Episode 5: Blow it Up

Sarah Edmondson and Anthony "Nippy" Ames are cult escapees and whistleblowers featured in Escaping NXIVM. In this clip from the Sickboy podcast, Sarah and Nippy sit down with the Sickboy hosts to dive deep into their experience with escaping a cult and how it affected their mental health. The full interview and more episodes are available at smarturl.it/sickboycbc

In a U.S. federal courtroom Tuesday, Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years—having been convicted of a slew of crimes related to his alleged sex cult NXIVM. During the trial and sentencing, victims told of how the self-professed empowerment "vanguard" had turned some of his followers into sex slaves and branded them with his initials. Front Burner's Jayme Poisson discusses with Uncover: NXIVM host Josh Bloch.

Over the past few months, CBC documentarian Josh Bloch has been investigating NXIVM, a self-help group led by Keith Raniere. In this season of Uncover, we take you into NXIVM, and reveal how Raniere won the endorsement of actors, politicians and even a visit from the Dalai Lama. Originally launched September 5, 2018.

Sarah Edmondson is a high-level member of a self-help group called NXIVM, but an invitation to join a secret women's group called DOS leads her to do something she later regrets.

Sarah takes us inside her journey with NXIVM, from signing up for a personal growth workshop to becoming a star recruiter for the group she now calls a cult.

Those who knew Keith Raniere intimately reveal his early life, how he started NXIVM and ended up being accused by the FBI of running a criminal enterprise.

What happens when you leave NXIVM? Those who have left or spoken out reveal the price they paid.

Sarah and her husband try to escape NXIVM and take it down while warning others who are still inside.

Josh speaks to one of Keith Raniere's lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, and hears a different point of view on NXIVM and DOS.

Sarah faces criticism about her role in NXIVM and tries to come to terms with the 12 years she spent as a high-level member of the group.