Secrets of the Underworld

Amanda Householder grew up inside the troubled teen industry — not as a student, but as the daughter of its operators. Her parents ran Circle of Hope Girls Ranch in rural Missouri, a facility that used religion, forced labour, isolation and physical abuse to control the young women in their care. Amanda takes us from her earliest memories of life inside faith-based group homes, to the moment a TikTok video went viral and finally brought the ranch to the attention of authorities. She opens up about the punishment systems, the staff who stayed silent, the town that looked the other way — and the personal trauma she has carried for decades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*Content warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of domestic violence, sexual assault and coercive control.* For sixteen years, Zoe lived with a man she believed was troubled but trying — a husband who attended church, raised a family and told her his mental health was to blame for his behaviour. Behind closed doors, the abuse was relentless: physical, psychological, financial and sexual. But the most devastating truth didn't come from police. It came from his own mouth. When Zoe's husband confessed, he didn't just admit to an affair. He admitted to drugging her tea and assaulting her while she slept. What followed was a battle through the courts, through a community that took sides, and through her own body — which began to break down under the weight of years of unprocessed trauma. Now, having waived her anonymity and co-founded the End I Check campaign, Zoe is speaking out — not just for herself, but for the hundreds of women across 28 countries who have recognised their own stories in hers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marina Lacerda returns to finish her story — and this time, she goes deeper. In this second conversation, Neil and Marina explore the psychological grip Jeffrey Epstein held over his victims, the chilling way he wielded power and control and how Marina's childhood trauma shaped her ability to survive what others couldn't fully comprehend. She opens up about the abusive marriage she stayed in for years, the moment she finally broke her silence in Washington and the healing that only began once she found the courage to walk away from everything that had been holding her down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marina Lacerda arrived in New York from Brazil as a child, hoping for a better life with her mother. Instead, she found herself trapped in years of abuse at home — and then, at just 13 years old, was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein. In part one of this conversation, Marina shares how her traumatic upbringing made her vulnerable to exploitation, how Epstein groomed her and used her to recruit other young girls and how she only recently learned — decades later — the full extent of what was done to her. She also opens up about the mother who knew but didn't protect her, a marriage marked by abuse and the long road toward healing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil Cummins has spent his career standing between the public and Sydney's underworld — but this time, he's the one in the hot seat. In a rare role reversal, Neil opens up to his producer about the doors he worked, the people he protected, and the world he left behind. From his first gig running security,to becoming John Ibrahim's most trusted man, Neil pulls back the curtain on what it really took to keep Sydney's most notorious nightclubs under control — turning away gangsters, staring down bikie chapters and surviving a drive-by that put bullets where he'd been standing seconds before. He also reflects on what it meant to walk away — and the identity crisis that followed — before finding a new purpose in Secrets of the Underworld. Plus, the podcast milestone that started it all: the interview that changed everything, and what's coming when the show lands on YouTube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Freelance journalist Nicole had no idea that a chance encounter at a kids' footy catch-up would upend her life for the next three years. A brief, strange interaction with a woman at the sidelines seemed harmless enough — until the messages started. What began with a vulgar Facebook message quickly escalated into relentless contact across every platform Nicole used. In this episode, Neil speaks with Nicole — journalist and author of Obsession — about the three years she spent being stalked by the ex-partner of a man she'd fallen in love with, the repeated failures of police to take her seriously and what it finally took to get the law on her side.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marissa Rose has spent 14 years as a paramedic — chased out of houses, holding arterial bleeds with her bare hands and sent alone to crashes in the middle of nowhere on her first day on the job. But long before the ambulance, she was a little girl making tea at four years old, hands shaking, never knowing if it would be good enough. In Part 2, the conversation goes to the darkest places: the hangings that stay with you, the jobs you can't leave at work, the night Marissa had a date set, a plan made and a wedding anniversary picked. What pulled her back wasn't a hotline or a hospital. It was horses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marissa Rose has spent 14 years as a paramedic — chased out of houses, holding arterial bleeds with her bare hands and sent alone to crashes in the middle of nowhere on her first day on the job. But long before the ambulance, she was a little girl making tea at four years old, hands shaking, never knowing if it would be good enough. In Part 1, Neil traces the line from a traumatic, abusive childhood to the woman who spent 14 years running towards other people's worst moments. They cover growing up without safety, why people from broken homes so often become the ones who protect others and what it actually looks like to be thrown in the deep end on your first day on the job — solo, at a multi-car crash, 40 minutes out of town.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Alchin grew up in Western Sydney with big ambitions and a double life. By day, he was breaking records in real estate. Behind the scenes, he was deep in a world of bikie clubs, drug trafficking and serious violence — a world that eventually caught up with him. In this episode, Chris gives Neil an exclusive account of how a kid from Penrith with a strict father and a restless streak ended up at the centre of a drug network, the moment a trusted associate became his undoing and what it actually took to walk away — for good.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy Judge went from an angry kid in Townsville to Australian amateur boxing champion — then walked away from it all. Now he's a professional food challenge competitor with a growing online following, and he's about to step back into the ring. Neil sits down with Jimmy to trace the full journey: a childhood shaped by his mum leaving when he was 11, boxing saving him from himself, winning the Australian title at 17 — then quietly losing the love for it. From bodybuilding to bouncing to the mines, Jimmy's path has been anything but straight. Now he's found his lane in competitive eating, and he breaks down exactly how it works — the water stretching, the flavour fatigue, the dehydration traps — after he and Neil tackled a challenge together the night before.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DCM. If you know, you know. For those who came of age on Oxford Street in the 90s and 2000s, the name alone brings it all back — the darkness at the top of those stairs, the lasers cutting through the smoke, the bass you felt before you even got through the door. Neil sits down with two of DCM's own — a veteran doorman and a DJ who played the room in its prime — to dig into what made this Sydney nightclub unlike anything else. From the fear of getting past the door to the white parties, the boat nights, and the moment that screen dropped to reveal a sea of people losing themselves to the music, this is a proper oral history from people who lived it. And just when the nostalgia peaks, the conversation gets honest — about the reunions, the empty walls, and whether you can ever truly bring something like DCM back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karen Teasdale grew up in a small village outside Newcastle, raised by a mother with what psychiatrists would later confirm was a psychopathic brain. From the age of four, Karen was beaten with a leather belt, isolated from friends, poisoned, and gaslit so relentlessly she lost all faith in herself. It went on for 48 years. In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, Neil sits down with Karen to hear how she survived a lifetime of calculated abuse — and how she's finally found her voice. Her story is told in full in her book, Poison Kisses. Get Karen Teasdale's Book Here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Poison-Kisses-Karen-Teasdale-ebook/dp/B0FD85LV7LSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Haley Robson was sixteen years old when she was recruited into Jeffrey Epstein's orbit — approached at a beach resort by a classmate and driven to his Palm Beach mansion under the pretence of a $200 massage. What followed was two years of sexual abuse, coercion and psychological manipulation that would shape the course of her life. In this episode, Neil speaks with Haley about growing up in Miami, the childhood traumas that left her vulnerable, and how Epstein's network systematically exploited girls exactly like her — isolating them, grooming them, and weaponising their own needs against them. Haley speaks candidly about the mechanics of the abuse, the culture of fear that kept victims returning and the part of this story that rarely gets told: how underage girls within Epstein's network were pressured to recruit others.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan grew up in Adelaide not caring much about school, not fitting in, and not following the rules — and she never really started. After a drug dealer boyfriend introduced her to a life where everything was paid for, she found her own way to keep it that way. What followed was a decade-long journey through Sydney's most notorious venues — massage parlours, brothels, strip clubs — working under one name and keeping her real life firmly separate. In this episode, Neil sits down with Megan for a raw and candid conversation about what drew her into the industry at 18, the venues she worked at across Sydney's west and Kings Cross, the clients she loved and the ones she didn't and how she eventually walked away without looking back.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzanne Salloum grew up the youngest of ten children in Mount Druitt, Western Sydney — the only Lebanese girl in her school, navigating relentless racism, cultural isolation and the weight of an immigrant family finding its footing in Australia. What followed was a life lived defiantly in spaces that didn't want her — she did it anyway. In this episode, Suzanne opens up to Neil about growing up caught between two worlds, caring for her father from the age of 17 before losing him suddenly, scoring a role on Fat Pizza and why twenty years on she still won't lighten her hair.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In April 2010, 21-year-old Pralav Dhyani was four months into his first voyage as a trainee deck officer when Somali pirates boarded his vessel. What followed was 332 days held hostage off the coast of Somalia — no contact with family, dwindling food and water, guns pointed at his head, and the devastating loss of a crewmate who didn't make it home. Pralav takes Neil inside the moment the shots rang out, the terrifying five-minute window between attack and capture, and what daily survival looked like when hope was rationed just as tightly as the rice. He talks about the crew members who sided with their captors, the staged terror before every ransom negotiation, and the surreal moment a bag of cash floated down from a plane — and the pirates just vanished.