Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

By PodcastOne

What's Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation about?

A podcast about cults, extreme belief, and manipulation – from two hosts who’ve actually lived it. Hosted by Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth.

Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or manipulation? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at Trust Me Pod @gmail.com

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@TrustMeCultPod

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Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation episodes:

04.17.2024
Nadine Macaluso - Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds
Psychologist, trauma bond expert, and author of Run Like Hell: A Therapist's Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds, Nadine Macaluso share about her relationship with ex-husband Jordan Belfort (aka The Wolf of Wall Street) and how it...
04.03.2024
Zoe & Lillian, Part 2 - Troubled Teens, Midwest Academy, and Solitary Confinement
In part two with Zoe and Lilly, survivors of Midwest Academy, one of the abusive troubled teen programs in the same organization that was spotlighted in the docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, we dig deeper into Lily’s experience....
03.27.2024
Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - The Program, Ivy Ridge and Casa by the Sea
Survivors of the infamous WWASP schools, Zoe & Lillian, share about their experiences being forced to join Ivy Ridge, Midwest Academy, and Casa by the Sea; All schools featured in the current Netflix docudrama, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping....
03.21.2024
Roberta Blevins, Part 2 - Leaving The LuLaRoe Family
In part two with former LuLaRoe seller, Roberta Blevins, they discuss everything about LuLaRoe's founder DeAnne Brady and her family, the mother figure role DeAnne provided in Roberta's life, dealing with toxic positivity, and a thorough list of MLM red...
03.13.2024
Roberta Blevins, Part 1 - Inside LuLaRoe
In part one with former LuLaRoe seller and Life After MLM podcast host, Roberta Blevins, she'll share how she first got involved in MLMS, what LuLaRoe was like, what the deal was with the wet smelly leggings, and what made...
03.06.2024
Lola & Meagan - Am I in a Cult (or Just a Group)?
This week, Lola and Meagan's guests are... Lola and Meagan! They talk about the cult of seeing everything as a cult, discussing how things that might seem a little culty don’t necessarily inherently mean that a group IS a cult....
02.28.2024
Katelyn Jade Hlavaty, Part 2 - Satanic Ritual Abuse & Becoming a Spokesperson
In part two of this listener story with Operation Light Force survivor, Katelyn Hlavaty, Lola and Meagan unpack how the leader's bogus healing protocol, which involved digging into old trauma, eventually led to Satanic Ritual Abuse. Katelyn shares how isolation...
02.21.2024
Katelyn Jade Hlavaty, Part 1 - Joining Operation Light Force
In part one of this wild listener story, Katelyn Hlavaty chats with Lola and Meagan about her experience in the evangelical healing ministry group, Operation Light Force. Katelyn shares how she joined the group when she was isolated and struggling...
02.14.2024
Sara Gorman - Science, Healthcare, and Why We Ignore Facts
Sara Gorman, public health expert, CEO & founder of Critica, and author of Denying to the Grave: Why We Ignore the Facts That Will Save Us, joins Lola and Meagan to discuss the importance of the scientific method, why presenting...
02.07.2024
Jenna Miscavige, Part 2 - Escaping Scientology
Former Sea Org member and niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige, Jenna Miscavige, talks about leaving "The Ranch" in order to join the Sea Org, getting involved in higher level management, how she barely knew her own parents, the constant...
01.31.2024
Jenna Miscavige, Part 1 - Growing up in Scientology's Sea Organization
Former Scientology Sea Org member and niece of current Scientology leader David Miscavige, Jenna Miscavige, talks about being a third generation member, growing up in the infamous Sea Organization, doing child labor in a place called The Ranch, the strong...
01.24.2024
Crystal Hefner - Surviving The Playboy Mansion
Crystal Hefner, former Playboy Playmate, Hugh Hefner's widow, author of Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself shares how she ended going to the Playboy Mansion for the first time, getting invited by Hef to stay, her tightly...
01.17.2024
Michelle Dowd, Part 2 - From the Mountain to the Hospital to Forging Her Own Path
In part two of their conversation with Michelle Dowd, Lola & Meagan dig into when Michelle and her family moved to the mountain, why discomfort was considered a virtue, getting sick with an autoimmune disease at the age of ten,...
01.10.2024
Michelle Dowd, Part 1 - Becoming a Forager in The Field
Professor, survivor of The Field, and author of Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult, Michelle Dowd, discusses growing up in the cult founded by her grandfather in the 1930s, how it started as an after school program for...
12.27.2023
Thomas & Micah, Part 2 - Mormon Mission, Scientology, & Disney Adults
Two formerly closeted religious men, Thomas and Micah, share how they came out to their families and left their beliefs behind. Thomas talks about going on a Mormon mission as a gay man, Micah shares how learning about scientology was...
12.20.2023
Thomas & Micah, Part 1 - God, Goofy, and Growing Up Gay in Religion
