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The Game Part 5: The Return (Patreon)

Published:
2022-10-12 13:00:11
Edited:
2024-10-11 00:16:00
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

We travel to Sandpoint, Idaho, and attempt to get in touch with Monarch School owner Patrick McKenna.

Files

Comments

C. J

Honestly, this was one of the best pieces of independent content I've ever consumed. I stood up out of my seat when you told him he'd go to hell. Insane stuff.

the empty suit

This is the series that got me to start listening to TrueAnon. My brother, another patron, downloaded The Game series and sent them to me to listen to, as a psychiatric survivor and psych abolitionist/antipsychiatry activist. So much of this spoke to me as a survivor of psychiatric abuse. Synanon's legacy lives on not only in troubled youth centers and queerphobic conversion therapy camps, but in the psychiatric institution itself... Relating this deeply to these episodes moved me to tears as I compared a lot of my own experiences to everything described. Brace has my utmost appreciation/admiration for doing what I could never do, and what I don't even think I have the ability to do; ask for an apology from someone like Patrick McKenna. I know it might be odd to say this about a stranger, but I'm so proud of him for leaving that message.

Mikachu

Incredible work, it takes real guts to confront your abuser like Brace did.

Isabelle

This episode had me weeping

Jonathan Fischer

This was so good, man. What a coward fuck Patrick is. Brace, you’re a very strong individual. POWERFUL STUFF GUYS! Much love

Smooth Shrek

Patrick is a fucking coward. This series is amazing - great work guys and may Patrick long for death but be unable to die.

Karsten Xavier

Incredible series, the voicemail Brace left was fucking poetry

Karsten Xavier

Also all of the saxophone runs in the music breaks are immaculate. That’s Yung Chomsky on the sax, yeah?

Rachel

Super potent series. Heart breaking too. Impressed by Brace’s fierce honesty & vulnerability. Also by the team’s love and support and DOGGEDNESS. Thank you 🙏🏼

Dirt McGurt

My first Trueanon collection... Absolute banger. Really moving and insightful, and not too far removed from my own unusual path. Thank you for sharing your experiences and inner journey.

Sudden Beth

As an abuse survivor of a different variety, hearing Brace say "don't you think you owe me an apology" was hugely powerful. I'm sorry you didn't get one, but thank you all for this incredible piece of work. You should be so proud of all you've achieved x

ilkash

2 years late on this but I wept openly when I finished this series. Your best work ever. Well done all of you

Tara Sukumar

wow. 2 years late to the party but a fan of the pod. this was truly incredible

Temu Listerine

That call was heroic and fucking awesome. I’m sorry for Brace that this villainous little worm dodged the hook he deserved. I hope he can take some solace knowing what a tremendous service this series was for other people who went through these schools, and more generally, for people who lived through childhood abuse. Hearing somebody confront an abuser like that, and to remind them of the guilt and fear they surely must live with every day, was… really great

whiteaker

This series broke my heart. Thank you so much for the work you all do. Absolutely incredible and I don’t know another podcast that is on this level. Love y’all.

whiteaker

Also, Young Chomsky, this music was exquisite. Astounding work across the board

Ruth Gemison

Great series. Heartbreaking. Why do people think a boot camp is the answer to every problem.

Z F

Dave Fugel's on the sax. YC wrote and recorded the music

Nick A

Incredible series, thank you. The absolute scale and evil of this industry masquerading as Tough Love is hard to fathom. Also insane how close you guys got to Patrick. I question how well he's doing if his country club allows full access and just hands out his info to randos.

Sonia Saraiya

thank you for sharing your story brace ❤️

Miles_B

New member. Incredible series. As someone whose life has been touched by these evil groups - in lieu of a wall of text - I'll just say thank you to TrueAnon (and the Chapo boys) for letting me know that I am not alone.

Jesse Ewing

i just listened to this entire series start to finish in one go at work i have never listened to a series which kept my attention this much in my life this was incredible. thank you for sharing this story.

Horse Badorties

Just ran through the series this weekend. I think I understand part of why y'all decamped to Brooklyn: you had purged a lot of emotional baggage about your childhoods in the SF Bay Area. Is this fair?

Bustnar

This is truly a beautiful piece of art. Love always

Jlev

Thank you for sharing this story 💛

Bria

Oh Bracie. My heart goes out to all the kids that did and didn't make it through. It wasn't your fault and I hate that greedy hollow adults made you feel like it was.

Thomas Clements

I’m a long time fan of the podcast, and this is, I think, one of the best things you’ve all made. I’d associate myself with commenters below who note that for all its journalistic rigour, this is just an excellent piece of art. Well done and commiserations for such a traumatic childhood. Thank you for sharing your story.

Dennison

I went to the same programs for 14 months. Im in my 30s. Ive listened to TA since its inception and today is the first time ive been able to listen to this. " a guilty man in search of a crime" They took so much from us. Why

Andrew Plummer

Thank you for this work... I just listened to all 5 Episodes one directly after the other, what you have produced here is an objective masterpiece of investigation and dramatisation, the enacted game session was stunning... I have never had such an experience as you Brace, but I have made bad decisions and benefitted from the mutual support and sometimes confrontation of others who have also made bad decisions... what you describe and show the development of... illustrates how the corruption of profit can never have a place in therapy or the work of care ... I don't know what I'm trying to say here... but thank you all for a stunning and incredibly moving piece of work, much love to you all 🙏Andy

Yup

Declan was first

Isaac Jones

I subscribed specifically for this series once I listened to part one. When I was 19, I worked as a counselor at a Christian summer camp in Wisconsin. As part of our end of summer evaluations, our program director had us do The Game. Everybody in a room together, and everybody had to give at least one negative and one positive critique of everybody else. No holding back. And I'm ashamed to say I loved it. The feeling of getting to psychoanalyze my peers, get to the bottom of what was good and bad about them, argue back and explain myself to them, was the most fun thing my undiagnosed autistic ass could imagine. I get where the appeal comes from. But also, we were all friends. We all liked and supported each other. I can't begin to imagine what the experience would've been like in a stressful, hostile, torturous environment like these "schools" and TT camps. This series has been guy wrenching. Thanks for the incredible work you guys have done here.

Bradlee

Dang this series is so good

Mads

This series is why TrueAnon is better than Chapo

Graham Hoese

Your tummy hurt? Classic TrueAnon tactic to get out of interrogation, what are you hiding?

gill

wow a picture of baby brace

Drew Johnson

Unprecedented levels of hype rn

Gordon Schmidt

So proud to subscribe to the ONLY anti-pedophile podcast fighting the Sicko Elites

Andrew Lyman

No need to knock the Chapo boys brother

Mads

TrueAnon is just better, brother

David O'Kane

Brace - a lot of this "game" stuff sounds like the "struggle sessions" of Maoism. I doubt, somehow, if the Chairman was taking notes from Californian cultists, so what do you think would account for this similarity?

Hot Rod

Thankyou for sharing your story. Whereabouts in Wisconsin?

chee rabbits

things can actually just be different from one another

Calvin Bishop

You guys did the last episode of Twin Peaks S3 if it was more anxiety inducing. Amazing series

Sknewt

Brace, you are brave. Thanks for sharing your story. ♥️

E-Den

Fucking A, what a world we live in where we do this to our most vulnerable. This series was phenomenal, and this episode was heart breaking. I hope you’re ok Brace. Thank you for sharing this with us, and I hope these people fucking rot. Looking forward to more True Anon.

kiki

something about that “im gonna call him back” made me so proud

Brian Long

Early evening = 5 pm (in Minnesota)

The Dee's Knees

Oh my god I really can't describe my exhale when the receiver went down. Thank you a million times for this series, I hope you all get some peace and rest after all this ❤

mya

“these are my cousins” made me choke laughing

Hunter Rogers

Thank you Brace for taking us all on this journey with you. May Patrick and the rest of them rot in hell.

Isaac Jones

Trail Ridge Bible Camp in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. The camp is run by Aaron Schneider, who is the son of Jim Schneider, the executive producer of VCY christian radio, a radio group that owns 57 radio station across Wisconsin. In their defense, I have heard from friends who went on to counsel there that they stopped using the Game for counselors a few years after I left

K H

A dapper young lad.

Catherine E Temple

Damn, that was powerful. What a trip. Thanks for the hard work on so many levels. I am also proud of you, Brace. Dude, that message you left… so clear and true. … Also, country clubs are fucking weird.

B Smith

This was a really amazing series and it’s evident how much you all poured into it. Thank you for making this, Honestly.

Daniel Terry

Wouldn't even talk to Brace. What a coward.

Laurel

I’ve refreshed my feed 100 times waiting for this with great anticipation. Watched This Is Paris on YouTube to stay connected to the topic. Really glad Brace talked with other student victims. That sounds important. Thanks for this incredible series.

yep

A certain group of maoists in Texas getting exposed for their batshit behavior came to mind while hearing some of this stuff, glad I'm not the only one!

kyle k

what year is it?

Hot Rod

I live in Madison; that’s not far from me. Again, thank you for sharing.

David Constine

hope to god he hears that message. the man should not be allowed to put it behind him.

saysthemachine

land light? landlite? what is that? sounds useful.

Max

Thank you Brace, Liz, young Chomsky. I have more words for you that I need some time to articulate, but in the meantime may those fuckers burn in hell. I’ve fantasized about that phone call for many many years. Grateful for you.

thenewseb

damn, he changed his number.

Hannah Wacha

Brace, I can't believe you shared all of this with us. That message was so powerful

Frankie

Post the phone number

Baron

Gonzaloites not maoists afaik?

Buster Malino

This was incredible. No other words for it

Nithin Sugavanam

Thanks brace, liz and Yung Chomsky for the incredible and in-depth coverage.

Philipp K

This kinda makes me think he might be hiding from the people who sued him to try to avoid paying.

Valerie Gordon

My former sister in law was sent to one of these camps. I know she's never been able to shake trauma that occurred there. Both her parents were abusers too, but that 'school' was just the icing on the cake. I've lost count of the amount of times she's gone to jail for substance abuse related things she cannot control.

TangiePower

Shoe leather journalism - congrats guys I love ya’ll.

Char Kelly

Brace is back on the traz solidarity from another sleepless gumshoe

Bri

Great Ep! Really loved the “you know all about waking people up late” 😂

Caleb Beck

cried a lot listening to this series. paced back and forth in my house this whole episode. peak Trueanon. may those craven fucks never sleep again in their lives.

em

You all are amazing. Fantastic landing on that voice message Brace<3

Alex Alex Thomas

the call you made to patrick near the end was very affecting. it was really sweet to hear you finally be able to take off the journalist hat and confront the man who has inflicted all this lasting trauma on you as the man who was forever effected by it. i think it was really brave of you to go on this journey, let alone publicly on a large platform, and i think it’ll leave a lasting impression on everyone who listens to it

drewb

I sincerely and honestly hope Patrick develops some incredibly uncomfortable stomach ulcers fretting over what a miserable dreg of a creature he is. Fantastic series

Colin Andrews

I hope his whole family heard that epic rebuke in that voicemail.

Hugo

Amazing. Powerful shit

carl

well done!

Chris

Mini tennis is bad mitten??? What about table tennis

Bui Mushekwa

Thank you so much! This has been incredible!!!

Ali

350s too

Chris

Who was driving the car? Does yc have a driver's license? This is news

TrueAnonPod

Yes I meant to give myself a credit as stunt driver but I forgot — YC

Emily M

This was incredible thanks so much for the vulnerability here

Rangifer Tarandus

I found myself holding my breath so many times during this episode. Harrowing and with the voicemail, wonderful. Thank you for this series.

Hamp

McKenna’s business is called Ironwood Builders LLC in Sandpoint. Do with that what you will 🙃

WillyGetSilly

“You know all about waking people up at night” lmaoooo. This episode was terrific brace

Fuji Prince

Incredible. Brace, thank you for sharing this journey with us. Liz, YC, yall are awesome! great friends!

Dalton Brown

You know that motherfucker was shaking in his boat shoes listening to that voice-mail.

Germ

This was beautiful thank you team

Yeah but in my defense

Brace—You are not your trauma. These were some incredibly brave episodes you shared with us. Be well.

SPENCER PIBBLES

Incredible production top to bottom. Love goes out to Brace, this must have been a hard few episodes.

Curt's Hog

Do we get to hear the "brace"noise in real life?

Chib

I’m actually gonna be in the Sandpoint area this weekend. Time to do a little “investigation” of my own jk hehe. As someone who went through a wilderness camp similar, but mot nearly as evil as some of the practices that were described, this series was great. This really helped me put context to a really confusing time of my life. Thanks guys!

Kelson

I live in Spokane, right near Sand Point. Its wild out here. Y'all of course must know that Ruby Ridge happened out here and the Aryan Brotherhood compound used to be in northern Idaho. This is all irrelevant, just, I am crying a little at this episode. Thank you guys, I relate to a lot of Brace's story. Thanks for the podcast you make.

Kelson

I live right near there.

Chris

I like to think podcasting was the training brace needed for leaving a killer voice message like that.

Johan Stefonski

A long search with a sad heart all in the vain effort to find a disgusting rat who will never crawl above the floorboards. This was a sickening and beautiful story. Thanks you guys. I don't know what else to say. Your experiences really affected me. God bless. ❤️

surrander 2000

"LANDLINE" - an ancient technology which used copper wires to carry voice and data from point to point. 😄 aw

Richard Cochnar

I was really anxious listening to this episode. Great series. Well worth the wait.

Michelle

I’m riddled with all sorts of non-Covid germs right now and generally feel like shit, but listening to this episode…wow. If there was any justice in this world, Patrick would have poured himself a scotch, got his pistol out…and well, you know.

George P

A country club in the Idaho panhandle sounds like one of the most cursed places on Earth, I'm glad they didn't shoot the three of you on sight.

Ella

Oh shit

Simon

Possibly a testament to the quality of the series that this occurred to me, but after listening I feel like I recognize The Game techniques in the other realms. This may be off-base, but many "Equity, Diversity, Inclusion" and "anti-racist" seminar consultants also have weird obsessions with trauma, humiliation, and making people feel bad in front of others. That weirdo Peggy McIntosh comes to mind. It's obviously not as harsh as attack therapy, but there are echos. Disturbing stuff. Great work on the series. Glad that I subscribe.

Bent Mind

Brace I made a rule for myself to combat insomnia — no deep state after 22:00

Jaime

*brace noise*

HATERSLAYER420

what a disgusting fucking worm. I hope this gave you some closure brace. speaking for myself, it wouldn't have. you deserve peace. they deserve hell.

k

LandGlide. I looked it up right after and they have a free trial that actually doesn’t make you out your card info in. It’s actually incredibly useful.

AbeLinkin

Ay don’t belittle Little Gate Man. Everyone’s gotta earn a living! That said, hats off to the gang for a tremendous series. I’m not sure if it’s Jungian synchronicity or what but the fact that the NYT just published a story of their own on these teenage black sites is wild. You guys are the best.

Louise Duke

Shed a few tears after this one. So moving and brave. King shit, Brace. You're stronger than the scum who did this to you x

KB

insane series, glad you guys did this

Sam

What a series; hope YC releases the score

Dylan

Don't know where else to post this, but I'm selling 3 tickets to the chicago show on november 1st. Some friends and I were gonna travel up from new orleans, but won't be able to swing it. DM me if interested.

Sean

Great work👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼💚

Monica

I can't imagine the strength and emotional labour that went into it. Well done Brace for putting yourself in such a vulnerable place in order to get this message out there, I know it will help people. He's mentioned about his personal worries about himself, hope he knows there's a whole audience here who can see a true goodness in him that's rare. And shout out to Liz and Yung Chomsky for clearly being a great support system for Brace. You should all be really proud for what you've done with this series. Thanks guys.

Monica

Sorry for getting soppy x

Jordan Fish

Great work. Beautiful and eviscerating series that will not be forgotten ❤️‍🔥

Agave Maria

Legendary W for everyone surviving this type of unconscionable trauma and mistreatment in life and from beyond the grave. Thank you for sharing your earnestness and unabashed gumshoe glory.

alex

all the way up to F-750 actually

Josh

One of my deepest satisfactions today is knowing that Patrick will for sure attempt to listen to this series after paranoid researching

Shiv

there’s gotta be a leak in the patreon 👁

Shiv

Baby Braceface* *if he had braces

Shiv

Me too, I really felt it in my chest 😭

Shiv

new TA merch slogan drop??

Shiv

I’m feeling emotional at the close of this series, esp the incredible final ep, the openness and bravery of BB and the commendable research, driving, smooth talking and support of Liz and YC. 💜 Reading the comments set me off again bc other listeners with similar experiences are being supported here. Thank you for all you have done/will do! ps as a Frisco Baddie it does not escape me i could easily have landed in a place like this if my parents were more resourced. I hope Patrick and his ilk never have a restful moment.

Chelsea Zona

Absolutely beautiful. I can’t imagine how much work went into balancing being in a vulnerable space and revisiting childhood trauma like this and still delivering such solid, sophisticated reporting. Stunning work.

Jeremy

This episode made me cry. Reminds me of what my husband went through as a teenager. Thank you for this incredible series. Patrick can go to hell

Tyler Wilson

This was an incredible series fellas. I don't want to sound fucking blasé or whatever but this was a very courageous endeavor. It's not too difficult to have the idea to try and achieve closure or confront trauma, but to really go all the way through with it, and publicly, is brave. I wouldn't have the conviction to do what you did at all Brace. Mad respect Bossman.

snoozie

Really incredible, moving stuff. Feel like I could write an essay on this. Thank you.

Dave Reinhardt

This was a phenomenal series. Huge congrats.

Char Kelly

Not to get sappy in the TrueAnon feed, but really grateful that you all did this series. Brace your stories are so moving and Liz&YC as co-pilots in this story telling was so power! Thank for letting us all bare witness to it 💛

Kati Ketz

Truly a phenomenal series. Thank you Brace, Liz, YC for this.

mckinley faas

fuck...this was really something yall god damn

Junior Carmichael

Good work on the series guys. I hope you were able to get some closure or other kind of peace out of doing this Brace.

Jeremy

Lol my wife left this comment under my name. I co-sign though.

Bud Light

Incredible. 😂

HATERSLAYER420

"You won't get no answers Not for the stuff that keeps you up You won't ever get no answers"

Jared

We love you Brace!!

Son of El Topo

Incredible series, thanks you guys. Loved the music a lot. You really took the podcast to another level with this. Brace, hope you’re feeling good man.

Sydney

thank you so much for making this, absolutely incredible work and deeply appreciated <3

beach_bum123

A truly incredible series. Thank you all for making this and Brace for sharing. Really moving.

Bridget Kane

Brace- legit started clapping when your message to him ended. This was an amazing series - so proud of you and kudos to Liz and YC too.

Mateo

uwu

Mateo

We love u guys ❤️

Ryan

this is the first time ive ever heard someone say "i hope you go to hell" and truly put every ounce of their soul's weight into that haymaker of a message. this is a victory of journalism and storytelling... the work you all have done on this series is incredible. thank you for not only having the courage to open yourself up, but to also allow us to bear witness. peace and love

Hunter

God I was physically anxious when you all were at the country club. Beyond being an incredible series to listen to, this was some of the bravest shit I’ve ever heard. There is no “proper” response to abuse, no one has any obligation to take their abuser on or do anything but just try to heal, but tracking down the architect of your abuse, trying to find him on his own fucking turf, going to his country club, and staking out a house to tell him what a piece of shit he is is lionheart shit. A W of the largest imaginable size for you and everyone else that that fucking worm and his program terrorized and scarred. Literally had chills listening to Brace leave the message. Thank you guys for sharing this with us. I hope you scared the fucking shit out of Patrick and I hope he looks over his shoulder everywhere he goes till his horribly agonizing death.

