Becoming Something with Jonathan Pokluda

Episode 386: Raised in the Woods, Survived a Serial Killer & Finding Hope | feat. Kelsey Vandermyde

August 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Kelsey Vandermyde was born in a cabin deep in the Montana wilderness, the first of her siblings delivered into a home without electricity or running water. Her father had become convinced the world was ending based on his study of biblical prophecy and world events, so he took his family far into the mountains to wait it out. This is not a story about a childhood in the woods that sounds like an adventure. It is a story about what happens when isolation, pride, and fear shape a person from birth, and then about what happens when that person has to survive the world she was hidden from.

The Wilderness Childhood

Kelsey’s father was brilliant and restless, a man who dabbled in religions and was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for wanting multiple wives. He eventually had three wives and fathered twenty children, though the polygamy experiment was brief. When Kelsey was five, her mother left. Her stepmother, a saint by Kelsey’s account, worked full time an hour away, leaving the children to raise themselves in the woods.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:47) **Kelsey's Unconventional Upbringing** - Kelsey explains how her father's doomsday beliefs and conspiracy theories led the family to live off-grid in the Montana wilderness.
2 (03:29) **Father's Religious Dabbling and Polygamy** - Kelsey describes her father's spiritual journey, his excommunication from the LDS church, and his attempt at polygamy.
3 (09:10) **Life After Mother Left and Homeschooling** - Kelsey explains the family dynamic after her mother left when she was five, and the lack of formal education.
4 (13:37) **From Hatred to Forgiveness** - Kelsey shares her journey from hating her father to releasing that hatred before his death.
5 (15:56) **High School: Bullying and Social Shock** - Kelsey describes the brutal transition from the woods to public high school.
6 (21:36) **Empathy from Adversity** - Kelsey reflects on how her painful experiences shaped her ability to empathize with others.
7 (24:11) **Finding God, Serving a Mission, and Meeting Her Husband** - Kelsey recounts her spiritual conversion, mission service, and the supernatural meeting with her future husband.

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Show Notes

This week we sit down with Kelsey, who grew up deep in the mountains of Montana with no electricity, no running water, and a father convinced the world was ending. From polygamy and mountain lions to a serial killer staying in their cabin, Kelsey's story is one of the wildest you'll ever hear. JP and the crew don't see eye to eye with Kelsey on everything when it comes to faith — but that's exactly what makes this conversation worth having. Come for the crazy story, stay for the honest and gracious dialogue!