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

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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.

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

    Renee DiResta - Part 2: Pseudo-Events, More on Disinformation, and Telling Fact From Fiction
    Dec 10 2025

    Renee DiResta, professor and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, joins the show again to dive deeper into disinformation, propaganda, and "pseudo-events," or manufactured controversies and news stories.

    She explains why it’s so difficult to tell fact from fiction online, how propagandists stoke real, often legitimate tensions to create division, how American politicians are amplifying false information instead of shutting it down, and possible policies that could help reduce our culty social media silos.

    SOURCES

    Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality


    The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    50 m
  • Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities

    Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities
    Dec 3 2025

    This week’s guest is Renee DiResta, professor, and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. In part one this week, she talks to Lola and Meagan about propaganda, disinformation vs. misinformation, and how social media algorithms push us all into highly individualized, “bespoke” realities.

    They discuss how she became interested in this topic after social media algorithms started suggesting anti-vaxxer content to her, how rage bait and other emotionally charged material spreads faster, and why social media makes it seem like other people have more extreme views than the majority of them actually do.

    SOURCES

    Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Más Menos
    52 m
  • Mike & Abbi Prussack – Part 2: Predators in Power, Institutional Denial, and the Fight to Expose It

    Mike & Abbi Prussack – Part 2: Predators in Power, Institutional Denial, and the Fight to Expose It
    Nov 19 2025

    This week, Lola and Meagan continue their conversation with Mike and Abbi Prussack, former members of Meagan’s childhood church, the 2x2s. In part 2, they walk the girls through the abuse crisis that has shaken the group in recent years and the long-standing patterns that allowed the harm to continue. Mike and Abbi explain how church leadership handled reports, why victims felt they had nowhere to turn, and how secrecy and obedience has shaped the culture for generations.

    They also discuss the FBI investigation, the community’s response, and what it has been like to help moderate the Ex 2x2 Facebook group during a moment of collective reckoning. The conversation looks at the cost of silence and the pressure to stay loyal, plus why so many people are choosing to finally speak out now.

    SOURCES
    Wings for Truth

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    44 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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