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Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts

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: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Journalist Claire Hoffman joins us again, this time to discuss her new book Sister, Sinner: the unbelievable true story of Aimee Semple McPherson, a glamorous Pentecostal preacher who pioneered entertainment evangelism. McPherson was so famous in the 1920s she could have been a Kardashian.
Claire talks about how the early televangelist used theatrics and mass media to build an empire around her preaching–only to mysteriously disappear in 1926, leading to one of the most notorious court cases of the time. The girls unpack early 20th century fame, faith, scandal, and the dangers of worshipping cultural icons.

SOURCES:
Sister, Sinner

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claire Hoffman - The Rise and Vanishing of Evangelist Megastar Aimee Semple McPherson

In Part 1 of our interview with journalist Claire Hoffman, Claire shares what it was like growing up in an Iowa trailer park community built around the Transcendental Meditation (or TM) movement and its charismatic leader, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi–whose followers included The Beatles. Claire shares what the daily routine was like in the TM community, how it felt believing every adult she knew could levitate, and the powerful mystique of Maharishi.
Plus, she tells how the fall of the Berlin Wall and her subscription to Cosmopolitan magazine helped lead to her eventual awakening about the guru being a mere mortal, and the book she wrote about that experience, Greetings From Utopia Park.

SOURCES:
Greetings From Utopia Park

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claire Hoffman - Levitation, Meditation, and a Childhood in a Transcendental Meditation Trailer Park

Attorney Carol Merchasin didn’t set out to expose cults, but after investigating allegations about a high-control Buddhist organization and discovering that the abuse had run more rampant than she’d imagined, she became a lawyer and focused her practice on getting justice for survivors of cults and abusive groups.
 
Carol discusses the legal ins and outs of suing cults and spiritual leaders, where American law stands in recognizing coercion and human trafficking, and why the differences in ideologies between high-control groups really don’t matter. Plus: the patterns and red flags she’s learned to spot, why spiritual language is often used to disguise harm, and what to do if you get sued by your group for speaking out.
 
 
 
SOURCES:
 
BITE MODEL of Authoritarian Control 
 
Heartwood Center
 
McAllister Olivarius Law
 
For pro bono legal help, look up your state bar association for a directory of pro bono attorneys.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carol Merchasin - The Cult Assassin: Suing High-Control Groups

Artist and writer Akina Cox returns to share more about her experience growing up in the Unification Church (also known as the Moonies), its physical punishment rituals, and where the church stands now. The girls then transition from the topic of her particular cult to a discussion on the cult-like patterns of the current American political landscape, and how to approach political disagreements with loved ones.
 
Akina also reflects on her article for Salon, where she explores how the Trump administration employs many of the same tactics used by Reverend Moon, and how high-control groups tend to choose a group to scapegoat for their problems. They discuss the demonization of immigrants and trans folks, the realities of ICE kidnappings, and how the failures of political leadership effectively addressing income inequality created an opening for demagogues to thrive.
 
 
 
SOURCES:
 
Akina Cox
 
Salon
 
How to Talk to Your Republican Uncle
 
The Atlantic
 
 
 
ORGANIZATIONS FOR OUTREACH AND RESISTANCE:
 
Ktown For All
 
CHIRLA
 
Unión del Barrio
 
LA Tenants Union
 
National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akina Cox - Part 2: The Moonies, ICE, and the Cult Tactics of Trump

Artist and writer Akina Cox shares about her childhood growing up in the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. They discuss the background of the church and its late leader Reverend Moon, how her parents both joined after hitchhiking in the 70s, and what it was like growing up in the group.
 
She shares how it felt participating in a mass wedding ceremony, moving to the border of North and South Korea, and the stark contrast between Reverend Moon’s lavish lifestyle and the unpaid labor demanded of members. Plus, how going to college sparked her first real doubts about the church, and the Unification Church’s surprising financial ties to American politics.
 
