Artist and writer Akina Cox shares about her childhood growing up in the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. They discuss the background of the church and its late leader Reverend Moon, how her parents both joined after hitchhiking in the 70s, and what it was like growing up in the group. She shares how it felt participating in a mass wedding ceremony, moving to the border of North and South Korea, and the stark contrast between Reverend Moon’s lavish lifestyle and the unpaid labor demanded of members. Plus, how going to college sparked her first real doubts about the church, and the Unification Church’s surprising financial ties to American politics.   SOURCES: <a href="https://akinaruthcox.com/home.html">Akina Cox</a>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Artist and writer Akina Cox shares about her childhood growing up in the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. They discuss the background of the church and its late leader Reverend Moon, how her parents both joined after hitchhiking in the 70s, and what it was like growing up in the group. She shares how it felt participating in a mass wedding ceremony, moving to the border of North and South Korea, and the stark contrast between Reverend Moon’s lavish lifestyle and the unpaid labor demanded of members. Plus, how going to college sparked her first real doubts about the church, and the Unification Church’s surprising financial ties to American politics. SOURCES: Akina Cox See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artist and writer Akina Cox shares about her childhood growing up in the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. They discuss the background of the church and its late leader Reverend Moon, how her parents both joined after hitchhiking in the 70s, and what it was like growing up in the group. She shares how it felt participating in a mass wedding ceremony, moving to the border of North and South Korea, and the stark contrast between Reverend Moon’s lavish lifestyle and the unpaid labor demanded of members. Plus, how going to college sparked her first real doubts about the church, and the Unification Church’s surprising financial ties to American politics. &nbsp; SOURCES: <a href="https://akinaruthcox.com/home.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Akina Cox</a>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener" rel="noopener noreferrer">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Akina Cox - Part 1: Unification Church, Mass Weddings, and Unpaid Labor

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion&mdash;told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.&nbsp;Hosted by two women who&rsquo;ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show&nbsp;features survivors from groups like Heaven&rsquo;s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more&ndash;sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.
Each week, they invite&nbsp;these guests&nbsp;alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart.&nbsp;This isn&rsquo;t a sensationalized deep dive into cults&mdash;it&rsquo;s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free.&nbsp;At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Comedy

Society & Culture

True Crime

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion—told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it. Hosted by two women who’ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show features survivors from groups like Heaven’s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more–sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between. Each week, they invite these guests alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart. This isn’t a sensationalized deep dive into cults—it’s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free. At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion—told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.&nbsp;Hosted by two women who’ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show&nbsp;features survivors from groups like Heaven’s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more–sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.
Each week, they invite&nbsp;these guests&nbsp;alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart.&nbsp;This isn’t a sensationalized deep dive into cults—it’s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free.&nbsp;At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Share Akina Cox - Part 1: Unification Church, Mass Weddings, and Unpaid Labor

Sign up to save your podcasts

Akina Cox - Part 1: Unification Church, Mass Weddings, and Unpaid Labor

Akina Cox - Part 1: Unification Church, Mass Weddings, and Unpaid Labor

More shows like Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Do You Need A Ride? with Chris Fairbanks and Karen Kilgariff

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Let's Talk About Sects

This Podcast Will Kill You

IndoctriNation

Ghosted! by Roz Hernandez

Buried Bones - a historical true crime podcast with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes

Adulting with Michelle Buteau and Jordan Carlos

I Said No Gifts! A comedy interview podcast with Bridger Winegar

Bananas - Funny news from around the world with Scotty Landes and Kurt Braunohler

Dear Movies, I Love You

Wicked Words - A True Crime Talk Show with Kate Winkler Dawson

That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast

The Opportunist

A Little Bit Culty

Life After MLM

Sounds Like A Cult

Was I In A Cult?

Waiting for Impact

Nobody Should Believe Me

Scamfluencers

Cults to Consciousness

The Cult Next Door

Infamous International: The Pink Panthers Story

The Butterfly King

The Knife: A True Crime Podcast