Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power
MJ Maeyers
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About This Podcast
When I was five years old, I watched my father threaten to drive off a bridge. Years later, I began to understand the truth: my father — a respected school headmaster and teacher, trusted by families and admired by students — was not who he appeared to be.
Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power is a serial narrative podcast and true story about how one man’s lies and abuse of power tore his family apart — and my attempt to understand why so many people chose to believe him instead of the truth. Told through the actual letters exchanged during my parents’ bitter divorce, alongside memories I can’t forget, this podcast examines power, control, loyalty, manipulation, and deception — and what happens when truth is managed, softened, or replaced to protect the person who controls the board.
Season 1: The Prologue sets the stage. The pieces are arranged, the players take their positions, and a family prepares for a conflict that will change everything.
Season 2: The Departure unfolds day by day through letters written during a family crisis. As the situation escalates, the story told to the outside world is carefully shaped — not through quiet, but through narrative substitution, strategic omission, and reputation management. What emerges is my study of how truth is redirected, how authority is protected, and how reality itself becomes negotiable.
Companion Book & Exclusive Content
This podcast is the companion to my upcoming book. To be the first to know when it’s released, join my mailing list at https://www.mjmaeyers.com.
Bonus Letters & Behind-the-Scenes Insights
To hear the full, unedited letters featured in these episodes — plus behind-the-scenes context — visit patreon.com/mjmaeyers.
In a world where power protects lies… speaking the truth is how you change the game.
Disclaimer: All names, locations, and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.
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Recent Episodes
S2E7 April 11 - Buying Time
There is still no word from my father.But behind the scenes, we are scrambling.On April 11, two documents reveal what was happening in his absence: a letter sent to the school’s staff and a bill of…
S2E6 April 10 - Calculated Silence
On April 10, there are no letters.No explanations. No apologies. No instructions.Just silence.But this isn’t peace — it’s pressure. While my father remains quiet, the rest of us are scrambling behind…
S2E5 April 9 - The Monologue
On April 9, communication resumes — but not in the way anyone expected.After days of silence, my father responds with a single, overwhelming letter. At more than 2,500 words, it is not a…
S2E4 April 8 - Controlling the Narrative
After a day of confusing silence, April 8 brings an avalanche of communication.Five letters arrive by mail — all written before my father left, all delivered to our mailbox at the same time. For the…
S2E3 April 7 - What Is He Doing?
April 7 begins with uncertainty.After my father’s disappearance the day before, my family is left trying to piece together what has happened — where he is, what he intends to do next, and how…
S2E2 April 6 - Abandoned
After weeks of escalating conflict and a proposal he titled Operation: Divide and Move On, my father walks out without warning. He doesn’t return home. He doesn’t explain himself face to face.…
S2E1 Season 2 Trailer: The Departure
Season Two of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power begins with a disappearance.In April 2004, my father abruptly walks away from his family, his marriage, and the private school he helped build —…
S1E13 Goodbye, I Love You
On the season finale of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, my father’s next move shocks everyone.Yes, it is the long-awaited progress toward separation — but not the kind of progress we were…
S1E12 Not That Important
In this episode of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, I confront my father's self-importance. For years, my father positioned himself as the most important person in our family — the provider, the…
S1E11 Getting What You Deserve
After more than a year of silence, my father finally makes his next move — not by compromise, but by decree. In his latest letter, he lays out exactly how the divorce should go, what each person will…
S1E10 Time To Be Selfish
After months of silence and emotional stalemate, my father finally writes a letter that sounds less like a plan and more like a performance. In this episode, we examine how “being selfish” becomes a…
S1E9 In Writing
For thirty years, my father controlled every version of the story — what was said, what wasn't, and what was changed to suit the story he wanted to tell. But in this episode, something shifts. My…
S1E8 Don't Tell Your Mother
In this episode, I revisit one of the most damaging rules my father ever imposed: Don’t tell your mother. Through letters, reflection, and childhood stories, I unpack how silence became the…
S1E7 Role Models
In this episode of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, I continue reading my mother’s letters — one to my father, and one to my sister and me — as she reflects on the choices that shaped her marriage…
S1E6 With Love
In this episode of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, the words “I say it with love” take on a darker meaning. My father’s letter to my mother shows how abusers disguise control as concern — twisting…
S1E5 Abuse of Power
In this episode of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, control doesn’t always look like control. Through two revealing letters — I start to uncover the many layers of abuse my father used against my…
S1E4 Living Arrangements
In this episode of Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power, I look at how control can hide behind care — especially when it comes to money, home, and dependence. To an outsider, the letters in this episode…
S1E3 Family Business
To an outsider, it was just a passing comment. To us, it was a bomb. This episode reveals how words can wound like weapons, how secrecy can preserve and destroy, and how silence leaves its mark —…
S1E2 The Opening Gambit
Every game begins with a first move. For my family, my father's threat set off years of conflict, loyalty tests, and betrayal. The Opening Gambit uncovers the roots of my family’s story — a story of…
S1E1 Season 1 Trailer: The Prologue
A true story of how one man’s lies and unchecked power tore his family apart — and my investigation into why so many chose to believe him instead of the truth.When I was five years old, I watched my…
Frequently Asked Questions
Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power has published 20 episodes since September 2025, covering topics in Documentary, Personal Journals.
Vassalage: Truth, Lies, and Power is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 21m.
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