Sounds Like A Cult  By  cover art

Sounds Like A Cult

By: Amanda Montell & Isa Medina
  • 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 Monogamy
    Jul 2 2024

    Catch Sounds Like A Cult host Amanda Montell, Theydy Bedbug, Rara Darling, and other special guests on tour in Chicago & Minneapolis!!!

    July 13: Minneapolis, MN — The Big Magical Cult Show at Cedar Cultural Center (buy tickets here!)

    July 14: Chicago, IL — The Big Magical Cult Show at the DEN (buy tickets here!) DATE & VENUE CHANGE

    July 29: Seattle, WA — The Age of Magical Overthinking book event at Elliott Bay Book Company (free!)

    To subscribe to Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast and listen to (or watch!) the rest of today's episode on monogamy, click here :)

    If we can love our children and friends separately but equally, why not our romantic partners? Such is one of the many compelling thought exercises in favor of polyamory, a relationship structure that is by no means new, but has experienced an explosive recent surge in popular media—everywhere from New Yorker thinkpieces to Succession plot lines to reality shows like Couple to Throuple. Some questions, though: Is polyamory really more "natural" than monogamy? Why do some people make being "poly" their whole personality? Who even has time for multiple partners? (And is it prude to ask such things???). This week's episode is actually a feed drop from the Magical Overthinkers podcast (because host Amanda is *not* a podcasting monogamist ), featuring the brilliant philosopher and host of the Overthink podcast, Dr. Ellie Anderson. Listen for a sparkling discussion of romance, jealousy, history, and media, and consider subscribing to Magical Overthinkers wherever you get your pods!

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell @theydy.bedbug @mxraradarling

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    52 mins
  • The Cult of Teachers
    Jun 25 2024

    Catch Amanda on tour with The Big Magical Cult Show in Chicago & Minneapolis this July!

    July 13: Minneapolis, MN — The Big Magical Cult Show at Cedar Cultural Center (buy tickets here!)

    July 14: Chicago, IL — The Big Magical Cult Show at the DEN (buy tickets here!) **DATE & VENUE CHANGE**

    Class is in session and boy oh boy is it perturbing. Teaching is not just a profession, it's a calling to shape young hearts and minds—one that looks all wholesome on the outside, but once you're lured in, actually comes with labor exploitation, emotional manipulation, weird power dynamics created by the tenure system, and other sinister qualities that high-key resemble a cult. The cult of teaching is perhaps our single most passionate and consistent listener request in Sounds Like A Cult history, and to help us bring it to life, we're doing another "Interview A Listener" episode, featuring current New Jersey public school teacher, Charlyn Magat. Today's topic is of course massive and complex, and this conversation is just a small piece of it, informed by Charlyn's individual experience. We'd love to continue exploring the topic further, including potential episodes about the cults of Teach for America, boarding school, etc.!

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) To subscribe to her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    • 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.
    • Get 20% off your first order of Liquid I.V. when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code CULT at checkout
    • Earn points by paying rent right now when you go to joinbilt.com/cult.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • The Cult of Family Vloggers
    Jun 18 2024

    Catch Amanda back on tour this summer in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle!!

    July 13: Minneapolis, MN — The Big Magical Cult Show at Cedar Cultural Center (buy tickets here!)

    July 14: Chicago, IL — The Big Magical Cult Show at the DEN (buy tickets here!) **DATE & VENUE CHANGE**

    July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA (free!)

    Imagine you’re a little kid and your parents are actually your bosses. Now imagine that, as your professional superiors, your parents' job is to engineer and exploit every single precious moment of your childhood for millions of people on the internet to behold, all in exchange for clicks, comments, and ad dollars. Sometimes they prank you, embarrass you, and/or produce a whole ‘nother sibling purely as a career move. Now imagine if your parents manage to figure out at some point that this dynamic is power abusive and manipulative, and they decide to stop sharing your face with the world, scads of strangers who’ve gotten parasocially attached to you since before you were born start flipping the f*** out. Such is the uncanny experience of a kid born into the cult of family vloggers, this week’s culty a$$ subject, featuring journalist Fortesa Latifi, who is currently writing a book about parenthood and content creation.

    Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod @amanda_montell

    To order Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, click here :) To subscribe to her new Magical Overthinkers podcast click here!

    Thank you to our sponsors, who make this show possible:

    • Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month.
    • Dipsea is offering an extended 30-day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult.
    • Go to the App Store or Google Play store and download the FREE Ibotta app to start earning cash back and use code CULT.
    • Go to stopscooping.com/SLAC and enter promocode SLAC to save an EXTRA $50 on any Litter-Robot bundle.
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    58 mins

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.

What listeners say about Sounds Like A Cult

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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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    2 out of 5 stars
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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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  • B
  • 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