No electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing. Lovina Zook grew up in one of the strictest Amish settlements started by her own family. It was common to marry cousins as most people there were related by blood and a woman would be considered an “old maid” if still single by 24 yrs old. Lovina discusses the hardest parts including struggling with mental heath, strict rules and not receiving any love or affection from parents of family members. As soon as she turned 18, she ran away in the middle of the night with the intention to become more than the Amish would ever allow. Lovina would then find a massive following on social media. Watch our follow up LIVE with Lovina answering your questions: https://www.youtube.com/live/OxRyrwmpRgk?si=rWnFgCaiSJ3Yl3sH Watch our 2nd interview with Lovina: https://youtu.be/KqroNtaO47c Find Lovina on social media! YT: https://www.youtube.com/@lovina_zook/videos IG: https://www.instagram.com/lovina_zook/ TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@lovina_zook Website: https://socialsbylovina.com/ 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 Chapter Marks 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:17 Lovina's Amish settlement 00:06:01 How leadership is determined 00:10:52 Strict dress code 00:17:18 Importance of covering hair in Amish tradition 00:20:42 What family like was like for Lovina 00:26:30 Lack of affection within the household 00:34:17 Hygiene standards within the community 00:42:38 Why she ran away 00:48:52 Marrying cousins & s*xual repression 00:55:46 Smuggl*ng books 00:58:10 Why Lovina didn't want to be baptized 01:04:25 When Lovina left 01:15:29 Difficulties after leaving 01:28:01 How her parents treated her after leaving 01:33:15 Linda, listen **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. Lastly, the opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host.**