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode, competition winners Angela and Costa turn the tables on Neil — putting him in the hot seat with questions that cover 20 years of life in the shadows. From his first security job chasing shoplifters at Westfield Miranda to walking beside one of Sydney's most feared men, Neil opens up about the highs, the loyalties, and the cost of it all. He talks about what it was like to be a target — for years. The drive-by at DCM where instinct alone moved him out of the line of fire. The moment his family gave him an ultimatum and he chose not to blink. And in one of the most honest exchanges the show has ever had, he talks about the night he put a hit on himself — because he couldn't see any other way out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She came from a small mining town with big dreams, a stubborn streak, and a whole lot of anger to burn. Desley "The Destroyer" Robinson was told girls don't box — so naturally, she went and became a two-time IBF/WBO World Middleweight Champion. In this episode, Neil sits down with Desley for a full-circle conversation that covers everything: growing up in Moranbah chasing athletics dreams she couldn't afford to follow, sparring full-grown men at 14, fighting for a world title on a fractured foot and what it actually felt like to win the belt she'd spent a lifetime earning. She also opens up about life after the title — signing with Jake Paul's MVP Promotions, fighting in America, and learning to finally enjoy it all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Neil sits down with Bondi Brat, the social media personality and OnlyFans creator known for her sharp humour and even sharper commentary on the adult industry. What starts as a chat about content creation quickly becomes something far deeper. Bondi Brat opens up about growing up in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs, dropping out of school, getting kicked out of home as a teenager and finding her footing in the world of nightclubs and adult entertainment. But underneath the bravado is a story of real survival. She speaks candidly about her addiction to ice, a violent relationship that nearly broke her, and the long road to getting clean.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Neil sits down face-to-face with Russell Small — the Brighton-born DJ and producer whose fingerprints are all over some of dance music's biggest moments. From growing up with undiagnosed ADHD to Grammy nominations and co-producing tracks that hit number one in 19 countries (including a little something for Beyoncé), Russell's story is as raw as it is remarkable. In this one, they get into it all: the chaos of lockdown revealing a lifetime of wiring he never knew he had, the hyper-focus that fuels his creativity and the numbness that came with the pills he chose to leave behind, the parties at his Brighton house that carried on even when he wasn't there and the career highs that cost him his marriage and years with his son.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Jamie's story. Imagine jumping from a burning plane, knowing it’s your only chance to survive. At 32, while serving in the armed forces, Jamie Hull faced this exact nightmare. He suffered life-threatening burns over 63% of his body and spent two years in the hospital recovering. In this episode, we dive into his incredible story of survival, resilience, and what it takes to rebuild after the unthinkable.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains graphic discussions of murder, cannibalism, and disturbing psychological themes. Some listeners may find the content confronting or distressing. Listener discretion is strongly advised. In this chilling episode of Secrets of the Underworld, host Neil Cummins sits down with French cannibal and convicted killer Nicolas Claux — a man whose crimes shocked Europe and whose mind remains as disturbing as his actions. Born in Cameroon and raised across Europe, Claux describes a childhood marked by isolation, obsession and a growing fascination with blood, death, and anatomy. From stealing weapons in the army to working inside a Paris morgue, where his darkest fantasies escalated into real-world acts, this is a conversation that goes far beyond headlines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Andrew's story. Neil sits down with Andrew, a former uni student turned mushroom dealer turned stand-up comic. They chat about growing up, selling drugs, getting arrested, and doing time — plus how Andrew turned prison life into punchlines. From public vs private prisons to performing behind bars, this raw and revealing convo is full of laughs, lessons, and second chances.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, Neil Cummins sits down with Liverpool dance music pioneer Ian Redman, the driving force behind chart-smashing act Ultrabeat. From a dyslexic class clown in Crosby with a Sony Walkman glued to his ear, to headlining clubs at just 15 years old, Ian’s story is pure graft, hustle and Scouse belief. He opens up about sneaking into the DJ booth at The Paradox as a teenager, selling records in Liverpool’s legendary Three Beat Records and boldly cold-calling labels until they handed him remix opportunities that would change his life. Then came Green Eyes — a track that exploded onto the UK charts and became a generational anthem. Ian reveals how the record was made, the surreal experience of performing on national television and the whirlwind of fame, money and excess that followed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Andrew's story. Neil sits down with Andrew, a former uni student turned mushroom dealer turned stand-up comic. They chat about growing up, selling drugs, getting arrested, and doing time — plus how Andrew turned prison life into punchlines. From public vs private prisons to performing behind bars, this raw and revealing convo is full of laughs, lessons, and second chances.

