Sounds Like A Cult

By: Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
  • Summary

  • 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!)

    2024 Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
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Episodes
  • The Cult of Reborn Dolls
    Oct 22 2024

    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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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • The Cult of Boarding Schools
    Oct 15 2024

    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
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Cult of Dave Ramsey
    Oct 8 2024

    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.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins

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.

What listeners say about Sounds Like A Cult

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Fun/Funny/insightful

I think they’re funny and insightful. The way they discuss language and culture reminds me of smoke circles in college lol literally talking about everything under the sun and how it all connects

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Very ‘not like other girls’

Interesting premise, but dear sweet baby Jesus in heaven above the level of obnoxious, quirky, NLOGs these two hosts are at is just… superior. Damn. After a single episode my face was hurting from all the cringing.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Gossip Without Substance

This is a witty and humorous Podcast, but it lacks substance. Although they choose interesting topics, they throw around the word “cult” with recklessness and abandon. Listen for yourself (and pay attention to how frequently they contradict themselves within each episode). The result amounts to less news and analysis than you’d get, for example, from Entertainment Tonight.

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1 person found this helpful