
iilluminaughtii
Welcome to iilluminaughtii, the podcast that is all about debunking bad business. Whether it's a pyramid scheme or a charity stealing money, everything (and anything) business-related is on the table. Blair Zoń is ready to dig into the underbelly of the business world to find out where your money and time really goes. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss any of episodes delivered fresh every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Latest episodes

Oct 23, 2023 • 32min
Another Reason MLM Shouldn't Sell Insurance: WFG | Multi Level Mondays
Go to http://mintmobile.com/mlm to cut your wireless plan to just $15 a month and get the plan shipped to your door for free.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to Multi Level Mondays, a weekly series all about multi level marketing, pyramid schemes, and ponzi schemes.World Financial Group was founded by a former Primerica salesman; pyramid schemes breed more pyramid schemes, this is hardly a surprise. But, like father like son, this MLM has quite a few scam-shaped issues. From misrepresentation to scamming salespeople, World Financial Group has earned itself a nasty reputation—one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/69ao8Writers/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Last to Fall- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Sacred and Profane- Nicholas Rowe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 18, 2023 • 29min
Hershey's Dark Chocolate Secrets | Corporate Casket
Go to http://mintmobile.com/casket to get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month and get the plan shipped to you for free.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. Hershey’s is one of the largest chocolate companies out there. But have they earned that title? Are they delicious or a monopoly? Are they sweet or foul and exploitative? The answer, unfortunately, won’t surprise you.Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/che4eWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 16, 2023 • 27min
Preying on the Parents of Missing Kids: Sylvia Browne | Multi Level Mondays
Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to Multi Level Mondays, a weekly series all about multi level marketing, pyramid schemes, and ponzi schemes.Sylvia Browne was famous for being a psychic that helped locate missing children. Which is ironic because, to this day, she seemed to have hurt far more cases than helped. Truthfully, she died a fraud, a liar, and a wealthy woman. But why did she act this way? Did she actually help anyone?Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/a01giWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Last to Fall- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Sacred and Profane- Nicholas Rowe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 12, 2023 • 29min
Trump Isn't Charitable. In Other News: Water is Wet | Corporate Casket
Go to http://shipstation.com and use code CASKET to sign up for a free 60-day trial.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. The Trump Foundation was formed by (of course) Trump himself and was originally meant to be a tax-exempt foundation where Trump could give a portion of his money to charity. Yet, the Donald J. Trump Foundation ended up becoming an organization meant to hide his shady exchanges and deals, a place where Trump helped himself—not charity.Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/d3uclWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 5, 2023 • 29min
Figure Skating's Not-so-Graceful Dark Side | Corporate Casket
Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. Beneath all the glitz, the beautiful costumes and mesmerizing routines, figure skating has a dark side. Racism, demands in body image, and scandals have perpetuated the sport for years. Is figure skating even half as beautiful as it looks?Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/3mmcxWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 2, 2023 • 31min
The Cult for Businessmen: Lighthouse | Dark Dives
Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to Dark Dives, a new series where we explore the murky and devious depths of humanity.Lighthouse promises to be exactly that: a lighthouse. A saving grace to people who need it. But nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, this life coaching organization takes advantage of people who need them, emptying their wallets and distancing them from friends and family.Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/30p6pWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 27, 2023 • 30min
Oral Roberts is the Reason Televangelists Suck | Corporate Casket
Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. Oral Roberts practically founded the modern day mindset of ‘seed faith’. If you plant a seed—aka give him money—it will grow into something even more fantastic. In actuality, it will probably only grow into a new car or mansion for a televangelist. Not only did he cement this mindset as a normality but he and his son are notorious for practicing itConnect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/6mv9eWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 25, 2023 • 35min
United Sciences of America: Trust Us, Bro, We're Legit | Multi Level Mondays
Go to http://mintmobile.com/mlm to get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month and get the plan shipped to your door for free.Download the DoorDash app and enter code MULTILEVEL to get 50% off your first order (up to a $20 value) and zero delivery fees.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to Multi Level Mondays, a weekly series all about multi level marketing, pyramid schemes, and ponzi schemes.Endorsements from celebrities such as William Shatner have a lot of weight and bring a lot of growing power to a company. Back in the 80s, United Sciences of America proved this when they went from nothing to 140,000 distributors in seven months. But they were a scam, and hardly more than a year later, went defunct. What happened? What made this MLM fall apart, when so many live to prey another day?Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/d15dfWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 23, 2023 • 34min
Instant pot: The Not-so-Instant Disaster | Corporate Casket
Go to http://mintmobile.com/casper to get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month and get the plan shipped to your door for free.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. If you’ve seen the videos swirling around the Internet of Pyrex brand glass breaking, or if you’ve heard that Instant Pot is headed for bankruptcy, maybe you’ve wondered why. It seems like not that long ago they were on top of the world. Is it corporate greed that corrupted your kitchenware, or something worse?Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/a30igWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 20, 2023 • 35min
McDonalds: Abundant in Grease, Not Ethics
Go to http://mintmobile.com/casket to get your new wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for free.Go to http://shipstation.com and use code CASKET to sign up for a free 60-day trial.Sign up for our Patreon to support what we do!https://www.patreon.com/iilluminaughtiiWelcome to the Corporate Casket, a weekly series where bad businesses go to die. McDonald’s is one of the most well-known fast-food chains in the world. We know their burgers aren’t made from the highest quality ingredients, we know their food never looks like the picture, but what else is wrong with this household name? Turns out, even if you’re aware of their shady operations, McDonald’s might be worse than you think.Connect With Me: https://linktr.ee/iilluminaughtii’Sources: https://justpaste.it/4qpxgWriters/Researchers/Helpers:Ali Z-BThis episode was edited and mixed by:G. Thomas CraigAlbum cover art created by:Betsy PrimesIntro Song Credits:Trauma- Will Van De CrommertOutro Song Credits:Electronica Punch- Oleksandr Koltsov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices