# Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347.md
RSS feed: https://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f804eed6-dd2f-4bf9-ba37-b2de011a8b27/462fb424-93c4-4e4b-8e00-b2de011a8b44/podcast.rss
Official site: https://art19.com/shows/trust-me
Author: Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts
Episodes: 270

## Resource

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion—told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it. Hosted by two women who’ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show features survivors from groups like Heaven’s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more–sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between. Each week, they invite these guests alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart. This isn’t a sensationalized deep dive into cults—it’s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free. At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

## Machine-readable

JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347
Markdown: https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347.md

## Episodes
- [Sophie Fergi, Part 1 - Kidfluencing, Joining the Squad, and the Dark Side of YouTube](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/sophie-fergi-part-1-kidfluencing-joining-the-squad-and-the-dark-side-of-youtube) — 2026-07-22T07:01:00+00:00
- [Jasper Hoffman, Part 2 - Undercover Therapy, Leaving the Mennonites, and the Aftermath](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jasper-hoffman-part-2-undercover-therapy-leaving-the-mennonites-and-the-aftermath) — 2026-07-15T07:01:00+00:00
- [Jasper Hoffman, Part 1 - From Atheists to Mennonites](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jasper-hoffman-part-1-from-atheists-to-mennonites) — 2026-07-08T07:01:00+00:00
- [Dr. Christine Marie - Undercover in a Cult Town: Taking Down False Prophet Sam Bateman](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/dr-christine-marie-undercover-in-a-cult-town-taking-down-false-prophet-sam-bateman) — 2026-07-01T07:01:00+00:00
- [Nikki G, Part 2 - The Seven Mountain Mandate, “Church Hurt,” and Why Cults Aren’t Just a White People Problem](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/nikki-g-part-2-the-seven-mountain-mandate-church-hurt-and-why-cults-aren-t-just-a-white-people-problem) — 2026-06-24T07:01:00+00:00
- [Nikki G, Part 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole, Cult Hopping, and Surviving the Black Church](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/nikki-g-part-1-down-the-rabbit-hole-cult-hopping-and-surviving-the-black-church) — 2026-06-17T07:01:00+00:00
- [Maria Bamford - 12 Step Programs, OCD, and How to Join Every Group](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/maria-bamford-12-step-programs-ocd-and-how-to-join-every-group) — 2026-06-10T07:01:00+00:00
- [Sarah Edmondson, Part 2 - DOS, Disillusionment, and Leaving Keith Raniere](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/sarah-edmondson-part-2-dos-disillusionment-and-leaving-keith-raniere) — 2026-06-03T07:01:00+00:00
- [Sarah Edmondson, Part 1 - Joining NXIVM, Meeting Keith Raniere, and Moving Up the Ranks](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/sarah-edmondson-part-1-joining-nxivm-meeting-keith-raniere-and-moving-up-the-ranks) — 2026-05-20T07:01:00+00:00
- [Nomzia Bistline, Part 2 - Raided by the FBI, Life in Prison, and Breaking Free From Sam Bateman](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/nomzia-bistline-part-2-raided-by-the-fbi-life-in-prison-and-breaking-free-from-sam-bateman) — 2026-05-13T07:01:00+00:00
- [Nomzia Bistline, Part 1 - The False Prophet: Growing Up FLDS & Marrying Sam Bateman](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/nomzia-bistline-part-1-the-false-prophet-growing-up-flds-marrying-sam-bateman) — 2026-05-06T07:01:00+00:00
- [Lyndsey Burr - Producing America’s Next Top Model](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/lyndsey-burr-producing-america-s-next-top-model) — 2026-04-29T07:01:00+00:00
- [Matthew Remski, Part 2 - Cult Hopping, Disillusionment, and Root Causes of Cults](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/matthew-remski-part-2-cult-hopping-disillusionment-and-root-causes-of-cults) — 2026-04-22T07:01:00+00:00
- [Matthew Remski, Part 1 - Seizures, Spirituality, & the First Charismatic Guru](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/matthew-remski-part-1-seizures-spirituality-the-first-charismatic-guru) — 2026-04-15T07:01:00+00:00
- [Harrison Hill - The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/harrison-hill-the-aggressive-christianity-missions-training-corps) — 2026-04-08T07:01:00+00:00
- [Celeste Gross - Growing Up in the Children of God](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/celeste-gross-growing-up-in-the-children-of-god) — 2026-04-01T07:01:00+00:00
- [Dan Olson, Part 2 - Charismatic Leaders and the Cult of Crypto](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/dan-olson-part-2-charismatic-leaders-and-the-cult-of-crypto) — 2026-03-25T07:01:00+00:00
- [Dan Olson, Part 1 - Crypto, NFTs, and Tech’s War on Doubt](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/dan-olson-part-1-crypto-nfts-and-tech-s-war-on-doubt) — 2026-03-18T07:01:00+00:00
- [Liz Cameron, Part 2 - Christ is on Earth, He’s in Prison, and You’re His Bride](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/liz-cameron-part-2-christ-is-on-earth-he-s-in-prison-and-you-re-his-bride) — 2026-03-11T07:01:00+00:00
- [Liz Cameron, Part 1 - Jesus Morning Star aka JMS: A Bookstore, a Bible Study Group, and a Prophet on Earth](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/liz-cameron-part-1-jesus-morning-star-aka-jms-a-bookstore-a-bible-study-group-and-a-prophet-on-earth) — 2026-03-04T08:01:00+00:00
- [Martina Castro, Part 2 - Allegations, Disappearances, and the Crumbling Cult of John of God](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/martina-castro-part-2-allegations-disappearances-and-the-crumbling-cult-of-john-of-god) — 2026-02-25T08:01:00+00:00
- [Martina Castro, Part 1 - Psychic Surgeries & John of God's Spiritual Celebrity](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/martina-castro-part-1-psychic-surgeries-john-of-god-s-spiritual-celebrity) — 2026-02-18T08:01:00+00:00
- [Parvati Shallow - From Surviving a Cult to Winning Survivor](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/parvati-shallow-from-surviving-a-cult-to-winning-survivor) — 2026-02-11T08:01:00+00:00
- [Jenny Eliscu - Conservatorships & Freeing Britney Spears](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jenny-eliscu-conservatorships-freeing-britney-spears) — 2026-02-04T08:01:00+00:00
- [Jonathan Hirsch, Part 2 - Meditation, Getting Blessed, and Leaving Adidam](https://stenobird.com/podcast/trust-me-cults-extreme-belief-and-manipulation-1320347/jonathan-hirsch-part-2-meditation-getting-blessed-and-leaving-adidam) — 2026-01-28T08:01:00+00:00

## Actions

Episode pages expose an explicit `request_transcript` action. A page view does not automatically enqueue transcription.