From Cult Survivors to Cultural Storytellers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony “Nippy” Ames Announce New Book 'A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion'

Nashville, TN (March 16, 2026) — Sarah Edmondson and Anthony “Nippy” Ames, former NXIVM members turned advocates, podcasters, and truth-tellers, announce the release of their new book, A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion, now available for purchase. The book follows Sarah’s 2019 memoir, Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life, as well as the couple’s acclaimed HBO series The Vow, which chronicled their escape from NXIVM.

Inspired by their hit podcast A Little Bit Culty, which launched during the pandemic and quickly became a lifeline for cult survivors and curious listeners alike, the book is part memoir, part manual, and all heart. As Edmondson and Ames share, “Our guests move us to tears, to action, and quite often—to laughter. And in doing so, they show us how to carry on while continually kicking shame and stigma to the curb.”

With empathy, hard-won wisdom, and a refreshing dose of humor, Edmondson and Ames break down the often-invisible forces of coercive control, love-bombing, gaslighting, and manipulation that exist far beyond what we traditionally think of as "cults." Through compelling case studies, candid personal stories, and references to infamous groups like Jonestown, Scientology, Heaven’s Gate, and, yes, NXIVM, the authors provide a vital resource for survivors, those questioning their current situation, and anyone eager to better understand the psychology of undue influence. They also delve into breaking news in cult phenomena, shining a light on modern-day movements like 7M, the TikTok “dance cult,” and Twin Flames Universe, proving that high-control groups are evolving—and so must our awareness.

Early praise for A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion highlights its emotional impact and cultural relevance:

  “Sarah and Nippy are the real deal. They are whistleblowers who did not just escape NXIVM, but helped bring it down with fearless grit. A Little Bit Culty is their story and their stand—a powerful, unfiltered guide to understanding how manipulation and control take hold, and how to break free. They expose coercive tactics with clarity, share hard-won wisdom, and give readers the insight to recognize abuse before it starts. This book is a masterclass in reclaiming power and finding your voice. It is also a wake-up call for anyone who thinks they are too smart or too strong to be pulled into a controlling or abusive relationship. Yes, it can happen to you—and this book shows you how to see the warning signs before it's too late.”

-Leah Remini, New York Times Bestselling Author of Troublemaker, Creator & Executive Producer of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, Victims Advocate

"This should be a textbook for everyone in narcissistic abuse recovery. Comprehensive and incredibly helpful."—Bethany Joy Lenz, Author/Actor 

“A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion is a wake-up call in an era where informational echo chambers, charismatic leaders, and cults of personality are having their moment.  In this engaging book, Ms. Edmondson and Mr. Ames, through their lived experience and speaking with hundreds of survivors and experts, remind us that cults are just toxic relationships at scale. The absorbing stories, examples, and research in this book spotlight the myriad ways cults can show up and warn us that seemingly “innocuous” groups or programs may be more harmful than we think. We too often want to pathologize people who get into cultic systems as weak or foolish, but the illuminating, vulnerable, and compassionate take-away of this book is that the best parts of anyone can be played upon by the manipulative techniques of cultic systems.”-Ramani Durvasula, Ph.D., PsychologistNew York Times Bestselling AuthorIt’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People

"It requires such strength and dedication to take your own journey through this painful landscape, turn it into a quest for knowledge and understanding, and then give people a raw comprehensive look inside the psychology that makes us all vulnerable and human. That’s exactly what Sarah and Anthony have done."

-Evan Rachel Wood, Critic's Choice Award-winning actress,Emmy & Golden Globe Awards nominee 

Readers can expect a transformative journey, with chapters from “What the Hell Is a Cult, Anyway?” to “Whistleblowing: Heal Before You Holler,” balancing education, emotion, and wit. The book also features a foreword by Amanda Montell (author of Cultish), further cementing its place as a must-read for anyone curious about the psychology of influence and the path toward autonomy and recovery.  

“Cults and culty characters get their hooks in you via the erroneous idea that you need something that they’re selling,” Edmondson and Ames explain. “So please allow us to state this emphatically right from the start: You don’t need this book. But you might want it, just the same. It will equip you with insights, stories, and practical advice that we have been collecting since we left NXIVM. Think of it as your friendly guide to navigating the culty times we’re living in, made with love and care by people who’ve already been to hell and back. It’s culty out there. Let’s help you stay safe.” 

Whether healing from a high-control experience or trying to make sense of the world, A Little Bit Culty is both a comforting companion and a practical guide—part Chicken Soup for the Cult-Survivor’s Soul, part modern-day manual for spotting red flags in a culture buzzing with self-proclaimed gurus, narcissists, and manipulative power structures.

A Little Bit Culty: Navigating Cults, Control and Coercion is now available on Amazon. 

About Sarah Edmondson:

Sarah Edmondson had been working in film, TV, and voice-over when she first encountered NXIVM—a personal and professional development company that promised to offer the tools to unlock her full potential. Intrigued by its mission, she enrolled in her first seminar in 2005. Over the next decade, she went from student to coach, eventually running her own NXIVM center in Vancouver. In 2017, after being invited to join DOS, a secretive “sisterhood” within NXIVM, Sarah began to question the organization’s true intentions and ultimately became one of its most prominent whistleblowers. 

In 2019, Sarah published Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, the Cult that Bound My Life, with Kristine Gasbarre. In this tell-all memoir, she shares her story from the moment she takes her first seminar to her harrowing fight to get out. Her full story as a whistleblower is featured in the CBC podcast Uncover: Escaping NXIVM (downloaded over 25 million times) and The Vow, the critically acclaimed HBO documentary series on NXIVM.  

Now based in Atlanta, Sarah and her co-host/husband Anthony “Nippy” Ames continue the conversation with the launch of their podcast A Little Bit Culty—exploring the healing process with the help of experts, advocates, and fellow survivors.

About Nippy Ames:

As an actor and former college athlete, Anthony “Nippy” Ames was drawn to NXIVM’s goals program. In his 12 years with the organization, he rose steadily up the ranks as a teacher, built centers in New York and Vancouver, and even met his now wife, A Little Bit Culty co-host Sarah Edmondson there. But when he learned that the company was, in fact, a dangerous cult, he wasted no time in doing exactly what needed to be done: helping burn its carefully constructed public image to the ground.

With NXIVM’s notorious founder now behind bars facing a brisk 120-year sentence, Nippy isn’t planning on going quiet anytime soon. As Executive Producer of the A Little Bit Culty podcast, Nippy has come full circle back to what he was born to do: performing, creating, and truth telling. He’s proving to be an emerging voice in the conversation around what it means to be an upstanding man, husband, and father today.