Pamela Jones was born into a Mormon polygamist cult in Mexico. At six she was raising her mother's babies. At 15 she was married to a 21-year-old man who would go on to take five more wives — and move her into a sheep pen. This is the story of how a woman with a fifth-grade education, no money and no passports for her children planned an escape under the nose of a husband who tracked his wives' cycles in a coded notebook. And then what came after: a borrowed trailer in Utah, a house-cleaning business built on flyers and never saying no, and the phone call in 2014 that told her she was a millionaire. Pamela has nine children. She says she'd do it all again. What It Was Like: true stories, told by the people who lived them. No host, no reenactments — just what it was like. SUBSCRIBE for a new story every week. @whatitwaslikepodcast LISTEN to the full interview on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0PJApQiyrmfrpTW7jIbJWo Apple: https://apple.co/whatitwaslike Follow the show on TikTok or Instagram: https://www.tiktok.com/@whatitwaslikepodcast https://www.instagram.com/whatitwaslikepodcast Follow Julian Morgans here: https://www.instagram.com/julianmorgans CREDITS Hosted by Julian Morgans Produced by Rachel Tuffery Edited by Allison Dickie A Superreal production #WhatItWasLike #CultSurvivor #Polygamy #TrueStory #EscapedACult 00:00 "My Husband Had Six Wives" 01:05 A Childhood in a Polygamist Colony in Mexico 02:04 Married at 15 to Escape Her Father 03:44 Her First Home Was a Sheep Pen 05:53 "Mom, I Can't See You Like This Anymore" 06:38 The Notebook of Menstrual Cycles and the Birth Control Plan 08:18 The Deal With God at the Screen Door 09:16 Smuggling Her Kids Across the Border With a Bag of Oranges 14:10 The Same Border Agent, Three Times: "You're Up to Something" 15:59 A Trailer in Utah, a Cleaning Business, and a Millionaire

Pamela Jones was born into a fringe splinter group of Mormonism. By her early 30s she had nine children, while her husband had five other wives. But one day something inside her broke. In this ep, Pamela describes how she escaped — penniless and illiterate — and built a multimillion-dollar business and a whole new life. Hire Pamela to speak at your next event here (https://www.pamelaspeaks.live/) Read her incredible memoir, The Dirt Beneath Our Door: My Journey to Freedom after Escaping a Polygamous Mormon Cult (https://www.amazon.com/Dirt-Beneath-Our-Door-Polygamous/dp/1637747292) Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast (https://www.tiktok.com/@whatitwaslikepodcast) Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast (https://www.youtube.com/@whatitwaslikepodcast) Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast (https://www.instagram.com/whatitwaslikepodcast/) This is a Superreal (https://superreal.com.au/) production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information. Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/34009576?utm_source=youtube

📲 Instagram: @NoorJasmine7 🔐 Patreon (Free Trial): patreon.com/c/noorjasmine 📧 noorjasmine7@gmail.com (don’t make it weird) This video is about Ervil LeBaron and the LeBaron Family Catch my live interview on Shaun Attwood's channel (June 25th 3pm EST): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx9zT6TwLZQ AND, ALSO: Try a 7 DAY FREE TRIAL of my Patreon (WHERE IT GETS WORSE!😀): patreon.com/c/noorjasmine

In this powerful episode, Kaley speaks with a woman who escaped a controlling cult, divorced her husband, and fled with her nine children to rebuild a life from nothing. She shares the awakening that led her to leave, the fear and logistics of starting over, and the long road to healing. An honest, courageous conversation about resilience, motherhood, and choosing yourself - even when it costs everything. Pamela Jones, author of The Dirt Beneath Our Door, is a public speaker, and founder of Exclusive Services by MyGirls, a successful cleaning business she built from humble beginnings. Having overcome life in a polygamous cult, she now inspires audiences worldwide with her story of resilience, empowerment, and freedom. Her story has been featured in Elle, People, Star Tribune and NY Post. 📲Follow the podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/realityrenewedpod

