Although we do famously love/write/worship books over here at team SLAC, our adventure into this week’s MUCH-REQUESTED topic—a literary commune packed with fantastical, extremely online, culty drama—gave us MAJOR culture shock. Whether you’re a lifelong reader or your Hoovers are still in the mail, it’s safe to assume you’ve brushed paths with this week’s cu ... Show More
Oct 7
The Cult of Marching Band
Whether it’s the sweat-drenched ten-hour rehearsals, the spine-tingling halftime shows, or the communal showers and gym floor sleepovers… marching bands aren’t just extracurriculars…they’re high-control communities with ritual, hierarchy, and loyalty that rivals religion. In this ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 30
The Cult of Chick-fil-A
It’s not just a chicken sandwich, it’s a ca-ca-calling This week, host Amanda and special guest Carys Kolb (@carys.avooca), former employee and the pod's very own sister-in-law, dig into the waffle-fried, lemonade-sweetened, suspiciously polite world of Chick-fil-A. It's the fa ... Show More
1h 6m
Sep 29
I’m Right You’re Wrong Is Back! ft. Jamie Loftus, Kendahl Landreth + more
Co-creator of Sounds Like A Cult, Isa Medina is back with Season 2 of her critically acclaimed podcast I'm Right You're Wrong! Every Wednesday, Isa banters about life's rights & wrongs and then welcomes a special guest to chat about the everyday debates you'd have at brunch. This ... Show More
1m 41s
Jun 2021
Episode 35: Rebecca - Once Upon a Biz - Part 1
Rebecca, the AntiMLM force behind the IG account "Once Upon a Biz", spent 10 years of her life in the cult of Amway. While under their spell, she found herself slowly changing and shifting not only her attitude and focus, but her religious and political views as well. She met her ... Show More
1h 7m
Jul 22
Extreme Religious Conversion - Kelsey Osgood on women, religious transformations, and what anorexia has to do with it (PREVIEW)
This week, I’m joined by author Kelsey Osgood to discuss her recent book “Godstruck: Seven Women’s Unexpected Journeys To Religious Conversion.” The book, which profiles women who traded secular lives for religious communities such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Sain ... Show More
34m 54s
Nov 2021
John Carpenter’s Vampires with David Ehrlich
They’re not just Vampires, they’re John Carpenter’s Vampires! “Closer in patina” to a classic Howard Hawks western than anything Carpenter’s ever done, this film is nasty, gruesome, and devoid of any of the “teenyboppers” and romanticism that had become hallmarks of the slasher ... Show More
2h 14m
Apr 2025
S5 37: Was the Resurrection Real? With Sean McDowell
Christianity isn’t based on blind faith, but on the reality that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Today I’m joined by apologist Sean McDowell to talk about all the evidence we have for the resurrection of Jesus, and how we can wisely engage with seekers and skeptics about the h ... Show More
43m 19s
Sep 10
Make Oversharing Your Superpower with Tefi Pessoa
What happens when two professional oversharers get together? Pure magic... and a little chaos. JVN is joined by the incomparable Tefi Pessoa — culture commentator, internet big sister, and now host of her brand-new podcast Tefi Talks. Come for the tea, stay for the wisdom, and le ... Show More
53m 2s