Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation
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.
Latest episodes
Sep 9, 2021 • 48min
Natascia Mallin – Therapy Cult, Part 1: A Guru Named Stan
Episode 46: In part one of their chat with author of The First 50: A Saga of Backseats, Bedrooms, Lookout Points, and Dive Bars, Natascia Mallin, Lola and Meagan discuss how Natascia's time working at Cafe Gratitude and the Landmark Forum led her to join a "therapy cult" led by a well-read charismatic guru named Stan. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalolaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 1, 2021 • 56min
Christina Babin - Children of God, Part 2: Reprogramming Camps
Episode 45: In part two of their interview with Children of God survivor, Christina Babin, Lola and Meagan discuss life in the "reprogramming camps," the difficulty coming forward about these kinds of experiences, and finding love after leaving the group. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalolaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 25, 2021 • 51min
Christina Babin – Children of God, Part 1: Punishment Camps & Flirty Fishing
Episode 44: Love bombing. Flirty fishing. Moving from country to country. Just a few standard parts of life as a member of David Berg's Children of God. In part one of their conversation with Christina Babin, Lola and Meagan discuss Christina's experience in punishment camps, the separation from her family, and being exploited in a child sex trafficking cult. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 19, 2021 • 53min
Katherine - Teal Swan
Episode 43: Lola & Meagan chat with a woman named Kathryn about her experiences as a follower of the charismatic social media guru Teal Swan... who is often accused of being a cult leader. They discuss Teal's online presence and appeal, how she conducts her workshops, controversies of plagiarism, and a concerning story of what happened to one member. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 12, 2021 • 59min
Jonas Bell Pasht - How To Become A Tyrant
Episode 42: Executive producer of Netflix's How To Become a Tyrant (and friend of the show!) Jonas Bell Pasht joins Lola & Meagan to talk about the behaviors of infamous dictators like Hitler, Stalin, Idi Amin, and Saddam Hussein, the parallels between tyrants and cult leaders, and how dictators prey upon societies' wants and needs. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 4, 2021 • 54min
Torah Bontrager - Growing Up Amish, Part 2: Escaping & Activism
Episode 41: In part two of their conversation with activist / Amish Girl in Manhattan author TORAH BONTRAGER, Lola & Meagan discuss the abuse Torah suffered in her family, escaping the community, graduating from Columbia University, and Torah's involvement with the fight against the Supreme Court case, Wisconsin v Yoder. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 21, 2021 • 49min
Torah Bontrager – Growing Up Amish, Part 1: Corporal Punishment & Rumspringa
Episode 40: No cars, electricity, or indoor bathrooms - think you could do it? Activist / Amish Girl in Manhattan author TORAH BONTRAGER shares about her upbringing in an Amish community in Wisconsin, speaking the Amish language, the real meaning of Rumspringa, her tumultuous family relationships, the use of corporal punishment in Amish culture, and some of the abuse she experienced firsthand. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 14, 2021 • 58min
Glynn Washington - The Worldwide Church of God
Episode 39: 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. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 7, 2021 • 1h 19min
Hoyt Richards - From Supermodel to Cult Member
Episode 38: 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. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 30, 2021 • 51min
April Snow - Scientology & the Sea Org, Part 2: Leaving & The Aftermath
Episode 37: In part two of Trust Me's first interview with a former Scientologist, April Snow shares her thoughts on how the church treats drug and alcohol addiction, the fallout from her appearance on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and the division it caused within her family. If you have your own story about cults, high-control groups, manipulation, or abuse of power, shoot us an email at trustmepod@gmail.com. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @trustmepodcast @oohlalola @vibehigherbitch OR TWITTER: @trustmecultpod @ohlalolaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
