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
Jul 8
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
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
Dec 2024
Trad Wife Cults: How Tia Levings Escaped (Pt 1)
369. Trad Wife Cults: How Tia Levings Escaped (Pt 1)
Glennon, Amanda, and Abby sit down with Tia Levings, NYT bestselling author, to discuss her experience in a high control Christian Fundamentalist cult: her journey from indoctrination to freedom to healing from religious trauma ... Show More
51m 51s
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
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
Aug 2024
Witness Underground: Scott Homan on Music & The XJW Movement
This episode is sponsored by Better Help. Is rock and roll an untapped conduit for healing after shunning? Filmmaker Scott Homan’s debut documentary feature “'Witness Underground”, sheds light on the experiences, creative expressions, and defection of ex-members of the Jehovah’s ... Show More
1h 12m