Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
by Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · 282 episodes
SocietyCultureComedy
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 shad...
Latest episodes
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51 min
Makelle Bistline, Part 1 - The FLDS, Marrying Sam Bateman, and Resisting Control Through Taylor Swift
This week’s guest is Makelle Bistline, who grew up in the polygamist sect the FLDS and became one of the wives of self-proclaimed prophet Samuel Bateman–ultimately playing a crucia…
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1 h 09
Felicia Rosario - Larry Ray’s Coercive Tactics, Life After the Sarah Lawrence Cult, and Becoming an Expert Wit…
This week, the girls are joined again by Felicia Rosario, survivor of the cult at Sarah Lawrence, led by a man named Larry Ray. Today Felicia, who previously came on the show along…
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1 h 10
Stephen Kinzer - MKUltra, Sidney Gottlieb, and the CIA’s Hunt For Mind Control
This week, author and historian Stephen Kinzer joins Trust Me to discuss his book, Poisoner in Chief, and its subject: chemist Sidney Gottlieb, who led mind control experiments in…
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58 min
Renee Spencer, Part 2 - The Jesus Christians, the “Kidney Cult,” and Suing Your Daughter’s Religious Group
This week is part two with advocate and therapist Renee Spencer, who sued the Jesus Christians, aka the “kidney cult,” after they recruited her daughter. Last week, Renee explained…
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43 min
Renee Spencer, Part 1 - When Your Daughter Joins the “Kidney Cult”
This week is part 1 with advocate and therapist Renee Spencer, whose daughter was recruited into the Jesus Christians: a group commonly referred to as the “kidney cult” for their p…
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1 h 00
Larena & Elyse Wynn, Part 2 - Leaving Mormonism, Becoming Dominatrixes, and Reclaiming Power with BDSM
We’re back with twins Larena and Elyse Wynn, also known as Mothermary. In part 2 this week they’ll talk about how Elyse got fed up with being obsessive about sin all the time, whic…
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50 min
Larena & Elyse Wynn, Part 1 - Montana Mormons, Sex at BYU, and the “Miracle" of Forgiveness
This week is part 1 with musicians, identical twins, and former Mormons turned dominatrixes Larena and Elyse Wynn, also known by their band name Mothermary. The girls share what it…
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1 h 10
John Hunter - Manufacturing Mania in Self-Help Seminars
This week’s guest is psychology researcher and lecturer Dr. John Hunter, joining the show to talk about intensive self-help seminars–known as “large group awareness trainings,” or…
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1 h 14
Laci Mosley – Scams vs. Cults, and the Many Forms of Fraud
This week, the girls are joined by Laci Mosley, comedian, actress, and host of the Scam Goddess podcast and TV show (and author of Scam Goddess the book), to talk about the many ty…
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1 h 05
Michele McPhee – The Polygamist, the Criminal, and Their Multibillion-Dollar Scam
This week, Meagan and Lola sit down with Michelle McPhee, investigative reporter and host of podcast Kingdom of Fraud, to discuss how Jacob Kingston, a fundamentalist Mormon from t…
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43 min
Anke Richter, Part 2 - Harem Culture, Leaving ISTA, and DeCult
This week is part 2 with Anke Richter, journalist, author of Cult Trip, former member of Tantric group ISTA, and founder and director of New Zealand’s cult conference DeCult. In pa…
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59 min
Anke Richter, Part 1 - Ecstatic Dancing, Tantric Sex, and Joining ISTA
Today is part 1 with Anke Richter, journalist, author of Cult Trip, former member of Tantric group International School of Temple Arts, and founder and director of New Zealand’s cu…
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1 h 00
Sophie Fergi, Part 2 - Living with Piper, Constant Control, and Being Shunned by the Squad
This week is part two with Sophie Fergi, former child influencer featured in the Netflix docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. In this episode, she shares what h…
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44 min
Sophie Fergi, Part 1 - Kidfluencing, Joining the Squad, and the Dark Side of YouTube
This week is part one with Sophie Fergi, former child influencer who told her story in the Netflix docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing. In this episode, she exp…
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50 min
Jasper Hoffman, Part 2 - Undercover Therapy, Leaving the Mennonites, and the Aftermath
This week, the girls are back with Jasper Hoffman, writer, podcaster, and former Mennonite. In part two today, Jasper explains what the perfect Mennonite woman looked like, how con…
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52 min
Jasper Hoffman, Part 1 - From Atheists to Mennonites
This week, the girls are joined by Jasper Hoffman, writer, podcaster, and former Mennonite. In part one, she explains how her parents went from a being punk rock atheist and an ant…
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1 h 21
Dr. Christine Marie - Undercover in a Cult Town: Taking Down False Prophet Sam Bateman
This week, Lola’s mom Dr. Christine Marie (and the podcast’s very first guest!) comes back on the show to talk about moving to FLDS town Short Creek, how she and Lola’s stepdad Tol…
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1 h 01
Nikki G, Part 2 - The Seven Mountain Mandate, “Church Hurt,” and Why Cults Aren’t Just a White People Problem
In part two with Nikki G., she discusses more of the high-control groups she joined, the political project of the Seven Mountain Mandate that she was part of, the connection betwee…
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49 min
Nikki G, Part 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole, Cult Hopping, and Surviving the Black Church
This week, Nikki G., host of Surviving the Black Church and survivor of FIVE different high-control groups, discusses joining the first church on her cult-hopping journey, how she…
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1 h 29
Maria Bamford - 12 Step Programs, OCD, and How to Join Every Group
This week, Lola and Meagan are joined by comic, actor, and author of Sure I’ll Join Your Cult, Maria Bamford. The girls discuss Maria’s childhood OCD, intrusive thoughts, and the w…