Pamela Jones was born into a polygamous Mormon cult in Mexico — a closed system built on obedience, fear, and silence. Married at just fifteen years old and raising nine children inside a world that offered women no education, no independence, and no exit plan, Pamela spent years believing escape was impossible. At thirty-four, she proved herself wrong. With two cars, two tanks of gas, and no safety net, Pamela fled across the Mexican border with her children and started over in Minnesota with less than a fifth-grade education and no resources. What followed is a story of resilience few people can imagine — and even fewer achieve. Today, Pamela is the founder of a multimillion-dollar company. She’s a mother of nine, a grandmother to thirty-one, and a living example of what’s possible after control, trauma, and poverty. This episode is about breaking cycles, reclaiming power, and understanding that freedom isn’t given — it’s taken. In this episode, we discuss: • What life inside a polygamous cult actually looked like • Why fear was used as a tool of control • Being married at fifteen and raising nine children without autonomy • What finally gave Pamela the courage to escape • Starting over with nothing — financially, emotionally, and practically • Building a multimillion-dollar business without formal education • Motherhood, legacy, and breaking generational cycles • What freedom really means after a lifetime without it 🎧 Listen now for a story of survival, strength, and the power of choosing yourself — even when the cost feels unbearable. --- --- — VISIT OUR AMAZING SPONSORS! ROGERS HOOD APOTHECARY Go to rogershood.com and use code RACHEL at checkout for 10% OFF --- --- --- PLEASE LIKE, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, AND GIVE US A 5-STAR REVIEW!: ratethispodcast.com/missunderstood Become a Patreon Member: https://www.patreon.com/c/MissUnderstoodwithRachelUchitel Shop Miss Understood Merch https://missumerch.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Rachel on Instagram!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/racheluchitelnyc/?hl=en Follow Rachel on TikTok! https://www.tiktok.com/@itsracheluchitel Executive Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠George Carmona

She survived a violent polygamist cult.She survived a husband who collected wives like property.She survived the blood atonement doctrine that stalked her childhood like a shadow.But this is the part of Pamela Jones’s story where she does the impossible:she runs.In this final chapter of our three-part series, Pamela plans an escape nearly as dangerous as the life she’s leaving behind—nine children in tow, no legal paperwork for half of them, almost no money, and the very real fear that leaving could mean death.This episode isn’t just about leaving a cult.It’s about rebuilding an identity from scratch.It’s about motherhood as revolution.It’s about reclaiming a life she was told she never owned.And it’s the story of what Pamela built on the other side—freedom, love, a business, and a legacy that’s inspiring other women to walk out of the same darkness she escaped.Her transformation is staggering.Her resilience is unforgettable.Her ending is exactly what she deserved.Pamela’s memoir, The Dirt Beneath Our Door, is linked in the show notes._____________FOLLOW USFor more culty content —follow us on Instagram & TikTok → @wasiinacultSUPPORT THE SHOWIf you believe in what we’re doing (and want to help us keep shining light on the dark corners of control and charisma), please rate, review, and share the podcast. It helps more than you know.Want to go deeper down the rabbit hole?Join us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus content, and our eternal gratitude for helping us keep these stories alive.HAVE A CULTY STORY?We’d love to hear from you — drop us a line at info@wasiinacult.com.CONNECT WITH PAMELA JONESYou can follow Pamela Jones — speaker, author, survivor, and all-around badass — here:Her Book: The Dirt Beneath Our DoorWebsiteLinkedInInstagramFacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when “holy matrimony” feels more like a lineup? 👀💍 In Ep 26: ARE THERE SIDE PIECES IN POLYGAMY?, Vera & Pamela dive into the messy, heartbreaking, and sometimes darkly funny reality of teenage wives navigating jealousy, faith, and the endless demand to “smile and support.” Expect: 💔 Raw roleplay of real-life moments 👰 The “blessing” that’s never really optional 🤐 Silence dressed up as obedience 🤣 Humor that keeps survivors standing It’s unfiltered. It’s satirical. It’s survivor truth told with grit and laughter.

