Sounds Like A Cult

The podcast explores the cult-like nature of the fine wine industry, discusses the experiences of a renowned wine educator and sommelier, and highlights the personal journey of the hosts in the wine industry. They also touch on the dangers of excessive drinking, the concept of solutionism, and the drug-like nature of the fine wine world.

Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie Madoff, to literally *thrive* is an automatic sounds like a cult to us. Members willing to "sell their soul" to Wall Street in exchange for the American Dream enter a world ripe for corruption, deception, and exclusivity, and this week, ex-trader turned "finfluencer" Vivian Tu (aka, Your Rich BFF) joins Isa and Amanda to spill all the *insider trading* on what makes Wall Street such a cult. Be sure to check out Vivian's new podcast, Networth and Chill, dropping March 22nd!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get 20% off your first order of $40 or more at NextEvo.com/podcast and use promo code cult.Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT.Get 50% off your first DoorDash order up to a twenty-dollar value when you use code CULT at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kayaking, friendship bracelet making, and oh yeah, threats of eternal damnation! What better way for a kid to spend the summer than at church camp? These pricy summer experiences for God-fearing kiddos might look all wholesome from the outside (a little *too* wholesome, in fact), but there have been enough allegedlys over the years to make Amanda and Isa think church camps might be serving up their 'smores with a side of cultiness. But are Christian summer camps a Live Your Life, a Watch Your Back, or a Get the Fuck Out-level cult? Actor, writer, and former church camper Joel Kim Booster joins this week's episode to help us figure it out!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.Visit ritual.com/CULT to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.Download SmartNews for free today in the app store!Sounds Like A Cult listeners get 20% off your first Liquid Death apparel purchase available exclusively at LiquidDeath.com/CULT.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast delves into the world of beauty pageants and questions their cult-like characteristics, exploring the pressure to conform to beauty standards and the impact on self-esteem. It examines the origins of pageants, their relationship with the patriarchy, and the controversial involvement of Donald Trump. The financial and time commitments, as well as the sexualization of young girls, are also discussed. The podcast highlights the connection between child and adult pageants and expresses disapproval towards the former.

Did the first episode of HBO Max's Sex And The City reboot turn you off of Peloton? That makes one of us. This week, Amanda and Isa unpack the fanatical riders, worshipped instructors, and dystopian nature of the highly fetishized fitness brand that has been described as “SoulCycle via Zoom.” Peloton is definitely hardcore, but does that make it dangerous? With the help of insightful listener call-ins, your hosts explore just that.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you so much to our sponsors!To receive 50% or more off your first month of therapy, go to modernfertility.com/CULT. Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, and Daniel Radcliffe are all survivors of today's "cult," and so is our guest, Mara Wilson, star of 1990s cinematic classics like Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire. Mara was only five years old when she started appearing in major commercials, and the next ten years of her life were a dream come true—full of glamour and accolades... and intense pressures, isolation, creepy stalkers, and other shocking experiences that make the world of child stars seem VERY culty. This week, with Mara's help, Amanda and Isa attempt to figure out if this secretive wing of the entertainment industry—responsible for what former child star Alyson Stoner once called the "toddler to trainwreck pipeline"—is as cult-like as it seems.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, donate to Isa’s fundraiser or visit our website, click here! Thank you so much to our sponsors!Download SmartNews for free today in the app store!To receive 50% or more off your first month of therapy, go to cerebral.com/cult.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2005, this week's guest Sarah Edmondson joined what she thought was a personal development program devoted to helping her overcome her "limiting beliefs." Little did she know it'd turn out to be one of the most notorious and scrutinized groups of all time, NXIVM. "Self-Help" is a distinctly optimistic American pursuit and a majorly profitable industry. Sooo many culty groups start out with the innocent promise of helping their members become their best self. This gray area between positive self-improvement program and dangerous sect is exactly what hosts Isa and Amanda discuss on this week's can't-miss episode with Sarah, host of the podcast A Little Bit Culty and star of The Vow on HBO (Season 2 streaming now!).To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get 10% off your first OSEA order sitewide with code CULT at OSEAMalibu.comVisit ritual.com/CULT to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.Sounds like a Cult is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Allegations of right-wing dogma, unquestioned power dynamics, charismatic leaders, freaky rituals, and physical abuse... are we talking about a serious cult or the Boy Scouts of America? Potato, po-tah-toe? That's the question on the docket this week, as Amanda and Isa dissect this prestigious but potentially sinister after-school organization for all-American boys.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsor, ZocDoc!Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Motherhood is hard, lonely, and exhausting... except, apparently, if you're a momfluencer. Since the mid-2000s, a crop of seemingly perfect, all-knowing mommy goddesses in billowy tunics have emerged on social media—and we can't help but feel that their highly monetizable (often misinformation-ridden) internet presences basically exist to make other moms feel less than. This week, with the help of journalist and real-life mother Sara Petersen, author of the forthcoming book MOMFLUENCED, Isa and Amanda spill the (organic, non-toxic, totally baby-safe) tea about how famous internet moms have become their own kind of 21st Century cult leader.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you so much to our sponsor, Modern Fertility!To receive 50% or more off your first month of therapy, go to modernfertility.com/CULT.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The end of the world... but make it cute and consumerist! "Preppers" are the latest iteration of doomsday survivalists, who band together on social media to talk canning, stockpiling, and first aid, but also multi-million-dollar bunkers in rural New Zealand?? Um, yeah, there are also billionaire preppers, and if the apocalypse weren't coming already, these guys are definitely speeding up the process. This week, Isa and Amanda are unpacking the so-called "doom boom" to judge how cultishly bananas (freeze-dried, obvi) modern-day "prepping" has gotten. To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you so much to our sponsor, Cerebral!To receive 50% or more off your first month of therapy, go to cerebral.com/cult.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices