The Truth About Escaping Scientology (with Aaron Smith-Levin)

Today, Andy sits down with Zeke Faux. He’s an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg News, and a National Fellow at New America He also is the author of the book “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall”, which release in paperback on Oct. 1. As his publisher explains, “for his reporting on the world of crypto, he traveled to El Salvador, the Bahamas, Cambodia, and the Philippines, where he met with some of the industry’s biggest players, including Sam Bankman-Fried, the former billionaire who has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for crimes related to financial fraud Catch Borderland: REASONABLE FEAR, a 4-part docuseries starting on September 24th. REASONABLE FEAR S.E.C. KIT available for Pre-order at https://thisisironclad.com/products/sec?=BL916YT SPONSORS: Montana Knife Company Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/ Allegiance Gold Go to https://ProtectWithAndy.com to get get exclusive lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

This is a special preview episode of the new IRONCLAD Original, Focal Point, hosted by Andy Stumpf and Mike Glover. Subscribe to Focal Point wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube @ThisIsIRONCLAD for new episodes every week. Each week, the guys cover a new topic with brief, thoughtful conversations that emphasize discussion of dictation.

In a landscape saturated with directives, Focal Point prioritizes discussions over dictation. The show’s mission is to present diverse perspectives on hot topics and current events, encouraging viewers to form their own opinions. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube @ThisIsIRONCLAD Hosted by Mike Glover and Andy Stumpf. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original.

Today, Andy speaks with investigative journalists Nathan Paul Southern and Lindsey Kennedy who specialize in organized crime. They also run the Eye Witness Project, a social enterprise research consultancy that does deep dives into crime, conflict and corruption, assists in the rescue of human trafficking victims and advises and trains governments, NGOs and police forces around the world on identifying and combating organized crime and security threats. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. SPONSORS: Montana Knife Company Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/ Allegiance Gold Go to https://ProtectWithAndy.com to get get exclusive lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

Today on Change Agents, Andy talks with MTNTOUGH founder, endurance athlete, and backcountry hunter, Dustin Diefenderfer.Dustin’s philosophy extends beyond fitness. He also looks the links between mental health, nutrition, and purpose in his efforts to be build more resilient communities. SPONSORS: Montana Knife Company Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ Allegiance Gold Go to https://ProtectWithAndy.com to get get exclusive lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

Today on Change Agents, Andy is joined by independent war journalist Matt ‘Willy’ Williams. He is an Australian military veteran who served in the Australian Infantry with the 7th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment from 2014-2021, and is a  Queens Order of Australia Medal (OAM) recipient.A few months after returning from deployment as a crew commander in Afghanistan, he was diagnosed with an incurable and inoperable brain tumor. Since being discharged from the military, he has dedicated his time to raising money for cancer research and reporting from conflict zones. He has spent months on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Follow him on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/willy.beating.cancer/ Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original SPONSORS: Montana Knife Company Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ Allegiance Gold Go to https://ProtectWithAndy.com to get get exclusive lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

Today, Andy speaks with former Scientologist and former staffer and member of the Sea Org, Aaron Smith-Levin. Aaron left the Sea Org in 2006 and Scientology in 2014. He is the creator of the YouTube channel Growing Up in Scientology, a channel dedicated to sharing his experience, talking with those who have also left Scientology, educating and exposing abuses within the organization  Aaron is the President of the SPTV Foundation, which helps people who are escaping from Scientology, and starting their lives in many cases from scratch. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. Sponsors: Montana Knife Company Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ Allegiance Gold: Go to https://ProtectWithAndy.com to get get exclusive lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative. MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 off your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription.

Today, Andy sits down with Investigative reporter Kashmir Hill about her research into the facial recognition company Clearview AI. Her new book is called "Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It." It tells the story of the tech startup, which has created a massive database of faces (scraped from the internet and social media sites), sparking major privacy concerns. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. Sponsors: Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ Allegiance Gold: Go to ProtectWithAndy.com today, our listeners will get exclusive  lowest pricing on the market for select gold bars. That’s ProtectWithAndy.com.  Or call (844) 790-9191 to talk to an account representative MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription. OnX Offroad Start your adventure with a 7-day free trial and experience the difference. Download onX Offroad today and elevate your offroading experience at https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/app

Today's guest is Chris Dalby. Chris is the author of CJNG: A Quick Guide to Mexico's Deadliest Cartel and currently the director of the World of Crime Think Tank. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. Sponsors: Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription. OnX Offroad Start your adventure with a 7-day free trial and experience the difference. Download onX Offroad today and elevate your offroading experience at https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/app

On today’s episode of Change Agents, Andy is joined by geopolitical expert, Dmitri Alperovitch. He is also a national security expert, and the chairman of the Silverado Policy Accelerator thinktank. His latest book is titled “World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century. He discusses what will happen if China invades Taiwan, why the stakes are so high, Putin’s connection to the conflict, and more.  Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original. Sponsors: Change Agents is presented by Montana Knife Company. Use CODE "CHANGEAGENTS10" for 10% off your first order at ⁠https://www.montanaknifecompany.com/⁠ MTNTOUGH Go to ⁠https://mtntough.com⁠ and enter code CHANGEAGENTS to receive 40% OFF - a savings of about $100 your MTNTOUGH+ annual subscription. OnX Offroad Start your adventure with a 7-day free trial and experience the difference. Download onX Offroad today and elevate your offroading experience at https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/app