Explore my Hungryroot Digital Cookbook “Cult Classics” and get 40% off your first order plus a free item in every box for life at https://hungryroot.com/CULTFREE For most of the first 16 years of her life, Mae Vanders says she was confined to a tiny section of one room inside her family’s hoarded home—never attending school and relying on her older sister, television, and whatever she could read to understand the outside world. Her father invoked the Bible and his role as the “head of the household” to justify extreme control, isolation, and ab*se, until Mae and her mother finally moved out and she began experiencing freedom for the first time. Watch our follow up LIVE with Mae: https://www.youtube.com/live/r3XLj_GuG6E?si=D2Adgjg_czPAqDni Find and support Mae! YT: https://www.youtube.com/@Maeden IG photography: https://www.instagram.com/maeden.photo/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/maedenart/ Chapter Marks 00:00:00 — Intro: Trapped in One Room for 16 Years 00:02:20 — “The Man Is the Head of the Household” 00:03:41 — Growing Up Amid Extreme Control 00:05:03 — Life Inside the Hoarded House 00:09:15 — Earliest Memories 00:13:03 — Where Was Mae’s Mother? 00:20:03 — Mae Had Never Seen the Rest of Her House 00:26:09 — CW: CSA, Trying to Understand Her Dad's Motivations 00:27:26 — What Was Her Father Really Like? 00:30:35 — CW: CA, Dealing Her Father’s Volatile Temper 00:34:03 — CW: CA, CSA, Recognizing the Ab*se and Realizing Her ChiIdhood Wasn’t Normal 00:40:06 — Why She Avoided Showering 00:42:05 — Speaking Up Against Her Father 00:45:05 — Her Mother Finally Decides to Leave 00:47:30 — Revealing the Ab*se After Getting Out 00:48:31 — Realization of Not Living with Her Father Anymore 00:53:31 — CW: CA, Medical Neglect Growing Up & Type I Diabetes 01:00:34 — Finally Being Allowed to Care for Herself 01:05:01 — Does Mae Want Closure With Her Father? 01:11:04 — Learning How to Live After Escaping 01:12:16 — A Dangerous Relationship at 18 01:15:05 — Where Mae Is Today 01:15:35 — Linda, listen Subscribe to our C2C "CLIPS" Channel! https://www.youtube.com/@CultstoConsciousnessClips Support C2C - Any donations are welcome and appreciated to support the making of this podcast. Find our FULL (uncensored) merch store here! https://cults-to-consciousness-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd Patreon https://www.patreon.com/cultstoconsciousness Venmo @sheliseann Find us on Social media! Instagram @cultstoconsciousness https://www.instagram.com/cultstoconsciousness Host Instagram @sheliseann https://www.instagram.com/sheliseann/ Co Producer / Host @jonathan.rosales_ https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.rosales_ TikTok @cults.to.consciousness https://www.tiktok.com/@cults.to.consciousness Twitter @cultstocon https://twitter.com/cultstocon **Disclaimer: Thanks for joining us at Cults to Consciousness. This storytelling podcast is meant to be for entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for medical advice. We may discuss triggering topics and we ask that you make your personal mental health a priority. This podcast provides a platform for guests to share their personal experiences and opinions. The views expressed are solely those of the guest and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or producers. Any allegations discussed are unverified and represent personal accounts only. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven otherwise. The podcast assumes no legal responsibility for statements made by guests.**