Escaping the Children of God Cult ft. Daniella Mestyanek Young

April 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Daniella Mestyanek Young was born third-generation into the Children of God, a cult that grew out of the late 1960s and early 1970s counterculture backlash. By the time she was growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, the group had roughly 10,000 people living in communes around the world. Her grandfather joined in the 1970s after a bad LSD trip; her mother was one of the first children born into the cult and was pregnant at 14 by her grandfather's boss. Daniella was born in the Philippines and raised in Japan, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico—completely cut off from outside music, movies, and books. The only texts allowed were the King James Bible and the writings of the cult's leader, David Berg. Formal schooling was dismissed because Jesus was coming back "any day." Instead, children were taught to read, speak, and perform in public. As Daniella puts it: "Performance is really brilliant for trafficking children because when you see these shiny smiley dancing children, you don't think, are they getting paid? Are they being abused?"

What brainwashing actually looks like

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Khloé in Wonder Land

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 Escaping the Children of God Cult ft. Daniella Mestyanek Young
2 (01:37) **Third-Generation Cult Origins** - Daniella explains she was born into the Children of God, a cult founded in the 1970s that grew to 10,000 people living in communes worldwide
3 (03:36) **Life Inside the Commune** - Describes being completely cut off from the outside world with no school, no outside media, and only the King James Bible and the leader's writings allowed
4 (06:19) **Trafficked in Front of the World** - Daniella explains the unique horror of being trafficked publicly rather than hidden away
5 (06:47) **What Brainwashing Actually Is** - Defines brainwashing as simply "getting you to not question" rather than complete physical isolation
6 (08:44) **Early Awareness Something Was Wrong** - Daniella knew at age six that her life wasn't normal
7 (12:31) **The Desperate Escape at 15** - By age 15, Daniella was being trafficked as a carnival clown through Mexico and Lower Texas and decided she had to get out

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Khloé sits down with Daniella Mestyanek Young, a cult survivor who was born and raised in the infamous Children of God. Daniella shares what it was like growing up in a highly controlled environment, how she realized something wasn’t right at a young age, and the moment she risked everything to leave at 15. From culture shock and rebuilding her identity to navigating relationships, trauma, and ultimately finding healing, this is a powerful conversation about resilience, survival, and what it really takes to start over.

Episode Sponsors:

Use my code for 10% off your next SeatGeek order: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/KHLOE10 Sponsored by SeatGeek. Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount

Shop at https://www.REVOLVE.com/KHLOE and use code KHLOE for 15% off your first order. #REVOLVEpartner

To learn more and get 20% off your order, visit http://ActiveSkinRepair.com and use code: KHLOE. You can also find Active Skin Repair on Amazon and at your local CVS.

You can find Barilla Al Bronzo pasta in the red bag at select retailers nationwide. Click here to find a store near you: https://click2cart.com/153800gv

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.