In this harrowing episode of Secrets of the Underworld, Neil sits down with Colby Ryan, a man whose life was shattered by one of the most disturbing family crimes in modern American history. Colby opens up about growing up in a household shaped by instability, extreme religious beliefs, and quiet manipulation — long before the world came to know the names Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell. From a childhood marked by constant moves and doomsday ideology. To the shocking murder of his stepfather Charles Vallow, to the disappearance and tragic deaths of his siblings Tylee Ryan and J.J. Vallow — Colby shares what it was like to watch his family unravel from the inside.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Claudette's story. Claudette Douglas is a former member of the Australian Defence Force, in this episode she shares what it was like coming through the Army as a woman and the abuse she faced at the hands of soldiers and even her then partner.

In this episode, host Neil Cummins sits down with Gabbi Tuft, a former WWE wrestler whose life took an extraordinary and unexpected turn. From growing up bullied, to building an intimidating physique, to being signed by WWE and stepping onto one of the biggest stages in sports entertainment, Gabbi’s rise was fuelled by discipline, grit and raw ambition. Gabbi opens up about the brutal realities of the wrestling business, backstage politics, fame, identity, and the internal battle that ultimately led to her transition. This is an unfiltered, deeply personal conversation about masculinity, mental health, relationships, addiction, survival and what it really means to live authentically.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Jordan's story. Jordan Stephenson shares her story of betrayal, survival, and motherhood after an FBI investigation exposed a crime inside her own home. This is a raw account of trauma, resilience, and choosing to keep going.

In part two, Owen Pomana’s story goes deeper — and darker — before turning in an unexpected direction. From prison, homelessness, and the streets of Sydney, to faith, purpose, and operating in active war zones in Ukraine. This episode explores consequences, transformation, and what it means to find meaning after a life lived on the edge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Jordan's story. In this Best Of episode, Jordan explains how inmates slowly break down prison guards, the hidden dangers of escort work, and what it really costs to survive Sydney’s prisons.

Owen Pomana’s life didn’t follow a straight line. In part one of this two-part episode, Owen takes us from a troubled youth and joining the New Zealand Navy, through discipline, violence, bodybuilding and a descent into the criminal underworld. This is the story of how a life built on adrenaline, fear, and survival began — long before redemption was even a possibility.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Neil Cummins sits down with Hector Lombard — Olympic judoka, MMA legend, and survivor in every sense of the word. From growing up in brutal conditions in Cuba, enduring family trauma and narrowly escaping death, to representing his country on the world stage and forging a life far from where he began, Hector speaks with brutal honesty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Haze's story. ‘Haze The Huntsman’, is a 130kg Queensland Fighter who boasts 56,000 Tiktok followers. He is unmissable given his body is covered in ink representing both his Maori ancestry and Norse Pagan religion. In this episode he shares his story of fighting from a young age.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Ashton's story. Former Sydney hard-man, Neil 'The Muscle' Cummins takes you on a journey of insight into his time as a notorious Sydney heavy, Episode 2 introduces Ashton, A former First Lady of the Kings Cross night life!

From building pirate radio transmitters as a kid to shaping the sound of Wild FM, dominating Sydney’s nightclub scene, and conquering the UK with gold-selling albums and packed venues in Liverpool, Alex speaks openly about the moments that defined him. He reflects on loyalty, industry politics, fame, family, the pressures of success and the reality of surviving lockdowns as an artist when the music stopped. This episode goes beyond the decks — touching on fatherhood, legacy, freedom, creativity and what it takes to stay grounded after decades at the topSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in Season 4 of Sotu, Paul Stansby joined Neil to speak about growing up in a life of crime, dealing with mental health struggles, and the loss of his brother. He shares his story and what he is doing to stop others from walking in his footstepsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in 2023, before everyone really knew about Bonnie Blue, she joined SOTU to talk about spring break and schoolies. New Episodes of Secrets of the Underworld return - Monday Jan 12th See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Johnny's story. Once a rising star in Australian boxing, Walker’s career was marked by talent and raw toughness, but also by the lure of power and brotherhood that led him deep into the criminal underworld.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Deborah's story. Former NSW Police Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace takes us inside the world of organised crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and Middle Eastern crime families.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Serb's story. Hayley Summers joins Neil for a raw dive into the sex industry — from strip clubs to private work, heartbreak to healing.

In this episode of Secrets of the Underworld, we revisit Trisha's story. Trisha is know as the Pleasure & Toy Queen, her day job is testing, reviewing and enjoying adult toys. In this episode she brings in a stack of her favourite toys for Neil to inspect while sharing her story of sexual discovery and kinks.