Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation — Podcast Ad Analysis
7 episodes analyzed
3 min ads · 4% of episode is ads
6.1 ads/episode
Top sponsors: Credits and outro, Psychology of Your 20s podcast ad, Dear Chelsea podcast ad (repeat), Promo - Psychology of Your 20s podcast, Gaten Matarazzo/Dear Chelsea continued
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.
PodSkip has analyzed 7 episodes of Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation, averaging 6.1 ads per episode (4% of runtime).
Sarah Edmondson, Part 1 - Joining NXIVM, Meeting Keith Raniere, and Moving Up the Ranks
May 20, 2026
This week is part 1 with, at long last, Sarah Edmondson, NXIVM survivor, author, and host of A Little Bit Culty, a podcast and now book, co-hosted and authored with her husband, Nippy Ames. She’ll…
Nomzia Bistline, Part 2 - Raided by the FBI, Life in Prison, and Breaking Free From Sam Bateman
May 13, 2026
In part 2 with Nomzia aka Nomz Bistline, from Netflix’s docuseries Trust Me: The False Prophet (with Lola’s mom), Nomz shares what it was like getting raided by the FBI, how she felt about Lola’s mom…
10 ads · 10 min · 0% ads
Nomzia Bistline, Part 1 - The False Prophet: Growing Up FLDS & Marrying Sam Bateman
May 06, 2026
This week is part one with Nomzia “Nomz” Bistline, from the Netflix docuseries Trust Me: The False Prophet (with Lola’s mom, Christine!). Nomz joins the girls to talk about what it was like growing…
1 ads · 1 min · 0% ads
Lyndsey Burr - Producing America’s Next Top Model
Apr 29, 2026
Lyndsey Burr, longtime reality television producer who worked on America’s Next Top Model for years, joins the girls to talk about her experiences working on the now-controversial hit show. She talks…
1 ads · 1 min · 0% ads
Matthew Remski, Part 2 - Cult Hopping, Disillusionment, and Root Causes of Cults
Apr 22, 2026
In part two with Matthew Remski (author and host of the Conspirituality podcast), Matthew shares how he cult hopped from his first guru to his second, the moment that disillusioned him, and the…
8 ads · 7 min · 0% ads
Matthew Remski, Part 1 - Seizures, Spirituality, & the First Charismatic Guru
Apr 15, 2026
This week’s guest is Matthew Remski, author and host of the Conspirituality podcast. In part one, he talks about his own personal experiences with gurus and cultic dynamics, and what led him to the…
2 ads · 0 min · 0% ads
Harrison Hill - The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps
Apr 08, 2026
Author Harrison Hill joins the girls to discuss his new book The Oracle’s Daughter , which follows the rise and fall of a small cult called the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps. He…
Celeste Gross - Growing Up in the Children of God
Apr 01, 2026
Celeste Gross joins the girls to talk about her experiences growing up in the Children of God - aka the Family - along with her many siblings. She explains how her parents joined when it still just…
Dan Olson, Part 2 - Charismatic Leaders and the Cult of Crypto
Mar 25, 2026
This week, Dan Olson, creator and host of YouTube channel Folding Ideas, returns to continue the conversation on cryptocurrency and NFTs. They discuss how these bubbles are driven primarily by…
Dan Olson, Part 1 - Crypto, NFTs, and Tech’s War on Doubt
Mar 18, 2026
This week, Dan Olson of the YouTube channel Folding Ideas joins the show for a deep dive into crypto, NFTs, and why so many of these spaces start to feel less like finance and more like belief…
Liz Cameron, Part 2 - Christ is on Earth, He’s in Prison, and You’re His Bride
Mar 11, 2026
This week is part two with Liz Cameron, author of Cult Bride and survivor of Korean religious group Jesus Morning Star, also known as JMS. Last week she discussed the slow process of indoctrination…
Liz Cameron, Part 1 - Jesus Morning Star aka JMS: A Bookstore, a Bible Study Group, and a Prophet on Earth
Mar 04, 2026
This week is part one with Liz Cameron, survivor of South Korean religious sect Jesus Morning Star (aka JMS, aka Providence), and author of Cult Bride: How I Was Brainwashed – and How I Broke Free…
Martina Castro, Part 2 - Allegations, Disappearances, and the Crumbling Cult of John of God
Feb 25, 2026
This week we’re back with Martina Castro, creator of new Exactly Right podcast Two Faced: John of God, a series about John of God, the famous Brazilian “healer” and “psychic surgeon.” Last week she…
Martina Castro, Part 1 - Psychic Surgeries & John of God's Spiritual Celebrity
Feb 18, 2026
This week’s guest is Martina Castro, creator of podcast Two Faced: John of God, Exactly Right’s new podcast series about John of God, the Brazilian self-proclaimed healer and “psychic surgeon.” In…
Parvati Shallow - From Surviving a Cult to Winning Survivor
Feb 11, 2026
This week, the show is joined by Parvati Shallow, two-time Survivor winner, current cast member on The Traitors, and author of Nice Girls Don’t Win: How I Burned it All Down to Claim My Power…
Jenny Eliscu - Conservatorships & Freeing Britney Spears
Feb 04, 2026
This week’s guest is Jenny Eliscu, journalist, radio host, and producer on Britney vs. Spears, which covered Britney Spears’ infamous conservatorship. She explains how Britney’s struggles in 2008…
Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam
Jan 28, 2026
In part 2 with podcaster & writer Jonathan Hirsch (creator of podcasts like Dear Franklin Jones), Lola & Meagan discuss life in the cult of Franklin Jones, aka Adi Da. They discuss the dramatic…
Jonathan Hirsch, Part 1 - A Guru, a Compound, and the Cult of Adi Da
Jan 21, 2026
This week’s guest is Jonathan Hirsch, podcaster, producer, and author who grew up in Adidam, a cult led by new age guru Franklin Jones - also known as Adi Da. In this week’s episode, Jonathan…
David Farrier - Conspiracies, Cults, and Investigating Arise Church
Jan 14, 2026
This week, Trust Me is joined by David Farrier, journalist and filmmaker known for documentaries like Tickled and Netflix series Dark Tourist. He shares about his work studying strange subcultures…
Jess Rothschild - SoulCycle and the Cult of Spinning
Jan 07, 2026
This week’s guest is Jess Rothschild, creator of documentary podcast "Cult of Body & Soul," which dives into the history of cult fitness brand Soulcycle. She explains the spinning company's origins…
REWIND: Elana Auerbach - OneTaste (aka the Orgasm Cult)
Dec 31, 2025
Episode 19: Lola Blanc & Meagan Elizabeth interview Elana Auerbach, former follower of sexual wellness company OneTaste--elsewhere deemed the Orgasm Cult--in its early years. Elana discusses being…
REWIND: Felicia Rosario and Daniel Levin - Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
Dec 24, 2025
Survivor's of Larry Ray's sex cult Felicia and Daniel discuss how they came to meet Larry, how he leveraged his memory and connections to craft an image of authority, how Larry gained control of…
Theo Pratt - Blue Dresses, Smacking Ladies, and an Isolated Compound: Surviving Gloriavale
Dec 17, 2025
This week’s guest is Theo Pratt, survivor of Gloriavale, an isolated Christian cult hidden deep in rural New Zealand, and author of Unveiled: A Story of Surviving Gloriavale. She’ll talk about being…
Renee DiResta - Part 2: Pseudo-Events, More on Disinformation, and Telling Fact From Fiction
Dec 10, 2025
Renee DiResta, professor and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, joins the show again to dive deeper into disinformation, propaganda, and "pseudo-events," or…
Renee DiResta - Part 1: Propaganda, Disinformation, and Bespoke Realities
Dec 03, 2025
This week’s guest is Renee DiResta, professor, and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. In part one this week, she talks to Lola and Meagan about propaganda…
Mike & Abbi Prussack – Part 2: Predators in Power, Institutional Denial, and the Fight to Expose It
Nov 19, 2025
This week, Lola and Meagan continue their conversation with Mike and Abbi Prussack, former members of Meagan’s childhood church, the 2x2s. In part 2, they walk the girls through the abuse crisis that…
Mike & Abbi Prussack - Part 1: A Church with No Name, Isolated Childhoods, and Doomsday Fear
Nov 12, 2025
This week, Lola and Meagan talk with Mike and Abbi Prussack, former members of Meagan’s childhood church, the 2x2s, also known as The Truth or The Way. The couple, who now help moderate the Ex-2x2…
Tim Squirrell - Incels, Redpill, and the Manosphere
Nov 05, 2025
This week, researcher Tim Squirrel joins Lola & Meagan to break down the manosphere: incels, redpill, MGTOW, and the differences between some of the misogynistic subcultures in the online world of…
Sarma Melngailis - Part 2: Isolation, Deeper into the Scam, & Getting Arrested
Oct 29, 2025
In part 2, Sarma Melngailis, subject of the docuseries Bad Vegan and author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, tells Lola & Meagan how Mr. Fox consumed her time, overwhelmed her with information, and…
Sarma Melngailis - Part 1: Bad Vegan, Meeting Mr. Fox, and Early Red Flags
Oct 22, 2025
In part 1 with guest Sarma Melngailis, subject of the docuseries Bad Vegan and author of The Girl with the Duck Tattoo, Sarma shares about her life as the owner of a successful vegan restaurant in…