Matelda

He very clearly knows that a former student will not be contacting him to say thank you

N0tagayman

That voicemail was perfect. What an incredible series.

Boone

I've always assumed the genealogy was the other way around. Synanon was deep into hippie shit, and like with a lot of hippie shit, they were inspired by things like Maoism but took it in a whole new batshit direction. No idea if that's accurate, though.

Boone

The 150s used to be the small ones, they've all just grown massively.

Boone

Incredible series. Thank you for doing this. I hope this gives Brace some peace, and people like Patrick the opposite.

Dr. TJ Eckelberg

Phenomenal stuff. I’m floored. The incredible mix of personal narrative and scrupulous reporting come to a breathtaking conclusion here. Amazing production top to bottom. From the music, to the research- even the voice acting. This is an astounding achievement and we’re all so thankful for it. I respect and admire you, Brace. The courage it takes to be so secure & honest about what happened to you and how it’s affected you is at a level few can even aspire to. It made me feel whole in a way I didn’t know I needed to. Thank you. To Liz & YC- you are stand-up professionals, who are fantastic at your craft. The music was really expertly done. This topic was approached with an incredible diligence. This is top notch reporting. Thank you for that, and thank you for being good friends/supporting Brace in this confrontation. Feeling a lot of love for ya’ll right now. Thank you for doing what you do. Cheers to the next achievement

K'caj

Fucking Christ...

Jared Feldman

Sorry if this gets wordy: I had admired and respected Brace’s vulnerability regarding his experience with opiates long before now, as the OC80 ep is what got me started listening (having endured a similar experience), but this is entirely another level. I can’t state enough how much I applaud all of you in every aspect of producing this, but above all- the service that you’re doing for those who all deserve the closure and sense of justice for having dealt with these evil institutions gives me faith that we as individuals can enact our own closure, and I hope that this journey provided at least some of that for you, Brace. Much love.

Gary White

This is truly brilliant

Antipaganda

That was the bravest thing I've heard someone do. The Bracest thing too.

Antipaganda

Never apologise for being honest. We're all irony-poisoned, it's good to wash that away from time to time.

Shane

Legendary stuff 💜

leonard

this series was excruciating and i’m so grateful you made it. you are very brave brace. makes me want to confront the monsters from my own youth. “a guilty man in search of a crime” made me cry.

Tom Clarke

Very moving, really well done. It look guts to do this. Thanks to all 3.

ancrapistan

What a powerful moment, so honored I get to be a part of it. Lots of love to the three of you

Brian

What a gift. Thank you so much for telling this story

Ryan Ford

Excellent storytelling. An emotional insight into Brace's life and the insidious nature of these programs. That voicemail was a deeply cathartic ending - can't imagine how it felt to leave it. Great music & production throughout. Well done y'all.

danny

wow

Yungtorso

Thank you so much for talking about all of this. I’ve spent so so so long just trying to feel normal and forget and always feeling like I’m different bc of all of this stuff. It’s taken me 10 years to confront how wrong I was treated and I stay up at night thinking of all the friends I left behind like brace said and all these kids still sleeping in these places

Jason Troutman

I swear that intro is Grand Funk Railroad’ Im your Captain. Am I wrong?

Tryg

Great work gang, this series has been so interesting.

NicksYourMate

I appreciated this for a lot of reasons, but mostly I appreciated how honest Brace was about his emotions. No false forgiveness or any of that stuff. Him telling the guy he hopes he goes to hell at the end of the voicemail was perfect. Thanks for this series, it was fantastic. Brace, thanks for the vulnerability. I think anyone who listens to this is better for it.

Samantha Zimmerman

this series and the call to patrick near the end was incredible. i subbed to patreon just to listen all the way through. i know i don't know you, brace, but i am so fucking proud of you.

The Fine Art Revolution

Good work gang, it’s been a treat to listen to these. You only spoke a few words to him brace, but you could tell he knew why you were calling, and in a way that was chilling. I know you wanted an apology, as I think we all did, so I hope you don’t feel like it was all for nothing. You got your friends by your side and your fans behind your back.

Zzz

10/13 HBD Brace! 🎈

TrueAnonPod

I’ve seen many comments like this, all naming different songs. I think what really matters is that everyone has a good time

Dean Watson

I am so fucking proud of all of you but especially Brace. I don’t know you but this really touched me and I am so proud of you for doing it. This series is fucking righteous you all did amazing work.

