The way this man talks about his wife is everything. I pray someday I find someone who cares this deeply for me. What a beautiful story, human and such an inspiration! I wish I had the funds to visit the resort, maybe someday! The only thing it needs is a dog park area!
Ya, they had a fairytale, not Luke the crying, begging 13 year old girls screaming and begging not to be sealed to an 82 year old, or the bot forced to work until he gets wise, then gets cast out.
Sister wives is wild. Definitely doesn’t relate to any other polygamists I’ve ever met or heard stories from. Yes, polygamy is often toxic but not their level plus they don’t practice any actual religion. It’s weirder than the average weird. 😅
@@elisemarie4894they're AUB, a group that split off from the FLDS but is slightly more modern. Shalice has done interviews with former members or the interviews with Leah on Amanda Rae's channel
How does that work? How do they communicate with him? And how does Warren keeps track of all his decisions and all the people and places and so on - all that from prison?
This is the most accurate description of our religion I've heard yet. I will say, it got even crazier after you left, Chris. I'm really glad you never got another wife. You and Lydia always had something special.
Literally one of your best interviews ever. Chris is so warm, humble, and genuinely kind. There were so many small wholesome moments of positivity throughout that I thoroughly enjoyed. Please interview him again. And I'd love to hear from Lydia, too!
I do appreciate Chris sharing the positive parts of his experience. It's so important to keep in mind that cultsbuse positove experiences, praise, "revelation of truth" etc. to keep people in. By telling people this is the true way to get to heaven, by having positive things like dances, good food, tight-knit communities, they offer something people want to cling to. If it was all horrible and obviously bs to everyone involved, no one would stay.
And it's why more and more former members speaking out and forming communities out here will help others leave. The loss of community is usually so extreme when that's all you've ever known that it's why a lot of people go back, having family living their best life will help keep people out
Chris seems like the most genuinely wholesome, good-hearted person. The idea that he wouldn’t be welcome in anyone’s home - or faith - just blows my mind. And the way I’m DYING to hear from Lydia! She sounds like such a powerhouse of a human being. So much love to this wonderful family, and wishing them success building their resort!! (might need to plan a family trip to Utah 😃)
1:11:25 After an hour and a half of hearing how much this man loves his wife, hearing the hurt in his voice during that uncertain moment just about broke my heart.
Chris, I was encouraged by your story. Being a Texan, and a former CPS worker, I was almost there at the YFZ ranch. It was sad that those families there were actually ripped from their actual fathers for bogus reasons back in short Creek
Who else wants to go to Pecan Valley Resort? It sounds amazing! I'm sure the resort will be super successful once it's open. I'm so happy to hear how wonderful their lives are now. ❤
I really enjoyed this interview. He was so positive in recalling memories. Even the difficult ones was presented in an upbeat fashion. I love how he was committed as much as possible but being realistic and planning in case it didn’t work out.
Shelise I can be having the worst day and you're infectious positivity just lifts me right up. Thank you for these stories that you allow, and sometimes gently prod, to unfold.
Awww I’m over here grinning ear to ear and blushing like a flirty school girl with my shoulders out lol 🥰 I’m so happy to hear I can brighten your day! Especially with these types of heavy stories. I appreciate you! ❤️
Agree 110%! She is a love! I was not raised in an organized cult, but by a mom who kept everyone scared to ask for help, because she threatened suicide, almost daily, if anyone told the truth. Maybe it was a tiny cult? She sure controlled the entire family and pitted everyone against one another to keep us in line. She was a narcissistic addict who never cared who she hurt as long as things went her way. I relate to these videos. Thank goodness for people like Shelise, bringing not only the damage but healing to light. These videos bring me a lot of hope and inspiration, and I always learn something new from each one. 💞
Shelise is a breath of fresh air❤️I have agoraphobia and anxiety issues and watching her videos helps me with these disorders. I was in a church involved with IBLP. So much healing here 👍🏼❤️
His perspective was so refreshing to hear. Also, we need Lydia's Linda Listen moment! I get the feeling her Linda listen would be spicy🔥 Get the t-shirts ready!
I never knew what she was saying - I thought she was saying “Lend to Listen moment”! Now I remember the little sassy kid in that viral video telling the grown-up: “Linda, Listen….”. Haha! 😂
*CHRIS!!* You are a damn ROCK!! The pure strength and healing that has happened, you can sense it all from this interview.. wow! Such a deep understanding of life & experience that I could only dream to have one day! You and Lydia have a beautiful story that’s continues to be written. Absolutely beautiful guys!!! As others have said, i’d love to hear from Lydia as well. A females perspective of a more “rebellious” side is some BBE we all need!! 😹 Amazing interview guys, please come back!!! The positive energy is infectious. Love & support as always!!! Keep killing it Shelise & Jonathan!! This channel’s growth is so well deserved, thank you guys for this platform. 🖤🖤
Aw I love hearing the story of how they got together and how they were determined to stay together! 🥹 and when he got excited talking about the first time Lydia wore a bikini! 😂👏awesome! I'm so happy they were able to give their kids a good family life ❤ can't wait for Lydia's interview! Thanks for sharing, Chris!
