Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation Podcast Por Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts arte de portada

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

De: Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
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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.

2025 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia Biografías y Memorias Ciencias Sociales Crímenes Reales
Episodios
  • Tim Squirrell - Incels, Redpill, and the Manosphere

    Tim Squirrell - Incels, Redpill, and the Manosphere
    Nov 5 2025

    This week, researcher Tim Squirrel joins Lola & Meagan to break down the manosphere: incels, redpill, MGTOW, and the differences between some of the misogynistic subcultures in the online world of men. They discuss how isolation can leave boys vulnerable to harmful internet communities, and how the algorithm can radicalize young people looking for identity.

    From Andrew Tate to Jordan Peterson, Tim shares why and how hyper-masculine spaces thrive, touting themselves as self-help programs or advocating for withdrawing from society altogether. They chat about why these communities can also be bad for the people inside them, whether Lola has accidentally dated incels, and what to do if someone you know has fallen down the rabbit hole.

    SOURCES
    Movember

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 h y 11 m
  • Sarma Melngailis - Part 2: Isolation, Deeper into the Scam, & Getting Arrested

    Sarma Melngailis - Part 2: Isolation, Deeper into the Scam, & Getting Arrested
    Oct 29 2025

    In part 2, Sarma Melngailis, subject of the docuseries Bad Vegan and author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, tells Lola & Meagan how Mr. Fox consumed her time, overwhelmed her with information, and dangled promises of financial freedom that was always JUST around the corner as a way to get her to send him more and more money.

    She’ll share about the fabricated online personas he created as part of the manipulation, how he always knew things it seemed like he couldn’t have known, and the tactics he used to keep her in a constant state of confusion and dependence, driving across the country until they were finally both arrested. Plus, how she felt about her time in Rikers, and the current status of her restaurant.

    SOURCES

    The Girl With the Duck Tattoo

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Más Menos
    1 h y 5 m
  • Sarma Melngailis - Part 1: Bad Vegan, Meeting Mr. Fox, and Early Red Flags

    Sarma Melngailis - Part 1: Bad Vegan, Meeting Mr. Fox, and Early Red Flags
    Oct 22 2025

    In part 1 with guest Sarma Melngailis, subject of the docuseries Bad Vegan and author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, Sarma shares about her life as the owner of a successful vegan restaurant in New York, how she met the man who called himself Mr. Fox on Twitter when he seemed to know her friend Alec Baldwin, her first impressions of Mr. Fox, and some of the initial red flags she missed.
    They discuss the way he slowly wormed his way into her life, how he first started asking for money in a way that seemed innocuous at first, and some of the many manipulation tactics he used to coerce her into transferring an astronomical amount of money to him--and ultimately blowing up her life.

    SOURCES

    The Girl With the Duck Tattoo

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Más Menos
    1 h y 2 m

Featured Article: Delve into the Darker Side of Human Nature with the 15 Best Podcasts About Cults


Cults are fascinating. There’s something curiosity-inducing about stories of ordinary people who get wrapped up in groupthink that quickly veers into dangerous territory. Part of the appeal is because we think it could never happen to us, even though we suspect, deep down, that it absolutely could. These listens explore the nature of cults, the figures who lead them, and the followers who have been lured into their orbits.

Featured Article Delve into the Darker Side of Human Nature with the 15 Best Podcasts About Cults
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This podcast has taught me so much. Basically, no one person has all the answers. Each week I find myself learning more about not only myself but the world and people around me. Lola and Meagan are refreshingly open minded. It's important to hear people out.

Interested in critical thinking? Listen to this!

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Once I listened to one episode, I had to go back to the beginning and listen to every one! They are really good at asking questions and getting the best stories out of everyone

Love this podcast!

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I've learned so much about the psychology of cults. I've gained understanding and empathy for how people join cults and how they remain in them as the red flags get larger and multiply.

Excellent podcast!

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I Listen every week! Love your interactions and laughter. Thank you! Keep up your curiosity !

Love your humor

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I was sent a link to your episode w Lucien Greaves. You guys are amazing and I am so grateful to have found your show. Charming and informative and I am hooked!

LOVE

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These ladies have created a fascinating, refreshing, and hilarious podcast. I can't wait to listen every week!

Love it!

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Very listenable show. Please check your decade oriented comments. Like so many things we can be 'woke' to, we generalize at our peril...
Keep the discussion going & thank you

enjoyable smart conversation.

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I wanted this episode to keep going. I have difficulty in this area of life and love hearing people speaking about sexuality without embarrassment or being self consciousness.

thank you

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The hosts have a good dynamic and, along with their producers, clearly research their subject matter carefully. I appreciate Lola and Meagan's compassionate approach, as well as their rapport and humor, not only with one another but just as often with their guests. Lola is usually the primary interviewer and cerebral in the best sense of the word, although Meagan seems to be asking more questions during the course of recent podcasts. That is great, as Meagan is a good interviewer as well, who asks the questions the audience--at least this audience member--is wondering about. And she has a great sense of comedic timing, often telling stories in a deadpan style that is very funny, whether it is developed or simply comes natural to her.

I have heard Lola state that she sometimes gets negative feedback to her commentary on politicized topics that on occasion serves as a kind of prologue to the weekly interview with a cult survivor or expert. I would encourage both hosts to discuss whatever they damn well please during the course of the show they worked so hard to build. The only antidote to the toxic lies that have infected so much of media is the frank, intelligent and compassionate approach of the hosts and producers of projects such as "Trust Me."

Well done. I hope the podcast continues as long as possible.

Compassionate and well researched

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Thank you for using humor to lighten the weight of this heavy topic. I am a curious person and constantly seek knowledge on a wide variety of topics. The topics you tackle on your show can be difficult to learn about, but you make it easier to listen.

Hard topic, handled with humor

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