Reviews
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“Im interested and plan to continue to the end. I wish there were more details. Talking about the cult still doing the red & black game (I believe that was what it was called) but not providing any further info about it unless I missed it more in the beginning?
I get weird vibes when the...”Read full review »
Alisa, NOT from Hickory Ln via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/18/24
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“Interesting content and good storytelling!”
Mishgruvy via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/16/24
“As requested by the advertisements begging for Apple reviews of the show - Painfully scripted and lacks authenticity as a storyteller who decides to insert himself in the story so he can wax poetic about his life rather than focus on the victims.
AND WHY IS THIS LABELED AD-FREE ON AMAZON...”Read full review »
Todddotcom via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/08/24
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“River paid 7k to be shamed and verbally abused in front of a room full of people and he’s still wondering if John Hanley might be an okay guy? He is clearly still too deeply indoctrinated to be reporting on this group. All of the word salad, cult speak, and gaslighting (Rodrigo) throughout the...”Read full review »
jdkgdbksbfmldndbrkr via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/06/24
“Went to a couple of these seminars with my parents as a kid in the 80s. For the vast majority of people, they really weren’t serious, and no weird or negative results.
He’s trying to create a story with made-up shock value.”
Exagger8 in MA via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/25/24
“Lame. Lots of buildup for a disappointing end, wasted of time.”
trying to be better via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/12/24
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“I’m only on episode two, and it’s a very interesting story. The journalism and presentation are very high-quality.
However, the ad breaks are super weirdly inserted—sometimes it just cuts in and out of ads randomly and it can get jarring and takes me out of the story.”
dusty oldbones via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/11/24
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“I’ve been loving the show, but it has twice as many ads as any other crime podcast I listen to. The pleading for rating and subscribing is excessive, along with advertising other podcasts. Tone it down on the ads!”
thatbeingsaid via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/08/24
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“The show itself is thorough and pretty captivating. The only real issue is the placement of the advertisements. They can be jarring and interrupt the flow of the show. Good reporting though.”
KJFromVA via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/18/24
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“Love this show.”
Drrublov via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/18/24
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“River is such a good storyteller! I was intrigued the entire time. Great podcast for all culties!”
Koach89 via Apple Podcasts ·
Canada ·
12/17/23
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“Interesting , well constructed, great reporting and a very compelling podcast”
ilenek via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/08/23
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“Smart, thoughtful, well-researched, respectful. As good as Opportunist, one of the best pods out there, which figures…they’re both by Kast. Bravo.”
Spesh713 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/03/23
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“Five stars - the opportunist and now this. Great job River!”
MeganESheppard via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
12/03/23
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“Way to May annoying commercials. More than podcast usual. Very off putting”
Angie_189 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/25/23
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“This was not what I was expecting - you hear cult and think all kinds of crazy things. This had crazy, but totally different kinda crazy!!”
Lucyo912 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/23/23
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“I enjoyed this podcast up until the 5th and 6th episode. I felt like it was pretty irresponsible of the host to decide at the end that the cult(?) they grew up in was both good and bad, considering how many people died. It really made me question whether or not this host should continue to...”Read full review »
auntquinoa via Apple Podcasts ·
Canada ·
11/13/23
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“Very important listen. People more than ever right now are falling for schemes. This is an excellent tale of normal people who fall prey to disingenuous predators. Great job with this.”
bridgetfojut via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
11/05/23
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“Great podcast, but probably won’t finish it bc the ad placement and frequency is horrible”
M_0248 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/30/23
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“The ads in this show ruin it. They are sporadic and chaotic. One is a rock band that just blares out of nowhere. It feels almost like they are bullying you into subscribing. He over mentions rating the show. (But only a good rating)
The unfortunate bit, is that the content of the show is...”Read full review »
Hdfd2087 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/26/23
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“This is my third Kast podcast that I finished while binge listening in the last 3 weeks. I tried a couple other non-Kast shows and couldn’t make it past their first 15 minutes. So, I went back to Kast and chose this one. I’m glad I did. It wasn’t disappointing. Very interesting first-person...”Read full review »
marshonnie via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/08/23
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“Thank you for reporting on things that matter. It’s important that the public learn what to look for when it comes to cults. Education is key to protecting ourselves. Thank you!”
Ness Hensley via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/06/23
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“River did a great job covering such an icky topic, and his voice translates well to podcast. Excellent journalism! Thank you for sharing your experience and being confident enough to dive into your own past and dig even deeper to the root!
Really glad I gave this podcast a shot, having...”Read full review »
srieder011 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/27/23
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“Dear River your podcast and productions is great. The story is absolutely captivating.
people don’t understand damage and danger cults create Ann alte perceptions.
One of Hanley’s student took a page out the Lifespring creation.
He too is an ex-con and his name is Aurthur Backsaiibian- now his...”Read full review »
dixieloowho via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/15/23
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“Awesome. Pretty sure all the negative reviews are MITT/Lifespring true believers. Because what’s not to love? Smooth narration, interviews with all the people who should be interviewed. Also, an honest look at his own feelings of ambivalence.”
HPLsppr via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/08/23
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“I thought this podcast brought a great perspective on as the creator has both been involved in the seminars, and has also taken a step back to reflect on them critically. Clearly a lot of work has gone into this!”
celanmar via Apple Podcasts ·
Canada ·
09/01/23
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“River’s reporting is enhanced by his personal connection to this story. Listening on Apple Podcasts, it seemed like 1/3 to 1/2 of each episode was ads. I’m not against ads in general — it allows folks to make money from the work they’re doing — but this felt like a bad balance.”
Glickla via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/09/23
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“River is a clueless sell out.”
Les129 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/04/23
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“This is one of the best podcasts out there! Great storytelling, honest about their mindset, and goes for a real trip. It’s such a great podcast, everyone should listen!”
CeilGT via Apple Podcasts ·
Norway ·
08/02/23
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“I keep checking for episode 3 about 4 times a day. The mystery of the leader has me guessing so much I can’t believe this isn’t a plot to a fictional movie. I’m tempted to do research myself but River makes it so interesting that I’m entrusting it all to him and I’ve been avoiding researching it...”Read full review »
Walker soccer via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/20/23
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“Intriguing, crazy, moving story. But my favorite part of this was River, the host. He’s funny, authentic, honest, witty, entertaining and has a true heart. Thank you for sharing, River. I’m imagining the “ding” as I push send! :-)
P.S. I LOVE the ads!! Thanks for that!!”
MylissaR via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
07/15/23
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“Enjoyed the podcast and the look into these self-help cults. River, I feel blessed that I did not grow up dining on word salad like you did. Every message from the various programs would qualify for an all-you-can-eat word salad bar!
Thanks for the great listen, well done.”
Daledo7373 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/23/23
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“I enjoyed listening from your point of view. My only suggestion - make it clearer when you jump to commercials. Sometimes the cut was just weird or felt jarring. A small complaint in an overall really entertaining show.”
maxprovo via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/22/23
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“I’m currently doing some “light” research to do with work. I stumbled across this podcast and jumped right in. What I loved about this was the approach and the air left for the listener to make up their own mind.”
SweattyBetty via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
06/18/23
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“Thanks River, often worry about the objectivity of some pod casts. Appreciate your balanced view.”
casimirattttt via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/13/23
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“I’m writing this review because River told me to.
😊 really enjoying the podcast!”
podcastjunkie4 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/05/23
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“After all this, you paid the con artist $7k to… tell him you’re in cahoots with some of his most closeted haunts, and to be belittled and spat on by him?? You didn’t even stay undercover long enough to gather close intel. How does this make sense? Seems to me this guy just got all swept back up...”Read full review »
S.LionHeart via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/01/23
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“First person experience of a cult/ or is it a cult survivor! It’s well written, funny, self-deprecating, and a little heartbreaking. I loved it!”
ADB1982 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/25/23
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“What a fascinating insight into this cult. Take enjoyed it, River!”
LaraZib via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
05/15/23
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“I love pods about cults and this one shines. Great storyline, unique as well, fabulous storytelling etc”
Duncanomics via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/12/23
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“My family went to a lifesprings retreat when I was a kid and it was so nuts that I’ve never forgotten it. This was a well researched and presented podcast. Happy I found it!”
maybellejo via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/10/23
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“I really enjoyed this podcast, but the transitions to the ads are really jarring and make it hard to listen to. Still worth it for the story! But difficult to listen to given the ad situation.”
Ams5678 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
05/07/23
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“This was a great series. The production and storytelling were very well done. I was once consumed by the self-help industry as well, and things like this help me recognize what I experienced and what to look out for in the future. Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty! It’s a very tricky...”Read full review »
margs7 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/26/23
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“I found this podcast because I listen to The Opportunist. Good Cult is interesting and River kept me coming back for the next episode. I saw another review asking for a follow up episode. I too, would like a follow up episode to see how River is doing.”
Copper-one via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/27/23
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“the other reviewers are 100% right about the ads, you really need to have that 30 second skip button handy which isn’t great. the podcast itself is interesting but i’m a little worried this guy is about to rejoin this cult! he seemed like he wasn’t quite in a strong enough place to tackle this...”Read full review »
ohgodireveiwedsomething via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/25/23
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“I know this is a problem with the distributor not the host, but it made the show almost unlistenable. The content is good enough, but not worth combing through the commercials, really long promo for a different podcast and then a pitch to subscribe that’s unnecessarily long. This was true in...”Read full review »
PodcastingAddict via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/22/23
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“A really interesting insight to someone who has experienced a cult and grew up within it. River shares his thoughts and feelings through out and has scripted this really well. I was hooked!”
shannJm via Apple Podcasts ·
Great Britain ·
03/21/23
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“I stumbled onto this podcast because I like The Opportunist and was looking at Kast Media podcasts for another listen. Imagine my surprise when I read that Lifespring was a cult, not. My super condescending ex-sister-in-law was a member of LifeSpring in the 1980s and was always telling how much I...”Read full review »
UrluKat via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/15/23
“Also have to mention how well-chosen the soundtrack is!”
Freki_v via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
03/03/23
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“Really interesting. Love the different perspectives”
cuuutie123 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
02/28/23
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