Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein
Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein explores how modern marketing borrows tactics from cults, MLMs, and political movements to influence consumer behavior. Through conversations with academics, activists, and insiders, the podcast reveals how belief and commerce have become intertwined in the digital age. Topics include influencer culture, wellness scams, pyramid schemes, and political persuasion. Each episode examines how the same tools that foster loyalty also drive consumption, and how to recognize when inspiration turns into indoctrination.
Episodes
Getting Out: Cult Recovery, Religious Trauma, and How to Help Someone Leave
When it comes to cults–from MLM to MAGA–the question everyone wants answered is: how do I get my loved one out? In this episode, Dr. Mara Einstein tackles that question with Dr. Tanya Johnson, a therapist specializing in religious trauma, cult recovery, and high-control groups. She explains the cult recovery process while providing insights from her experience growing up Mormon.In this ep
Influencers, Algorithms, and the Business of Belief
What happens to democracy, trust, and shared reality when influence is driven by engagement rather than truth—and belief itself becomes a business model? In Episode 7, Dr. Mara Einstein sits down with two other experts to examine how digital influence actually works today—and why it has become one of the most powerful belief-shaping systems of our time.In Part 1, Dr. Mara is joined by Sam
Digital media changed the game
Digital technologies have been fundamental to the proliferation and perpetuation of cults of all kinds. Joining Dr. Mara Einstein for an examination of belief, power, and persuasion are two very special guests: one a theologian and the other an internet scholar. Together they make the case that we are not just living with technology—we are living inside its belief systems. And without con
The ultimate commercial cult
In this episode, Dr. Mara Einstein is joined by Julie Anderson, one of the most influential voices in the anti-MLM movement, for a deeply personal and unflinching conversation about life inside multi-level marketing—and the long road out.Julie walks through how she was pulled into MONAT through a product that initially worked, how she was systematically funneled from customer to seller to
What are brand cults?
In this episode, Dr. Mara Einstein sits down with Chris Kneeland, co-founder of Cult Collective and The Gathering, and anthropologist Ali Demos of StrawberryFrog, to unpack the surprising overlap between cult psychology, brand loyalty, and modern movement-making.Together, they explore why brands like Apple, LEGO, Costco, REI, Harley-Davidson, YETI, and even gas stations inspire devotion t
A new kind of cult
In this solo episode, Dr. Mara Einstein follows the trail from Jonestown to Apple, to TikTok influencers, and MLMs, uncovering how cult psychology has quietly become a blueprint for modern marketing. What used to live on remote compounds now lives in your feed, your shopping cart, and the brands you identify with.Dr. Mara breaks down how vulnerable people get targeted, love-bombed, upsold
The nitty gritty of cults
Sarah Edmondson, co-host of A Little Bit Culty and NXIVM cult whistleblower, joins Dr. Mara Einstein to provide an insider’s perspective on cult tactics, how people are pulled into cults, and how to spot the red flags that ultimately help people get out. Together, they explore what defines a cult (yes, there can be a cult of one), who is susceptible to cults (hint: everyone), and how to a
What is a cult?
What exactly is a cult—and how is it different from religion?In this opening episode, Dr. Mara Einstein sits down with Kathryn Lofton, one of today’s most incisive scholars of religion and culture, to unpack how belief, devotion, and consumer behavior intertwine. From worshiping gods to worshiping brands, Lofton and Einstein explore how modern life blurs the line between the sacred and th
Welcome to Hoodwinked!
What if your favorite brand—or your favorite influencer—used the same playbook as a cult? Hoodwinked with Dr. Mara Einstein unpacks how modern marketing borrows tactics from cults, MLMs, and political movements to win hearts, minds, and wallets. Through conversations with academics, activists, and insiders, Einstein—author of Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults—re
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