Ever wonder what it's like to be raised by IBOs? To have every memory and influence rooted in Amway? In Part 1 of my chat with The AntiMLM Kid, we dive into what those early years looked like, how her parents met and how she was groomed into becoming an IBO herself. It wasn't until she met her now husband that she began to open her eyes to the harsh truths of MLM. Show Notes Follow The AntiMLM Kid : TikTok | Instagram r/AntiMLM : My MLM childhood: growing up in an amway family r/AntiMLM : Amway ...
Nov 17, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 272
When Dianne, a former Amway Diamond reached out to me to help her tell her story and add another piece of the puzzle to our deep dive into Amway, I jumped at the chance. Dianne and her ex-husband were inside the cult for 25 years, and she has quite a few eye opening stories and revelations to share, including what it takes to reach Diamond and what staying at Peter Island is really like. Show Notes What are the odds of Making it to Diamond in Amway? Casino Psychology 101 : What Makes Casinos Add...
Nov 10, 2024•1 hr 32 min•Season 4Ep. 271
For our Cult Month bonus series we are diving into the History of Amway, starting with Carl Rehnborg, the inception of Nutrilite, and the earliest beginnings of The American Way. Stay tuned as we dive into all the sordid details of the Grandfather of MLM. Show Notes Out of MLM The BITE Model LAMLM Book Club MLM Dupes How can you help? MLM Change Report Fraud Truth in Advertising Report to your state Attorney General's office! Not in the U.S.? No Problem! Support the Podcast! Website | Patreon | ...
Nov 07, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 270
When J first joined Amway and started to catch feelings for her upline, it wasn't without a his heavy handed influence. Over the following months she fell hard for his love bombing and future faking, and everything seemed absolutely wonderful, until it wasn't. The dirty looks from other woman in the organization, petty gossip, and unnecessary drama was only the beginning. Show Notes Romance Scams Signs of Narcissistic Abuse Out of MLM The BITE Model LAMLM Book Club MLM Dupes How can you help? ML...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 269
Content Warning : In this episode we talk about heavy topics including rape, torture and murder. Please use discretion when listening. For our Halloween episode we are diving into the predators who live among us in plain sight, acting as members of society while doing depraved acts when no one is paying attention. We talk about Ted Bundy, John List and the most terrifying Amway IBO I've ever come across, Paul Bernardo. Happy Halloween Hunbots and Hunbros! Show Notes Murderpedia : Paul Bernardo R...
Oct 31, 2024•25 min•Season 4Ep. 268
If you're looking for more Amway podcast episodes, do I have a treat for you! Not only are we talking to Dani Rodriguez about her story, but she's also the host of the Exes and Tea Podcast which tells almost exclusively Amway stories! In our chat we discuss her journey in and out of Domestic Violence and the cult of Amway, but also the disgusting things that happened to her while inside, including a health dose of faith manipulation, and child endangerment. Show Notes Connect with Dani : Instagr...
Oct 27, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Season 4Ep. 267
In preparation of Amway Month in November, we've got a bonus episode filled with wild Amway Horror Stories, from growing up an Amway kid, to dreaming of one day joining Amway, as a kid. If you thought general MLM Horror Stories were painful, these tales of former IBOs will leave you speechless. Show Notes 10 Horror Stories that Prove MLM is Trash Football Guys - Let's Hear your MLM Horror Story r/AntiMLM - My Personal Amway Horror Story Zelda Universe - Amway Horror Stories My Embarrassing Amway...
Oct 23, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 266
Trigger Warning: In this episode we talk to a former Juror on a murder trial about a gruesome case in great detail. Please use discretion when listening. When Trish showed up for jury selection, she just thought she would be fulfilling her civic duty and would be dismissed and headed home shortly. Instead, Trish found herself seated in the jury box, selected for a local murder case, where a woman had been found beaten and murdered in her own home. Over the following days, Trish was thrust into t...
Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 4Ep. 265
I can't get enough of this book, How to Make Big Money in Multi Level Marketing, so we are gonna start with Chapter 1, with added snarky commentary and get through this drivel together. In Chapter 1 we learn "How to Prosper and Enjoy the Good Life Through Multi Level Marketing" where we will learn what MLM is, what the future looks like for the industry, the differences between MLM and Franchising and how good of an investment this really is. Plus, the story of "George & DeDe Shaw" to round ...
Oct 16, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 264
Ruth, one of our guests from Season 1, comes back to update us on her life and share her cringey MLM journal entries. As Ruth reads her inner most thoughts as a Hun deep in Pure Romance, we comment and reflect on what she was saying and what she really meant in those last years leading up to finally leaving. From deeply empathic thoughts and actions to saying the quiet parts out loud, Ruth's journey out of MLM gives us an inside look into the mind of a Hun and reminds us what it looks like to st...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 4Ep. 263
I am out of town, so here is a spooky Halloween bonus episode with some of the most heartbreaking MLM Horror Stories I found on Reddit, featuring some of our favorite MLMs to hate, Amway, Primerica, Mary Kay and LuLaRoe. If you'd like to dive deeper into these posts and read comments or updates, the source link is provided below, and let me know if you'd like more sourced stories as bonus episodes going forward! There are so many, and they all deserve a platform to be heard on. Show Notes r/anti...
Oct 09, 2024•37 min•Season 4Ep. 262
Sophia joined Amway as a vulnerable teenager who was just looking for adult mentorship and stability in her life. Through a series of tragic events, Sophia realized that life was far too short to be stuck in something so controlling and toxic, and despite the extreme guilt she felt to her upline, came to find out that she had one foot out the door already. But what happens when you know you have to leave, but you're not sure if you can function in life without your upline? Show Notes 2024 DV Sta...
Oct 06, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 4Ep. 261
Happy October!!! Friend of the pod, Elora Dodd found the book How to Make Big Money in Multi-Level Marketing at the thrift store and sent it to me to use in AntiMLM content. For the month of October it will serve as our own culty version of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and give us fodder for bonus episodes and extra content for True Crime month! Today I am reading some selected passages from "very successful" MLMers, as they tell us why they joined their MLM, as well as a dramatic reading o...
Oct 02, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 260
Eva Collins learned the hard way that the coaching and course industry is a less than scrupulous playground full of grifters and decided she needed to do something about it. In our conversation we cover the similarities of our own experiences in schemes, share the red flags to look out for when deciding to hire outside help and wax poetic on why the trolls are so triggered. Show Notes Connect with Eva: Instagram | Website Tupperware Files Chapter 11 r/antimlm Is Master Resell Rights an MLM? MMR ...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Season 4Ep. 259
Robyn has had ADHD her whole life, and she's been chasing that "Dopamine Dragon" for as long as she can remember. In the various ways she's learned to control it over the years, it wasn't without the familiar game of MLMs, jumping from company to company, hoping to hit it big. Through joining the old standards, new fads and even a ground floor opportunity, Robyn learned the hard way that the house always wins. In our chat we talk about the effects of MLM with ADHD, toxic diet culture and fast fa...
Sep 22, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 258
*Content Warning* In this episode we talk about heavy topics including Domestic Violence, Narcissistic Abuse, Ableism and Medical Trauma. Please use discretion when listening. Katie was a young woman looking to take hold of her independence and make it on her own when she first met Christian on a dating app. His prolonged abuse helped lay the foundation for a lot of the relationships Katie found herself in and the medical issues still plaguing her to this day. When a freak accident left Katie wi...
Sep 15, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Season 4Ep. 257
In Part 2 of our story, Sarah and I discuss how the cult evolved after the bombs were successfully prayed away and the bunkers were abandoned in the early 90's. As the toxic diet culture craze came into fashion and being crunchy was the newest fad, Church United and Triumphant clung to their remaining members and adopted a macrobiotic diet. We talk about their obsession with the healing powers of Tea Tree Oil, how the MLM Melaleuca scammed their way in the door, the panic of Y2K, and the Siege a...
Sep 08, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 256
Back in the 1980's Sarah was born into a Doomsday Cult who worshiped the "ascended Masters" built underground bunkers in the Montana wilderness to survive the nuclear holocaust of The Cold War. But that's not all... Their exalted leader who was affectionately known as "Mother", also had a hand in helping create the cult, Twin Flame University. In part 1 of our episode, we chat about the fear around the Cold War, the history of Church United and Triumphant, Twin Flames and a few other culty conne...
Sep 01, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 255
Dana had no idea the day my face came across her FYP, that in 2 years time her life would be totally different. It started off innocently enough, as an email asking questions, followed by light conversation back and forth, until the last email I received that started with "I just wanted to reach out and say - I QUIT!". But Dana's journey out of MLM was littered with the adjacent scams that occupy the spaces between; Coaching, Courses, Affiliate Marketing, and Facebook Raffle pages that look more...
Aug 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 254
It's about time we had another Herbalife episode, and this one might take the entire loaded tea/shake combo. Meet one of our Discord members Michael, and his mom Ginger who opened up their very own Herbalife Nutrition Shop without having to jump though any of the normal hoops. With shady business practices from their upline, and a less than honest attempt at a retail store, Ginger and Michael learned quickly that this wasn't a real business and it was too late to do anything about it. I hope the...
Aug 18, 2024•1 hr 42 min•Season 4Ep. 253
Hey! We're coming to you with a BONUS EPISODE that's a little different that usual, in fact this bonus episode is just an information filled conversation about an event coming up soon that could greatly benefit a lot of our listeners! The Untapped Event put on by the 12M+ Instant Teams Community is an unparalleled 3-day conference designed for the military spouse community. It includes a 2-day virtual experience full of connections, networking, resources, and growth opportunities as well as a vi...
Aug 14, 2024•28 min•Season 4Ep. 252
First, I cannot believe we're on the OTHER SIDE of 250 episodes, and secondly it couldn't be with a more fun guest! Meet Don Martin, fraud investigator by day and host of the podcast Head on Fire. When Don made a video on TikTok asking about the potential dangers of Bomb Party, I HAD to make a reply video, and what happened was our worlds colliding and creating two different podcast episodes about it. In OUR episode on Life After MLM, Don and I talk about the Grift of the Woo, and how scammers i...
Aug 11, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Season 4Ep. 251
It's our 250th Episode!!! 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. Sho...
Aug 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 250
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 Chris...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 249
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 prospe...
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 4Ep. 248
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 stor...
Jul 14, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 4Ep. 247
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 Tea...
Jul 07, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 4Ep. 246
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 evange...
Jun 30, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 4Ep. 245
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 St...
Jun 23, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 244
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 suppor...
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 243
