New Age love & wellness influencers turned baby NXIVM: That's kinda the best way we can succinctly describe this week’s cult, Twin Flames Universe, one of the most chilling groups we’ve discussed on the pod thus far. Several months ago, Twin Flames survivor Jessi Hersey, whom you might recognize from the “Escaping Twin Flames” doc on Netflix, slid into our D ... Show More
Yesterday
The Cult of America's Next Top Model
This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and guest Sarah Hartshorne (@sarahbhartshorne) dig into the high-gloss, high-drama, and disturbingly high-control world of America’s Next Top Model. Once hailed as a launchpad for aspiring models, the long-running franchise masked emotional manipulatio ... Show More
1h 21m
Jul 1
The Cult of Elon Musk (Part 2)
What happens when a billionaire tech mogul starts to look less like a CEO and more like a modern-day messiah? This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and Reese team up with historian and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat (@ruthbenghiat) to explore the cult of personality surrounding Elo ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 2024
Twin Peaks x Cult Television
In honor of spooky season, we bring you an episode about the beloved cult classic, Twin Peaks! This show from Mark Frost and David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, is widely understood as one of the most influential television series ever! And yet it its original run began April ... Show More
52m 38s
Jan 2025
Bethany Joy Lenz: Breaking Free, Finding Faith, and Dinner for Vampires
This week Jen and Amy sit down with actress, musician, and author Bethany Joy Lenz to discuss her deeply personal memoir, Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!). Bethany opens up about her experience in a high-control group, known as “The Big ... Show More
1h 15m
Oct 2024
The Twin Flame Fight School
Lindsey and her husband were everyone's favorite couple, until the values of a cult like group seeped into their lives and turned him into a dogfish. Click here to join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you will get 2 extra episodes a month, monthly virtual live events, and access ... Show More
1h 41m
Apr 2
Surviving a Doomsday Cult
This week, special guest & friend of the pod Cherish joins Lucy to discuss her experience leaving the Children of God cult, building a new life in the US, and her reflections since.Additional resources on the Children of God:BooksSex Cult Nun by Faith JonesNot Without My Sister b ... Show More
39m 56s
Sep 2024
The Cult of Stan Culture (with Amanda Montell)
Well, I got Swiftied. As I sat there, sifting through ever more creative and graphic death threats, I wondered: is it time for a podcast episode? Today, Amanda Montell (of Sounds Like a Cult) takes us on an exploration of how online music fan culture co-opted the harassment tacti ... Show More
1h 17m
May 2024
814: Jerry Lee Lewis, Conjoined Twins, & Psychopath Kids
You spoke, we listened--you said you wanted more personal stories, so we're doing our best! Hear why Susie's eyeballs are mid and Sarah's on a tropical vacation. Susie talks about Jerry Lee Lewis, who is a rock-n-roll legend, but is highly problematic, and Sarah explains how we c ... Show More
1h 4m