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.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod/"> @soundslikeacultpod</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/"> @amanda_montell</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chelseaxcharles">@chelseaxcharles</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reesaronii/">@reesaronii </a>
To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality,<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976"> click here. </a>To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, <a href="https://bio.site/magicaloverthinkers">click here :)</a>
Thank you to our sponsor! 
<ul>
<li>Visit <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/get-started/?go=true&amp;transaction_id=10241bf72d7af91407af2776e3dc4a&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2687&amp;utm_medium=Desktop&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=cult&amp;not_found=1&amp;gor=start">BetterHelp.com/CULT</a> today to get 10% off your first month.</li>
</ul>

A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow. Each episode asks the culty questions we’re all wondering… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? Sounds Like A Cult, hosted by Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, how bad is it? 

Follow Us:

Podcast Instagram - @soundslikeacultpod

Host Amanda Montell - @amanda_montell (Preorder her new book!)

A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow. Each episode asks the culty questions we’re all wondering… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? Sounds Like A Cult, hosted by Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, how bad is it? 
Follow Us:
Podcast Instagram - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod">@soundslikeacultpod</a> 
Host Amanda Montell - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell">@amanda_montell</a> (<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976">Preorder her new book!</a>)

A show about the modern day "cults" we all follow.

Sounds Like A Cult

A podcast about the modern day "cults" we all follow. Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? We’re Sounds Like a Cult, a podcast that analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so... how bad is it?

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

We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a 🪐transcendent🪐 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

We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a 🪐transcendent🪐 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 <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3UfonLzDZIcmfK1qENMRql">The Pyramid Podcast</a>. 
Follow us on IG<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod/"> @soundslikeacultpod</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/"> @amanda_montell</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chelseaxcharles">@chelseaxcharles</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reesaronii/">@reesaronii</a>
Watch the new season of Sounds Like A Cult on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmandaMontellPodcasts">YouTube</a>!
To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality,<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976"> click here. </a>To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast, <a href="https://bio.site/magicaloverthinkers">click here :)</a>
Thank you to our sponsors! 
<ul>
<li>Shop the SKIMS bras at <a href="https://skims.com/">SKIMS.com</a>. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.</li>
<li>Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to <a href="https://www.dipseastories.com/subscribe/?promo=cult&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_campaign=cult">DipseaStories.com/cult</a>. </li>
<li>Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/?channel=Podcast&amp;subchannel=atc&amp;source=soundslikeacult">https://www.squarespace.com/CULT</a> to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.</li>
<li>Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to <a href="https://www.liquid-iv.com/">LiquidIV.com</a> and use code CULT at checkout</li>
</ul>

The Cult of Dance Moms

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

New Age love &amp; 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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod/"> @soundslikeacultpod</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/"> @amanda_montell</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reesaronii/">@reesaronii </a>
To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality,<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976"> click here. </a>To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, <a href="https://bio.site/magicaloverthinkers">click here :)</a>
Thank you to our sponsors!! 
<ul>
<li>Visit <a href="https://www.betterhelp.com/get-started/?go=true&amp;transaction_id=10241bf72d7af91407af2776e3dc4a&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=2687&amp;utm_medium=Desktop&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=cult&amp;not_found=1&amp;gor=start">BetterHelp.com/CULT</a> today to get 10% off your first month.</li>
<li>Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to <a href="https://www.dipseastories.com/subscribe/?promo=cult&amp;utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_campaign=cult">DipseaStories.com/cult</a>. </li>
<li>Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/?channel=Podcast&amp;subchannel=atc&amp;source=soundslikeacult">https://www.squarespace.com/CULT</a> to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.</li>
<li>Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to <a href="https://www.liquid-iv.com/">LiquidIV.com</a> and use code CULT at checkout</li>
</ul>
Further reading:
<a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/twin-flames-universe-youtubers-monetized-heartbreak-and-trauma-netflix-amazon-prime/">How ‘Twin Flames Universe’ YouTubers Monetized Heartbreak and Trauma</a>
<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/12/inside-the-all-consuming-world-of-twin-flames-universe">“Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/arts/television/cult-documentaries.html">Why We Can't Get Enough of Cult Documentaries</a>
<a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/23959800/escaping-twin-flames-netflix-jeff-ayan-twin-flames-universe-cult-soulmates">Twin Flames, Explained</a>

The Cult of Twin Flames

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

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 href="https://read.macmillan.com/lp/a-well-trained-wife/">A Well-Trained Wife</a>. 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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/soundslikeacultpod/"> @soundslikeacultpod</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanda_montell/"> @amanda_montell</a>
To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality,<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976"> click here. </a>To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and/or watch full episodes on YouTube, <a href="https://bio.site/magicaloverthinkers">click here :)</a>
<ul>
<li>Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/?channel=Podcast&amp;subchannel=atc&amp;source=soundslikeacult">https://www.squarespace.com/CULT</a> to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.</li>
<li>Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to <a href="https://go.biltrewards.com/podcast-r/cult?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=podcast-rewards&amp;utm_campaign=cult&amp;APP_SOURCE=PARTNER_PAID_MARKETING&amp;lang=en&amp;locale=en_US&amp;sub_channel=PRT&amp;vendor_code=BL">joinbilt.com/cult</a>.</li>
<li>Shop the SKIMS Soft Lounge Collection at <a href="https://skims.com/">SKIMS.com</a>. After you place your order, select "Sounds Like A Cult" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.</li>
<li>Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE <a href="https://home.ibotta.com/">Ibotta app</a> to start earning cash back and use code CULT.</li>
</ul>
Further reading:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/mission-trips-are-an-evangelical-rite-of-passage-for-us-teens-but-why-206850#:~:text=Critics%20have%20argued%20that%20American,the%20enormous%20sums%20of%20money">Mission trips are an evangelical rite of passage for US teens – but why?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzY-zOWz8zM&amp;ab_channel=ExmoLex">YouTube channel: ExMoLex</a></li>
<li><a href="https://berkeleybeacon.com/stop-going-on-mission-trips/">Stop going on Mission Trips</a></li>
<li><a href="https://zora.medium.com/why-ill-never-go-on-a-mission-trip-again-9bff6b6ea55a">Why I'll Never Go on a Mission Trip Again</a></li>
</ul>

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

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