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.

Norah - Girls Night In: L.A. Facebook Group Gone Culty

2 years
Norah - Girls Night In: L.A. Facebook Group Gone Culty
1 h 35m

Demetria, Part 2 - Twin Ray Mysticism, Spiritual Retreats, and the Necessity of Rage

2 years
Demetria, Part 2 - Twin Ray Mysticism, Spiritual Retreats, and the Necessity of Rage
1 h 13m

Demetria, Part 1 - Online Gurus, Mysterious Elixirs, and Joining the Twin Ray Cult

2 years
Demetria, Part 1 - Online Gurus, Mysterious Elixirs, and Joining the Twin Ray Cult
1 h 10m

Joelle Tamraz, Part 2 - Meeting The Elders, Emotional Manipulation, and Moving On

2 years
Joelle Tamraz, Part 2 - Meeting The Elders, Emotional Manipulation, and Moving On
1 h 16m

Joelle Tamraz, Part 1 - Traveling to India, Meeting a Swami, and "Past Lives"

2 years
Joelle Tamraz, Part 1 - Traveling to India, Meeting a Swami, and "Past Lives"
1 h 10m

Sara Teitelman - The Culty Elements of Technology

2 years
Sara Teitelman - The Culty Elements of Technology
1 h 17m

Min Zhou, Part 2 - Labor Camps, Persecution, and Mass Killings in the Cultural Revolution

2 years
Min Zhou, Part 2 - Labor Camps, Persecution, and Mass Killings in the Cultural Revolution
54m

Min Zhou, Part 1 - The Cult of Mao Zedong, and Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution

2 years
Min Zhou, Part 1 - The Cult of Mao Zedong, and Growing Up in the Cultural Revolution
58m

Tia Levings, Part 2 - Questioning Fundamentalism, Motherhood, and the Dangers of Christian Nationalism

2 years
Tia Levings, Part 2 - Questioning Fundamentalism, Motherhood, and the Dangers of Christian Nationalism
56m

Tia Levings, Part 1 - A Well-Trained Wife in the Christian Patriarchy

2 years
Tia Levings, Part 1 - A Well-Trained Wife in the Christian Patriarchy
50m

Andrea Dunlop, Part 2 - A Family Torn and a Critique of Take Care of Maya

2 years
Andrea Dunlop, Part 2 - A Family Torn and a Critique of Take Care of Maya
53m

Andrea Dunlop, Part 1 - Munchausen by Proxy, a Faked Miscarriage, and a Perpetrator in the Family

2 years
Andrea Dunlop, Part 1 - Munchausen by Proxy, a Faked Miscarriage, and a Perpetrator in the Family
59m

J. Wesley Boyd - When Physician Health Programs Go Wrong

2 years
J. Wesley Boyd - When Physician Health Programs Go Wrong
1 h 15m

R. Derek Black, Part 2 - How a White Supremacist Changed Their Mind

2 years
R. Derek Black, Part 2 - How a White Supremacist Changed Their Mind
1 h 1m

R. Derek Black, Part 1 - Former White Nationalist, Growing Up in the KKK, and Cognitive Dissonance

2 years
R. Derek Black, Part 1 - Former White Nationalist, Growing Up in the KKK, and Cognitive Dissonance
57m

Ian Rafalko, Part 2 - Son of a YouTube Scientologist Health Guru

2 years
Ian Rafalko, Part 2 - Son of a YouTube Scientologist Health Guru
1 h 31m

Ian Rafalko, Part 1 - Former Scientology Auditor

2 years
Ian Rafalko, Part 1 - Former Scientology Auditor
1 h 1m

Aliia Roza - Former Russian Secret Agent and Sex Spy

2 years
Aliia Roza - Former Russian Secret Agent and Sex Spy
1 h 25m

Rabia Chaudry - Serial, True Crime, & Countering Violent Extremism

2 years
Rabia Chaudry - Serial, True Crime, & Countering Violent Extremism
1 h 10m

Jessica Kahn - Y2K Cult

2 years
Jessica Kahn - Y2K Cult
1 h 16m

Madi Stroud - Daughter of a Cult Leader: Love Has Won & Amy Carlson

2 years
Madi Stroud - Daughter of a Cult Leader: Love Has Won & Amy Carlson
1 h 13m

Dr. Inna Kanevsky - Pseudoscience, TikTok Psychology, & Culty Psychologists

2 years
Dr. Inna Kanevsky - Pseudoscience, TikTok Psychology, & Culty Psychologists
1 h 23m

Warren Kohl, Part 2 - The Pressures of Preaching in a Secretive Cult

2 years
Warren Kohl, Part 2 - The Pressures of Preaching in a Secretive Cult
1 h 7m

Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult

2 years
Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult
48m

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

2 years
Nadine Macaluso - Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds
1 h 27m

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

2 years
Zoe & Lillian, Part 2 - Troubled Teens, Midwest Academy, and Solitary Confinement
53m

Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - Entering the Program: Ivy Ridge, Midwest Academy, & Casa by the Sea

2 years
Zoe & Lillian, Part 1 - Entering the Program: Ivy Ridge, Midwest Academy, & Casa by the Sea
55m

Roberta Blevins, Part 2 - Leaving The LuLaRoe Family

2 years
Roberta Blevins, Part 2 - Leaving The LuLaRoe Family
58m

Roberta Blevins, Part 1 - Inside LuLaRoe

2 years
Roberta Blevins, Part 1 - Inside LuLaRoe
1 h 14m

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

2 years
Lola & Meagan - Am I in a Cult (or Just a Group)?
1 h 5m