Today's guest is Warren kohl, a fifth generation member and former “worker” (or minister) in the 2x2’s, the group that Meagan grew up in. Warren shares how devout he was to the group at a very young age, having your entire life controlled, and how utter heartbreak in high school led him to celibacy and a deeper commitment to the group.



Trust Me is sponsored by ZocDoc! Find and book a top-rated doctor at Zocdoc.com/trustme  and download the Zocdoc app for FREE!



BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch

Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com

INSTAGRAM:

@TrustMePodcast

@oohlalola

@meaganelizabeth11

TWITTER:

@TrustMeCultPod

@ohlalola

@baberahamhicks

TIKTOK:

@TrustMeCultPodcast 

Today's guest is Warren kohl, a fifth generation member and former “worker” (or minister) in the 2x2’s, the group that Meagan grew up in. Warren shares how devout he was to the group at a very young age, having your entire life controlled, and how utter heartbreak in high school led him to celibacy and a deeper commitment to the group.

Trust Me is sponsored by ZocDoc! Find and book a top-rated doctor at <a href="http://Zocdoc.com/trustme" target="_blank">Zocdoc.com/trustme</a> and download the Zocdoc app for FREE!

<a href="http://bit.ly/trustmemerch" target="_blank">BUY OUR MERCH!! bit.ly/trustmemerch</a>
Got your own story about cults, extreme belief, or abuse of power? Leave a voicemail or text us at 347-86-TRUST (347-868-7878) OR shoot us an email at TrustMePod@gmail.com
INSTAGRAM:
@TrustMePodcast
@oohlalola
@meaganelizabeth11
TWITTER:
@TrustMeCultPod
@ohlalola
@baberahamhicks
TIKTOK:
@TrustMeCultPodcast

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.

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion&mdash;told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.&nbsp;Hosted by two women who&rsquo;ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show&nbsp;features survivors from groups like Heaven&rsquo;s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more&ndash;sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.
Each week, they invite&nbsp;these guests&nbsp;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.&nbsp;This isn&rsquo;t a sensationalized deep dive into cults&mdash;it&rsquo;s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free.&nbsp;At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5e38a5be-0b6f-4aef-be04-b2de01222c21/transcript

This week’s guest is Theo Pratt, survivor of Gloriavale, an isolated Christian cult hidden deep in rural New Zealand, and author of Unveiled: A Story of Surviving Gloriavale. She’ll talk about being raised on the strictly controlled commune where people were assigned new names, women wore identical dresses and head coverings, and children weren’t taught the real days of the week—or even where they were in the world.

Theo shares about the leader Neville Cooper’s self-proclaimed divine authority, how “smacking ladies” kept the kids in line—and guards kept the compound controlled, and her rebellious streak that led her to planning an escape attempt on a tandem bicycle. And of course, the moment she realized she couldn’t stay, and what it felt like to step into the outside world she’d been taught would destroy her.

SOURCES:

Unveiled: A Story of Surviving Gloriavale

This week&rsquo;s guest is Theo Pratt, survivor of Gloriavale, an isolated Christian cult hidden deep in rural New Zealand, and author of Unveiled: A Story of Surviving Gloriavale. She&rsquo;ll talk about being raised on the strictly controlled commune where people were assigned new names, women wore identical dresses and head coverings, and children weren&rsquo;t taught the real days of the week&mdash;or even where they were in the world. Theo shares about the leader Neville Cooper&rsquo;s self-proclaimed divine authority, how &ldquo;smacking ladies&rdquo; kept the kids in line&mdash;and guards kept the compound controlled, and her rebellious streak that led her to planning an escape attempt on a tandem bicycle. And of course, the moment she realized she couldn&rsquo;t stay, and what it felt like to step into the outside world she&rsquo;d been taught would destroy her.
SOURCES:
<a href="https://www.theopratt.com/">Unveiled: A Story of Surviving Gloriavale</a>

Theo Pratt - Blue Dresses, Smacking Ladies, and an Isolated Compound: Surviving Gloriavale

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3bb2e324-9e13-436b-bd23-b3b0017b44de/transcript

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

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&rsquo;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
<a href="https://www.reneediresta.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.reneediresta.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1764219736034000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2gk3HA888WoOmy4wNEnac7">Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality</a>
 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Image:_A_Guide_to_Pseudo-events_in_America" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Image:_A_Guide_to_Pseudo-events_in_America&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1764219736034000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1pD8rE6P01KpG_OQ7SD9iK">The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America</a>

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

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bb4c84d8-dabb-41ea-b7b4-b3a0012d9489/transcript

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

This week&rsquo;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, &ldquo;bespoke&rdquo; 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
<a href="https://www.reneediresta.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.reneediresta.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1764219736034000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2gk3HA888WoOmy4wNEnac7">Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality</a>

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

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/37ce52f4-2b4f-4f4b-82d0-b3a10053dd33/transcript

Warren Kohl, Part 1 - Preparing to Preach in a Secretive Cult

In 1 playlist(s)

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips