Episodi

  • The Cult of Free Birthers

    The Cult of Free Birthers

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Munch on some ice chips and PUSHHHHH (sorry) play on this week's episode, in which we dare to apply our culty analysis to the ever-polarizing "free birther" community. Free birthing is a controversial catch-all term in and of itself, generally describing a style of medically unassisted birth that has turned into not just a movement but possibly a cult—why? Because this is America, and if something has the potential to turn culty, then it probably will! Doula (and loyal listener of the pod) Hehe Stewart joins for a discussion of power dynamics, misinformation, and why so-called free birthers have been pitted against the traditional medical establishment in a way that puts everyoneeee in danger. Trying our best to bring both cheekiness and empathy to this very casual and low-stakes discussion (joke). Love you culties!!!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Further reading:

    Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States Racism During Pregnancy and Birthing: Experiences from Asian and Pacific Islander, Black, Latina, and Middle Eastern Women When Giving Birth, Opting to Go It Alone Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison Born Free: Unassisted Childbirth in North America Just ‘birth’: the phenomenon of birth without a healthcare professional She Wanted a ‘Freebirth’ at Home. When the Baby Died, the Attacks Began

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/cult.
  • The Cult of Reborn Dolls

    The Cult of Reborn Dolls

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    BOO! ‘tis the spookiest time of the year, dear culties, and this year we’ve whipped out our cauldrons to cook you an up episode on one of the scariest topics we could think of
 complex emotions?! That is only half a joke, because this week Reese is equally embarrassed and excited to bring Amanda into the weird and wacky world of reborn dolls with the help of Corrine Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga from Two Girls One Ghost. The "Reborners" community serves a wide range of acolytes, from grieving parents seeking therapeutic tools to fantasy lovers looking to adopt the most finely crafted infant abominable snowmen money can buy (no judgement!). This week, we’re sitting down to investigate exactly why people make, buy, and most cultily, wholeheartedly OBSESS over these fantastical silicone babies. No matter if you’ve been a loyal Britton Rose follower for years, or have never heard the words "reborn doll" in your life, this mystical Halloween-flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult is full of tricks and treats just for you ;)

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @reesaronii @chelseaxcharles @amanda_montell

    Subscribe to the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout

    Further reading:

    Effect of Doll Therapy in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review

    Inside the hyper-realistic world of baby doll collecting

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  • The Cult of Boarding Schools

    The Cult of Boarding Schools

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Grab your trusty #2 and find the desk with your name tag on it, because class is in session this week at Sounds Like a Cult! Our /pedagogically inclined/ episodes are always RIPE with juicy insight, and today’s topic is no different. Be it Hogwarts or Pacific Coast Academy, boarding schools have long shrouded themselves in an air of mystery and exclusivity that has most recently led to a culture-wide obsession with the Dark Academia genre. But is this intrigue secretly supporting a sinister institution? What culty rituals and traditions lie behind the plaid and ivy? Let’s find out! Amanda and Chelsea are thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Ceara O’Sullivan from the Petty Crimes podcast to discover what lurks within boarding schools' hallowed (culty) halls.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.

    Further reading:

    Psychopathology and Dissociation among Boarding School Students in Eastern Turkey National Museum of the American Indian: Boarding Schools Time for America to Get Over Our Ivy League Obsession A Brief History of Boarding-School Scandals
  • The Cult of Dave Ramsey

    The Cult of Dave Ramsey

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    NOT going to lie, this episode was a wee bit nerve racking to record!!! Despite the, ahem, LARGE number of requests we received for this topic (which would make you think it was ubiquitously reviled), the acolytes in this group ride HARD for their leader! Money and religion are the twin engines that make the world go ‘round, dear culties, and as such, they are the perfect mediums for sinister influence. This week’s subject has been ~blessing~ the airwaves and teaching your parents how to be debt free AND godly since the 1990s
the OG finance bro
the one and only
 Dave Ramsey. This week, Amanda and Reese take a trepidatious foray into the chaotic, testosterone-filled, rapidly aging world of Ramsey Solutions with the help of seasoned Dave Ramsey experts (though, tbh, *survivors* is probably a more apt word) Jen Smith and Jill Sirianni from the Frugal Friends Podcast.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/CULT. Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.
  • The Cult of Mormon #MomTok

    The Cult of Mormon #MomTok

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Who’s your #mommy culties: Taylor or Whitney? That’s right, fresh(ish?) off the release of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reality series (for which Amanda and Reese attended a blissfully tinsel-adorned premiere party #notsponsored lol), this week we are covering the cult of Mormon MomTok. This coalition of young Mormon mothers turned TikTok stars raises a truly baffling number of questions: Are these girls really Mormon? Does that matter? Where are their garments? Are they even friends? And most importantly, will MomTok survive the "swinging scandal" that overtook headlines a few years back, earning these gals their own TV show?!?!?!??!?! Grab your heaviest Stanley, fill it with Fruity Pebbles ;) and settle in to have all of your most sacred prayers answered. Potentially cultier than the sum of its cults (and trust us there are plenty), Reese and Amanda are determined to get to the bottom of the drama-filled, diet Dr. Pepper flavored mom-strosisty that is #MomTok.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @reesaronii @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle.

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

  • The Cult of Costco

    The Cult of Costco

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Settle in with a Kirkland brand sparkling water and a rotisserie chicken because this week, Amanda and Chelsea are going IN on the us/them dynamics, strange rituals, manipulation tactics, over-the-top passion, and lore of your favorite membership-only cathedral of affordable excess, Costco. Based on this episode’s fervent listener call-ins alone, it’s clear Costco is more than just a place to buy 500-packs of plastic cups, gold bars, and even your future casket (???) ⚰ Costco is some people’s entire personality. But has it crossed over into full-blown cult? Tune into our lol-filled analysis to find out.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout
  • The Cult of Dance Moms

    The Cult of Dance Moms

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a đŸȘtranscendentđŸȘ new season of Sounds Like A Cult, whose opening episode features Chelsea Charles, one of our sparklingly hilarious new co-hosts. An unscripted TV producer by day, Chelsea joins returning host Amanda to unpack this week’s nightmarish topic: Dance Moms. Indeed, we’re exploring every culty corner of the fanatically followed Lifetime reality show, which centers on a group of competitive child dancers, their high-drama mothers, and their veritable cult leader of a teacher, Abby Lee Miller *shudders*. It mightttt sound dramatic to call this goofy little TV program a cult, but the sky-high exit costs, rampant verbal abuse, lifelong trauma, obsessed fan behaviors, and scandalizing financial crimes say otherwise!!! Tune in as Amanda and Chelsea dissect the show’s cultiest characteristics, and their broader implications, with the help of The Pyramid Podcast.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii

    Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on YouTube!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!

    Shop the SKIMS bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout
  • The Cult of Sounds Like A Cult (Meet Your New Co-Hosts!)

    The Cult of Sounds Like A Cult (Meet Your New Co-Hosts!)

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    This is Sounds Like A Cult, a show with two sparkling new cult leaders, ahem, co-hosts!!!!!! We’ve been keeping this secret for months, and it feels downright ~transcendent~ to let you culties know: Joining host Amanda for the next season of Sounds Like A Cult are two brilliant, kind, warm, and hilarious recurring voices—unscripted TV producer Chelsea Charles and theatre/rhetoric student Reese Oliver (whom you may already recognize as SLAC’s beloved coordinator). Tune into today’s surprise bonus minisode for some angelic wee introductions, teasers, and deats about what to expect from SLAC 2.0. The next season premieres Tuesday, September 17!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @chelseaxcharles @reesaronii

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsor!

    Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month.
  • The Cult of Twin Flames

    The Cult of Twin Flames

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    New Age love & wellness influencers turned baby NXIVM: That's kinda the best way we can succinctly describe this week’s cult, Twin Flames Universe, one of the most chilling groups we’ve discussed on the pod thus far. Several months ago, Twin Flames survivor Jessi Hersey, whom you might recognize from the “Escaping Twin Flames” doc on Netflix, slid into our DMs and made a very generous and compelling argument as to why Twin Flames needed airtime on Sounds Like A Cult. After all, it’s important to represent the whole LYL, WYB, GTFO cult spectrum! This week, we're asking the fundamental questions: How did this niche online self-help “community” turn so destructive so fast, and how are its tenets low-key a threat to us all? Tune in to find out, and make sure to listen to the very end of the episode. We’re making a highly exciting announcement about the next season of SLAC
 let’s just say there might be a couple new “cult leaders” (ahem, co-hosts) in your future!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @reesaronii

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors!!

    Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout

    Further reading:

    How ‘Twin Flames Universe’ YouTubers Monetized Heartbreak and Trauma

    “Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe

    Why We Can't Get Enough of Cult Documentaries

    Twin Flames, Explained

  • The Cult of Mission Trips

    The Cult of Mission Trips

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Pack your hammer and your lack of cultural awareness, because this week on Sounds Like A Cult, we're interviewing Tia Levings, a former Christian fundamentalist, mission trip devotee, and survivor of church-sanctioned domestic violence. Tia is also the author of the brand new memoir A Well-Trained Wife. She joins to discuss the ever-so-common culty practice of recruiting church kids to go on white savior vacations all under the guise of bringing Sky Daddy and ultimate nepo kid Jesus into the lives of people who most certainly never asked for that. Aka, mission trips! Many thanks to all the listeners who submitted call-ins for this episode! Be sure to listen to the end, because we’ve got a verrrrrrrry exciting announcement about next season coming :)

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult. Shop the SKIMS Soft Lounge Collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT.

    Further reading:

    Mission trips are an evangelical rite of passage for US teens – but why? YouTube channel: ExMoLex Stop going on Mission Trips Why I'll Never Go on a Mission Trip Again
  • Friendship Breakups: Right or Wrong?

    Friendship Breakups: Right or Wrong?

    · Sounds Like A Cult
    Get Tickets to Isa Medina's Live Comedy Show in NYC August 24th! Click Here! Follow Isa on Instagram to keep up with her upcoming comedy shows! Subscribe to Isa's new podcast I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple! If you want to support Isa's new podcast subscribe above, listen or watch the full episodes at the I'm Right You're Wrong Podcast Page! <3

    Ep 6: Friendship Breakups: Right or Wrong? Have you ever had a Friendship Breakup? Absolutely no worries if not! Sounds like you're perfect and that's awesome <3 This week your gorgeous hosts, ⁠Lydia Keating⁠ and ⁠Isa Medina⁠, get into whether Friendship Breakups are right OR wrong. They debate both extremes, tell personal stories and chat about how post-college life affects friendship. They talk about bisexual friendships....aka love affairs and of course, they talk about boundaries. xx love you so much!

    Subscribe to Isa's new podcast I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple! Follow the podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@ethicalgirlies⁠⁠
  • The Cult of Conservative Youth Activism

    The Cult of Conservative Youth Activism

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Oops a politically flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!!!! Would you believe it if we told you we recorded this nearly SIX MONTHS AGO and just crossed our fingers it would resonate whenever it ended up going live??? This week, host Amanda is joined by Puck reporter and former MAGA youth recruit, Tina Nguyen, author of the 2024 memoir The MAGA Diaries, who’s here to shed light on the culty modern movement that is conservative youth activism: why it exists, how it works, and why there’s no left-wing analog. Culty times people!!! Intrigued how this episode will land with you culties đŸ‘€đŸ˜”â€đŸ’«âœŒïž

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Watch Amanda's Offline with Jon Favreau interview

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible!

    Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle.
  • The Cult of Wine Moms

    The Cult of Wine Moms

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Learn more about host Amanda's Italian writing "cult" ;) It's a Live Your Life!!!

    https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/italy/italy-with-amanda-montell-oct-2024

    If you’ve ever seen a suburban lady wearing a tee shirt that reads, “I wine because he whines” or “I’m not a normal mom, I’m a wine mom,” then you have likely born witness to a follower of this week’s “cult.” Wine moms may have nailed the merch aspect of modern-day fanaticism with their culture of “rosĂ© all day,” and there’s certainly valid solidarity in venting about the hardships of American motherhood over a glass of Prosecco or two. But
 ten? At the kids’ soccer practice? Is any group that aims to cutesify alcoholism en masse ever not at least a “Watch Your Back”-level cult??? To help figure it out, please welcome this week’s special guest, survivor of both the wine mom cult AND the cult of MLMs (no small feat!!), author and sobriety coach Emily Lynn Paulson.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
  • The Cult of Hollywood

    The Cult of Hollywood

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    From TV executives abusing kids on sets to Scientology's "Celebrity Center," the cult of the entertainment business can getcha from about 6,000 different angles. After all, what other mainstream American industry is glamorized and lusted-after to this extreme degree, only to betray its most successful acolytes with financial and physical exploitation, social isolation, dehumanization, and a destroyed sense of self-worth to the point that entertainers dying early tragic deaths of despair is not only accepted, it's practically a meme??? This week, host Amanda offers a lil history lesson on the cult of Hollywood before getting into some juicy personal stories and an analytical discush with the one and only Maria Bamford, iconic comedian and author of Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere. Who are Hollywood's true "cult leaders," and do their worst behaviors earn it the title of a GTFO-level cult? Tune in to find out!!!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle. Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
  • Botox & Filler: Right or Wrong?

    Botox & Filler: Right or Wrong?

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Listen to Isa's new podcast: I'm Right You're Wrong! Isa is the co-creator and former host of Sounds Like A Cult<3

    Click here to Subscribe/Listen on Spotify Podcasts

    Click here to Subscribe/Listen on Apple Podcasts

    Botox & Filler: Right or Wrong?

    Does getting botox and filler contribute to unjust beauty standards? Or are women literally not allowed to have anything anymore? This week, your perfect little hosts, ⁠Isa Medina⁠ and ⁠Lydia Keating⁠, discuss whether it's right or wrong to get botox and filler. Are we making things worse by not aging naturally or are we just trying to survive the dang patriarchy? Can women even make mistakes? Factually speaking, no. But your hosts are here to look at both sides! In classic fash, they debate the extremes and chit chat about life as perfect beautiful women. xx love you!!

    Subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts and listen to other episodes covering topics like: Friendship Breakups, Tipping Culture, Nepo Babies, Stay at Home Moms and more😘

    Follow Isa on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@isaamedinaa⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Follow Isa's new podcast on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@ethicalgirlies⁠⁠

  • The Cult of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

    The Cult of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    You culties preyed and preyed for us to analyze the cult of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and at long last, host Amanda Montell and coordinator Reese Oliver are blessing you with one of our favorite episodes in a very long time đŸ„Č To the undiscerning eye, Netflix’s new “America’s Sweethearts” series may look like an innocent little feature on the NFL’s most treasured cheerleading squad
 but to us, this was a true crime documentary about a profoundly conformist, exploitative, isolating, hyper-patriarchal, physically perilous, but also inspirational and glamorous CULT. The question is not if the Dallas Cowboys cheerleading team is culty—I mean, hello, duh—the question is how bad is it??? Tighten your Kelli knots and spritz another coat of hairspray, because we are not holding back this week 📣

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here. To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, click here :)

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Shop the SKIMS Soft Lounge Collection at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
  • The Cult of Teachers

    The Cult of Teachers

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Class is in session and boy oh boy is it perturbing. Teaching is not just a profession, it's a calling to shape young hearts and minds—one that looks all wholesome on the outside, but once you're lured in, actually comes with labor exploitation, emotional manipulation, weird power dynamics created by the tenure system, and other sinister qualities that high-key resemble a cult. The cult of teaching is perhaps our single most passionate and consistent listener request in Sounds Like A Cult history, and to help us bring it to life, we're doing another "Interview A Listener" episode, featuring current New Jersey public school teacher, Charlyn Magat. Today's topic is of course massive and complex, and this conversation is just a small piece of it, informed by Charlyn's individual experience. We'd love to continue exploring the topic further, including potential episodes about the cults of Teach for America, boarding school, etc.!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) To subscribe to her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
  • The Cult of Family Vloggers

    The Cult of Family Vloggers

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Catch Amanda back on tour this summer!

    July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA (free!)

    Imagine you’re a little kid and your parents are actually your bosses. Now imagine that, as your professional superiors, your parents' job is to engineer and exploit every single precious moment of your childhood for millions of people on the internet to behold, all in exchange for clicks, comments, and ad dollars. Sometimes they prank you, embarrass you, and/or produce a whole ‘nother sibling purely as a career move. Now imagine if your parents manage to figure out at some point that this dynamic is power abusive and manipulative, and they decide to stop sharing your face with the world, scads of strangers who’ve gotten parasocially attached to you since before you were born start flipping the f*** out. Such is the uncanny experience of a kid born into the cult of family vloggers, this week’s culty a$$ subject, featuring journalist Fortesa Latifi, who is currently writing a book about parenthood and content creation.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) To subscribe to her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT. Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle.
  • Right or Wrong? Nepo Babies (Preview of Isa's New Podcast!)

    Right or Wrong? Nepo Babies (Preview of Isa's New Podcast!)

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Listen to Isa Medina NEW PODCAST – I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever! Isa Medina is the Former Host and Co-Creator of Sounds Like A Cult Podcast. Follow Isa on IG @isaamedinaa for info about her live stand up comedy and her new podcast @ethicalgirlies.

    The episode preview ended at 23 min 40 seconds if you want to start where we left off and finish the episode <3

    Right or Wrong? Nepo Babies: This week on I'M RIGHT YOU'RE WRONG, your gorgeous hosts, Lydia Keating and Isa Medina, debate nepo babies. Is it ethically right or wrong for nepo babies to have easy access to coveted careers just because their parent(s) work in the industry? Lydia argues that nepo babies are WRONG. Isa argues that they are RIGHT. They discuss the different types of nepo babies out there (it’s not all Hollywood, honey!) and if there is even an ideal way to be one
 After they debate the extremes, in classic fashion, they open their dialogue up to a broader and more honest convo. Are THEY nepo babies?? (no, lol but they do get real about their own privileges). Lydia ponders creativity—is it something innate to the fibers of your being? Was Reese Witherspoon’s son born to be a DJ in the West Village? Isa talks about her boy drama and how men should never complain about being tired. Lydia acknowledges her annual spring/summer glow up. Both hosts agree that ebbing and flowing in one’s hotness is wayyyyy better than being consistently hot all year round, which would actually be so boring. And finally, they talk about WHO is to BLAME for nepotism? (and it’s not the nepo babies or their parents! It’s something far more insidious
) Enjoy the episode! Love you so much.

  • The Cult of Jam Bands

    The Cult of Jam Bands

    · Sounds Like A Cult

    Catch Amanda back on tour this summer!

    July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA (free!)

    WE TRIED OUR BEST not to get too roasty in this long overdue episode, where host Amanda and her special guest, music journalist and host of the Songs My Ex Ruined podcast Melissa Locker, examine the cult of jam bands from Phish to the Grateful Dead. Where freewheeling guitar solos, acid trips, tape-trading, endless noodling, and oodles of exclusive lingo reign supreme, this world of die-hard fans who dedicate their whole life and personality to following their faves around the country is nothing short of a musical religion. Jam bands are definitely, ahem, a culty vibe to say the least... the real question is how destructive are they?? Tune in to this lol-worthy chat as Amanda and Melissa try and figure that out.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) To subscribe to her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT.
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