Sounds Like A Cult

Latest Episodes:

The Cult of K-Pop Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

We have NEVER had such a hard time finding a guest brave enough to appear on the show than we did for the week's episode on the flashy, fanatical, downright culty (sorry!!!) world of K-Pop. Thank goddess that Lai Frances, music reporter and expert in the "cult" at hand, was down to come have both a chuckle and a legitimately analytical discush about the pros and cons of this "cult-followed" music genre, which is of course so much more than that... it's a lifestyle, an identity, a bazillion-dollar cash cow, a life-consuming cult? Listen to us chat about the intense training K-Pop idols go through, their hardcore "sasaeng fans," and more to find out... K-Pop sounds like a cult, but is it really??

To order a copy of Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) For book BTS, news about her forthcoming Magical Overthinkers podcast, and more, consider subscribing to her newsletter!

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

Thanks to our sponsors!

SKIMS Bras are now available at SKIMS.com.
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.
Visit betterhelp.com/cult to get 10% off your first month.

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The Cult of Chiropractors Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Sorry in advance for all the crack vs. quack wordplay coming in this week's episode, which we already know will push some buttons! Obviously #notallchiropractors, but it’s definitely scary how this industry of psuedo-doctors is entrenched in a cultural history of New Age scammers and conspiracy theorists with Jesus complexes, including dudes who believed they could talk to the dead and heal all that ails you with their bare hands. Joining us is professional chiropractor/mole/part-time critic of his controversial profession, Trevor Zierke, here to help us figure out what level of “cult” the wild world of chiros really is.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

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The Cult of the CIA Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

A clandestine society aimed at indoctrinating a fleet of nationalist spies with an extensive entrance process, aliases, secretive language, isolation from the outside world, and no clear exit strategy... sounds like a cult, but it’s actually America’s most prized federal agency, the CIA. This week, former CIA intelligence analyst Christina Hillsberg joins the pod, fulfilling all our Carrie Mathison fantasies with a tell-all interview about how the CIA is high-key just like a fringey religious sect!!! We hope you delight in this dishy, hilarious (and sometime deeply uncomfortable) convo as much as we did.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) For book BTS, news about her forthcoming Magical Overthinkers podcast, and more, consider subscribing to her newsletter!

Thank you to our sponsors:

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.

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The Cult of Amazon Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Welcome baaaAAAAaaaAAaack, culties!! Time to *ascend* to the 2024 era of Sounds Like A Cult 👽 Kicking off with a damn bang—the most colossal cult we’ve ever covered (as in ~1.5 million employees and 310 million users colossal). It's the multi-pronged monster of convenience, which spares no one, no matter the cost… you guessed it, Amazon. Duh, we know, Amazon is a cult—from its notorious treatment of factory workers to its uncanny world-domination energy to its “never leave us” messaging, it’s obvious. But is Amazon a LYL, a WYB, or a GTFO-level cult? And is the verdict the same for both employees and consumers? To unpack this gazillion-dollar organization (religion?) from the inside, please welcome special guest Kristi Coulter, an ex-Amazonian who spent 12 years in the cult… I mean, *company*… before defecting to write her new tell-all memoir, Exit Interview. It’s one of our juiciest conversations in SLAC history and we hope you enjoy it!! Thanks to all the listeners who leant their voice messages to this episode.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) For news about her forthcoming Magical Overthinkers podcast, consider subscribing to her newsletter!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Go to HelixSleep.com/CULT and use code HELIXPARTNER20 for 20% off all mattress orders AND two free pillows.
Ibotta is offering $5 just for trying the app by using the code CULT when you register in the App Store or Google Play store.
SKIMS Bras are now available at SKIMS.com.
Visit betterhelp.com/cult to get 10% off your first month.

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The Cult of High Fashion Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking, but you know what is? Today’s brain-tingling interview with possibly the single best speaking voice in podcasting, Avery Trufelman, friend of the pod and host of the critically acclaimed fashion series Articles of Interest. Avery joins our season finale episode for a discush about the “cult” of the haute couture industry, from its elitism and exclusivity to its bonkers sense of conspiracy that (spoiler!!) affects us all, whether we realize it or not. Let’s just say if you’ve ever felt stressed about what pants are cool anymore, you are definitely in this cult!!! Stick to the end for our culty verdict and to hear a brief announcement about next season.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @isaamedinaa

To stay up to date on Isa’s future projects, click here!

Thank you to our sponsors:

SKIMS Holiday Gift Shop is now open at SKIMS.com. Get free shipping on orders over seventy five dollars.
Go to betterhelp.com/cult to get 10% off your first month.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cult of Reality TV Families Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

Wowowow, today’s episode featuring Jill and Derick Dillard (whom you might recognize from TLC’s 19 Kids & Counting!!) has been a looooong time coming. Imagine this: You’re born into a family that’s already a little ~abnormal~ because your parents are polygamists or you have 200 siblings or whatever, then a reality television network comes knocking with promises of money and glory, slaps your whole clan of loved ones into a giant pair of golden handcuffs, a bunch of exploitation ensues, and one day you wake up and realize you’ve spent your childhood in an insane f*cking cult??? The “cult” of reality TV families is today’s subject of discussion, and what a juicy convo it was. Of all the reality TV family shows, which do YOU think is the cultiest??

Click here to check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking.

Copies of her last book Cultish can be found here (and make a lovely holiday gift!).

Stay tuned for news about Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast here.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Head to Microdose.com and use code: CULT to get free shipping & 30% off your first order.

Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT.

This episode reflects solely the opinions and work of Amanda and special guests.

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The Cult of Reddit Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Sounds Like A Cult has covered doomsday cults, political cults, religious cults ... and this week is where they all join forces – on the much requested: Cult of Reddit! Notorious for forming some of the most niche yet largely endorsed group-thinks on the internet, and even powerful enough to take down institutional pillars…is the Cult of Reddit a Live Your Life, Watch Your Back or a Get the Fuck Out Level Cult? This week, Isa welcomes friend, writer and soon-to-be co-host of their new podcast, Lydia Keating, to discuss the good, the bad and the rabbit whole that is The Cult of Reddit.

Head to Host Isa Medina's IG or website to learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024! Or to tell her where to perform stand up next!

Thank you to our sponsor:

SKIMS Holiday Gift Shop is now open at SKIMS.com. Get free shipping on orders over seventy five dollars.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Cult of A.I. Nov 21, 2023

Show notes

ChatGPT could never!!! Over the past year or so, A.I. buzz has obviously risen to cult status, but if you think about it, all this apocalyptic talk of robots rising up and taking over the world lowkey makes us all sound like $ci3nt0l0gists. Is A.I. the newest SciFi cult? And if so, how apocalyptic is it?? To help figure that out, internet reporter Kate Lindsay joins the pod for a thought-provoking discush that's less about the technology itself and more about our cultlike attitudes toward A.I. Which cult category do youuuu think it falls into? Only time will reveal the answer 👽

To check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here!

The Magical Overthinkers newsletter can be found here.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod

This episode reflects solely the opinions and work of Amanda and special guests.

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The Cult of Podcasting Nov 14, 2023

Show notes

iF yOuRe rEaDiNg thiS yOuRe iN tHe CuLt o.0 This week we are covering the most meta cult yet and one that we are all most definitely a part of: The Cult of Podcasting. From the para-social relationships and us vs them mentality to the larger cult of the podcasting inDusTry – Isa and very special guest, Co-Host of That’s Messed Up, An SVU Podcast from Exactly Right, Kara Klenk, discuss all things Cult of Podcasting. But what do you think? Is it a Live Your Life, a Watch Your Back, or a Get The Fuck Out Level Cult?

Head to Host Isa Medina's IG or website to tell her where to perform stand up, keep up with her work and learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult
SKIMS Holiday Gift Shop is now open at SKIMS.com. Get free shipping on orders over seventy five dollars.
For Green Chef’s best deal of the year, get $250 off with code cult250 at GreenChef.com/cult250
Hatch is offering our listeners $20 off your purchase of a Hatch Restore 2 and free shipping at hatch.co/cult. But right now, they are matching their Black Friday - Cyber Monday onsite sale so you can get $40 off and free shipping using my link - hatch.co/cult

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The Cult of Taylor Swift, Part 2 Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

It’s me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me, here with an update to one of our most-streamed episodes of all time, the cult of exalted idol bestie goddess mother queen angel (no, that’s not pandering to the standom! They're not intimidating at all!), Taylor Swift. Somehow, the pop icon’s “cult” has only exploded in size and religiosity since our last discussion, which was uploaded right as Midnights was dropping, pre-Eras Tour. Needless to say, there’s a lotttttt to catch up on. Whether you stan Taylor til the death or truly do not get what all the fuss is about, we hope you enjoy this part 2!!

To check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here!

Head to Isa Medina's IG or website to tell her where to perform stand up, keep up with her work and learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024.

The Magical Overthinkers newsletter can be found here.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod

I was never good at telling jokes but the punchline goes: If Taylor told her Swifties to kill a man, they would. They would kill a man for Taylor, because her music means *that* much to them. But the "cult" of country-pop sensation Taylor Swift is not just about the music. It's about the Swiftie community, the rituals, the beliefs, the aesthetic, and (of course) Taylor's cult of personality. This extreme fandom definitely seems classically culty, but is it dangerous just because it's fanatical? That's the question on Amanda and Isa's agenda today, and they've solicited pop culture connoisseur Jill Gutowitz, author of the essay collection GIRLS CAN KISS NOW, to help them figure it out.

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