Sounds Like A Cult

One of our fav episodes to date tbh. The promises include acceptance, stability, and fertility, but the reality = rigidity, conformity, and oftentimes outright shunning. Thinking about heterosexual culture as a "cult" might seem far out at first, but teasing it out with comedian Ashley Gavin, whose hilarious comedy special is viewable April 23 on YouTube, Isa and Amanda unpack sooooo much culty oppression that comes with our society's narrow standards for sexual expression (and also how the insidious "cult" of hetersexuality empowers some of the most f*cked religious cults of all time)!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!Visit article.com/CULT for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.Visit AURA.com/CULT for a 14 day free trial.Go to DAILYHARVEST.com/cult to get up to $65 dollars off your first box! Get 20% off your first order of $40 or more at NextEvo.com/podcast and use promo code cult.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time to dynamically synergize mission-critical alignments. Let's go ahead and fungibly communicate client-centric potentialities. If you can even half-way understand either of these sentences, then you might be a member of this week's "cult": Corporate America. With the help of special guest, Jamie Jackson of the cult-followed @humorous_resources Instagram account, Amanda and Isa are picking apart corporate culture's hyper-controlled rules, rituals, and hierarchies to tease out if this "leading-edge, credibly cultivated, turnkey market" is a life-ruiner or not.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.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

Fame, wealth, fraud, backstabbing, plastic surgery, hidden power hierarchies... are we talking about one of reality television's most successful franchises or a full-blown cult??? Host of the Reality Life podcast Kate Casey, an unscripted TV connoisseur who's been analyzing The Real Housewives for years, joins Isa and Amanda this week to unpack the inner workings and potential damage of this notoriously clique-y "cult."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 Liquid Death apparel purchase available exclusively at LiquidDeath.com/CULT.Get $20 off your fertility test when you go to ModernFertility.com/CULT.Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month.Download SmartNews for free today in the app store to get the news that matters most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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