Forget “sister wife solidarity”. This is the real story behind the group of seven women who became a living nightmare for dozens of innocent co-wives.In this explosive episode, Vera and Pamela expose the unfiltered truth of a vicious polygamist “friend group” who plotted to humiliate, emotionally destroy, and control their sister wives… all while sipping wine and quoting scripture.From cutting power during intimate nights, to chili-rubbed underwear pranks, fake hickeys, public humiliation, spying through windows, gossip warfare, and even sabotaging birthdays and funerals, this was more than jealousy. It was a cult inside a cult.They called them “The Thugs”, a sisterhood of butch-cut ring leaders and wannabe queens who weaponized friendship to gain clout and crush anyone who dared look happy.This is polygamy like you’ve never heard it. Raw. Hilarious. Disturbing. And yes, somehow… still healing.⚠️ Listener discretion advised: you will laugh, cringe, and maybe want to throw hands on behalf of these women.🎙️ As always, no polygamists were harmed, or denied their celestial kingdom, in the making of this podcast… at least we hope not. 😉Wicked Confessions Uncensored Website | Tiktok | Facebook | Instagram | Email

What does a day in the life of a polygamous wife really look like? In this raw, hilarious, and totally unfiltered episode, we dive into the absurdity, routine, and emotional exhaustion of plural marriage—goat milking, nap-hopping husbands, weird food rules, and all. 🎭 From tracking your husband’s whereabouts by curtain positions to baking cakes from animal-grade sugar, this episode serves you the chaos of cult life with laughter and truth. Plus, we talk about the not-so-secret "Telescope Club," wife-swapping in the colony, and how we’ve healed (and laughed) our way out of the madness. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like behind the veil of sister wife life—this one’s for you. 💥 Buckle up. It’s juicy, funny, heartbreaking, and liberating all at once. And no, no polygamists were harmed in the making of this podcast—at least we hope not. 😉

If Costco has a return policy… why didn’t we? In this raw and ridiculously funny episode, Vera and Pamela take a wild ride through what it would’ve looked like if polygamy came with a refund policy. From “original parts only” to emotional wear and tear, they imagine what women could have claimed back after escaping a life of arranged marriages, control, and secondhand love. But behind the laughs are real stories of survival: 💔 Why they really left their marriages (hint: it wasn’t just the other wives) 🔁 How women were “returned” to their families like broken goods 🧠 The moment they realized they had lost their voices—and how they took them back 👩‍👧‍👦 And why the ultimate “return” was taking their kids and walking into freedom If you’ve ever felt like life didn’t come with a receipt, this one’s for you. Come for the jokes, stay for the healing. 👊

From corn dog chaos in Cancun to reading National Geographic on the toilet just to feel educated… this episode is a wild ride through laughter, loss, sisterhood, and the sacred power of self-education. Vera and Pamela dive into what it was like growing up in a cult that discouraged education, valued obedience over knowledge, and saw smart women as a threat. They share raw stories of raising kids at 10, writing vocabulary lists by candlelight, and learning algebra with zero support—just determination. And it wouldn’t be Wicked Confessions without a little chaos: 🌭 A polygamist “tips” a wrestler with a corn dog in Mexico 📚 Teaching themselves to read, write, and spell without school 💔 Wondering if their mom would’ve judged them or cheered them on 🎭 Reclaiming power through humor, writing, and finally… freedom This episode is for every woman who was told to sit down, shut up, and stay sweet—but chose to rise instead.

This episode is a full-on rollercoaster: hilarious childhood memories, shady construction site heists, cousin marriages, cult gossip, and a whole lot of “WTF?” From stolen drywall and hot water heaters to bulldozers, disability fraud, and tax evasion—Vera and Pamela expose the dark side of what some called “God’s work.” We’re talking about how a polygamous cult justified stealing, hoarding food during shortages, ignoring quarantine orders during a measles outbreak, and marrying their cousins… all while judging the ones who walked away. And then there’s the flip side—how two little girls dared to leave that world behind, built empires, and found freedom without ever becoming bitter or broken. 💥 You’ll laugh. You’ll gasp. You’ll probably rewind. 🎧 Buckle up, babe. This one’s wild.