Jessica S

Wow. Amazing. I’ve already got a list of people to share this with. I was talking with the facilitator of my son’s social group, he’s autistic and she’s part of an organization that creates interest-based activities (his is table top games) to give a safe space for these kiddos to be themselves and work out socialization on their own terms. Too many “social skills” groups are designed to teach neurodiverse kids how to be “normal”, when really they just need to positive experiences without judgement. Which often means they create their own games with ALL the pieces and build corresponding structures within it like last night. Too many we’ve tried would be like “that’s not how we play a game, we’re here to learn” and I’m like, motherfucker, that’s how YOU play games, but not him. I digress. As we were talking about the trauma these kids endure in school, being forced to follow expectations that are counter to the way they learn and understand the world (she and I directly understanding growing up “different”) I was telling her about this series and how I keep wondering what the ratio of kids who are “neurodiverse” that end up in these horror houses - whether given a label of autism, ADHD, learning disorder, social anxiety, sensory processing differences: it all describes the same intolerable mixture of differences that our authoritarian leaning society cannot suffer. My own would EASILY be identified as a trouble maker. When he is experiencing extreme anxiety, it manifests as misbehavior: uncontrollable laughter, opposition to everything, restlessness, blurting out. He had a terrible teacher and disruptive kids in his class last year but this year he’s at a school that’s trained to accommodate a wide swath of cognitive, social, emotional, etc abilities within the same classroom. They achieve it through (gasp) actually giving multiple ways of accessing instructions (video playback, print out of teacher’s instructions, pictorials, or even forge ahead and ask questions as they come to you. It’s no surprise that he has no anxiety and teachers are like “he so eager to be here!”. I want to show them a picture and say “this is the kid, right?”, that’s how different he is when his personal experience is validated. It’s a huge success at the school so far. And it’s a public school, too. I know most of y’all don’t have kids probably, but my point that I’m taking to long to make is that society doesn’t lean this way and recognize that opposition doesn’t equal defiance. It’s heartbreaking to see kids like this be punished for simply responding to the conditions they’ve been forced into. Schools should NEVER allow outside partnerships with programs such as these. It’s criminal.

Jessica S

By the way that guy is such a fucking coward. I hope he has a glimpse of that before his useless life is over and can fully understand what a insignificant person he was.

Adam Fendos

I’m interested, do you still have them?

lasinky

thank you trueanon for doing this work and thank you brace for being vulnerable with your experiences. shining light on the dark corners of human capacity is never easy, especially when it gets personal. i hope you take time for yourself to celebrate what you've done here- it was a very moving series.

Eric

Incredible, meaningful, moving series. Subscribed just to hear it all. Thank you Brace and Liz and YC

Justlistening

“We approach the house” My heart is pounding..

Julie D

Prestige podcasting at its absolute best. Normally what I love about this show is the goofballery but I would listen to a hundred episodes of this vulnerable, heartfelt, serious reporting. Thank you guys so much

Kyle Stokinger

Great series. You should feel proud of the work you’re doing.

DH

I only wish you had the chance to say all that to him in person and watch his shitty little face.

DH

Some intrepid podcast listeners should go say hi!

Gallo Altanero

Your restraint is incredible. I would have Leeroy Jenkins-d that bitch.

Ian Krasnow

Maybe this is the reason that people were attracted to Synanon when they were new and hip, before Chuck went full Jim Jones.

Ian Krasnow

It looks like every single comment here is overwhelmingly positive about your final episode. This series was compelling, captivating, eye opening about one of the most influential and infamous cults in American history and how we still deal with their legacy. And Brace seems like one of the most interesting and compassionate people on Earth, and it must have taken a lot of bravery to share the story of his trauma and to try to understand it. Especially sharing it with thousands of followers. However, I can't help but think this wasn't the ending I was hoping for. I'm glad Brace got his cathartic moment, but he, and the audience gained no insight, no explanation, nothing. Patrick, the monster who started a school for torturing vulnerable kids, gets one harassing phone call from some guy he doesn't remember, or if he does remember he didn't like, probably doesn't even listen to the whole message, and promptly forgets about it. Well he's already been doxxed and I'm sure he's getting some more phone calls by now, so there is that. There was an amazing opportunity to actually set up an interview. I think with the right persuasion you could have made it happen. Pretend to be working on a documentary about CEDU and its offspring, say you spoke to some former students from Monarch and that you want to hear his side of the story, because you want to give the other side a chance to respond. Pretend it's a normal interview and that you're an unbiased journalist. Then once you've gotten his guard down, drop the bomb. You're not really unbiased, you're actually one of his former students, tell him what your life is like, what you have seen from your other peers who went to Monarch and the pain and trauma that has affected their lives as a result. Tell him how hard you had to work to undo even just enough of the damage to get your life on track. Only at this point, when the interview is already an hour or more in, and he's managed to relax and open up, do you ask if he thinks he owes you an apology. I'm not a filmmaker, but this makes me want to make that documentary. I know you mentioned in episode 4 that 60 Minutes Australia was trying to reach him, so maybe he has already been approached by reporters and is trying to remain anonymous. I mean if I were him, I would have changed my name and picked a different town, and not started a building company to remain anonymous, so who knows. I want there to be a documentary, or better yet a miniseries that unpacks the troubled teen industry, talking to former students, possibly obtaining footage from within these schools somehow, and talking to the ones who run the system. Hopefully Pat Mckenna could be one of those interviewed. Maybe I should call Michael Moore, he's pretty good at that kind of thing.

Chris Ryan

Yeah there are only so many notes on the keyboard yall you gotta give it a rest wit all this name that tune stuff.

SoldierBlue

All the pain caused in the world leads to real estate development, the only real game in town

Kerri

I ♡ you Brace

Emma Gerrity

Thank you for being our voice. Fuck Patrick.

Zhandra

Y’all have got to do one on the DONDA Academy after the allegations come out

SF

shut up

frybreadandjam

I just finished listening. I’m proud of you Brace, and proud of you and Liz and Yung Chomsky for making this powerful series. What happened to you as a child wasn’t ever your fault or a reflection on you. Or any of the other victims of this cult. I hope you find more healing and peace in the years to come. You travelled through the dark for so long to help bring what needs justice and the truth to light. That’s what you all do on this podcast, together.

Isaac Jones

Counterpoint: McKena has already made his money, knows exactly what he did, has no regrets, has gone to great lengths to hide himself, will never show his face again, and this is as good as it'll get

Olivia Malloy

This makes me proud to be a listener. Thanks for opening up, brace

slowdogs

Amazing job guys, incredible. Thank you for doing the valuable work you do.

Chris Hildreth

Amazing series y’all. Really appreciate the earnestness and depth.

Alaina Nuvola

It's soo funny that all these white people are giving you guys all the his business

I am become reply guy

I forgot which episode but I remember Brace saying real estate is like an email job for criminals.

TrueAnonPod

I didn’t gain catharsis—that’s what the ending is about. There is no insight or explanation he’s gonna give that’ll clear things up—he made a bunch of money off the school and then ripped a bunch of people off.

Ian Krasnow

I’m sorry you weren’t able to find closure. It’s not like there’s any reason to forgive him. He’s a piece of shit who hurt you and many other people who were kids at the time. I guess this is just a selfish desire as a media consumer to see inside the mind of a monster.

George

i'm interested too pls

George

Hey Liz, Brace, Chom, First time, long time here. Thank you for this series and your vulnerability Brace. The timing of this release coincides with me learning that a young relative of mine has been at "summer camp" in Utah for the past 4 months. I have attempted contacting the family members that put him there. Radio silence. I can't help but fear he's at one of these awful facilities and it really hurts not to be able to do anything about it. Not sure what I'm looking for in posting this, just seems appropriate to share here. <3

Adam B

It’s kinda funny that the whole reason for this series was to expose the perpetrators of Brace’s trauma and have him share with us his deep personal life experience whereas Liz wouldn’t want to disclose whether or not she has a pet.

Adam

this was really good. i want to give brace a hug. thanks for sharing this it must have been difficult to relive

JC

Incredible work 🤯

Callie Bonds

Also why don't you hate your Dad?

Laika

Nothing I can do or say to truly or meaningfully comfort you about what you've been through, but I admire your strength and courage.

Philipp K

There's a subreddit run by troubled teen program victims. You might get more practical advice there.

MurseInDaPurse

Brace your voicemail was extremely cathartic to listen to, thanks to all of you for this work.

Hank Piper

Wishing you healing Brace. May Patrick rot in hell.

j

Much love to you all and any of the victims of these programs

Roy Muyinza

Y'all, that was incredible work. Brace, you're a good dude. Fuck Patrick.

sir peepus

I’m proud of you Brace

Jacob Martin

Been a listener on Spotify for a while now but the first episode of this series made me sub. Incredible production, powerful story telling, and beautiful emotional vulnerability. Thanks Brace, for sharing that. Thank you to all involved! Go to hell Patrick.

Cameron Young

Incredible episode. My feelings on the feelings that Liz expressed about the terrain. The eerie feeling of north Idaho is the empty feeling related to the lack of people. As you get used to cities, the vacant feeling of parts of the west is unnerving.

Miss Lourdes

The restraint brace shows. Amazing

Emma

Yeah this is a super interesting dynamic on the show...

markers

Pushing it to the fuggen man. Not many podcasts dig this deep and go the distance. You guys rock.

SillyMoose

The ending of a story about ongoing impunity shouldn’t feel to the listener like a sweet finale. The fact that listeners want to investigate further and make a documentary means that TruAnon did what they set out to do.

Amanda Michel

Incredible. Brace, you are amazing

Hollis

I’m from that area and the banality of evil is really evident by how many of the worst people in the world live in the Spokane-CDA metro. Brace, speaking for all women, you are forgiven for the thoughts and behaviors you were taught to engage in regarding our kind. Yung Chomsky, the music you wrote for this was fantastic as usual. Liz, you are a badass investigator and a great friend. Looking forward to seeing y’all on tour.

Bill

What a story. Great series all!

Fiddypea

Bravo to Brace, Liz, Yung, and to all involved! Great series!

