Conspirituality
Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, Julian Walker
Dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis. At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon. As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse, and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia. Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.
Episodes
Mentioned books
13 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 15min
299: American Jihad
A tense look at US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the Christian nationalist rhetoric seeping into the military. Reports of commanders framing war as biblical Armageddon and Pentagon prayer services raise constitutional and morale concerns. A financier’s language is unpacked for how it masks power as principle. Betting platforms turned political prediction markets and their ethical problems are also explored.
Mar 9, 2026 • 5min
Bonus Sample: Michael Parenti Went to a Yoga Ashram
A surprising tale about Michael Parenti attending a Sivananda yoga retreat and spotting the performative posturing. A look at Parenti’s Marxist background and the political lens he applied to spiritual spaces. Recounts his earlier activism, arrest, and media vilification that shaped his perspective. Ends with a prompt to explore more bonus content.
24 snips
Mar 7, 2026 • 45min
Brief: Bishop Bootlicker Barron
A critique of a prominent Catholic figure's shift into rightward political influence. Discussion of selective readings of Thomas Merton and an emphasis on beauty over radical politics. Examination of a major Catholic media empire's reach and business model. Questions about silence on ICE raids and the meaning of religious freedom in U.S. politics.
10 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 50min
298: MAHA’s Glyphosate Meltdown [feat Mallory DeMille]
Mallory DeMille, journalist who tracks influencer-driven health disinformation, returns to report on MAHA's meltdown over a glyphosate executive order. She recounts the online fury, accusations of betrayal, and the split among influencers. Short takes cover corporate liability, political spins, sensational reproductive claims, and the messy activism and marketing fallout.
Mar 2, 2026 • 9min
Bonus Sample: On Death & Being Human
A personal reckoning with death sparks a tour through cults, prophets, and apocalyptic promises that prey on mortality fears. Discussion ranges from techniques leaders use to enforce belief to how mainstream religions differ from sudden conversions. Reflections include grief, parenting conversations about loss, and why humans build meaning to avoid emptiness.
11 snips
Feb 28, 2026 • 26min
Brief: Re-reading Casey Means
A pointed re-read of a bestselling wellness book that flags misleading claims about metabolism and disease. The host debunks shaky animal analogies, bad citations, and cherry-picked statistics. He calls out product ties, questionable use of continuous glucose monitors, and popular wellness tropes like leaky gut and anti-seed-oil rhetoric.
32 snips
Feb 26, 2026 • 1h 23min
297: The Epstein Satanic Panic
A take on how Epstein coverage revives 1980s satanic panic themes and the metaphysical reflex that simplifies elite wrongdoing. A look at social media’s role in recycling conspiracies and gamifying public files. Discussion of trauma-informed language being used to spread unverified sensational claims. Tracing the rise and harms of recovered-memory movements and charismatic survivor-to-sage figures.
13 snips
Feb 23, 2026 • 6min
Bonus Sample: MAHA’s Silence is Deafening
A deep look at the marketing machine behind a controversial movement and the strategic memo aimed at GOP leadership. Analysis of tactics to mobilize influencers, mailing lists, and political infrastructure for electoral gain. Critique of priorities and silence on high-profile abuses while preparation for future campaigns looms.
116 snips
Feb 21, 2026 • 37min
Brief: Toxic Masculinity & The Epstein Files
They unpack the chaos after the DOJ document dump and how raw files fuel conspiratorial narratives online. They highlight survivor-centered reactions and the scale of trafficking beyond elite-focused fantasies. They probe how toxic masculinity and moral bypass enable dehumanization of women and girls. They call for men to reject casual misogyny and model relational integrity in everyday life.
26 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 60min
296: The Chopra Files
They dig into Deepak Chopra’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and the troubling emails that surfaced. The conversation traces Chopra’s rise from doctor to media-famous spiritual brand. They critique vague metaphysical rhetoric, spiritual bypassing, and how wellness messaging aligns with elite power. They also explore career pivots, social-media behavior, and the ethics of profiting in Big Wellness.
