For the past four years, I’ve been immersed in a world where conspiracy, extremism, and identity collide. What began as a straightforward academic thesis evolved into something much larger—a book that delves into the lives of women drawn into dangerous beliefs and the extraordinary, often unsettling ways they try to make sense of the world. This weekend, I submitted my manuscript. The book is slated for publication in January 2026, tentatively scheduled for the fifth anniversary of the Capitol insurrection.

The Conspiracists: White Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging (subject to change) traces the stories of two women from opposite sides of the country whose lives took very different paths to the same place. Both lived with instability, trauma, and loss. Both found QAnon and Conspirituality. Both turned to promises of community and purpose. Online, they found belonging, a shared distrust of the government, and a new identity as insiders. And both ended up inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Through these women, the book explores how personal history and ideology intertwine, revealing the varied and deeply individual ways people are drawn into conspiratorial thinking. It examines spiritual manipulation and the seductive pull of conspiracy theories that offer a sense of meaning and control in chaotic times. This isn’t a story about redemption or condemnation—it’s about understanding.

These stories are raw, uncomfortable, and deeply human. They challenge stereotypes and demand a closer look at the fractures that divide us. This book isn’t just about the women of January 6; it’s about how ordinary lives unravel—and how dangerous beliefs promise to make them whole again.

As the book approaches its release, I’ll share insights into the process, stories that didn’t make the final manuscript, and reflections on the moments that have stayed with me. This isn’t just about society’s fractures—it’s about the people shaped by them.