In this deeply unsettling episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer unpack HBO Max’s The Cult Behind The Killer: The Andrea Yates Story—and the disturbing web of severe mental illness, postpartum psychosis, religious extremism, and coercive influence surrounding one of the most devastating crimes in modern American history. Rather than reducing the Andrea Yates case to a headline, the conversation digs into the warning signs, the role of Michael Woroniecki’s radical teachings, and the broader systems that failed Andrea and her children.

Listen as we examine how cult-like ideology, fear-based religious messaging, and untreated psychological crisis can collide with horrifying consequences. They also explore the unsettling parallels raised in the documentary, including the normalization of child abuse, the emotional fallout for survivors like Moses Storm, and the lingering questions about accountability that still remain today. This is one of Pod Candy’s heaviest episodes—thoughtful, emotional, and unflinching in its search for context beneath this horrific crime.

In this very, very cool Pod Candy bonus episode we're giving you a best-of “killers” mashup featuring highlights from past episodes, stitched together into one dark, bingeable ride.

In this compilation, Stacey, Dori, and Dr. John Mayer revisit four infamous cases—pulling the most jaw-dropping moments, sharpest psychological insights, and most heated “wait…WHAT?!” reactions.

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into Corey Feldman Versus the World—a YouTube documentary filmed around 2016 that tracks Corey Feldman during a turbulent stretch of touring, isolation, and relentless public scrutiny.

What starts as “wait…what am I watching?” quickly turns into something darker: the documentary’s “angels” era—young women recruited into Feldman’s orbit—raises unsettling questions about control, power, and cult-like dynamics, including reports of strict rules and basic-needs restrictions while on the road.

Joining them, Dr. John zooms out from the spectacle and into the psychology—connecting paranoia, “dark media” conspiracies, and the “love and light” self-mythology to a broader pattern of delusion and grievance. Stacey and Doris’ minds are blown when Dr. John drops his most provocative comparison: parallels to Charles Manson—the entourage structure, the messiah framing, and the obsession with being recognized as a “real” artist.
Find out what happens when childhood fame, unresolved trauma, and the need to control the narrative collide… and who gets hurt along the way.

Content warning: This episode discusses childhood trauma, abuse and mental health struggles.

Source Documentary: "Cory Feldman vs The World" on Youtube TV

In this chilling episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori unpack Netflix’s documentary “Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story” a real-world case of charisma turned coercion, where a Utah therapist-turned–“life coach” allegedly leveraged religion, fear, and authority to control families and justify horrific abuse.

The trio digs into how Hildebrandt built an “empire” through her “Connextions” program—pushing rigid “truth vs. distortion” rhetoric, encouraging no-contact separations, and draining families financially—while allegedly isolating partners and turning spouses against each other. They also explore the explosive crossover with YouTube mom Ruby Franke, and the harrowing details that emerged after one of Franke’s children escaped for help, exposing evidence of extreme neglect and torture.

Joining them, Dr. John Mayer adds clinical insight into the psychology of manipulation—why vulnerable communities can fall into moral panic, how “authority” becomes a weapon, and why it’s crucial to verify a therapist’s credentials. Especially when someone rebrands as a “coach” to dodge accountability. The conversation is equal parts furious, heartbroken, and laser-focused on the bigger takeaway: when “family values” become a shield for control, the harm can be devastating.

Source Documentary: "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hilderbrandt Story" on Netflix

In this episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive into a raw, emotionally charged conversation sparked by Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor. They focus on the bigger questions the documentary raises—about boundaries, neighbor conflicts, police response, fear, and how everyday tensions can spiral into irreversible tragedy

Their discussion moves candidly between empathy and accountability as Stacey and Dori debate personal responsibility, parental boundaries, and whether this situation could—or should—have been stopped long before it turned deadly. Forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer joins to add psychological context, exploring anger, isolation, entitlement, and how unresolved conflict can become a dangerous obsession.
The team unpacks the uncomfortable gray areas: how people justify their behavior, how systems fail, and how easily “normal” disputes can escalate when no one truly intervenes. Thought-provoking, emotional, and deeply human, this conversation stays with you long after the episode ends.

Source Documentary: "The Perfect Neighbor" on Netflix

In this gripping episode of Pod Candy, Stacey and Dori dive deep into the tragic, turbulent, and endlessly controversial life of Eileen Wuornos—one of America’s most infamous female serial killers, and the subject of Netflix’s newest true-crime documentary.

Through raw discussion, personal reflection, and expert insight from forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer, the hosts unpack the layers behind Wuornos’s story: a childhood marked by abandonment and violence, a lifetime of assault and exploitation, and a justice system that seemed determined to silence her rather than understand her.

As the trio breaks down the documentary, they question its omissions, its sensationalism, and the haunting truths buried beneath its surface. Was Wuornos a cold-blooded murderer, a lifelong victim pushed past her breaking point, or something far more complex? And what do her crimes reveal about society’s failure to protect its most vulnerable?

Source Documentary: "Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers" on Netflix

In this gripping episode of Pod Candy, Stacey, Dori, and forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer break down the shocking world revealed in Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, the documentary exposing the Fundamentalist LDS and its infamous prophet, Warren Jeffs. Pulling directly from survivor accounts and documentary footage, the hosts unpack how obedience, isolation, and religious manipulation were weaponized to create a closed, abuse-driven system hidden in plain sight.

Dr. John adds psychological insight on grooming, isolation, and what he calls “psychological murder”—the lifelong trauma carried by survivors, and the group discusses the heroes who exposed the sect, the reporters and investigators who refused to look away, and the maddening reality that thousands still follow Jeffs even as he serves a life sentence.

Emotional, disturbing, raw, and darkly funny at times, this episode shines a light on one of the most extreme modern cults—and why it still exists today.

Source Documentary: "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" on Netflix

In this chilling episode of Pod Candy: Cults, Crimes & Killers, Stacey Flaster and Dori Goldman unpack Netflix’s shocking true-crime documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. What begins as a disturbing case of anonymous harassment among Michigan teens quickly spirals into one of the most jaw-dropping catfishing stories ever told.
Joined by forensic psychologist Dr. John Mayer, the hosts break down the psychology of this disturbing case—from “cyber-Munchausen” and parental obsession to the long-term trauma of betrayal and emotional control. Together they ask: what drives a parent to become the villain in their own child’s story?