Episode 27 8 Months

Note: We have edited the audio to remove the last name of the Community's inside attorney and the Busar mentioned in the podcast. To read the correspondence discussed, go to :8 Months | My Life During and After The Community of Jesus (mylifecoj.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/8-months)
Carrie Buddington responds to statements made about her departure from the Community of Jesus
After living inside the Community of Jesus for 40 years—including 20 years as a vowed sister—Carrie Buddington says she left with a small suitcase, a bus ticket to Boston, and $1,000.
In this episode, Carrie responds directly to comments made by attorney Jeff Robbins in a Cape Cod Times article by Denise Coffey published April 29, 2026. She reflects on the years leading up to her departure, repeated requests for a leave of absence that she says were denied, and the difficult process of rebuilding a life after decades inside a high-control religious environment.
The title of this episode, 8 Months, refers to the amount of time Carrie says it took to recover a single personal belonging: a cross-stitch piece she had made herself.
This is a conversation about autonomy, loss, survival, and what it means to rebuild a life after leaving with almost nothing — and, most of all, about refusing to remain silent in the face of narratives that do not share the full truth.🎧 Listen as we continue telling the story of The Cult on the Cape.