Checkmate: Chess Master Danny Rensch on Leaving the Church of Immortal Consciousness (Part 1)

This episode is sponsored by Betterhelp. How do you go from barefoot kid to international chess master and co-founder of Chess.com? In this epic first installment, we sat with Danny Rensch to peel back the curtain on his wild journey growing up in the Church of Immortal Consciousness—a high-control Arizona collective commune led by a self-proclaimed trance medium guided by the spirit of "Dr. Duran." Danny shares what life was like growing up in a merged-finances, communal-living environment fueled by spiritual teachings, EST-style group processing, and just enough bathwater-sharing to make any outsider's eyebrows shoot up.  From childhood freedom and chaos to early red flags, shifting loyalties, and the beginnings of his path out via chess, Danny’s story is a rollercoaster of agency, paradox, and hope. Expect deep dives into cult philosophy, spiritual skepticism, the lure of community, and how genius can bloom in the strangest soil—all before we even get to the chess part. Come for the cult tale and stay for the cliffhanger: part two is a pawn move away. Whether or not you play chess you MUST check out Danny’s memoir, Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life. Also, follow him on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn. Also…let it be known that: The views and opinions expressed on A Little Bit Culty do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business, individual, anyone or anything. Nobody’s mad at you, just don’t be a culty fuckwad. **PRE-ORDER Sarah and Nippy's newest book here Check out our amazing sponsors Join A Little Bit Culty on Patreon Get poppin’ fresh ALBC Swag Support the pod and smash this link Check out our cult awareness and recovery resources Watch Sarah's TED Talk and buy her memoir, Scarred CREDITS:  Executive Producers: Sarah Edmondson & Anthony Ames Production Partner: Citizens of Sound Co-Creator: Jess Tardy Audio production: Will Retherford Production Coordinator: Lesli Dinsmore Writer: Sandra Nomoto Social media team: Eric Skwarzynski and Brooke Keane Theme Song: “Cultivated” by Jon Bryant co-written with Nygel Asselin SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS: This month, don’t wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend, or reaching out to a therapist yourself, Betterhelp makes it easier to take that first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/culty. Knock out all your holiday gifting needs today with MeUndies. To get exclusive holiday deals up to 50% off, go to MeUndies.com/culty and enter promo code culty. Take advantage of this exclusive offer: For a limited time get 40% off your first box PLUS a free item in every box for life. Go to Hungryroot.com/culty and use code culty. Don’t let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code CULTY at monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.