fundamentalist communities. Emily has a first-hand account of the abuse that occurs inside the Institute in Basic Life Principles and will help us process this complex situation

Finding Jesus

Featured on Bare Marriage with Sheila Wray Gregoire

On this episode of the Bare Marriage we chat with IBLP survivor Emily Elizabeth Anderson about her life growing up in The Advanced Training Institute, a homeschooling cult founded by Bill Gothard and how Emily escaped and found healing in her relationship with Jesus. 

Understanding the Duggar Cult

Featured on The Roy’s Report

Why would the wife of a sexual abuser and accused pedophile like Josh Duggar stay in the marriage? And what kind of culture—or cult—produces families like the Duggars? In this episode of The Roys Report—Julie explores The Duggar family and their immersion in a religious system created by Bill Gothard, a strong proponent of homeschooling and the creator of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP).

Truth Talk with Wendi — Emily's Story

Featured on Truth Talk with Wendi

On this episode of Truth Talk, Emily Elizabeth Anderson speaks about her life growing up in in a fundamentalist Christian home and how she became a victim of molestation and insest by her father. Emily later describes how she found healing from her childhood domestic violence as an adult.

Fundie Freed — Emily's Story

Featured on Fundie Freed

On this episode we chat with IBLP survivor Emily Elizabeth Anderson about growing up in fundamentalist Christianity, being a survivor of childhood domestic violence, and her life now as a Trauma Recovery Advocate.

Exposing Spiritual Abuse

Join us at the table as we talk spiritual abuse, finding freedom, and Gods true heart for the body of Christ. Learn from our friend Emily as she shares her testimony of getting free from a spiritual cult. Learn about her platform “Thriving Forward” and how she now helps women find freedom and health in Jesus!

How Fundamentalism & Patriarchy Fuel Abuse

Featured on Betrayal Trauma Recovery

If you grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home, you may be all-too familiar with the patriarchal structure that not only excuses abuse, but often encourages it. Emily Elizabeth Anderson is on the BTR.ORG podcast, sharing her experiences with the fundamentalist ATI cult. Recognizing and then escaping the abusiveness of her upbringing has led her to supporting other victims - including the BTR.ORG community. 

Bill Gothard, the IBLP Cult, and Josh Duggar

Featured on Mindshift

This episode features a super-informative discussion with Emily Elizabeth Anderson, who herself is a survivor of not only the Bill Gothard/ATI homeschooling cult, she also experienced grooming and abuses by Gothard personally. Emily is now on the journey of helping others deal with church abuse and other forms of traumas they may have suffered. 

The Daughters: Emily's Story

Part of "The Daughters" Documentary Project

Emily Elizabeth Anderson was raised in Bill Gothard's Institute for Basic Life Principles which she describes as a cult. She recounts her story of living under the philosophy that all women should stay under male headship until marriage. Walk through Emily's journey as she gets a drivers license at the age of 24 and ultimately moves out on her own at 26 years old. 

Radio

NPR - Seg. 1: Abuse In Churches

Featured on NPR, Interview with Gina Kaufmann

Abuse in the church is a particular kind of betrayal. And it's an issue church-goers everywhere are wrestling with after news in Texas broke of pastors who could still find work despite long histories of sexual abuse allegations. In this conversation, we hear how local survivors, clergy, and advocates are responding to these stories.