The Lebaron group fled the US after being excommunicated from the Mormon church for still practicing polygamy. While in Mexico, the group split and Ervilite side started implementing bl*od atonement in an attempt to wipe out the other. Pamela Jones grew up in fear that the Ervilites would come for them any moment. To escape the extreme ab*se, she got married at 15, not realizing she was entering into the Ervilite family. Her husband went on to marry 5 other women while keeping her and her family in forced poverty, even restricting water. Today we speak with two of Pamela's daughters who give us their perspective on the cult and fleeing to the US to start a new life. Watch part 1 of Pamela’s interview: https://youtu.be/BSaOV12BC1M?si=JBuFbXCCpeQenHw7 Watch part 2 of Pamela’s interview: https://youtu.be/nvK5L8Qsrcs?si=b_k3JYRCCg01S_qx Find Pamela! Pamela’s website: www.Pamelaspeaks.live Pamela’s book: The Dirt Beneath Our Door https://www.pamelaspeaks.live/book Pamela’s Podcast: Wicked Confessions Uncensored https://www.wickedconfessionsuncensored.com/ We want to meet you in real life! Come adventure with us on our 2nd C2C VACATION! Click here to go to the official booking page: https://trovatrip.com/trip/north-america/mexico/mexico-with-shelise-sola-oct-2025 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

Pamela Jones was born in Los Molinos, Mexico to members of the Church of the Firstborn of the Fullness of Times, a fundamentalist, misogynistic cult. She was the 11th of her abus*ve father’s 57 biological chiIdren and 2nd of her mother’s thirteen chiIdren and it was from that moment on that Pamela held one single belief: She existed for one reason and one reason only, to be her eventual husband’s handmaid and to bear him as many chiIdren as possible. Fast forward to age 10, Pamela was forced out of school to help her mom care for her 12 children, giving her nothing more than a fifth-grade education. At age 15, Pamela married David Lebaron, the grandson of cult founder Alma Dayer LeBaron Jr. and was pregnant 17 times in 18 years. After 9 childbirths and 8 miscarriages, Pamela felt she had enough chiIdren to make it to heaven, a fundamentalist belief. One day, she awoke her nine chiIdren to escape the neglect and ab*se from her husband, and make their way to the United States to start a new life. Find Pamela! Pamela’s website: www.Pamelaspeaks.live Pamela’s book: The Dirt Beneath Our Door https://www.pamelaspeaks.live/book Pamela’s Podcast: Wicked Confessions Uncensored https://www.wickedconfessionsuncensored.com/ We want to meet you in real life! Come adventure with us on our 2nd C2C VACATION! Click here to go to the official booking page: https://trovatrip.com/trip/north-america/mexico/mexico-with-shelise-sola-oct-2025 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 00:10:31 CW: Murd*r, Pamela Explains the Practices of Blood Atonement and How it Impacted Her ChiIdhood 00:15:08 Pamela Talks about the Raid on Los Molinos & Her Role of a Mother from an Early Age 00:22:15 CW: CA, The Ways Pamela’s Father Controlled and Ab*sed Her 00:28:14 Pamela Shares More About Her Father 00:33:58 Pamela’s Father’s Reaction to Her Meeting Her Husband 00:39:30 How Quickly Pamela’s Husband Changed on Her 00:43:44 Pamela’s Husband's Actions and Infidelity 00:49:09 How Pamela Was Treated as a Polygamous Wife 00:54:16 Pamela Makes Plans to Leave Her Husband and the Cult 01:02:30 CW: Mentions of R*pe, Pamela’s Father Supports Her Against Her Husband 01:09:48 Pamela’s Escape Story 01:18:12 Pamela’s Experiences After Leaving Mexico & The Fear that Gripped Her 01:26:01 Final Thoughts and 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.**