Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
Episodes
Rachel Bernstein & IndoctriNation
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 53: Ever heard of a cult specialist? Therapist and IndoctriNation podcast host Rachel Bernstein shares what healing looks like after leaving a...
Dr. Ramani Durvasula - Narcissism 101
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 52: Are you a narcissist? Statistically, it's possible! Dr. Ramani Durvasula joins Lola and Meagan for a clinic on all things narcissism. They...
Jennings Brown - Investigating the Fellowship of Friends
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 51: Jennings Brown, reporter and host of cult podcasts The Gateway and Revelations, discusses life on the lavish compound of the Fellowship of...
Glenn Carter - UK Raelian Leader, Part 2: A Debate on Power Dynamics
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 50: In part two of Lola and Meagan's interview with UFO cult leader Glenn Carter, they discuss the cloning controversy that the Raelian moveme...
Glenn Carter - UK Raelian Leader, Part 1: Aliens, Meditation & Cloning
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 49: It's a Trust Me first! Actor / musician / leader of the UK Raelian chapter Glenn Carter joins Lola & Meagan in part one of their conve...
The Cult of Hollywood
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 48: Can success be its own cult? Lola & Meagan delve into how abuse of power plays into the entertainment industry, the experiences they'v...
Natascia Mallin – Therapy Cult, Part 2: Trauma Bonding & Lifting the Veil
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 47: In part two of their discussion with author of The First 50, Natascia Mallin, Lola and Meagan discuss the trauma bonding that happened wit...
Natascia Mallin – Therapy Cult, Part 1: A Guru Named Stan
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 46: In part one of their chat with author of The First 50: A Saga of Backseats, Bedrooms, Lookout Points, and Dive Bars, Natascia Mallin, Lola...
Christina Babin - Children of God, Part 2: Reprogramming Camps
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 45: In part two of their interview with Children of God survivor, Christina Babin, Lola and Meagan discuss life in the "reprogramming camps," ...
Christina Babin – Children of God, Part 1: Punishment Camps & Flirty Fishing
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 44: Love bombing. Flirty fishing. Moving from country to country. Just a few standard parts of life as a member of David Berg's Children of Go...
Katherine - Teal Swan
19 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 43: Lola & Meagan chat with a woman named Kathryn about her experiences as a follower of the charismatic social media guru Teal Swan... wh...
Jonas Bell Pasht - How To Become A Tyrant
12 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 42: Executive producer of Netflix's How To Become a Tyrant (and friend of the show!) Jonas Bell Pasht joins Lola & Meagan to talk about th...
Torah Bontrager - Growing Up Amish, Part 2: Escaping & Activism
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 41: In part two of their conversation with activist / Amish Girl in Manhattan author TORAH BONTRAGER, Lola & Meagan discuss the abuse Tora...
Torah Bontrager – Growing Up Amish, Part 1: Corporal Punishment & Rumspringa
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 40: No cars, electricity, or indoor bathrooms - think you could do it? Activist / Amish Girl in Manhattan author TORAH BONTRAGER shares about ...
Glynn Washington - The Worldwide Church of God
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 39: End time prophecies? Memorizing the bible? Required church vacations your family can't afford? Snap Judgment host and creator Glynn Washin...
Hoyt Richards - From Supermodel to Cult Member
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 38: What do you model your life after? For producer, actor, and former supermodel Hoyt Richards, it was the teachings of a charming man from N...
April Snow - Scientology & the Sea Org, Part 2: Leaving & The Aftermath
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 37: In part two of Trust Me's first interview with a former Scientologist, April Snow shares her thoughts on how the church treats drug and al...
April Snow - Scientology & the Sea Org, Part 1: The LA Celebrity Centre
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 36: This one is sure to stimulate your thetans. Trust Me's first former Scientologist guest, April Snow, talks about growing up in the church,...
Brian Holoyda - Folie à Deux & Shared Delusions
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 35: Can delusional beliefs be passed on to others? Forensic psychiatrist Brian Holoyda discusses the science of shared psychotic disorders (al...
Danny Gold & Sean Williams - Mafias & Organized Crime
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episdoe 34: From the Burmese mafia to Nigeria's Black Axe, journalists and hosts of The Underworld Podcast Danny Gold and Sean Williams compare the wo...
Taylor Brown - Tech CEOs
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 32: Charisma. Grand Ideas. Unchecked narcissism. What's stopping the world's tech CEOs from becoming our new 21st century cult leaders? Former...
Dianne Lake - The Manson Family, Part 2: The Tate-LaBianca Murders
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 31: Lola and Meagan dive deeper with Dianne Lake, aka “Snake,” the youngest member of the Manson family, and her co-author Deborah Herman....
Dianne Lake – The Manson Family, Part 1: Meeting Charlie
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 30: You’re a teenage girl in the late 60s, bouncing between communes, when a charismatic man and his group of young women welcome you with o...
Janja Lalich - Democratic Workers Party and Bounded Choice in Cults
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 29: How far would you go for your ideals? Sociologist and author Janja Lalich chats with Lola and Meagan about her time in the 70s as part of ...
Avital Ash - Orthodox Judaism
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 28: Traditions! Are they helpful customs that keep us connected to our history? Or can they become too rigid and hinder the personal and intel...
Anna LeBaron - Ervil LeBaron, the "Mormon Manson"
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 27: You've only met your dad twice, but you know he's the prophet. You live in abject poverty, forced into child labor. And you often have to ...
Kilian Aulenbacher - Church Universal and Triumphant
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 26: Kilian Aulenbacher went from a German kid who spoke zero English to harvesting crops and hanging out in bomb shelters on a Montana commune...
Gerardo Lopez - MS-13 & the Police, Part 2: The Rampart Scandal
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 25: In part 2 with former MS-13 member Gerardo Lopez, Lola and Meagan discuss how he left the gang, the harassment he experienced by the LAPD ...
Gerardo Lopez - MS-13, Part 1: LA in the 80s and 90s
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 24: Meagan & Lola interview Gerardo Lopez, gang interventionist and former member of gang MS-13. In part 1, he tells the ladies about grow...
Frank Lyford - Heaven's Gate, Part 2: Breaking Away
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 23: Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth continue to interview Frank Lyford, former member of Heaven's Gate. In part 2, they discuss the growing ...
Frank Lyford - Heaven's Gate, Part 1: The Nomadic Lifestyle
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 22: Lola & Meagan interview Frank Lyford, survivor of Heaven's Gate who left after 18 years--just a few years before discovering his frien...
Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti - Autism, Racism, and a Religious Cult
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 21: Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth interview speaker and sex educator Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti. She tells the girls about being the only Blac...
M.E. Thomas & Arya - Two Sociopaths (Who Are Dating)
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 20: Meagan Elizabeth and Lola Blanc interview M.E. Thomas, author of Confessions of a Sociopath, and her girlfriend Arya--two sociopaths who a...
Elana Auerbach - OneTaste (aka the Orgasm Cult)
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 19: Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth interview Elana Auerbach, former follower of sexual wellness company OneTaste--elsewhere deemed the Orga...
Nicoletta Heidegger - BDSM vs. Abuse
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 18: Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth interview sex therapist, sexologist, and Sluts and Scholars podcast host Nicoletta Heidegger about all thi...
Yuval Laor - Fervor, Awe, and Hyperreligiosity
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 17: Lola and Meagan interview Dr. Yuval Laor, behavioral and cultural scientist who studies evolutionary biology and religion. Yuval describes...
Lucien Greaves - The Satanic Temple, Satanic Panic, & Recovered Memory
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 16: Meagan and Lola interview Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple, about how the Satanic Temple was founded and why their (hilari...
Jitarth Jadeja - Former QAnon Believer
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 15: Lola and Meagan interview Jitarth Jadeja, former QAnon believer. He tells the girls about how, despite being Australian, he first was a Be...
Amber Dawn Lee - Zion Society (Fundamentalist Mormon Cult)
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 14: **TW: This episode contains detailed descriptions of sexual assault and child abuse.** Meagan and Lola interview Amber Dawn Lee about her ...
Amanda Montell - The Language of Cults and Fanaticism
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 13: Meagan and Lola interview Amanda Montell, linguist and author of Wordslut and now Cultish, her new book about the language of fanaticism. ...
Cliff "Fifth" Henderson - Jehovah's Witnesses
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 12: Meagan and Lola interview rapper Fifth, also known as Cliff Henderson, about his experiences as a Jehovah's Witness. Fifth tells the girls...
Naomi Gibson - Children of God and NXIVM, Part 2: Recruited into NXIVM
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 11: Lola and Meagan finish their interview with Naomi Gibson, former member of both the Children of God (aka the Family) and NXIVM. In part tw...
Frank Meeink - From Neo-Nazism to Anti-Racism
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 10: Meagan and Lola interview Frank Meeink, author of Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, about his journey from neo-Nazism as a teenager ...
Naomi Gibson – Children of God and NXIVM, Part 1: Life on an Abusive Commune
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 9: Lola and Meagan interview Naomi Gibson, former member of both the Children of God (aka the Family) and NXIVM. In part one of this two-part ...
Vikram Gandhi - Being Kumaré, the Fake Guru
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 8: Lola and Meagan interview filmmaker Vikram Gandhi about the making of his documentary Kumaré, in which he pretended to be a spiritual lead...
Noël Wells - Scam Psychic Retreat
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 7: The girls interview filmmaker, musician, and actress Noël Wells about her experience going to a weekend retreat with a celebrity psychic -...
India Oxenberg - NXIVM
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 6: Lola and Meagan interview India Oxenberg, former member of NXIVM and star of Seduced, now on Starz. They discuss EMs, the group's grooming ...
Steve Hassan - The Moonies, Trump, and QAnon
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 5: Lola and Meagan interview cult expert Steven Hassan on his experience joining the Moonies in the 70s, his book The Cult of Trump, what Trum...
Esther & Lori - Current FLDS Members
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 4: The girls interview Esther and Lori, two current members of the FLDS - aka Fundamentalist Mormons - who grew up in Short Creek, the polygam...
Will Allen - Buddhafield
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 3: The girls interview Will Allen, director of the documentary Holy Hell, about his time in Buddhafield, the 80s New Age cult. They discuss ho...
Moses Storm - Andrea Yates's Cult
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 2: The girls interview Moses Storm about his experiences in a cult as a child. They discuss what it was like to live in a bus, deal with pover...
Lola's Mom - Mormon-Offshoot Cult
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 1: Lola and Meagan interview Christine Marie, Lola's mom, about her and Lola's experiences believing in a self-proclaimed Mormon prophet. They...
Trust Me Trailer
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TRAILER: A podcast about cults, extreme belief, and abuse of power - from two hosts who've actually lived it. Hosted by Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabet...