Sounds Like A Cult

America's favorite buxom, rhinestone-clad Southern songstress, Dolly Parton, has a "cult following" like no other celebrity. Thanks to her unmistakable image, her "Dollyisms," her theme park, her illustrious music, and her ability to transcend politics, "Saint Dolly" has become so much more than your average country star. But are there any risks to worshiping a singer as your spiritual idol? Tune in as Amanda, Isa, and special guests Claire and Ashley from Celebrity Memoir Book Club attempt to break down Dolly Parton's iconic "cult."To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.Visit AURA.com/CULT for a 14 day free trial.Get 10% off your first order sitewide & free shipping on orders over $60 with code CULT at OSEAMalibu.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This *highly* requested topic has all the makings of a modern-day cult: mystery, unquestioned loyalty, and the future of children's hearts and minds at stake. But does that make it dangerous?? This week, Amanda and Isa dive into the cult of Montessori education, those idyllic primary schools where kids allegedly (!!!) access transcendant knowledge with nothing but wooden blocks and hippie vibes (oh, and $40,000 annual tuition). Are Montessori schools a brilliant alternative approach to learning or something insidiously culty? With the help of listener call-ins, @amanda_montell and @isaamedinaa are aiming to unpack just that.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get 20% off your first Liquid Death apparel purchase available exclusively at LiquidDeath.com/CULTDipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What began as a Woodstock-esque alt music fest in the '90s for fans of indie electronica to get freaky in the California desert has swiftly morphed into more of a celebrity horror show/Instagram museum, where people pay thousands of dollars to gather on a hot slab of corporate-sponsored land, wear disposable outfits, and pretend to have fun. Has Coachella just become obnoxious or something more like a cult?? As we come down from the festival hype this month, with the help of no-holds-barred listener call-ins, Isa and Amanda aim to find out!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get free shipping on orders over $75 at SKIMS.com You can find Julie at your local CVS Target or Walmart or by visiting Juliecare.coGet $10 off your first month of Nutrafol by visiting nutrafol.com and entering promo code CULT   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of our fav episodes to date tbh. The promises include acceptance, stability, and fertility, but the reality = rigidity, conformity, and oftentimes outright shunning. Thinking about heterosexual culture as a "cult" might seem far out at first, but teasing it out with comedian Ashley Gavin, whose hilarious comedy special is viewable April 23 on YouTube, Isa and Amanda unpack sooooo much culty oppression that comes with our society's narrow standards for sexual expression (and also how the insidious "cult" of hetersexuality empowers some of the most f*cked religious cults of all time)!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Visit article.com/CULT for $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more.Visit AURA.com/CULT for a 14 day free trial.Go to DAILYHARVEST.com/cult to get up to $65 dollars off your first box! Get 20% off your first order of $40 or more at NextEvo.com/podcast and use promo code cult.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time to dynamically synergize mission-critical alignments. Let's go ahead and fungibly communicate client-centric potentialities. If you can even half-way understand either of these sentences, then you might be a member of this week's "cult": Corporate America. With the help of special guest, Jamie Jackson of the cult-followed @humorous_resources Instagram account, Amanda and Isa are picking apart corporate culture's hyper-controlled rules, rituals, and hierarchies to tease out if this "leading-edge, credibly cultivated, turnkey market" is a life-ruiner or not.To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.Visit ritual.com/CULT to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fame, wealth, fraud, backstabbing, plastic surgery, hidden power hierarchies... are we talking about one of reality television's most successful franchises or a full-blown cult??? Host of the Reality Life podcast Kate Casey, an unscripted TV connoisseur who's been analyzing The Real Housewives for years, joins Isa and Amanda this week to unpack the inner workings and potential damage of this notoriously clique-y "cult."To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get 20% off your first Liquid Death apparel purchase available exclusively at LiquidDeath.com/CULT.Get $20 off your fertility test when you go to ModernFertility.com/CULT.Visit BetterHelp.com/CULT today to get 10% off your first month.Download SmartNews for free today in the app store to get the news that matters most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast explores the cult-like nature of the fine wine industry, discusses the experiences of a renowned wine educator and sommelier, and highlights the personal journey of the hosts in the wine industry. They also touch on the dangers of excessive drinking, the concept of solutionism, and the drug-like nature of the fine wine world.

Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie Madoff, to literally *thrive* is an automatic sounds like a cult to us. Members willing to "sell their soul" to Wall Street in exchange for the American Dream enter a world ripe for corruption, deception, and exclusivity, and this week, ex-trader turned "finfluencer" Vivian Tu (aka, Your Rich BFF) joins Isa and Amanda to spill all the *insider trading* on what makes Wall Street such a cult. Be sure to check out Vivian's new podcast, Networth and Chill, dropping March 22nd!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Get 20% off your first order of $40 or more at NextEvo.com/podcast and use promo code cult.Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/CULT.Get 50% off your first DoorDash order up to a twenty-dollar value when you use code CULT at checkout. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kayaking, friendship bracelet making, and oh yeah, threats of eternal damnation! What better way for a kid to spend the summer than at church camp? These pricy summer experiences for God-fearing kiddos might look all wholesome from the outside (a little *too* wholesome, in fact), but there have been enough allegedlys over the years to make Amanda and Isa think church camps might be serving up their 'smores with a side of cultiness. But are Christian summer camps a Live Your Life, a Watch Your Back, or a Get the Fuck Out-level cult? Actor, writer, and former church camper Joel Kim Booster joins this week's episode to help us figure it out!To support Sounds Like A Cult on Patreon, keep up with our live show dates, see Isa's live comedy, buy a copy of Amanda's book Cultish, or visit our website, click here!Thank you to our sponsors!Go to Zocdoc.com/CULT and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.Visit ritual.com/CULT to start Ritual or add Synbiotic+ to your subscription today.Download SmartNews for free today in the app store!Sounds Like A Cult listeners get 20% off your first Liquid Death apparel purchase available exclusively at LiquidDeath.com/CULT.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The podcast delves into the world of beauty pageants and questions their cult-like characteristics, exploring the pressure to conform to beauty standards and the impact on self-esteem. It examines the origins of pageants, their relationship with the patriarchy, and the controversial involvement of Donald Trump. The financial and time commitments, as well as the sexualization of young girls, are also discussed. The podcast highlights the connection between child and adult pageants and expresses disapproval towards the former.