One is a former Mormon. The other was a child of evangelical missionaries teaching a doctrine called Accelerated Christian Education. Both of them were closeted gay men growing up in strict religious households. Today, Thomas and Micah share about their...
12.13.2023
Marji Mozart, Part 2 - Life After the FLDS
Musician and former FLDS member, Marji Mozart, discusses her wedding day as an underage bride who had never been taught about sex, her multiple marriages including one to her sister's husband, the pain of feeling that her dreams of becoming...
12.07.2023
Marji Mozart, Part 1 - Growing up in the FLDS
Musician and former FLDS member, Marji Mozart, shares about her childhood in Colorado City, living with a rebellious mother within a high control community, how she dreamed of being a musician instead of someone's wife, getting married to a grown...
11.29.2023
Barak Hardley - Where Belief Intersects Creativity
Lola's friend, actor, artist, director, and the next Bob Ross, Barak Hardley talks about his previous life as an evangelical pastor, getting kicked out of the church, and transitioning to life as an actor in LA. Lola and Barak dive...
11.22.2023
Annie Taylor - The Garden: Commune or Cult
Annie Taylor, Executive Producer of Discovery's The Garden: Commune or Cult, shares about her time living in an off the grid community that went viral on TikTok for accusations of being a cult and disturbing allegations about a cat. Annie...
11.15.2023
Alice Hines & Lorraine - Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe
Journalist Alice Hines and former Twin Flames Universe member Lorraine, both featured in the Amazon docuseries Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe, discuss the online community that was Twin Flame Ascension, what attracted people to it, how founders Jeff...
10.25.2023
Jill Duggar Dillard & Derick Dillard
Members of the Duggar family, former cast members of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting, and Counting The Cost authors, Jill Duggar Dillard & Derick Dill discuss the family's involvement in the very strict Institute in Basic Life Principles, what it...
10.18.2023
Marlene Winell - Leaving The Fold, Religious Trauma, and Emotional Recovery
Psychologist, educator, and Leaving The Fold author, Marlene Winell, talks with Lola & Meagan about how she came to study the negative impacts of religion, how some basic concepts of Christianity can be harmful, why authoritarian structures of religion can...
10.11.2023
Listener Stories - Independent Baptist Movement & Capoeira Teacher
Two new listener stories! One from Shelly about her time in the Independent Baptist Movement under pastor Jack Hyles and the cult recovery work she is doing now, and one from Claire about the manipulation she experienced under her capoeira...
10.04.2023
Daniella Mestyanek Young, Part 2 - Military Life & Parallels to The Children of God
In part two of her interview with Lola & Meagan, Children of God survivor and military veteran, Daniella Mestyanek Young, talks about joining the military after high school, being a woman in a hyper masculine culture, and unsettling parallels between...
09.27.2023
Daniella Mestyanek Young, Part 1 - Children of God, 9/11, & Escaping the Cult
In part one of her interview with Lola & Meagan, Children of God survivor and military veteran, Daniella Mestyanek Young, discusses being raised in the Children of God, the various forms of punishment she and the other children experienced, how...
09.20.2023
Andrew Seidel - Christian Nationalism & Information Warfare
Constitutional attorney, author, and YouTuber Andrew Seidel joins Lola & Meagan to discuss Christian Nationalism, why its based on a myth, how it led to cultural shifts in the U.S. during the 1950s, its impact on the Supreme Court today,...
09.13.2023
THROWBACK: Post-Traumatic Growth with Richard Tedeschi
UNC Charlotte professor and psychology researcher Dr Richard Tedeschi discusses his pioneering work on post-traumatic growth, how his field is different from resilience, how core beliefs are involved in our trauma, what "integration" means, and the value of an "expert...
09.06.2023
Simon Kent Fung - Dear Alana & Conversion Therapy
Tech and media expert Simon Fung joins Lola and Meagan to discuss the heartbreaking story behind his new podcast, Dear Alana. When Alana Chen took her own life in 2019, Simon read about her in the news and was shocked...
08.30.2023
Dr. Marc Feldman & Jordyn Hope - Munchausen by Proxy aka Medical Child Abuse
Dr. Marc Feldman, professor of psychology and expert in Munchausen by Proxy, talks to the girls along with survivor Jordyn Hope for an information-packed episode. Dr. Feldman discusses why he prefers the term medical child abuse (MCA), some of the...
08.23.2023
Kyle & Kari, Part 2 - The 2x2s: Uncovering Widespread Sexual Abuse
In part two of their interview, Kyle and Kari, former members of the 2x2s (the group that Meagan grew up in), talk about the Facebook group they created for people leaving the group, which created a forum for people to...
08.16.2023
Kyle & Kari, Part 1 - Deconstructing The 2x2s
Former members of the Two by Twos Kyle and Kari (the group that our Meagan grew up in) discuss the apocalyptic focus on the religion, personal stories of deconstructing their beliefs, the peculiar structure of the group led by pairs...
08.09.2023
Martin - Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, & The I.D.W.
There's order. And there's chaos. Simple, right? Today our new friend Martin shares how he used to be a big fan of Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro, how he found videos as a teenager that helped him feel empowered as...
08.02.2023
Guinevere Turner, Part 2 - Group Exile, Culture Shock, & Recovery
In part two of her two-part interview, Guinevere Turner, renowned screenwriter (writer of films like American Psycho and Charlie Says), actress, and author of new memoir When The World Didn't End, talks about getting kicked out of the group and...
07.26.2023
Guinevere Turner, Part 1 - The Lyman Family, Compound Life, and Queen Jessie
In part one of her two-part interview, Guinevere Turner, renowned screenwriter (writer of films like American Psycho and Charlie Says), actress, and author of new memoir When The World Didn't End, talks about growing up in the Lyman Family cult,...
07.19.2023
Emily Lynn Paulson - Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing
When #BossBabe culture goes wrong. Author of Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing and former member of an MLM she calls Rejuvinat, Emily Paulson, shares how she was first introduced to the group by...
07.12.2023
Madison McGhee - The Dark Side of Sorority Life
Ever joined a sorority? It's all Greek to us! Former sorority member and Ice Cold Case podcast host Madison McGhee shares how she always dreamed of joining a sorority, which one she chose after growing up Christian, what the process...
07.05.2023
Christy Carlson Romano - Child Actors & the Toddler to Trainwreck Pipeline
From Even Stevens to Kim Possible, Disney Channel legend and Vulnerable podcast host Christy Carlson Romano talks about the difficulties of being a working actor from such a young age, what it was like to be well-known, and the pressures...
06.21.2023
Lindsey Williams, Part 2: Going to IBLP Headquarters & The Downfall of Bill Gothard
Shiny Happy People's Lindsey Williams shares how Institute in Basic Life Principles leader Bill Gothard would recruit young girls to headquarters, the inappropriate questions he asked and physical boundaries he repeatedly crossed, how controlling he was over who Lindsey dated,...
06.14.2023
Lindsey Williams, Part 1: Shiny Happy People, The Institute in Basic Life Principles, and Meeting Bill Gothard
Makeup artist, podcaster, and former Institute in Basic Life Principles member, Lindsey Williams (who is featured in Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets), delves into the Duggar family connection into the IBLP, being home schooled using "wisdom booklets", how physical...
06.07.2023
Allison Miller - Interstitial Cystitis, Orthorexia, and an Alternative Medicine Cult
A Million Little Things star Allison Miller shares with Lola & Meagan how she was once a client of a culty alternative medicine clinic run by a couple who claimed to know how to heal her chronic bladder condition, Interstitial...
05.31.2023
Jimanekia Eborn - Reclaiming Your Sexuality After Trauma
Jimanekia Eborn, sex educator, trauma counselor, podcast host, and founder of non-profit Tending the Garden, shares the traumas she's experienced in her own life, what her healing journey has been like, and what led her to help others in her...
05.24.2023
Mubin Shaikh, Part 2: 9/11, Reinterpreting Islam, and Going Undercover
In part two of their conversation with deradicalized extremist and former Canadian government operative, Mubin Shaikh, Lola and Meagan dig into Mubin's meet-cute with his now-wife (who was not Muslim when they met), how little she knew about his extremism,...
05.17.2023
Mubin Shaikh, Part 1: Islamic Extremism, Meeting the Taliban, and Getting Radicalized
Mubin Shaikh, deradicalized Islamic extremist and former security intelligence & counter-terrorism operative, discusses his upbringing balancing secular and Muslim life in Toronto, the party he threw as a young man that made him feel ashamed enough to become more deeply...
05.10.2023
Jennings Brown & Justice - Liana Shanti's Conspiracy Sisterhood
Journalist Jennings Brown returns, this time with a guest who goes by Justice, to talk about a new internet cult leader named Liana Shanti and her social media presence, which targets women with wellness cleanses, women's empowerment, wild conspiracy theories,...
05.03.2023
Kara Goucher - Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project
Accomplished Olympic runner and The Longest Race author Kara Goucher shares how she and her partner were invited to join the prestigious Nike Oregon Project and coach Alberto Salazar, how Alberto's methods seemed effective at first but became more controlling...
04.27.2023
Perfectionism & Purity
No one is perfect. Not even Lola and Meagan. Today the ladies delve into the extreme belief of perfectionism, its connection to purity culture, Lola and Meagan's firsthand experience with OCD and religious trauma, how to address your...
04.19.2023
Robert Fitzpatrick - The History of MLMs
Time to level up. MLM expert and author of Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing, Robert Fitzpatrick, discusses the history of MLMs including why they took off in the 80s, their connection to the American Dream and economic...
04.12.2023
Priscilla Tucker, Part 2: Escaping the Kingstons, Forced Rehab, and a Billion Dollar Tax Fraud
In the second half of their conversation with Kingston Clan survivor Priscilla Tucker, Lola and Meagan learn more about the leader of the group, why being sent to a bad kid camp turned out to be a positive experience for...
04.05.2023
Priscilla Tucker, Part 1: The Kingstons, Polygamy, and a Cousin Engagement
Priscilla Tucker, friend of the show and survivor of Mormon-offshoot polygamist group the Kingstons, talks about the origins of the group and how it differs from other polygamist sects, why so many members become doctors and lawyers, and her upbringing,...