This guy is hilarious (although it's a serious subject) and I love the fact that he seemed to care so much for his girlfriend/wife while he was a teenager. I find a man who thinks so much of his wife is reassuring in this crazy world. I am also interested in how people who have a great sense of humor cope with living in such a restrictive environment. Do they always have to be aware of not saying the wrong thing?
11:38 and I’m already in love with this guy 😍 and I love Lydia even more and I haven’t even met her. But their love for each other and for life, despite the odds, is infectious. Now back to the video :)
“A bunch of men left, even the mayor” I believe the mayor with 4 wives is Sam’s dad from Growing Up In Polygamy. I’ve always suspected the reason Sam’s dad was sent away was because he seems like a smart man & all around good guy. Smart people with a good heart aren’t easily manipulated & don’t follow blindly. Sam has a very different FLDS story, very sweet. I’ve always attributed that to (probably) his dad.
It’s so sweet to see his face light up and his joyful adoring laugh when he talks about his wife wearing a bikini for the first time. What a precious love he has for his wife. I can’t imagine wearing a bikini after 3 kids let alone 7, that’s impressive!!
Thank you for sharing your story Chris! It's amaing to see how far you've come and being an inspiration to other men suffering under the hands of cults
I cant finish the video today. But boy is it so nice seeing a man just gush and smile ear to ear talking about how he met his wife. And how much he fell for her. It’s so lovely to hear! I wish them the best time in life
An amazing real life outcome in Chris’ life! And a lovely young man. I’m so glad he was able to reconcile with his Dad. It’s so important to have the grounding family relationships for all of us, especially when the going has been so confused by dogma and a damaged belief system. Congrats to finding your way Chris. It can be a pretty bleak life if we can’t get over the hurdles placed along the way. Really happy for you!
Wow. That really is so unbelievably rare for a marriage that young to actually work. I am so glad these two had each other! Obviously that was in spite of the FLDS rather than because of it...but even my grandparents, who were not Mormon, but married as teens, had a very toxic relationship that IMO actually should have ended in divorce.
This episode had me at the edge of my seat. Chris is an exceptional story teller. I was amazed at how he was not allowed free time to relax or play and now he owns a resort for families to come play, make memories & connect with nature. I would love to hear more about Lydia's experiences and I'm sooooooooo curious about their children's point of view. Thank you for sharing these stories.
I love how you gave him time to list ALL the amenities of the community he’s building. I was like, “Go off, king. You deserve to be excited about all that shit.”
Chis, you clearly have a love of life: everyone in your life, the family and home(s) that you created and now the business you are creating. Nothing that you have been through has made you the least bit bitter. You are a beautiful person and you deserve all the happiness and success that you have in your life. Also, for someone who struggled in school so much, you are very articulate and you are a very intelligent storyteller. The very best to you and your family!
I kept seeing this post but kept passing it by, mostly because it has Warren Jeff's disgusting mug on it.. but it kept showing up in my feed since I watch your posts fairly often.. so tonight I finally watched it & I'm sooo glad I did! What a wonderful podcast, and what a wonderful guest Chris was! And most importantly, what a wonderful testament he & Lydia are, that There is Happiness After the Jeff's! Real happiness!! I feel sure that much of that happiness comes from being true to themselves and listening to, what I call Spirit, speak to their heart & soul on how to be people of Integrity and Love. You don't need a church of men to tell you how to live, how to make up rules for life, etc. We all know deep down inside. We were created this way and I'm so happy for this couple that were able to get free from this Cult. I've experienced being separated from church family and friends, and it's rough, but sometimes, as Chris's story goes, we get to see them again. I wish them every happiness in the world. PS. Chris.. keep listening to Lydia.. that girls BS/Cult radar works 100% on target! 🎉
Thank you so much for your Story, Christopher. I have lots of love and respect for you and your family. Was so touched by your Lovestory and how beautifully you talk about your wife 🥰 All the best for the future. May you and your family always feel loved and stay healthy and happy.
