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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, Reese Oliver, and Iman Hariri Kia. 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 2026 Amanda Montell & Studio71 Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • The Cult of OneTaste

    The Cult of OneTaste
    Mar 24 2026
    This week, Amanda and Chelsea dive into the cult of OneTaste, the controversial wellness company that built an empire around “orgasmic meditation.” To help break this one down, they’re joined by journalist Ellen Huet (@ehuet), whose reporting pulled back the curtain on the organization’s rise from buzzy Silicon Valley sex startup to full blown scandal that involved allegations of coercion, manipulation, and high control group dynamics. They unpack how OneTaste marketed intimacy as enlightenment and why so many got pulled into its orgasmic orbit. Is this a groundbreaking sexual wellness movement… or a textbook case of culty self help? Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia. Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE at The Bell House in New York on April 21st! Tickets at amandamontell.com/events Thank you to our sponsors! To Save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain, Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT Head to https://acorns.com/CULT or download the Acorns app to get started. Head to https://factormeals.com/cult50off and use code cult50off to get 50% off and free breakfast for a year! Learn more and join Function using my link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/CULT or use gift code CULT25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
  • The Cult of Fanfiction

    The Cult of Fanfiction
    Mar 17 2026
    Long before publishing executives "discovered" the internet, a very dedicated group of fans had already built their own literary universe complete with sacred terminology, power hierarchies, and enough drama to make the actual source material blush. This week, Reese and Iman sit down with the iconic Christina Lauren duo, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (@christinalauren), to dissect fanfiction's glow-up from AO3 comment sections to genuine big business. We're getting into the culty dialect (slash, ship AU, canon, OTP), the plagiarism scandals, the parasocial power trips, and the Fifty Shades pipeline that proved E.L. James wasn't the only one who could monetize her Twilight feelings. Press play, culties, your kudos await. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia. Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE at The Bell House in New York on April 21st! Tickets at amandamontell.com/events Thank you to our sponsors! Join the loyalty program for renters at https://joinbilt.com/cult Take 20% off your first purchase with code CULT at https://LIQUIDIV.COM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The Cult of The Manosphere

    The Cult of The Manosphere
    Mar 10 2026
    Have you been an unlucky ear victim of the phrase, “male loneliness epidemic”? Have you had the misfortune of interacting with a black-pilled, looksmaxxing sigma at the peak grindset mentality? Does all of this sound like terrible, confusing babble, that reels your attention in the way a car crash makes you rubberneck? Put your hazmat suits on, culties. It’s about to get scary. This week, Amanda and Reese are daring to visit one of the slimiest, murkiest, cultiest cults we’ve covered to date. The festering societal wound that is the Manosphere is a cult that has heretofore creeped us out enough to keep us at bay, but where and when cultish duty calls, we simply must answer and get the 411 for ourselves. Luckily, we aren’t alone; joining Amanda and Reese in this treacherous trek are the sensational congressional candidate for IL-9, Kat Abughazaleh (@kabughazaleh), and the effervescent author of “For the Love of Men” and host of Boy Problems, Liz Plank (@feministabulous). Come along as we try to figure out wtf and why tf the manosphere is, who’s at the helm of it, and what we stand to lose by engaging with this rapidly growing force of cultish nature. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia. Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE at The Bell House in New York on April 21st! Tickets at amandamontell.com/events Thank you to our sponsors! To save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT⁠⁠⁠ Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/cult To learn more about how to support Minnesota’s immigrant communities, check out this MSP Mag article, which shares several ways to offer help or find support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
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I used to use some aspects of the montessori method with my 8 yr old autistic child who is nonverbal to avoid meltdowns, but it's just not sustainable for the long run. even with a child with special needs-eventually boundaries are NECESSARY!

interesting to hear a nonbiased opinion about this

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