What's Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation episodes:

Nadine Macaluso - Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds

Zoe & Lillian, Part 2 - Troubled Teens, Midwest Academy, and Solitary Confinement

Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - The Program, Ivy Ridge and Casa by the Sea

Roberta Blevins, Part 2 - Leaving The LuLaRoe Family

Roberta Blevins, Part 1 - Inside LuLaRoe

Lola & Meagan - Am I in a Cult (or Just a Group)?

Katelyn Jade Hlavaty, Part 2 - Satanic Ritual Abuse & Becoming a Spokesperson

Katelyn Jade Hlavaty, Part 1 - Joining Operation Light Force

Sara Gorman - Science, Healthcare, and Why We Ignore Facts

Jenna Miscavige, Part 2 - Escaping Scientology

Jenna Miscavige, Part 1 - Growing up in Scientology's Sea Organization

Crystal Hefner - Surviving The Playboy Mansion

Michelle Dowd, Part 2 - From the Mountain to the Hospital to Forging Her Own Path

Michelle Dowd, Part 1 - Becoming a Forager in The Field

Thomas & Micah, Part 2 - Mormon Mission, Scientology, & Disney Adults

Thomas & Micah, Part 1 - God, Goofy, and Growing Up Gay in Religion

Marji Mozart, Part 2 - Life After the FLDS

Marji Mozart, Part 1 - Growing up in the FLDS

Barak Hardley - Where Belief Intersects Creativity

Annie Taylor - The Garden: Commune or Cult

Alice Hines & Lorraine - Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe

Jill Duggar Dillard & Derick Dillard

Marlene Winell - Leaving The Fold, Religious Trauma, and Emotional Recovery

Listener Stories - Independent Baptist Movement & Capoeira Teacher

Daniella Mestyanek Young, Part 2 - Military Life & Parallels to The Children of God

Daniella Mestyanek Young, Part 1 - Children of God, 9/11, & Escaping the Cult

Andrew Seidel - Christian Nationalism & Information Warfare

THROWBACK: Post-Traumatic Growth with Richard Tedeschi

Simon Kent Fung - Dear Alana & Conversion Therapy

Dr. Marc Feldman & Jordyn Hope - Munchausen by Proxy aka Medical Child Abuse

Kyle & Kari, Part 2 - The 2x2s: Uncovering Widespread Sexual Abuse

Kyle & Kari, Part 1 - Deconstructing The 2x2s

Martin - Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, & The I.D.W.

Guinevere Turner, Part 2 - Group Exile, Culture Shock, & Recovery

Guinevere Turner, Part 1 - The Lyman Family, Compound Life, and Queen Jessie

Emily Lynn Paulson - Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing

Madison McGhee - The Dark Side of Sorority Life

Christy Carlson Romano - Child Actors & the Toddler to Trainwreck Pipeline

Lindsey Williams, Part 2: Going to IBLP Headquarters & The Downfall of Bill Gothard

Lindsey Williams, Part 1: Shiny Happy People, The Institute in Basic Life Principles, and Meeting Bill Gothard

Allison Miller - Interstitial Cystitis, Orthorexia, and an Alternative Medicine Cult

Jimanekia Eborn - Reclaiming Your Sexuality After Trauma

Mubin Shaikh, Part 2: 9/11, Reinterpreting Islam, and Going Undercover

Mubin Shaikh, Part 1: Islamic Extremism, Meeting the Taliban, and Getting Radicalized

Jennings Brown & Justice - Liana Shanti's Conspiracy Sisterhood

Kara Goucher - Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project

Perfectionism & Purity

Robert Fitzpatrick - The History of MLMs

Priscilla Tucker, Part 2: Escaping the Kingstons, Forced Rehab, and a Billion Dollar Tax Fraud

Priscilla Tucker, Part 1: The Kingstons, Polygamy, and a Cousin Engagement