The Cult of the CIA

It’s not just a chicken sandwich, it’s a ca-ca-calling  This week, host Amanda and special guest Carys Kolb (⁠@carys.avooca⁠), former employee and the pod's very own sister-in-law, dig into the waffle-fried, lemonade-sweetened, suspiciously polite world of Chick-fil-A. It's the fast-food chain that’s managed to turn fried chicken into both a lifestyle brand and a moral battleground. From the addictive sauce and cult-like customer service to the company’s controversial history of funding anti-LGBTQ+ causes, Chick-fil-A devotees don’t just crave the food… they defend the brand like it’s a religion (and it is???). What makes devotees line up around the block for a sandwich closed on Sundays? And how do you reconcile nuggets with nationalism? Grab your waffle fries and your cognitive dissonance, we’re serving up a saucy dip into one of America’s tastiest cults. Our pleasure!!! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Go to ⁠https://Quince.com/slac⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.  Go to ⁠https://Headspace.com/SOUNDSLIKE⁠ to unlock all of Headspace FREE for 60 days. Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Co-creator of Sounds Like A Cult, Isa Medina is back with Season 2 of her critically acclaimed podcast I'm Right You're Wrong! Every Wednesday, Isa banters about life's rights & wrongs and then welcomes a special guest to chat about the everyday debates you'd have at brunch. This season we banter about Boundaries, Botox, Seasons, Deleting Social Media, Situationships and much more. Subscribe to the Podcast wherever you get your podcasts or Youtube. New episodes every Wednesday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Amanda is joined by vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez and cultural critic Jane Borden (@janebordan) to unravel the misinformation machine and identity politics that keep this movement alive. Together, we break down not only how the anti-vax community functions like a high-control cult, with its own martyrs, prophets, and sacred texts (looking at you, “do your own research”), but also what vaccines actually are and how they work, cutting through the noise of pseudoscience and fearmongering. Why do some people reject mountains of evidence in favor of YouTube rabbit holes? How did “mommy Facebook groups” metastasize into a full-on political identity? And what can we do to push back against the dangerous myths fueling this movement? From myth-busting to meaning-making, this episode pulls back the curtain on one of the most harmful cults of our time. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood, wherever you call home, by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT 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 ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  London! Come see Sounds Like A Cult LIVE!! November 24th at Bush Hall. Get tickets before they're gone!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

She survived the Great Depression, she fought for women's suffrage, and for many of us, she was our first window into what it meant to be American. This week, Amanda and Chelsea are joined by culture writers and co-editors of An American Girl Anthology, Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler (@justineodashs) and KC Hysmith (@kchysmith), to unpack the cult of American Girl Dolls. Because these weren’t just toys… they were identity-shaping, history spinning, $120 personality tests. And behind the tiny teeth and perfect braids are much bigger questions: Who gets to be American? Whose stories are worth telling? And what does it mean when those stories are written by a brand who's bottom line is trying to sell you tiny matching accessories? From revisionist history to real emotional impact, this episode explores how American Girl Dolls didn’t just reflect American girlhood, they quietly helped define it. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Right now save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy at ⁠https://PrettyLitter.com/CULT Go to https://HelloFresh.com/SLAC10FM now to Get 10 Free Meals + a Free Item for Life!  Find exactly what you’re booking for at https://Booking.com, Booking.YEAH! Please consider donating to those affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get in losers, we’re going…who knows where?! If you’re anything like us, dear cultie, then the current state of the world might have you feeling a wee bit…lost? Well, this week's cult will have you “finding yourself” and dangling the /real/ ticket to true freedom and oneness with the earth. That's right, the cult of #VanLife promises salvation can be yours at the low low price of a down payment on a Sprinter — so long as you can hang when your pee bucket overfloweth. The Pandemic:tm: instilled an unshakeable sense of wanderlust and affinity for faux-sipping-coffee-in-nature-candids in both the social media feeds and hearts of THOUSANDS, but as the #VanLife trendscape begins to skew towards de-influence (and even sometimes *warnings*), we can’t help but wonder if life on the wide open road is as freeing as it looks, or if culty secrets lie in wait just beyond the interstate… Amanda and Reese enlisted IRL Van Lifer Bella Janssen (@thelonesol) to hop in the driver’s seat and reveal the reality of living on the road. Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles.  Thank you to our sponsors! Go to https://LIQUIDIV.COM and get 20% off your first order with code CULT at checkout. 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 ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Team SLAC are donating to the PCRF, a nonprofit organization providing vital medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in need. The Big Magical Cult Show is coming to Just For Laughs Toronto on September 27th. Get your tickets before they sell out!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices