Sounds Like A Cult By cover art

Sounds Like A Cult

By: Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
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  • Summary

  • 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!)
    2024 Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
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Episodes
  • The Cult of Stanley Cups

    The Cult of Stanley Cups
    Apr 16 2024

    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.
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    56 mins
  • The Cult of Manifestation

    The Cult of Manifestation
    Apr 9 2024

    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)
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    51 mins
  • The Cult of Homeschooling

    The Cult of Homeschooling
    Apr 2 2024
    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.
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    1 hr and 17 mins
Social Sciences Comedy & Humor
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Featured Article: Delve into the Darker Side of Human Nature with the 15 Best Podcasts About Cults


Cults are fascinating. There’s something curiosity-inducing about stories of ordinary people who get wrapped up in groupthink that quickly veers into dangerous territory. Part of the appeal is because we think it could never happen to us, even though we suspect, deep down, that it absolutely could. These listens explore the nature of cults, the figures who lead them, and the followers who have been lured into their orbits.

Featured Article Delve into the Darker Side of Human Nature with the 15 Best Podcasts About Cults

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Fun/Funny/insightful

I think they’re funny and insightful. The way they discuss language and culture reminds me of smoke circles in college lol literally talking about everything under the sun and how it all connects

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Very ‘not like other girls’

Interesting premise, but dear sweet baby Jesus in heaven above the level of obnoxious, quirky, NLOGs these two hosts are at is just… superior. Damn. After a single episode my face was hurting from all the cringing.

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  • 01-03-23

Gossip Without Substance

This is a witty and humorous Podcast, but it lacks substance. Although they choose interesting topics, they throw around the word “cult” with recklessness and abandon. Listen for yourself (and pay attention to how frequently they contradict themselves within each episode). The result amounts to less news and analysis than you’d get, for example, from Entertainment Tonight.

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1 person found this helpful