114 episodes
Sounds Like A Cult Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
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- Comedy
A podcast about the modern-day “cults” we all follow. Each episode asks the culty questions we’re all wondering… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? Sounds Like A Cult, hosted by Amanda Montell, author of Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, analyzes a different zeitgeisty group every week to try and answer the big question: This group sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, how bad is it?
Follow Us:
Podcast Instagram - @soundslikeacultpod
Host Amanda Montell - @amanda_montell (Preorder her new book!)
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The Cult of Stanley Cups
You culties have been THIRSTING after this episode, and it’s finally here! With the help of the piss-your-pants funny duo from the Add to Cart podcast, Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak, host Amanda unpacks the evangelical fanaticism surrounding these objectively not-that-special, too-big-to-fit-in-any-goddamn-cup-holder water vessels, which contain not just the keys to hydration but apparently our very souls. Sit back and *drink it in* as Amanda and guests go in on the accessory-cum-religion that is the Stanley Quencher—from its Mormon momfluencer origin story to its TikTok lore to the ever-present cult of consumerism. Also lol that is water brand is one of this week's sponsors 💀💦 Apparently no one can escape this cult!!!
Order a copy of Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking!
Catch Amanda on tour!!!
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here) new promo price
April 17: Portland, OR — Powell's Books (free, no RSVP needed)
May 1: Atlanta, GA — Wild Heaven – West End with A Cappella Books (tickets here)
Thank you to our sponsors!
Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult.
Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout.
Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. -
The Cult of Manifestation
Host Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality is out TODAY!!! Get your copy wherever you buy books (including audiobooks). The book is about magical overthinking in the Information Age—how our deep-rooted cognitive biases are clashing with contemporary culture to create a new era of delulu. Themes covered in the book include celebrity worship, nostalgia, and today's topic of discussion... the cult of manifestation. This special episode features an exclusive excerpt from Amanda's new audiobook! It's a portion from the chapter titled “I Swear I Manifested This: A Note on Proportionality Bias,” which explores how radical conspiracy theories and New Age ideas of manifestation are actually both motivated by the same psychological quirk, all the while telling the story of a cult-followed online manifestation guru 👽 Turns out, we all have a pinch of conspiracy theorist in us. Tune in to find out how🤞
Get the audiobook here!
Purchase the book in hardback.
Audio excerpt courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio from THE AGE OF MAGICAL OVERTHINKING by Amanda Montell, read by the author. Copyright © 2024 by Amanda Montell. Used with permission of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Catch Amanda on tour this week:April 9: Los Angeles, CA — feat. Pauline Chalamet (tickets here) *few tix left*
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) *promo code: CULTMAGIC*
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here) *new promo price*
May 1: Atlanta, GA — Wild Heaven – West End with A Cappella Books (tickets here) -
The Cult of Homeschooling
Order a copy of Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking!
Get the audiobook.
Order from the big online book retailer with fast shipping 👀 https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1668007975
Catch Amanda on tour!!!April 9: Los Angeles, CA — feat. Pauline Chalamet (tickets here) *less than 5 tix left*
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) Use code CULTMAGIC for 10% off!
April 13: Boston, MA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Meredith Goldstein & Sasha Sagan (tickets here) *less than 5 tix left*
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here) *new promo price*
May 1: Atlanta, GA — Wild Heaven – West End with A Cappella Books (tickets here)
Stereotypes say that homeschool kids are a little, well, ~quirky~ but is that because they grew up in a "cult" of sorts? The American homeschool landscape is currently undergoing an especially fraught *paradigm shift* with upwards of 2 million kids being taught at home as of 2023. This surge is fueled by a range of sociopolitical factors, from the relatable (school shootings are scary!!!!) to the undeniably sinister (ahem, IBLP… ahem, Lord of the Flies-style unschooling practices that overlap with the troubled teen industry???). Homeschooling—with its insular communities, lack of regulation, and sometimes radical approaches to child-rearing—can add up to something eeeeeeeerily reminiscent of a fringey, paranoid sect. To help parse it out what “cult category” homeschooling falls into, Amanda is chatting with her pal (and homeschool *survivor*) Justina Sharp. This is delicate subject matter, and everyone’s experiences are different, so if you’re interested in learning more, be sure to check out the resources below! Thanks to all the culties who called in to share their personal experiences on the topic!
Sources:
Home schooling is surging, but lax regulation can leave kids vulnerable to abuse: https://www.npr.org/2024/01/18/1225324564/home-schooling-is-surging-but-lax-regulation-can-leave-kids-vulnerable-to-abuse
Coalition for Responsible Home Education: https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/
Home schooling’s rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/2023/homeschooling-growth-data-by-district/
‘Unschooling’ Isn’t The Answer To Education Woes—It’s The Problem: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2020/05/25/unschooling-isnt-the-answer-to-education-woes-its-the-problem/?sh=7541bc55543c
Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:
Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
Go to StickerGiant.com/cult and use code CULT at checkout to get 25% off your first order.
