From voraciously consuming gruesome podcasts by the dozen to amateur sleuthing gone wrong to fetishizing dangerous killers, the world of true crime definitely has a cult following… but does it ever go too far? This episode was chosen by our listener giveaway winner and features New York Times true crime columnist and author Sarah Weinman to discuss the good, bad, and the culty of fanatical true crime fandom. (P.S. Amanda and Isa have newfound respect for true crime podcasters… turns out, violent butcherings are easy enough to listen to, but almost impossible to talk about in public without wanting to puke a wee bit.) (P.P.S! In honor of Sounds Like A Cult's one-year anniversary, we're hosting our very first ever live show! It's virtual, meaning anyone from anywhere in the world can attend. On June 15th at 9 pm ET, join Isa and Amanda to ask questions, play games, hear us talk about never-before-discussed cults, and dive into alllllll other things culty. Details and ticket info can be found at momenthouse.com/soundslikeacult)

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The Cult of True Crime

A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow. Each episode asks the culty questions we’re all wondering… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? Sounds Like A Cult, hosted by Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, how bad is it? 
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Podcast Instagram - @soundslikeacultpod 
Host Amanda Montell - @amanda_montell (Preorder her new book!)

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Comedy

First of all, we are downright GIDDY to share two iconic voices on this week’s episode—not only our expert guest, culture reporter (and personal hero of Amanda’s) Anne Helen Petersen, but also Sounds Like A Cult’s very own intern (actually recently promoted to coordinator 

The Cult of Tradwives

Hi Culties <3 Isa Medina here, former host and co-creator of Sounds Like A Cult! With a special announcement.... 
My New Podcast is Coming! I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG hosted by Isa Medina & Lydia Keating. Click to subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your pods. If you want to stay up to date with me, my comedy, live shows & my new podcast, follow me on my instagram @isaamedinaa <33  Follow the podcast on IG @ethicalgirlies

What happened to Isa Medina?

Lace yourselves up for this haunting and twinkle-toed episode covering one of our most consistently requested topics: Ballet! Despite the tutus and baby pink palette, this ruthlessly competitive industry often seems less like a dainty art form and more like a doggone cult. Think about it: Why do we audience members just blindly accept and support an industry helmed by power abusive men, who have absolutely no problem taking little girls away from their families, working them to the bone, and literally starving them, all in pursuit of so-called greatness? Orrrrrr is that take a bit dramatic? To help us figure it out, podcast producer and former ballerina Erika Lantz, host of THE TURNING, joins the pod for a deep discush of how culty the ballet world is really. 
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 her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!
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The Cult of Ballet

Introducing the Magical Overthinkers podcast, a show for thought spiralers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about. Host Amanda is elated to share her latest audio project, based on her New York Times-bestselling book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality. Magical Overthinkers is out this week on all major podcast platforms (as well as YouTube)! Links below.  


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Here is a look at episode 1, "Overthinking About Narcissism." Episode description below!
Is it just us, or does American culture have narcissism fever? Between 2004 and 2016, the volume of Google searches for the word “narcissist” grew exponentially. Thanks to factors like the rise of therapyspeak, TikTok mental health diagnoses, and badly behaving reality stars-turned-world leaders, discourse about this buzzy, yet poorly understood phenomenon has exploded. Are we as a society becoming more narcissistic? Or are we now over-using and misusing this term to the point of meaninglessness? Wait, is obsessing about other people's narcissism its own kind of narcissism?? In an effort to soothe these thought spirals, host Amanda (@amanda_montell) settled in for an illuminating chat with her debut guest, psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula (@doctorramani), author of the New York Times bestseller "It's Not You" and one of the world's foremost narcissism experts. Tune in for a relatable, brain-tingling, and clarifying discussion about this confounding topic, complete with questions submitted by the "Magical Overthinkers Club" and bits of wisdom to help us overthinkers get out of our own heads. 

Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers.
To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack.
Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook.
Sources: 
What Is Narcissism? Science Confronts a Widely Misunderstood Phenomenon
Time grows on trees: The effect of nature settings on time perception
Therapist Aisha's Instagram


The Cult of Narcissism

For our ~true followers~, behold a wee bonus episode to tide you over during our mid-season break, while host Amanda is on book tour and in production for the new MAGICAL OVERTHINKERS podcast (coming May 15)! Nostalgia is a warm-and-fuzzy coping mechanism for when the present feels painful, BUT it's also a key ingredient in sooooo many modern-day "cults," from Disney Adults to tradwives. How dangerous a weapon is nostalgia, really? That's what this episode, featuring an audio excerpt from Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking (an instant New York Times bestseller!) aims to find out. Regularly scheduled SLAC episodes will return Tuesday, May 21—thanks for sticking around til then! 

The Cult of True Crime

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