Sounds Like A Cult

Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Time for Part 2! Father Craigo helps us wrap up 2024 with the rest of his brain-tangling life story in the cult that inspired this whole dang pod, Synanon. This week, he's answering unfiltered listener Qs, sharing the harrowing tale of Synanon's downfall, and leaving us all with some takeaways for how to stay culty but not too culty in 2025. We simply cannot WAIT for next year, when your shameless cult leader trio Amanda, Chelsea, and Reese return to cover a slew of long-awaited topics, including a certain cult-followed beauty retailer, a book series that's turned into a full-blown religion, a freakishly ritualistic education system, a "nonprofit" "performance troupe" run by a "new religious movement," and more! Thank you so much for tuning into another fanatical year, culties. See you in the next evolutionary level above human!!! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Thank you to our sponsors! Go to squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/CULT Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Father is back!!! No, not Father Algorithm, but *actual* Father. Indeed, Amanda's sweetie dad, Craig Montell, returns to the pod after his featurette on last year's cult of Military Wives episode, for an extra-special end-of-year, two-part deep dive into the cult that he survived and that inspired this entire show: Synanon. Craigo brings his dad charm and cult experience to break down exactly how this well-intentioned drug rehabilitation program spiraled into a full-on '70s compound complete with paranoia, hypocrisy, and some very strange hairstyling choices. This "classic cult" discussion may not be typical SLAC fodder, but the story is actually more relevant than ever. Craig is here not just to divulge his shocking past, but also to scrutinize how Synanon’s same rituals and methods of manipulation are alive and well in today's society, from our politics to our social media feeds. Cozy in for some culty parental wisdom, and stay tuned for Part 2 next week to hear the end of the tale! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Thank you to our sponsors! Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Shop the SKIMS Holiday Shop at skims.com/cult. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/cult. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's officially Countdown to Cultmas! Make yourself a falalatte and keep your expectations for plot continuity ho-ho-low because this week, Chelsea, Reese, and Amanda are uniting for a guffaw-worthy 'sode on the escapist seasonal "cult" that is Hallmark Christmas Movies. These cheesy made-for-TV treats may look utterly innocent on the outside, but when you unpack the extreme parasocial idol worship of Hallmark's recurring stars, its tent revival-esque conventions, nostalgic-to-a-fault themes, and problematic practices that have led to major legal trouble, that egg nog starts to taste a little more like Kool-Aid (can we say that?). Tune in for lols and analysis as your hosts attempt to figure out if this jingle-jangly franchise is high-key sinister, or if we're just being dramatic. 🎄📺🍪🌟🎁 Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! Thank you to our sponsors! Go to BlueNile.com to shop the original online jeweler since 1999! Get Up to $100 off Litter-Robot bundles and an additional $50 off when you go to stopscooping.com/SLAC. Go to squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to joinbilt.com/CULT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

~A cosmic new episode of Sounds Like a Cult lies in your near future, Virgo~ No? Capricorn? Pisces, maybe? Whatever your sign is, today’s episode is sure to deliver all of the celestial wisdom you’ve been seeking straight from the comfort of your mobile device, much like today’s cult of discush, astrology apps! The astrologically inclined have fully infiltrated Silicon Valley (thanks, Elon), leaving in their data-farming path a vast plethora of galactic apps to suit whatever flavor of push notification strikes your fancy. Truly a product of the 21st century, astrology apps provide a dystopian look into the spiritual sects of our future, (which, spoiler alert, might not even have human leaders?!), giving us reason to question what “cults” might be lying right beyond our grubby screen protectors. Here to help Amanda and Reese navigate the digital cosmos is astrologer and astrology app co-founder Aliza Kelly, host of the Horoscope Weekly Podcast. Calibrate your sundials, clear up some iCloud storage, and suit up for a light-speed cruise through this astral listen! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! Thank you to our sponsors! Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout. Shop the SKIMS Holiday Shop at skims.com/cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brew yourself a giant pot of Luke's coffee because we’re diving deep into the fast-talking world of Stars Hollow. That’s right, the cult Gilmore Girls. We know what you're thinking! It's just a TV show! It'a not a cult! Relax! But hear us out: From the intense rituals (hello, annual re-watch), patron saints (looking at you, Luke Danes), and fan behaviors that border on worship, your favorite mother-daughter duo has evolved from a quaint fictional series into a full-fledged lifestyle and pseudo-religion. To help us take a closer look at how Lorelai and Rory have become the unofficial God and Jesus of fall, Tara & Haley of the Gilmore To Say Podcast join the pod. Whether you're Team Jess, Team Logan, Team Dean (really?), or don't even care because you think Rory is actually just the worst, we hope you enjoy this cozy episode. Oy with the poodles already!! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Go to squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/cult. Go to joinbilt.com/CULT to start earning points on your rent. Get up to $100 off Litter-Robot bundles and an additional $50 off when you go to stopscooping.com/SLAC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Munch on some ice chips and PUSHHHHH (sorry) play on this week's episode, in which we dare to apply our culty analysis to the ever-polarizing "free birther" community. Free birthing is a controversial catch-all term in and of itself, generally describing a style of medically unassisted birth that has turned into not just a movement but possibly a cult—why? Because this is America, and if something has the potential to turn culty, then it probably will! Doula (and loyal listener of the pod) Hehe Stewart joins for a discussion of power dynamics, misinformation, and why so-called free birthers have been pitted against the traditional medical establishment in a way that puts everyoneeee in danger. Trying our best to bring both cheekiness and empathy to this very casual and low-stakes discussion (joke). Love you culties!!! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Further reading: Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States Racism During Pregnancy and Birthing: Experiences from Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Latina, and Middle Eastern Women When Giving Birth, Opting to Go It Alone Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison Born Free: Unassisted Childbirth in North America Just ‘birth’: the phenomenon of birth without a healthcare professional She Wanted a ‘Freebirth’ at Home. When the Baby Died, the Attacks Began Thank you to our sponsors! Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BOO! ‘tis the spookiest time of the year, dear culties, and this year we’ve whipped out our cauldrons to cook you an up episode on one of the scariest topics we could think of… complex emotions?! That is only half a joke, because this week Reese is equally embarrassed and excited to bring Amanda into the weird and wacky world of reborn dolls with the help of Corrine Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga from Two Girls One Ghost. The "Reborners" community serves a wide range of acolytes, from grieving parents seeking therapeutic tools to fantasy lovers looking to adopt the most finely crafted infant abominable snowmen money can buy (no judgement!). This week, we’re sitting down to investigate exactly why people make, buy, and most cultily, wholeheartedly OBSESS over these fantastical silicone babies. No matter if you’ve been a loyal Britton Rose follower for years, or have never heard the words "reborn doll" in your life, this mystical Halloween-flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult is full of tricks and treats just for you ;) Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles @amanda_montell Subscribe to the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Further reading: Effect of Doll Therapy in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review Inside the hyper-realistic world of baby doll collecting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grab your trusty #2 and find the desk with your name tag on it, because class is in session this week at Sounds Like a Cult! Our /pedagogically inclined/ episodes are always RIPE with juicy insight, and today’s topic is no different. Be it Hogwarts or Pacific Coast Academy, boarding schools have long shrouded themselves in an air of mystery and exclusivity that has most recently led to a culture-wide obsession with the Dark Academia genre. But is this intrigue secretly supporting a sinister institution? What culty rituals and traditions lie behind the plaid and ivy? Let’s find out! Amanda and Chelsea are thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Ceara O’Sullivan from the Petty Crimes podcast to discover what lurks within boarding schools' hallowed (culty) halls. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Shop the SKIMS bras at skims.com/cult. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Further reading: Psychopathology and Dissociation among Boarding School Students in Eastern Turkey National Museum of the American Indian: Boarding Schools Time for America to Get Over Our Ivy League Obsession A Brief History of Boarding-School Scandals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NOT going to lie, this episode was a wee bit nerve racking to record!!! Despite the, ahem, LARGE number of requests we received for this topic (which would make you think it was ubiquitously reviled), the acolytes in this group ride HARD for their leader! Money and religion are the twin engines that make the world go ‘round, dear culties, and as such, they are the perfect mediums for sinister influence. This week’s subject has been ~blessing~ the airwaves and teaching your parents how to be debt free AND godly since the 1990s…the OG finance bro…the one and only… Dave Ramsey. This week, Amanda and Reese take a trepidatious foray into the chaotic, testosterone-filled, rapidly aging world of Ramsey Solutions with the help of seasoned Dave Ramsey experts (though, tbh, *survivors* is probably a more apt word) Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni from the Frugal Friends Podcast. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who’s your #mommy culties: Taylor or Whitney? That’s right, fresh(ish?) off the release of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reality series (for which Amanda and Reese attended a blissfully tinsel-adorned premiere party #notsponsored lol), this week we are covering the cult of Mormon MomTok. This coalition of young Mormon mothers turned TikTok stars raises a truly baffling number of questions: Are these girls really Mormon? Does that matter? Where are their garments? Are they even friends? And most importantly, will MomTok survive the "swinging scandal" that overtook headlines a few years back, earning these gals their own TV show?!?!?!??!?! Grab your heaviest Stanley, fill it with Fruity Pebbles ;) and settle in to have all of your most sacred prayers answered. Potentially cultier than the sum of its cults (and trust us there are plenty), Reese and Amanda are determined to get to the bottom of the drama-filled, diet Dr. Pepper flavored mom-strosisty that is #MomTok. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @reesaronii @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! Thank you to our sponsors! Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Settle in with a Kirkland brand sparkling water and a rotisserie chicken because this week, Amanda and Chelsea are going IN on the us/them dynamics, strange rituals, manipulation tactics, over-the-top passion, and lore of your favorite membership-only cathedral of affordable excess, Costco. Based on this episode’s fervent listener call-ins alone, it’s clear Costco is more than just a place to buy 500-packs of plastic cups, gold bars, and even your future casket (???) ⚰️ Costco is some people’s entire personality. But has it crossed over into full-blown cult? Tune into our lol-filled analysis to find out. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a 🪐transcendent🪐 new season of Sounds Like A Cult, whose opening episode features Chelsea Charles, one of our sparklingly hilarious new co-hosts. An unscripted TV producer by day, Chelsea joins returning host Amanda to unpack this week’s nightmarish topic: Dance Moms. Indeed, we’re exploring every culty corner of the fanatically followed Lifetime reality show, which centers on a group of competitive child dancers, their high-drama mothers, and their veritable cult leader of a teacher, Abby Lee Miller *shudders*. It mightttt sound dramatic to call this goofy little TV program a cult, but the sky-high exit costs, rampant verbal abuse, lifelong trauma, obsessed fan behaviors, and scandalizing financial crimes say otherwise!!! Tune in as Amanda and Chelsea dissect the show’s cultiest characteristics, and their broader implications, with the help of The Pyramid Podcast. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube! To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors! Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Sounds Like A Cult, a show with two sparkling new cult leaders, ahem, co-hosts!!!!!! We’ve been keeping this secret for months, and it feels downright ~transcendent~ to let you culties know: Joining host Amanda for the next season of Sounds Like A Cult are two brilliant, kind, warm, and hilarious recurring voices—unscripted TV producer Chelsea Charles and theatre/rhetoric student Reese Oliver (whom you may already recognize as SLAC’s beloved coordinator). Tune into today’s surprise bonus minisode for some angelic wee introductions, teasers, and deats about what to expect from SLAC 2.0. The next season premieres Tuesday, September 17! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Thank you to our sponsor! Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 DMs and made a very generous and compelling argument as to why Twin Flames needed airtime on Sounds Like A Cult. After all, it’s important to represent the whole LYL, WYB, GTFO cult spectrum! This week, we're asking the fundamental questions: How did this niche online self-help “community” turn so destructive so fast, and how are its tenets low-key a threat to us all? Tune in to find out, and make sure to listen to the very end of the episode. We’re making a highly exciting announcement about the next season of SLAC… let’s just say there might be a couple new “cult leaders” (ahem, co-hosts) in your future! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors!! Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Further reading: How ‘Twin Flames Universe’ YouTubers Monetized Heartbreak and Trauma “Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe Why We Can't Get Enough of Cult Documentaries Twin Flames, Explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pack your hammer and your lack of cultural awareness, because this week on Sounds Like A Cult, we're interviewing Tia Levings, a former Christian fundamentalist, mission trip devotee, and survivor of church-sanctioned domestic violence. Tia is also the author of the brand new memoir A Well-Trained Wife. She joins to discuss the ever-so-common culty practice of recruiting church kids to go on white savior vacations all under the guise of bringing Sky Daddy and ultimate nepo kid Jesus into the lives of people who most certainly never asked for that. Aka, mission trips! Many thanks to all the listeners who submitted call-ins for this episode! Be sure to listen to the end, because we’ve got a verrrrrrrry exciting announcement about next season coming :) Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult. Shop the SKIMS Soft Lounge Collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Further reading: Mission trips are an evangelical rite of passage for US teens – but why? YouTube channel: ExMoLex Stop going on Mission Trips Why I'll Never Go on a Mission Trip Again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get Tickets to Isa Medina's Live Comedy Show in NYC August 24th! Click Here! Follow Isa on Instagram to keep up with her upcoming comedy shows! Subscribe to Isa's new podcast I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple! If you want to support Isa's new podcast subscribe above, listen or watch the full episodes at the I'm Right You're Wrong Podcast Page! <3 Ep 6: Friendship Breakups: Right or Wrong? Have you ever had a Friendship Breakup? Absolutely no worries if not! Sounds like you're perfect and that's awesome <3 This week your gorgeous hosts, ⁠Lydia Keating⁠ and ⁠Isa Medina⁠, get into whether Friendship Breakups are right OR wrong. They debate both extremes, tell personal stories and chat about how post-college life affects friendship. They talk about bisexual friendships....aka love affairs and of course, they talk about boundaries. xx love you so much! Subscribe to Isa's new podcast I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple! Follow the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@ethicalgirlies⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oops a politically flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!!!! Would you believe it if we told you we recorded this nearly SIX MONTHS AGO and just crossed our fingers it would resonate whenever it ended up going live??? This week, host Amanda is joined by Puck reporter and former MAGA youth recruit, Tina Nguyen, author of the 2024 memoir The MAGA Diaries, who’s here to shed light on the culty modern movement that is conservative youth activism: why it exists, how it works, and why there’s no left-wing analog. Culty times people!!! Intrigued how this episode will land with you culties 👀😵‍💫✌️ Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Watch Amanda's Offline with Jon Favreau interview Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible! Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about host Amanda's Italian writing "cult" ;) It's a Live Your Life!!! https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/italy/italy-with-amanda-montell-oct-2024 If you’ve ever seen a suburban lady wearing a tee shirt that reads, “I wine because he whines” or “I’m not a normal mom, I’m a wine mom,” then you have likely born witness to a follower of this week’s “cult.” Wine moms may have nailed the merch aspect of modern-day fanaticism with their culture of “rosé all day,” and there’s certainly valid solidarity in venting about the hardships of American motherhood over a glass of Prosecco or two. But… ten? At the kids’ soccer practice? Is any group that aims to cutesify alcoholism en masse ever not at least a “Watch Your Back”-level cult??? To help figure it out, please welcome this week’s special guest, survivor of both the wine mom cult AND the cult of MLMs (no small feat!!), author and sobriety coach Emily Lynn Paulson. Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible: Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From TV executives abusing kids on sets to Scientology's "Celebrity Center," the cult of the entertainment business can getcha from about 6,000 different angles. After all, what other mainstream American industry is glamorized and lusted-after to this extreme degree, only to betray its most successful acolytes with financial and physical exploitation, social isolation, dehumanization, and a destroyed sense of self-worth to the point that entertainers dying early tragic deaths of despair is not only accepted, it's practically a meme??? This week, host Amanda offers a lil history lesson on the cult of Hollywood before getting into some juicy personal stories and an analytical discush with the one and only Maria Bamford, iconic comedian and author of Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere. Who are Hollywood's true "cult leaders," and do their worst behaviors earn it the title of a GTFO-level cult? Tune in to find out!!! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :) Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible: Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to Isa's new podcast: I'm Right You're Wrong! Isa is the co-creator and former host of Sounds Like A Cult<3 Click here to Subscribe/Listen on Spotify Podcasts Click here to Subscribe/Listen on Apple Podcasts Botox & Filler: Right or Wrong? Does getting botox and filler contribute to unjust beauty standards? Or are women literally not allowed to have anything anymore? This week, your perfect little hosts, ⁠Isa Medina⁠ and ⁠Lydia Keating⁠, discuss whether it's right or wrong to get botox and filler. Are we making things worse by not aging naturally or are we just trying to survive the dang patriarchy? Can women even make mistakes? Factually speaking, no. But your hosts are here to look at both sides! In classic fash, they debate the extremes and chit chat about life as perfect beautiful women. xx love you!! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts and listen to other episodes covering topics like: Friendship Breakups, Tipping Culture, Nepo Babies, Stay at Home Moms and more😘 Follow Isa on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@isaamedinaa⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Isa's new podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@ethicalgirlies⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices