Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation Podcast By Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts cover art

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

By: Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
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About this listen

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.

2025 PodcastOne Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • An Exciting Update from Lola and Meagan!

    An Exciting Update from Lola and Meagan!
    Jun 11 2025

    The rumors are true—Trust Me is coming back this summer on the Exactly Right podcast network! This teaser has everything you need to know about our next chapter.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    1 min
  • Amanda Rae - The Kingston Clan and Escaping Polygamy

    Amanda Rae - The Kingston Clan and Escaping Polygamy
    Mar 12 2025

    Today our guest is Amanda Rae, host of YouTube channel by the same name and former member of the Kingston Clan, or the Order, a polygamist group in Utah, not to be confused with the FLDS. Some of you may remember our previous guest Priscilla from the same group - both of these gals were on Escaping Polygamy. Amanda’s going to tell us who the Kingstons are, how many mothers she had, and the principle of “pure Kingston blood” that led to people sometimes intermarrying with relatives - some of whom were underage girls.

    She’ll tell us about how her 2 years at public school helped her think critically about the differences between what the cult SAID about outsiders and people of color - versus the reality that they were just normal people, how children as young as 9 are sent to work after school, and why the day she left began with a physical altercation with a grown man in the group.

    See resources below if you're in need of therapy or support:

    • https://holdingouthelp.org/
    • https://voicesfordignity.com/

    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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Maggie Rowe - Sinning Bravely and Moral Scrupulosity

    Maggie Rowe - Sinning Bravely and Moral Scrupulosity
    Mar 5 2025

    Today our guest is Maggie Rowe, former writer on Arrested Development and author of Sin Bravely, a book about her experiences with moral scrupulosity, or sin-focused OCD. We talk a lot about OCD on this show, so here’s a guest who wrote an entire book about growing up with religious obsessions! She’ll tell us about her first obsessions about what was and was not sin, how she started to analyze the Bible with a critical mind to try to understand how to avoid hell, and how her parents tried to help but her church leaders didn’t understand OCD and made it worse.

    We’ll talk about the compulsions she would engage in to make sure she was being the right amount of righteous, how she checked herself into a treatment facility for Christians, the incorrect diagnosis of bulimia she received, and how she finally got diagnosed with moral scrupulosity and began getting the treatment she actually needed.

    Trust Me is sponsored by ZocDoc! Stop putting off those doctors appointments! Go to ZocDoc.com/trustme to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor TODAY!

    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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 20 mins
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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.

Featured Article Delve into the Darker Side of Human Nature with the 15 Best Podcasts About Cults
All stars
Most relevant  
This podcast has taught me so much. Basically, no one person has all the answers. Each week I find myself learning more about not only myself but the world and people around me. Lola and Meagan are refreshingly open minded. It's important to hear people out.

Interested in critical thinking? Listen to this!

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Once I listened to one episode, I had to go back to the beginning and listen to every one! They are really good at asking questions and getting the best stories out of everyone

Love this podcast!

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I've learned so much about the psychology of cults. I've gained understanding and empathy for how people join cults and how they remain in them as the red flags get larger and multiply.

Excellent podcast!

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Thank you for using humor to lighten the weight of this heavy topic. I am a curious person and constantly seek knowledge on a wide variety of topics. The topics you tackle on your show can be difficult to learn about, but you make it easier to listen.

Hard topic, handled with humor

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The hosts have a good dynamic and, along with their producers, clearly research their subject matter carefully. I appreciate Lola and Meagan's compassionate approach, as well as their rapport and humor, not only with one another but just as often with their guests. Lola is usually the primary interviewer and cerebral in the best sense of the word, although Meagan seems to be asking more questions during the course of recent podcasts. That is great, as Meagan is a good interviewer as well, who asks the questions the audience--at least this audience member--is wondering about. And she has a great sense of comedic timing, often telling stories in a deadpan style that is very funny, whether it is developed or simply comes natural to her.

I have heard Lola state that she sometimes gets negative feedback to her commentary on politicized topics that on occasion serves as a kind of prologue to the weekly interview with a cult survivor or expert. I would encourage both hosts to discuss whatever they damn well please during the course of the show they worked so hard to build. The only antidote to the toxic lies that have infected so much of media is the frank, intelligent and compassionate approach of the hosts and producers of projects such as "Trust Me."

Well done. I hope the podcast continues as long as possible.

Compassionate and well researched

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These ladies have created a fascinating, refreshing, and hilarious podcast. I can't wait to listen every week!

Love it!

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I Listen every week! Love your interactions and laughter. Thank you! Keep up your curiosity !

Love your humor

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I was sent a link to your episode w Lucien Greaves. You guys are amazing and I am so grateful to have found your show. Charming and informative and I am hooked!

LOVE

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Very listenable show. Please check your decade oriented comments. Like so many things we can be 'woke' to, we generalize at our peril...
Keep the discussion going & thank you

enjoyable smart conversation.

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I wanted this episode to keep going. I have difficulty in this area of life and love hearing people speaking about sexuality without embarrassment or being self consciousness.

thank you

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