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 abu...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 40 min•Season 4Ep. 242
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 most. Show N...
Jun 02, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 241
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 Ki...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 240
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, had...
May 19, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 239
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 Clu...
May 12, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 238
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. Maire ...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 237
*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 the...
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 236
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 Reddit Ad...
Apr 24, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 235
*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 pr...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 4Ep. 234
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 sho...
Apr 17, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 233
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 programs", "boot ...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 232
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 possi...
Apr 07, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 231
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 : Fa...
Mar 31, 2024•1 hr 34 min•Season 4Ep. 230
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 Video Glenn...
Mar 24, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 4Ep. 229
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 Busines...
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 55 min•Season 4Ep. 228
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 Parade Scent...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 227
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 | TikT...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 4Ep. 226
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 | TikT...
Mar 03, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 225
Gina Pezzullo has a unique perspective when it comes to MLMs and utilizing social media. Back when she first joined in 2001, smart phones, apps and social media didn't exist. In fact, parties were local, in home and came with forms to fill out while you shopped. One single bounced check or declined credit card could wreak havoc on the hostess's entire party. It was a stark contrast to the highly accessible online shopping world today, and it's not surprising to learn that the viral trends of MLM...
Feb 25, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 224
While browsing the posts on Bluesky, Michelle stumbled across a post for a short film using #antimlm called The Downline. We decided to watch it on Patreon and after I decided to reach out to the filmmaker, Rachel Weatherly and ask her to come chat about her films The Downline and The Hun, her inspirations for the films, her own MLM experiences and what's next for Poppy the Megahun. Show Notes Connect with Rachel! : Instagram | YouTube | Website The Hun The Downline Eerie, Indiana : S1 E1 Foreve...
Feb 18, 2024•52 min•Season 4Ep. 223
It's Valentine's Day AND Life After MLM's 3rd birthday! So to celebrate, we've got a bonus episode loaded with Romance Scam Horror Stories and Red Flag Education. Today's stories were compiled from Reddit's Scam Subthread, articles on Romance Scams, the FTC and LAMLM listener, Jolie! Have a safe Valentine's Day and don't fall for a romance scammer! Show Notes Reddit Story #1 Reddit Story #2 Georgina's Story The Handsome Soldier Story Alison's Story FTC & Romance Scams Out of MLM The BITE Mod...
Feb 15, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 222
Back during the pandemic, I got hooked on a reality show called Love is Blind, I couldn't get enough. But as the seasons progressed, there was a level of concern that turned my watching into more of a fascination than fandom. So when Nick Thompson, star of Season 2, started comparing the show to a cult in the media and describing a level of control I could definitely relate to, I knew we had a lot to talk about. Just in time for Valentine's Day Nick and I discuss in detail the "Cult of Reality T...
Feb 11, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Season 4Ep. 221
One of the biggest content requests on my social media has been to collaborate with Hannah Alonzo. So I sent her a message and she was happy to oblige! If you aren't familiar with Hannah (or her cat Zeke!) get ready to fall in love with one of the most compassionate AntiMLM content creators on YouTube. In our conversation we talk about how far AntiMLM has come, Family Vloggers, what it's like to live your life on camera, and what kind of backlash she got when she announced her pregnancy. Show No...
Feb 04, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 4Ep. 220
Everyone loves an Amway episode, and this chat with Darren Mudd is no exception. As our deep dive into Amway in Season 4 is just getting started, we meet Darren who tells us about being an Ambot in the UK, recruiting at University, and the DTI investigation against Amway. Plus we dip our toes into the conversation about cyrpto and around scamming and scambaiting. Stay tuned at the end for a bit of "Scam Poetry" from Darren! Full video and clips on YouTube! Show Notes Connect with Darren : Websit...
Jan 28, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 4Ep. 219
Heather Tobin has been involved with MLM one way or another for the past 33 years. The farther Heather got away from The MLM Complex, the easier it was for her to see connections between the business model and the stress, depression, anxiety, and other issues she was facing. Now, as a mental health advocate she looks back on her time in MLM with a clearer eye and understanding of the systemic ways MLM's prey on not only our physical and financial health, but our mental health as well. Show Notes...
Jan 21, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 218
Dr. Amy Saltzman spent over 30 years with a Life Coach who kept her controlled within an intricate web of lies. Once the psychologist read the results of an incredibly thorough mental health evaluation, it was only then that Dr. Amy could see every silvery thread her spider had woven. In the years since, Amy has made it her life's work to help us "Spot a Spider" and see the red flags of undue influence. In our chat we cover our own experiences, what signs to watch out for, and what to do if you ...
Jan 14, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 217
*Content Warning : This episode talks about child abuse, disordered eating and suicide attempts in detail. Please use caution when listening to these sensitive subjects.* Kelli Copter was declared a Suppressive Person at age 6. The Church of Scientology told her parents to handle her or disconnect from her, and so the handling lasted 10 years until at 16 Kelli was kicked out of her house and the disconnection began. In our chat Kelli discusses what that "handling" entailed, the effects of living...
Jan 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 4Ep. 216
Thanks Russ for the inspiration to do my first Best of 2023 clip show! This year was FILLED with some of the best and most amazing chats we've ever had on LAMLM and it was so hard to choose! Thank you to everyone who responded to my call to action and sent me in their favorite episodes, moments, and guests! I am so thankful to every single person who has ever supported the show and this is a fun way for me to say THANK YOU and end 2023 with a BANG, HUN! Happy New Year and we will see you in 2024...
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Season 3Ep. 215
In the liminal space between Christmas and New Year's it's best to just have fun and keep it low stress! So.... remember my Holiday Magic record? It's time to break it out and break it down with our TRIPLE Emerald Princess of Robots, Michelle Carpenter! Plus some sneak peeks for 2024, and what we've got in store for the LAMLM Community!! Show Notes Holiday Magic Record Cover A not so Magical Holiday Remembering Bruce Craig, Esq. Out of MLM The BITE Model LAMLM Book Club MLM Dupes How can you hel...
Dec 28, 2023•1 hr 39 min•Season 3Ep. 214
It's our Christmas episode!!! Back in our live episode from Dallas, I mentioned The Body Shop at Home being an MLM to the shock of most of the live audience and teased that we had an episode coming up soon... Well this is that episode!!! Jules is joining us all the way from Down Under in Sydney, to talk about the MLMs that plague the Outback and what these scams look like in Australia. Show Notes Nisse How Consumers Fell Out of Love with The Body Shop @ Home Aurelius Acquires The Body Shop DSA A...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 213
