Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

From:Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

English

Website
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.

Dan Olson, Part 2 - Charismatic Leaders and the Cult of Crypto

7 months
Dan Olson, Part 2 - Charismatic Leaders and the Cult of Crypto
48m

Dan Olson, Part 1 - Crypto, NFTs, and Tech’s War on Doubt

7 months
Dan Olson, Part 1 - Crypto, NFTs, and Tech’s War on Doubt
52m

Liz Cameron, Part 2 - Christ is on Earth, He’s in Prison, and You’re His Bride

7 months
Liz Cameron, Part 2 - Christ is on Earth, He’s in Prison, and You’re His Bride
54m

Liz Cameron, Part 1 - Jesus Morning Star aka JMS: A Bookstore, a Bible Study Group, and a Prophet on Earth

8 months
Liz Cameron, Part 1 - Jesus Morning Star aka JMS: A Bookstore, a Bible Study Group, and a Prophet on Earth
54m

Martina Castro, Part 2 - Allegations, Disappearances, and the Crumbling Cult of John of God

8 months
Martina Castro, Part 2 - Allegations, Disappearances, and the Crumbling Cult of John of God
52m

Martina Castro, Part 1 - Psychic Surgeries & John of God's Spiritual Celebrity

8 months
Martina Castro, Part 1 - Psychic Surgeries & John of God's Spiritual Celebrity
49m

Parvati Shallow - From Surviving a Cult to Winning Survivor

8 months
Parvati Shallow - From Surviving a Cult to Winning Survivor
52m

Jenny Eliscu - Conservatorships & Freeing Britney Spears

9 months
Jenny Eliscu - Conservatorships & Freeing Britney Spears
1 h 8m

Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam

9 months
Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam
1 h 3m

Jonathan Hirsch, Part 1 - A Guru, a Compound, and the Cult of Adi Da

9 months
Jonathan Hirsch, Part 1 - A Guru, a Compound, and the Cult of Adi Da
59m

David Farrier - Conspiracies, Cults, and Investigating Arise Church

9 months
David Farrier - Conspiracies, Cults, and Investigating Arise Church
1 h 12m

Jess Rothschild - SoulCycle and the Cult of Spinning

9 months
Jess Rothschild - SoulCycle and the Cult of Spinning
1 h 2m

REWIND: Elana Auerbach - OneTaste (aka the Orgasm Cult)

10 months
REWIND: Elana Auerbach - OneTaste (aka the Orgasm Cult)
1 h 10m

REWIND: Felicia Rosario and Daniel Levin - Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence

10 months
REWIND: Felicia Rosario and Daniel Levin - Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
1 h 3m

Theo Pratt - Blue Dresses, Smacking Ladies, and an Isolated Compound: Surviving Gloriavale

10 months
Theo Pratt - Blue Dresses, Smacking Ladies, and an Isolated Compound: Surviving Gloriavale
1 h 14m

Renee DiResta - Part 2: Pseudo-Events, More on Disinformation, and Telling Fact From Fiction

10 months
Renee DiResta - Part 2: Pseudo-Events, More on Disinformation, and Telling Fact From Fiction
49m

Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities

11 months
Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities
52m

Mike & Abbi Prussack – Part 2: Predators in Power, Institutional Denial, and the Fight to Expose It

11 months
Mike & Abbi Prussack – Part 2: Predators in Power, Institutional Denial, and the Fight to Expose It
43m

Mike & Abbi Prussack - Part 1: A Church with No Name, Isolated Childhoods, and Doomsday Fear

11 months
Mike & Abbi Prussack - Part 1: A Church with No Name, Isolated Childhoods, and Doomsday Fear
46m

Tim Squirrell - Incels, Redpill, and the Manosphere

12 months
Tim Squirrell - Incels, Redpill, and the Manosphere
1 h 11m

Sarma Melngailis - Part 2: Isolation, Deeper into the Scam, & Getting Arrested

1 year
Sarma Melngailis - Part 2: Isolation, Deeper into the Scam, & Getting Arrested
1 h 4m

Sarma Melngailis - Part 1: Bad Vegan, Meeting Mr. Fox, and Early Red Flags

1 year
Sarma Melngailis - Part 1: Bad Vegan, Meeting Mr. Fox, and Early Red Flags
1 h 1m

Arabelle Sicardi - Plastic Surgery in Mormonism, Biohacking, and the Beauty Industry

1 year
Arabelle Sicardi - Plastic Surgery in Mormonism, Biohacking, and the Beauty Industry
1 h 6m

Anthony Cesar Duncan - ChatGPT Psychosis and the Dangers of AI

1 year
Anthony Cesar Duncan - ChatGPT Psychosis and the Dangers of AI
1 h 3m

Aaron Goldenberg - Homeschool, Conversion Therapy, and Finally Coming Out

1 year
Aaron Goldenberg - Homeschool, Conversion Therapy, and Finally Coming Out
1 h 17m

Sarah Stankorb - Quiverfull, Christian Nationalism, and Why Evangelical Women Are Leaving

1 year
Sarah Stankorb - Quiverfull, Christian Nationalism, and Why Evangelical Women Are Leaving
1 h 13m

Erika Lantz & Elin Lantz Lesser - Book Burnings, Rapture Drills, & the River Road Fellowship

1 year
Erika Lantz & Elin Lantz Lesser - Book Burnings, Rapture Drills, & the River Road Fellowship
1 h 22m

Jane Borden - Cults Like Us: Puritans, Demagogues, and America’s Doomsday Obsession

1 year
Jane Borden - Cults Like Us: Puritans, Demagogues, and America’s Doomsday Obsession
1 h 1m

Megan Elizabeth Cox - The Remnant Fellowship, Gwen Shamblin, and the Worship of Skinny

1 year
 Megan Elizabeth Cox - The Remnant Fellowship, Gwen Shamblin, and the Worship of Skinny
1 h 17m

Claire Hoffman - The Rise and Vanishing of Evangelist Megastar Aimee Semple McPherson

1 year
Claire Hoffman - The Rise and Vanishing of Evangelist Megastar Aimee Semple McPherson
54m