CW: CA, mentions of suic*de- Jamie Mustard was born into one of the most influential fringe movements in the 1970s: Scientology. Raised on a mythos of spaceships and made to believe that it was his life’s purpose to help save the world, he was determined to survive—not only unsurvivable neglect but also the impossible physical and psychological gauntlet of extreme poverty and illiteracy. ChiIdren were kept in animalistic conditions away from their parents and hardly kept alive until they were deemed “useful” by Scientology. At which point ensued extreme, dangerous labor and endless hours of Scientology classes to keep their “ethics up”. The last straw was being punished for his bosses wrongdoings at 19 when he was sent aboard a cruise liner for hard manual labor for months. Once he learned they had intent to send him back yet again, he made his quick yet calculated escape for freedom. Uneducated and illiterate, he worked hard and with the guidance and support of kind educators, managed to graduate from a prestigious UK university in economics. He’s a true testament to what one can achieve after all odds are stacked against them. Watch Jamie on Soft White Underbelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNyzrPXKpqc&t=1784s Jamie’s book: ChiId X: A Memoir of Slavery, Poverty, Celebrity, and Scientology Amazon https://amzn.to/4nreZl8 Ben Bella Books: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/child-x/ Jamie’s work - website: https://www.iconist.ltd/ IG: @jamie_mustard https://www.instagram.com/jamie_mustard/ Download Cash App Today:  https://click.cash.app/ui6m/ineo05vp #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Direct Deposit, Overdraft Coverage and Discounts provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit http://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Use promo code FAMILY10 at signup to get $10 when you send $5 to a friend. 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 00:02:58 The writing and publishing of ChiId X 00:06:05 The beginning of Jamie's story & the harm of Scientology 00:11:19 ChiIdren's experience in Scientology 00:19:53 Jamie's health struggles and unsafe conditions as a chiId 00:25:06 Experiences from Jamie's teenage years 00:30:20 When Scientology started putting Jamie to work 00:34:53 Jamie's complicated relationship with his mother 00:39:30 Scientology's indoctrination methods 00:46:27 Jamie's education and first taste of the outside world 00:51:18 Jamie's past catching up with the present 00:59:17 Jamie's harrowing experience on the Scientology cruise ship 01:05:28 Jamie's escape, dealing with illiteracy, & angels in his life 01:13:58 Writing ChiId X and how its helped Jamie deconstruct 01:19:24 Blame and accountability 01:27:50 Jamie's life now and his final thoughts **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.**