Michelle is back to help with another Scientology episode! This time with our friend Chris Shelton to talk about his 27 years inside the cult and what the punishments Sea Org members receive are actually like. In this 2 part episode Chris shares about his time growing up inside Scientology, working as a Staff Member at Org Bases like Big Blue in LA, joining the Sea Org, and serving time in the Rehabilitation Project Force, where the punishment DID NOT fit the crime. Show Notes Connect with...

Have you ever seen someone on social media describing a weird encounter at a Walmart or a Mall where a random person comes up and starts strange conversations and complimenting them, and them wondering what just happened? I get tagged in almost ALL of them, and I always let the creator know that it's an MLM and to run. But it's not just ANY MLM, it's a very specific one we talk about A LOT (though today we'll be calling it "FAM") and what the person on social media just experienced is the...

Who doesn't love an Amway episode? I feel with each one we get 2 steps closer to figuring it all out, and still find a whole new set of questions to ask next time. In this chat we meet TJ Musumhi, a former member of the LOA LTD for 6 years. In his time with Amway and LTD, he faced faith manipulation and too many empty promises which lead him to discovering the truth of the Tools Scam. TJ dove into the rabbit hole and eventually found our episode with Sean Munger and reached out to share his...

Irene is one of our Discord member who wanted to share her story of not only being rejected by the Kundalini Yoga Cult, but also growing up with an abusive mother obsessed with the attention associated with medical abuse. From her doctor shopping mother, to being misdiagnosed, Irene shares the story of her childhood and the neglect and chaos she was forced to accept as normal. We chat about our "neurosnazzy" journeys, mental health, Munchausen by proxy, Rx drug abuse, and why not to buy Yogi...

I met Lori in the most "Roberta" of all places, in the line for the Taco Buffet at a Podcast event and invited her to come sit at our table. Little did I know that that small act of kindness would end up becoming one of the most interesting conversations I had the entire weekend, and in that moment I knew I had to have Lori come share her story and hard won wisdom with us. As a woman pastor in the SBC, Lori has a lot of stories to tell and our conversation goes down many avenues including...

When I put out the call to action a few weeks back for more Cutco/Vector Marketing content, I was pleasantly surprised with the response! When we start digging into trying to figure out an MLM, it seems each chat clears up some things, but opens more questions about others and this conversation with "Stitch" was no different. We chat about how Cutco doesn't "seem" like an MLM (and how they like it that way), in-home demonstrations, Cutco during Covid, and those dudes who run the booths on the...

Apostate Alex returns to update us on the happenings of Scientology in the UK, and Michelle is back too! According to Alex, he's been "a bad, bad, boy" and has a lot to report on the Anti-Scientology protests and the shady government involvement that's been keeping him busy the past 7 months. The jokes alone are worth the trouble. He also shares his thoughts on activating activists, one of Michelle's favorite topics in advocacy, and how to get involved if you're in the UK and want to show...

Mitch Brisker was a 23 year old heroin-addicted film school drop-out when he found Scientology in Downtown Hollywood. Through recovery, he went on to become a successful commercial director and caught the eye of Scientology’s notorious leader, David Miscavige. Mitch ultimately became the chief architect of Scientology’s global propaganda machine, creating the films Scientology still uses for recruitment and obedience. Nearly 30 years later Mitch left the cult and began speaking out about the...

In Part 2 with Shannon, we get deeper into the reasons why MLMs are prevalent in the lives of military spouses, both as representatives and customers. Shannon also shares with us, some of her side hustle journey to where she is today, and offers lots of job advice for those leaving MLM and transitioning into doing their own thing. From gig work and virtual assistants to starting your own business or monetizing a hobby, we break down a lot of the options available that are doable for...

Shannon reached out to me because it's time for her to tell her story, and I was happy to oblige. She's a military spouse and mother and she had some things she needs to get off her chest when it comes to MLMs and the US Military. In Part 1 Shannon and I discuss the times she found herself in Mary Kay, and the gross recruitment tactics that were used on her as a vulnerable wife of a deployed service member. Show Notes Connect with Shannon : TikTok | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | The Flying...

Not everyone who joins an MLM has a horrible experience, some people join MLMs to have some fun, make some friends and get a decent discount on a product they can't seem to live without. With some questions and concerns about her current MLM, Cristie reached out to me to find answers. She loved the products, her upline was great, and she was seemingly successful, until tax time made her look much deeper into the scam. I'll never forget that email when Cristie told me she had left Bella Fizz,...

Kimberleigh is a member of our Discord and wanted to share her story of being in BOTH Cutco, a famously "masculine" MLM, and BeachBody, a famously "feminine" MLM and how different the experiences were with not only product and culture, but recruitment and FOMO. And as a special added bonus, Kimberleigh gives us some tips and suggestions for beefing up a resume after a few years of MLM service. Show Notes Vector Marketing : Scam or Legit? LinkedIn Learning Out of MLM The BITE Model LAMLM Book...

