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Sounds Like A Cult

Sounds Like A Cult

By: Studio71
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About this listen

 Putting the “cult” in culture… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about the Royal Family? What about Disney Adults? Or spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? We’re Sounds Like A Cult, an iHeart Radio Award-winning podcast that analyzes a different fanatical group every week to try and answer the big question: This ~sounds~ like a cult, but is it really? Created and hosted by New York Times-bestselling author Amanda Montell, co-hosted and produced by Chelsea Charles and Reese Oliver. For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com We want to make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4 Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy 2025 Amanda Montell & Studio71 301568 Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • The Cult of Plant Parents

    The Cult of Plant Parents
    May 13 2025
    Although the thumbs typing this are decidedly *not* green, this week’s exploration has been nurtured into fruition with love just for our botanically inclined culties. Whether you spent quarantine scrolling through other people’s nurseries on #planstagram until your eyes glazed over green, or nobly undertook the task of cultivating an amateur jungle of your own leafy companions, in recent years it seems harder than ever to resist the allure of one of mankind’s oldest cohabitants: houseplants! But is the plant mommy life really the uber-zen, ultra-grounded, self-care-queen hobby we’ve been looking for, or just another tool of the algorithm to thwart the ~growth~ of our time, money, and IRL HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS?!? Melodramatic? At SLAC? Never! Here to help Reese and Amanda plant the seeds of healthy skepticism into this seemingly wholesome pastime is arbiter of plant wisdom in both audio and print format Maria Failla of Growing Joy with Plants (@growingjoywithmaria)! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! This year, skip breaking a sweat AND breaking the bank. Get your summer savings and shop premium wireless plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/cult Find exactly what you’re booking for on ⁠https://Booking.com⁠, Booking.YEAH! Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/CULT to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Head to ⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠ to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the Los Angeles Fires. Some organizations that Team SLAC are donating to are: https://mutualaidla.org/ https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134/#!/donation/checkout https://shorturl.at/SGW9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • The Cult of Mark Zuckerberg

    The Cult of Mark Zuckerberg
    May 6 2025
    What happens when a Harvard dropout builds a global empire on the idea of connection... and then becomes one of the most emotionally disconnected figures in tech? This week, Amanda and Chelsea are joined by Robert Evans of Behind the Bastards (@bastardspod) to unpack the cult-like control of Mark Zuckerberg, the boy wonder turned code-powered control freak. From the chaos of Facemash to the calculated calm of Meta, we trace the evolution of Zuckerbergs’s leadership style and how his obsession with efficiency, rating systems, and surveillance shaped one of the most influential companies in the world. We’ll explore employee testimonies, bizarre office rituals, and the cognitive dissonance of a CEO preaching human connection while undermining it at every turn. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Find exactly what you’re booking for on https://Booking.com, Booking.YEAH! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT No matter how you say it, don’t overpay for it. Shop data plans at www.MINTMOBILE.com/CULT. Please consider donating to those affected by the Los Angeles Fires. Some organizations that Team SLAC are donating to are: https://mutualaidla.org/ https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134/#!/donation/checkout https://shorturl.at/SGW9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • The Cult of Ikea

    The Cult of Ikea
    Apr 29 2025
    hej! don’t forget to grab a blue bag upon stepping off the escalator, you’ll need it for the culty keepsakes you collect throughout this week’s no-assembly-required episode. a longtime staple for those in ~transitory~ periods in life (college students, recent singles, the elderly), Ingvar Kamprad’s furniture emporium turned community gathering hub and meatball mecca known simply as *cue the heavenly choir* IKEA has captivated the living rooms, tastebuds, and wallets of countless shoppers worldwide since 1943. Whether it was an outing for a reliable Kallax shelf, a trendy set of Alex drawers, or a classic Pöang chair you truly never forget your Ikea indoctrination. Getting lost in everyone’s fav iconic maze-like showroom with Amanda and Reese today is Morgan Absher (⁠@morgsyabsher⁠) of Two Hot Takes (⁠@twohottakes⁠)! Cozy up with a complimentary hot drink (exclusively for Family Members of course) and get ready to delve into the shockingly culty world of IKEA. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT Find exactly what you’re booking for on https://Booking.com, Booking.YEAH! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CULT Please consider donating to those affected by the Los Angeles Fires. Some organizations that Team SLAC are donating to are: https://mutualaidla.org/ https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134/#!/donation/checkout https://shorturl.at/SGW9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 12 mins
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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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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

Fun/Funny/insightful

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Kinda just that’s. B hut Io I in Mimi th DC idk what else to put and for what everj reason there is a word minimum so im just yapping at this pointless thing thing Ty

Stuff is cooling I fed my fort the thennhugly y. M. Uh n v nuggetyc cute yyyv chicks

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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.

Gossip Without Substance

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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.

Very ‘not like other girls’

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