Today is part two with Warren Kohl, former member and religious leader within the 2x2s (Meagan's secretive childhood group that technically has no name). Today we'll hear how Warren left behind his dreams of medical school to become a "worker" (a minister who stays in people's homes). He'll talk about the pressure to speak with some kind of authority, how he was scolded for genuinely trying to connect with the members, being told to stay out of a domestic violence situation within the group, how his mental health deteriorated, how he finally left, and his message to those still in the religion. Check out our great sponsors!! Trust Me is sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit BetterHelp.com/trust to get 10% off your first month! Shopify: Run a business? Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  Need a place? Check out Apartments.com - THE place to find a place! 

Warren Kohl, former minister in the 2x2's, shares his devout upbringing, life control, and celibacy. He discusses heartbreak leading to deeper commitment, intense indoctrination as a child, fear of hell, and pressure to convert others within the group. Reflects on childhood isolation, perfection pressures, and emotional struggles with strict religious teachings and salvation rituals.

Psychologist, trauma bond expert, and author of Run Like Hell: A Therapist's Guide to Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Trauma Bonds, Nadine Macaluso share about her relationship with ex-husband Jordan Belfort (aka The Wolf of Wall Street) and how it led her to become a therapist with a focus on trauma bonds. They also discuss "mind mapping", intermittent reinforcement, the difference between intensity and intimacy, the three phases of trauma bonds and how violence can play into them, why Nadine uses the term "pathological lover" instead of narcissist, how to tell if you're currently in a trauma bond, and green flags that are the sign of a healthy relationship. Check out our great sponsors! Quince: Love affordable luxury? Go to Quince.com/trust for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Shopify: Run a business? Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme 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 

In part two with Zoe and Lilly, survivors of Midwest Academy, one of the abusive troubled teen programs in the same organization that was spotlighted in the docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, we dig deeper into Lily’s experience. She’ll tell us how she was in solitary confinement for two months, and how her reaction was to rebel in any way she could. We’ll get into how they both left, and how no one believed them for years - in some cases, up until just last month - how this was and still is a multi-billion dollar industry, and where they’re both at in their healing journey. Trust me is sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit BetterHelp.com/trust to get 10% off your first month! Learn more about WWASP awareness below: https://icapanetwork.org/  https://wwaspsurvivors.com/  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 @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK: @TrustMeCultPodcast 

Survivors of the infamous WWASP schools, Zoe & Lillian, share about their experiences being forced to join Ivy Ridge, Midwest Academy, and Casa by the Sea; All schools featured in the current Netflix docudrama, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping. Lola & Meagan dig into how these programs were marketed to parents, the dramatic ways Zoe & Lillian were brought to the facilities as teenagers, the levels inside the program that were impossible to climb, how they could only communicate with their eyes, and how they were kept from their families. Check out our great sponsors!! Quince: Love affordable luxury? Go to Quince.com/trust for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Shopify: Run a business? Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  ZocDoc: Need a doctor? Go to Zocdoc.com/trustme and download the Zocdoc app for FREE! 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 @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK: @TrustMeCultPodcast 

In part two with former LuLaRoe seller, Roberta Blevins, they discuss everything about LuLaRoe's founder DeAnne Brady and her family, the mother figure role DeAnne provided in Roberta's life, dealing with toxic positivity, and a thorough list of MLM red flags to look out for. Plus, how Roberta finally realized that she was in a cult and how starting her own podcast helped with her recovery. Trust Me is sponsored by Prose hair care! Get your FREE consultation and 50% off at Prose.com/trust  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 @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK: @TrustMeCultPodcast   

In part one with former LuLaRoe seller and Life After MLM podcast host, Roberta Blevins, she'll share how she first got involved in MLMS, what LuLaRoe was like, what the deal was with the wet smelly leggings, and what made realize that she did not want to be a part of MLM life anymore. We'll discuss how MLMs make good people act badly, what "huns" and "megahuns" are, and where the line is between incompetence and knowingly engaging in harmful practices.  Check out our great sponsors!!! Quince: Indulge in affordable luxury! Go to Quince.com/trust for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns! Shopify: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/trustme  June's Journey: Discover your inner detective when you download June’s Journey for free today on iOS and Android. 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 @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK:

This week, Lola and Meagan's guests are... Lola and Meagan! They talk about the cult of seeing everything as a cult, discussing how things that might seem a little culty don’t necessarily inherently mean that a group IS a cult. They’ll discuss political polarization, online miscommunication, group dynamics that happen in ALL groups, and the difference between a dickhead and a cult leader--with a few tangents in between. Check out our great sponsors! Trust Me is sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit BetterHelp dot com slash TRUST today to get 10% off your first month. June's Journey: Discover your inner detective when you download June’s Journey for free today on iOS and Android. 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 @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK: @TrustMeCultPodcast 

In part two of this listener story with Operation Light Force survivor, Katelyn Hlavaty, Lola and Meagan unpack how the leader's bogus healing protocol, which involved digging into old trauma, eventually led to Satanic Ritual Abuse. Katelyn shares how isolation from her family and a period of spontaneous remission from her bout Crohn's disease deepened her faith in the group, leading her to become a public facing spokesperson telling thousands of people that she was healed while secretly throwing up backstage. They also get into cold reading, the danger of religious leaders preventing their followers from getting needed medical care, and how Katelyn finally got out and started over. Check out our great sponsors!!! Shopify: Run a business? Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/trustme ZocDoc: Go to Zocdoc.com/trustme and download the Zocdoc app for FREE!

In part one of this wild listener story, Katelyn Hlavaty chats with Lola and Meagan about her experience in the evangelical healing ministry group, Operation Light Force. Katelyn shares how she joined the group when she was isolated and struggling with Crohn's disease, and how the group's promises of community, God, and literal physical healing seemed like the answer in her moment of vulnerability. They dig into how the leader, Richard, began doing counseling sessions with Katelyn, and how Richard taught his followers that any physical ailment they experienced could be the result of sin, trauma, or even Satan. In any case, the goalpost was always moving... and Richard was the one with the answers. Trust Me is sponsored by Apartments.com - THE place to find a place! 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 / X?: @TrustMeCultPod @ohlalola @baberahamhicks TIKTOK: @TrustMeCultPodcast