I took my laptop and a microphone to the MLM Conference to chat with people on break! I took all that audio, plus my own thoughts and experiences and created a fun episode about what happens at the con when the zoom is paused. If you're looking to be a part of the 2025 MLM Conference, please reach out and I will get you in touch with the Steering Committee! Show Notes A Scroll Thru #AntiMLM The MLM Conference Connect with those I interviewed! Elaine Linga Julie Anderson Meredith Adams Dr....

*This episode includes topics on child abuse, purity culture and child sexual abuse. Please use discretion when listening.* Shelly Snow Pordea was raised as an Independent Fundamental Baptist, and experienced CSA at a very young age, in fact too young for Shelly to process what had happened to her. It wasn't until a tent revival style sermon about Jezebels and Harlots at Church Camp that Shelly even made the connection to her abuse years earlier. When she brought this newfound information to...

We watched the documentary "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" on Discord and were FLOORED by the entire production. From the horrific story of child abuse to the sensationalized, dramatic storytelling, something always felt slightly off and prompted more questions than it ever answered. In this bonus episode we have listener and Discord Member Casey to lead her unique perspective into an incredibly nuanced topic of discussion. Show Notes The Curious Case of Natalia Grace Natalia Grace...

*Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about infertility, adoption and foster care. Please use discretion when listening.* Shanny grew up in a strict Evangelical cult where her entire life as a woman was planned out for her. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage, right? But what happens when no one prepares you for the very real possibility that things might not work out the way you want? For Shanny it looked like supporting every newly...

Last month I got to go to Podcast Movement Evolutions in Downtown Los Angeles and record a fun crossover episode with some of my favorite podcasting ladies at Spotify Studios! HUGE THANK YOU to Spotify for the use of the space and your hospitality! And it was so great to hang out with and collaborate on content with Andrea Dunlop and Terra Newell! Our chat got cut short due to LA traffic and bad GPS directions, but we managed to get in some time to chat about the intersectional topics of our...

Trigger Warnings : This episode talks about child abuse, kidnapping and CSA. Please use discretion when listening. When she was just 15, Meg Appelgate was abducted by two strangers in the middle of the night from her home in California. Over the course of the next 6 months Meg would enter a behavioral modification program called Chrysalis in northern Montana where she would spend the next 3 years. These programs go by the names "youth residential treatment centers", "wilderness...

It was just past year that Anne took pause and started digging into her admittedly "weird childhood". After listening to the podcast Nobody Should Believe Me, she started to suspect that she may have been the victim of medical child abuse, what is more commonly known as Munchausen by Proxy. With an unhealed and unwilling mother to answer her questions, Anne dove into everything she could consume to process the trauma she experienced as a young girl. In our chat we get into the triggers and...

Last year I received a heartbreaking email from a mother who had felt she was running out of options; her daughter was stuck in a controlling cult, isolated from friends and family, and she hadn't seen her in years. Over several months I met with Sandy to discuss her story and the history behind how she got here. The more I heard the more I wondered; Was Sandy's daughter a strong, independent spirit? Or was there something more calculated and nefarious at play? Show Notes Connect with Sandy :...

Sean Munger is back to share the story of Glenn W. Turner! Arguably one of the earliest HunBros of all time, with such hits as "Fake it til you Make it!", Koscot Interplanetary and the Dare to Be Great! course scam. In our chat, Sean recounts the life, times and legal troubles of the early MLM Kingpin Glenn W. Turner, a man so obsessed with fame, success, wealth and greed that it lead to his ultimate downfall and felony conviction. Show Notes Connect with Sean : YouTube Sean's Koscot...

Lacey had been out of high demand control for years when she sat down to watch a TV show and was triggered by her past experiences. From her Gideon Roots, and Romanian Orphan Trips to her life as a DINK in Quixtar, Lacey definitely had a pattern of cults and high demand control she couldn't see until it was long in her rearview mirror. In our chat we cover how Quixtar came and went, coaching scams, Costco, the public perception of MLMs and what Amway calls "The Process". Show Notes Small...

Kurtis just wanted to have a Scentsy party to help a friend, and ended up using his party points to join the team. When the annual convention went digital during the pandemic, Kurtis's megahun upline refused to let it get her down, renting a massive house in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and hosting her own event. We also chat about Disney World's upcoming Scentsy attraction, Smellephants on Parade. Show Notes Gatlinburg, Tennessee Justin Darnell Comedy : Gatlinburg Official Smellephants on...

Nineteen years ago Marc and Claire Headley escaped Scientology, the cult they had grown up in, and started their journey to real freedom. In Part 2 of our conversation, we go deeper down the rabbit hole into OSA, Fair Gaming and how Anonymous joined the good fight. Plus how the rage baiting and hate sport of social media advocacy fuels the algorithm, Marc's juicy inside secrets, Car School and of course, Tom Cruise. Show Notes Connect with Marc & Claire - Website | YouTube | Instagram |...

Nineteen years ago Marc and Claire Headley escaped Scientology, the cult they had grown up in, and started their journey to real freedom. In Part 1 of our conversation with special guest host Michelle Carpenter, Marc and Claire share about their lives climbing the bridge, their early advocacy, South Park, how Xenu gets a bad rap and a possible answer to the question that's been asked for 18 years; "Where's Shelly?". Show Notes Connect with Marc & Claire - Website | YouTube | Instagram |...