# Escaping a cult, going blind, & retiring my guide dog w/ Matthew and Paul

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul.md
Podcast: [The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338)
Published: 2026-06-03T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/433/claritaspod.com/measure/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/DAYLIGHT/2/traffic.megaphone.fm/QCD7975082753.mp3
Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/433/claritaspod.com/measure/titlepl.us/redirect.mp3/DAYLIGHT/2/traffic.megaphone.fm/QCD7975082753.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/episodes/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul
Duration seconds: 6203

## Resource

This episode is sponsored by: Unreal Snacks, Square, Good Wipes, and Cash App Unreal Snacks: Visit https://unrealsnacks.com/unplanned o get $4 off a bag of Unreal—terms and conditions apply. Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/unplanned ! #squarepod Good Wipes: Head to https://goodwipes.com/UNPLANNED to learn how to snag a free pack of goodwipes! Cash App: Download Cash App at https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/kssum24w and use code FAMILY10 at signup to earn $10 when you send $5 to a friend within 14 days. Terms apply. Today on Unplanned, we sit down with Matthew and Paul — an interabled married couple loved by millions for their honest conversations around disability, identity, and life online. Paul opens up about being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that will eventually leave him completely blind, while Matthew shares his experience growing up in a strict religious cult and the journey that led him to finally leave. We also talk about internet trolls, misconceptions about blindness, their dream of becoming parents, retiring a guide dog, and how they’ve built a life centered around creativity, advocacy, and finding joy in the face of adversity. Matthew & Paul's IG: @matthewandpaul Paul's Children's Books IG: @paulcastlestudio Find Paul's books here: https://paulcastlestudio.com/ Find Matthew's music here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/31WEJvJ77B3sv45clvu889/discography/all Guide dog resource mentioned in this episode: https://www.guidedogs.com/ Follow The Unplanned Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/unplanned__podcast/ https://www.tiktok.com/@unplanned_podcast Listen to the pod on Spotify/ Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ToDA4ufQuWuEgMq07zN6t https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unplanned-pod…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/episodes/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-unplanned-podcast-with-matt-abby-6010338/escaping-a-cult-going-blind-retiring-my-guide-dog-w-matthew-and-paul.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.