Loved this interview! Would love to see Chris on again to tell more stories and hopefully his wife Lydia! He never did get to tell the story of his daughter and her boyfriend he briefly mentioned he would go into later! ☹️
Chris is an example of consciousness! He was in such an extreme group but still had a healthy mentality towards women and family and regular day to day behaviour… I loved the way he spoke about Lydia and wish them well ❤ Not everyone coming out of a cult adopts the toxic indoctrination
So lovely!!! So proud of this guy for choosing Love and living authentically. Honestly, so powerful. Hi Lydia...sending you hugs! You, as a host Shelise, are killer. So kind and always knowing what to say. Love listening to you.
Im so confused how this story went from working man to owning 50 acres and building a resort, many houses and lake... What did i miss, what am i missing in life lol
He bought the property when it wasn't worth much. The wind blows a lot down there, and nobody thought anyone would want to live there. But watching the land being developed, it is getting less dusty when the wind blows because there's more grass and roads, ect. Plus keep in mind he's been doing construction since he was like 16. And knows every trade that it takes to build a house start to finish.
It's pretty telling about how women are treated in that church, in just the way Warren Jeffs would side with a disobedient male student, over their female teacher. It is unbelievable, and awful really, I can't imagine being that teacher and having my authority, and judgement, undermined in front of a student, that I had brought to the principal, in the hopes someone would back me up. Edit: Don't get me wrong. I am glad Warren Jeffs didn't just go and beat the kid, but he could have verbally admonished him, and told him to listen to his teacher, as far as behavior in the classroom is concerned. If he really thought the teacher was in the wrong he should have spoken to her separately from the students.
Lydia sounds awesome. Chris definitely is. It always amazes me when I hear the people who have lefts stories and they sound like they were never in a brainwashed cult. They sound like anyone around me which is far away from theses religious cults. They seem like they transition into normal life so well and I love to see that! At this point 7 months after this interview was posted and I have watched a lot of ex cult interviews, I think his story might be my favorite. He stood by his family and wife. They loved eachother mutually from the start. He cared about the home and life he built and so did Lydia. I just love that so much! I think they are right where they were always meant to be. And their resort sounds so fun, I would love to come see it some day!
I feel this one truly highlights the realness of people behind tightly closed doors. Like the guy who said "that must be true because I sleep well in church." That made me laugh so hard and I'm glad to see that people don't lose all sense of humanity.
The bit about "god" asking for an impossible house reminded me of a saying my father had back when he worked as a sound engineer and artists asked for something impossible, "I have a deal with god, he doesn't do sound, and I don't do miracles"
More interesting and entertaining than reality tv, documentaries or other tv programs. Love hearing about other cultures, religions and life stories. Thank you for sharing! (Never Mormon.)
The language is amazing: “We could ONLY get a temporal marriage from the law of the land at first.” “So, now we’re among The People and I’m starting to change my mindset…” 😅
In regard to the lost boys and your comment of kids going overboard. It comes from when you live an externally controled situation the people never get the opportunity to develop self control and so its a total lack of control when they get away from the controller. Someine once told me that it was not my job to control my daughter but to teach her to control herself. So loss of control is loss of the controller.
Seventh Day Adventist at least used to teach that they were the only true church for people to get to heaven. Then they started saying lots of other people from other churches would be there in heaven.
Great video Shelise - this man is just adorable - I will re-watch this one and would love to meet Lydia. And... I have a great "Linda Listen" submission. "Linda Listen... Become your own Inspiration".
Warren Jeffs was at my prison that I retired from. He was a weasel. He somehow convinced the medical dept. to prescribe him a wheelchair and a mormon inmate to push him around. It was crazy. He couldn't walk the yard because he is a pedophile. Last time I saw him he was very scared. He got a rude awakening in prison. 😅😅😅
Im curious to know more about how the prison handles his case because he's such a high profile criminal. I've probably watched too many movies but I would have thought he would be under constant attack from the other inmates and officers because of his crimes against children. I heard he had tried to hang himself at one point. I just hate how he is still "leading" his people from prison. He needs to be stopped.
Wow! What a great interview! It's awesome that he really still in love with his wife. I enjoyed hearing his story. Would love to hear his wife's if she ever felt comfortable telling it.
The one that got me when talking about men getting kicked out was the bishop of Short Creek, he probably wasn't perfect, but he had influence and apparently genuine respect. Enough that this frail man in his 80s was a threat to Warren and so Warren sent him on a "mission". He died alone in a hospital in South Dakota. Not Lyle Warren's brother but Fred Jessop, I assume Lyle was named after he was kicked out
@@justkiddin84it's what you've got to do if you can only rule through fear. The people who are leaders because people genuinely trust and respect them are a threat, no matter who they are, fear only holds people so long