 
 
SOURCES:
 
Akina Cox

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akina Cox - Part 1: Unification Church, Mass Weddings, and Unpaid Labor

Trust Me is the podcast that pulls back the curtain on cults, high-control groups and the psychology of belief. Hosted by cult survivors Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show features raw, first-hand accounts from people who’ve been manipulated, love-bombed and pulled into systems of control—and lived to tell the tale.
 
Each week, Lola and Meagan talk to people who’ve escaped, those still inside and the experts to unpack how extreme belief works. Listen to voices from inside the illusion and the truth that waited on the other side.
 
Trust Me joins the Exactly Right network on Wednesday, July 30. Follow the show now on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Introducing Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Trust Me has joined Exactly Right Media. Hosts Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth will be back with new episodes on Wednesday, July 30th.
 

You’re a teenage girl in the late 60s, bouncing between communes, when a charismatic man and his group of young women welcome you with open arms. You were looking for a family, and now you’ve found one. In part one of an incredible interview, Dianne Lake, aka “Snake,” and her co-author Deborah Herman discuss growing up in 1960s counter-culture, the dark side of the sexual revolution, and what it was like becoming the youngest member of Charles Manson’s family. Stay tuned next week for part two, in which she tells Lola & Meagan how she learned about the murders! Original Airdate: 05/12/2021
 

Continue listening to Dianne Lake - The Manson Family, Part 2: The Tate-LaBianca Murders. (Original Airdate: 05/19/2021)
 

Subscribe on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

REWIND: Dianne Lake - The Manson Family, Part 1: Meeting Charlie

Trust Me has joined Exactly Right Media. Hosts Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth will be back with new episodes on Wednesday, July 30th.
 

End time prophecies? Memorizing the bible? Required church vacations your family can't afford? Snap Judgment host and creator Glynn Washington shares his experiences growing up in the apocalyptic religion the Worldwide Church of God. He tells the girls about believing the end of the world was imminent, the white supremacist roots of the group and how he was forbidden from dating outside of his race, and the book that began to change his thinking. Original Airdate: 07/14/2021. 
 

Subscribe on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

REWIND: Glynn Washington - The Worldwide Church of God

Trust Me has joined Exactly Right Media. Hosts Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth will be back with new episodes on Wednesday, July 30th.
 

What do you model your life after? For producer, actor, and former supermodel Hoyt Richards, it was the teachings of a charming man from Nantucket who spoke about the impending apocalypse and a distant star named Arcturus. Hoyt shares how he was indoctrinated into the Eternal Values cult as his modeling career was taking off, what he describes as "cultic relationships," and how Fabio (yes, that Fabio) was involved in his recovery. Original Airdate: 07/07/2021.
 

Subscribe on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

REWIND: Hoyt Richards - From Supermodel to Cult Member

Trust Me has joined Exactly Right Media. Hosts Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth will be back with new episodes on Wednesday, July 30th.
 
In their first ever episode, Lola and Meagan interviewed Christine Marie, Lola's mom, about her and Lola's experiences believing in a self-proclaimed Mormon prophet. They discuss how they came to believe in him, their separation from each other, Christine's harrowing trafficking experience, and Lola's childhood memories of Keith Raniere from NXIVM. Original Airdate: 10/06/2020.
 
Subscribe on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

REWIND: Lola's Mom - Mormon-Offshoot Cult

In part two of their conversation with Michelle Dowd, Lola & Meagan dig into when Michelle and her family moved to the mountain, why discomfort was considered a virtue, getting sick with an autoimmune disease at the age of ten, spending many months in the hospital away from The Field and her family, what happened after her cult leader grandfather passed away, and how she left the group.
 

 
Trust Me is sponsored by June's Journey! Discover your inner detective when you download June’s Journey for free today on iOS and Android.
 
Learn more about Michelle's work here! https://mdowd.substack.com
 
Follow Michelle here! https://www.instagram.com/michelledowdz
 
CHECK OUT 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
 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Dowd, Part 2 - From the Mountain to the Hospital to Forging Her Own Path

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