Shop the SKIMS T-Shirt Shop at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "podcast" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month.
Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. -
The Cult of Rae Dunn
Catch Sounds Like A Cult host Amanda and this week's guest host Griff on tour together in NYC! Tickets here, discount code: CULT MAGIC
Order the book! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976
Get ready to live, laugh, love, and possibly get into an “aisle fight” over this longgggg overdue episode, featuring the iconic Griff Stark-Ennis from the Petty Crimes podcast! In what may just be our *pettiest* episode ever, Griff joins Amanda to discuss the cultish fanaticism surrounding the pottery brand, Rae Dunn. You know those farmhouse-style mugs and platters found at TJ Maxx and Home Goods, featuring cutesy “handwritten” sayings, like “Squeeze the day” and “Bah humbug?” To a certain breed of consumer, Rae Dunn has animorphed into not just a quaint kitchenware brand but a full-blown lifestyle worth making major sacrifices for. In other words, a cult!!! Unsure how the hell that’s possible? Tune in to find out… and don’t miss your chance to see Amanda, Griff, and his fellow host Ceara live on tour together this April! Tickets to events in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Boston, Philly, and Boston are below :)
April 9: Los Angeles, CA — feat. Pauline Chalamet (tickets here)
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) Use code CULTMAGIC for a 10% discount!!
April 13: Boston, MA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Meredith Goldstein & Sasha Sagan (tickets here)
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here)
May 1: Atlanta, GA — Wild Heaven – West End with A Cappella Books (tickets here)
Thank you to our sponsors 333
Head to FACTORMEALS.com/CULT50 and use code CULT50 to get 50% off.
Shop SKIMS Bras at SKIMS.com. After you place your order, select "podcast" in the survey and select our show in the dropdown menu that follows.
Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month. -
The Cult of Cruise Ships
Come party with Amanda on tour!!!
April 9: Los Angeles, CA — feat. Pauline Chalamet (tickets here)
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) Use code CULTMAGIC for a 10% discount!!
April 13: Boston, MA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Meredith Goldstein & Sasha Sagan (tickets here)
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — EXCLUSIVE VARIETY SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here)
Ahoy, and welcome to our first ever "Interview a Listener" episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!! Could you imagine a more tantalizing subject for this week's ~dive deep~ than this gazillion-dollar industry of floating compounds where the lines between leisure and obsession blur worse than a Carnival cruiser's vision after 12 "free" Mai Tais?? Joining the pod as Amanda's guest host is Sounds Like A Cult devotee/former long-time cruise ship employee (she's fine) Emmy McGreeghan, who went positively overboard as she divulged the culty consumerism, hierarchies, exploitation, hedonistic lawlessness, and psychological tricks cruise companies use on their acolytes to turn a simple holiday into an almost religious experience. I mean, has anyone heard of the NINE MONTH CRUISE??? So much to discuss—hope you enjoy (and possibly rethink your next floating vacation).
To order a copy of Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here :) For book BTS, news about Amanda's forthcoming Magical Overthinkers podcast, and more, consider subscribing to her newsletter!
Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell
Thank you to our sponsors!
Go to HelixSleep.com/CULT and use code HELIXPARTNER20 for 20% off all mattress orders AND two free pillows.
Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch, go to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
Head to FACTORMEALS.com/CULT50 and use code CULT50 to get 50% off.
Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult. -
The Cult of Munchausen by Proxy
It's a cult of one dynamic almost too frightful for this show. When your very own caregiver poisons, manipulates, exploits, and lies to you for personal gain... it's the cult of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, a nightmare phenomenon made internationally famous by the notorious (iconic?) Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a victim of child medical abuse, who played a role in the murder of her cult leader of one, aka, her very own mother. To explore the many culty angles of this week's unique subject, host Amanda is joined by novelist and investigative podcaster Andrea Dunlop, whose show Nobody Should Believe Me was inspired by her very close personal connection to the "cult" of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. Stick around for the verdict—we're fascinated to know if you agree!
Get your tickets now to The Big Magical Cult Show—dates and ticket links below!
April 9: Los Angeles, CA — feat. Pauline Chalamet (tickets here)
April 12: Brooklyn, NY — THE BIG MAGICAL CULT SHOW feat. Ceara & Griff from Petty Crimes (tickets here) Use code CULTMAGIC for a 10% discount!!
April 13: Boston, MA — THE BIG MAGICAL CULT SHOW feat. Sasha Sagan (tickets here)
April 15: Washington DC — Solid State Books (tickets here)
April 16: Philadelphia, PA — THE BIG MAGICAL CULT SHOW feat. Kelsey McKinney from Normal Gossip (tickets here)
April 17: Portland, OR — in conversation with Chelsea Bieker (free, no ticket needed)
To order a copy of Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here :)
For podcast updates and more, consider subscribing to her newsletter!
Follow @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell
Thank you to our sponsors!
Go to StickerGiant.com/cult and use code CULT at checkout to get 25% off your first order.
Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult.