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WTF is on my Mind?!

WTF is on my Mind?!

Auteur(s): Mark Vicente
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Author, Speaker, Whistleblower and award-winning Director Mark Vicente was behind the sleeper hit “What The Bleep Do We Know?!” Several books have been written about the film’s remarkable grassroots marketing campaign, which led to its unprecedented success.

Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1965. Taking his first photograph at age four, he quickly discovered his passion for being behind the camera. After attending film and drama school in South Africa, he began working his way up the ranks of the camera department, from Assistant to Operator to Cinematographer. His first big break came as Director of Photography on the musical “SARAFINA,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. In 1992, he set his sights on Hollywood and relocated to Los Angeles to shoot his first studio picture for Disney; “FATHERHOOD,” starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry. At the age of 26, he became one of the youngest cinematographers to shoot a big-budget studio picture.

Over the next few decades, he went on to shoot an additional 14 feature films and numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials. Mark soon found there were in him, untold stories he desperately wanted to express as a Director. He was driven by the conviction that tales of greatness, nobility and introspection could be exciting and financially successful.

Perhaps because of the very obvious race and class iniquities in South Africa, he found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. Beliefs about human behavior, cosmology, religion, existentialism and mysticism. Along the way, he stumbled into a few situations where leaders with malignant pathologies (masquerading as saintly philosophers) spoke the talk of self-improvement but did untold damage to their followers... and him.

Looking back, he can now say he has been in at least two cults. His last foray into personal growth and his defection from NXIVM was chronicled in the HBO series “The Vow”. Mark and a few plucky whistleblowers exposed the criminal activities of the organization, resulting in multiple arrests and indictments. He doesn’t consider himself a cult expert, but by his own admission, “I’m an expert in being screwed over, waking up, and knowing how to spot them.” He’s got a pretty salty approach to most things and is fascinated by the myriad patterns in the human psychodynamic that create the best and the worst in civilization.

Join Mark as he unpacks a whole range of topics to do with: Psychology, Consciousness, Morality, Narcissistic Abuse, Spirituality, Cults, Propaganda, Science, Filmmaking, and Philosophy.You never quite know what you’re going to get, as it really does depend on… WTF is on his mind?!

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Épisodes
  • Mind Mapping Insanity: How Cults Normalize Madness

    Mind Mapping Insanity: How Cults Normalize Madness
    Aug 31 2025

    In this episode of WTF is On My Mind?!, filmmaker and whistleblower Mark Vicente explores what happens when we try to understand an irrational or dangerous mind. Whether it’s a cult leader, an abuser, or the mainstream media—attempting to “map” insanity can destabilize one’s own sanity.

    Brain Talk: How Mind Mapping Brain Science Can Change Your Life & Everyone In It - by David Schnarch

    Mark unpacks the concept of mind mapping—our brain’s instinct to model the thoughts and intentions of others—and shows how it becomes distorted in high-control environments. Drawing from his experience inside NXIVM, he reflects on:

    • The hyper-vigilance around Keith Raniere.
    • The split between a “cult self” and the real self.
    • The chaos of “spaghetti brain” when irrational behavior is normalized.

    But this is more than just a story about cults. Mark connects these patterns to everyday life, revealing:

    • How media propaganda and lies mimic cult indoctrination.
    • Why truth-tellers are often branded “extremists.”
    • The cost of normalizing hypocrisy, duplicity, and deception as “business as usual.”

    At its core, the episode is about the hidden psychological toll of mapping madness—and why feeling disturbed may actually be the sanest response to the world right now.

    Warning: This episode discusses trauma, coercive control, psychological abuse, and systemic deception. Viewer discretion advised.

    The conversation continues on PATREON, where Mark is able to speak fully and uncensored about the issues Skynet… uhhh… certain platforms won’t allow. Join here: patreon.com/markvicente

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    24 min
  • Drinking Blood, Draining Souls w/ Richard Grannon - The Vampire-Narcissist Connection

    Drinking Blood, Draining Souls w/ Richard Grannon - The Vampire-Narcissist Connection
    Aug 17 2025

    In this episode of WTF is on My Mind?!, filmmaker and whistleblower Mark Vicente sits down with Richard Grannon for a conversation that begins with vampires and then branches into a whole labyrinth of topics. They explore how myths like Dracula and other vampire lore may have been early attempts to explain narcissism and psychopathy before psychology even existed. From there, the discussion moves into why narcissists drain people the way vampires feed, why innocence is such a target for predators, and how charisma and charm mask the fangs underneath.

    As the conversation unfolds, they touch on the emptiness at the core of narcissists, Hollywood’s obsession with writing villains better than heroes, the way shadow work (or lack of it) shapes human behavior, and how suppression fuels cultural fascination with “monsters.” They also examine the darker realities of cult leaders, why people are sometimes drawn to dangerous partners, and the uncomfortable idea that survivors may unconsciously project their own fantasies onto narcissists — a process Richard calls “co-idealization.”

    The result is a wide-ranging dialogue that moves between myth, psychology, culture, and personal experience. It’s provocative, sometimes darkly funny, and always aimed at deeper understanding of how manipulation and predation actually work.

    ⚠️ Content Note: This episode discusses narcissistic abuse, cult dynamics, predatory behavior, and depictions of violence in media. Viewer discretion advised.

    ABOUT RICHARD GRANNON:
    Richard is a psychology expert specializing in narcissistic abuse recovery. His course: Complete Narcissistic Abuse Deprogramming Guide is now live.

    Richard's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCU9xNc-P8GWAdafmAcNVi6g
    Richard's Website: www.RichardGrannon.com

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    1 h et 3 min
  • You’re Dead to Me - Shunning as Social Control

    You’re Dead to Me - Shunning as Social Control
    Aug 3 2025

    In this episode of WTF Is On My Mind?!, Mark Vicente pulls back the curtain on one of the most insidious tools of social control: shunning — not just as a personal act of rejection, but as a systemic, psychological weapon masquerading as moral high ground.

    This isn’t just about cults. It’s about how cult behavior has gone mainstream — how families, political factions, media outlets, and activist circles now use public exile and cold silence to punish dissent and demand conformity. Drawing on a recent New York Times opinion piece that unintentionally exposes the creeping logic of ideological purity, Mark examines the difference between healthy boundaries and coercive exile, between critical thinking and performative allegiance.

    He also reflects on his own experience inside NXIVM, where shunning was formal doctrine — and how eerily familiar those same dynamics look in our current cultural climate. From mocking deaths to cutting off loved ones for their beliefs, we’re in dangerous territory when belonging becomes conditional on orthodoxy — be it political, medical, or spiritual.

    But all is not doom and gloom. This episode also looks at how the spell can break — how real human connection, outside the algorithms and echo chambers, can restore our capacity for nuance, empathy, and even disagreement without destruction.

    Mark’s take is blunt, piercing, and layered with lived experience — and it just might make you think twice about who’s really being “cultish.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/opinion/family-politics-arguments-right-wing.html

    https://www.reddit.com/r/redscarepod/comments/1m0iyya/nyt_is_it_time_to_stop_snubbing_your_rightwing/

    Support the show

    The views and opinions expressed on WTF is on my Mind?! do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast or Mark Vicente. Any content provided by guests are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything.

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MarkVicente
    Website: www.markvicente.com
    Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@markvicente7
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markvicente/
    X: https://x.com/markvicente
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_vicente
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markvicente/
    Voir plus Voir moins
    23 min
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I am loving this podcast. The discussions are great in and of themselves, and also introduce great topics for discussions with you friends.

Fantastic podcast!

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