Michelle C

I've always been happy to contribute to the show, but this makes me proud to. Just incredible work 👏

Travis Jones

As always, you all deserve commendation for your investigative and reporting prowess, but the most incredible thing- beyond your commitment to the truth- is your dedication to each other and to victims... if all survivors could find their ways to such a supportive, accepting & embracing community, well... I can't even conclude that sentence, because it seems unattainable, but I'm thankful for TrueAnon and I'm parasocially proud of each of you for this series. People need to see this kind of bravery, honesty & kinship. Very healing.

Donna Oakes-Munro

Everyone in the world needs a friend like Liz, and everyone in the world needs the moral courage of Brace.

S Lakraze

If I was one of those Monarch kids I imagine knowing that you guys have tried to shed some light on this awful and disgusting system of abuse would make me feel a little better. Thanks, this series was so well done.

Emily P

It would be possible to find the number by decoding the button tones since we can hear him dialing

Cierra

biggest dick move was telling that guy he knows all about waking people up. I laughed out loud as fucked up as that is. thanks for this series though it was so good and so well done.

Lizabet

That was my favorite part, I'm glad Brace could at least get that in before the guy ran away. I can't imagine two more different people.

Lizabet

How DO people live with themselves after being Patrick? I have enough trouble living with run of the mill guilt and trauma. Which reminds me, Brace what you said at the end about having guilt preemptively and searching for something to cause it; I've never heard anyone else describe that and honestly have thought I was crazy for feeling that way, so, that's comforting. Though I know that's a very uncomfortable strain of shitty to feel. Anyway you're brave as hell thanks for doing what you do

Nobody

Patrick Mckenna is a white collar Career criminal and a grifter that used to steal heavy construction machinery off of construction jobsites as a youth. He just realized there was more money in running a con and making millions off the misery and suffering of severly abused children.

Joseph Belden

Because he is an incredible person

Rusty

If I was a Patrick-esque guy I would just neck myself immediately after leaving the program, I guess having lots of money and a big house helps justify it in the mind

Evelyn Hagan

Brace I went to an alternative school, nowhere near as abusive but one that left me with a lifetime of issues that has taken me a very long time to overcome, and this episode really hit close to home. I hope telling that prick off gave you even a little bit of closure and thank you for this amazing series.

User399

I don’t listen to the show, but I subscribed solely for this segment. Having gone to wilderness and a CEDU-offspring school it was really interesting to learn about the Synanon roots. Like Brace, I’ve suppressed those memories, and made a huge effort to move on from it after leaving the school. Only recently have I started reflecting on the experience over a decade later with my fully developed adult brain. Unlike Brace, I genuinely deserved to be sent away. I was a defiant teen girl who did whatever the hell I wanted. My parents weren’t very strict, so I took advantage of that and pushed them to their limit. They had no idea what to do with me as I was failing out of school; I’ll never hold that over them. In their desperation they were absolutely taken advantage of financially and I’ll forever feel guilty for that. Ultimately, the programs turned me into someone passive and docile. Submissiveness is rewarded in places like this, and you had the choice to fake it or retaliate. Ofcourse this effects the teenage psyche, so you either left as a quiet cooperative or with the idea that you’re destined to be a menace. Although I adapted a nicer demeanor, I continued to use drugs and generally live on the wild side through my twenties. Eventually I got it together and now I’m a medical student, with no credit to the programs. Unfortunately most people in my cohort have not turned out so well. Many suicides, overdoses, arrests. There’s no solutions for a difficult teenager. You can get them therapy or maybe even psychiatry, but if they don’t respond what are you actually supposed to do? Who knows. Early Synanon was effective for a reason and I think there is a place for attack therapy with adult addicts who want to get clean. Obviously adult addicts and depressed teens have entirely different problems. It’s no surprise that every single TTI and wilderness has been started by former students. And with that being said, the industry will never die. There will always be rebellious, sad teens with parents desperate to help them.

Jesse

I just moved to Berlin this year and after listening to this series have started noticing signs for Synanon everywhere. There's a high rise building near the center of the city that looks like it's owned by Synanon. P.S. take the tour to Berlin

Danielle Fischer

Finally listened to this series. Absolutely broke my heart. Incredible work.

annabeth

incredible work. much love to you all <3

enter_krzysz

Truly meaning- and impactful. Your work is incredible. Thank you for it and keep on changing the world like you've done so far

2horses

This was so good

2horses

Like god damn

aarinsanity

What a personal series! Very moving. I listened to this on my way down for Christmas.

Natalie

😭😭

Reece Coren

love you guys thank you for this ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Natalie

god this made me sick with anxiety but it was stunning to hear such bravery and conviction on display from all of you. i could never have done something like this. the fact you can make country club retirement money torturing children with no real repercussions is just so sickening i can't come to terms with it. and not that i encourage it but now i really wanna knock on this man's door myself 🤔🤔🤔 i really hope he listened to your voicemail, your calm demeanor was so impressive and i hope he hears your voice before he goes to sleep every night. you don't have to hope he's going to hell, i think we all know the answer already. "God" bless you brace belden

Alison Buki

stunning series - thank you all for making it