Videos

*PLEASE BE ADVISED* THIS IS *NOT* AN EPISODE OF CULT OR JUST WEIRD This is a personal story, told over the medium of a podcast... and OPTIONALLY (we can't stress this enough) to the audience of our podcast. Content warnings below. . . . . . . . . Content…

It's a societal thing, not a Zumba thing. Kayla finally reveals the shockingly large full extent of Zumba's power and influence. Search Categories --- Business; Common Interest / Fandom; Alt Medicine / Wellness Topic Spoiler --- Zumba, part 2 Further Reading --- https://www.inc.com/magazine/201212/leigh-buchanan/zumba-fitness-company-of-the-year-2012.html#:~:text=Based%20in%20an%20upscale%20shopping,does%20not%20release%20revenue%20figures. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/17/world/middleeast/iran-zumba-haram.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumba#Origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beto_P%C3%A9rez#Personal_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Perlman https://www.zumba.com/en-US/member-benefits https://www.zumba.com/en-US/trainings/zumbini https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/8b9bqs/where_do_things_like_zumba_fit_in/…

Did you know the human body can go for 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 14 days without Cult or Just Weird? Chris and Kayla get into the meat of the topic and ruminate on the question of whether intermittent fasting is a... well, you know. ---…

When you tell people they can’t have something it makes them want it more. Kayla takes Chris down the rabbit hole on a topic that's been dubbed "The Supreme Drop for Moms." Search Categories --- Business; Internet culture Topic Spoiler --- The Nugget couch Further Reading --- https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/nugget-couch https://nuggetcomfort.com/pages/faq-product-details https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/lifestyle-buzz/what-is-the-nugget-couch-the-cult-favorite-and-controversial-sensation-taking-over-tiktok/ar-BB1cZXrp…

Seek and you will be found. Chris & Kayla finally disagree on the cult conclusion about a mysterious group that sends its followers on wild goose chases around the internet - and beyond. Search Categories --- Popular Episode; Internet Culture Topic Spoiler --- Cicada 3301 Further Reading --- Uncovering Cicada…

Ditch the workout. Join the party. Kayla and Chris dance their way into the beginnings of yet another wellness-based movement. Search Categories --- Business; Common Interest / Fandom; Alt Medicine / Wellness Topic Spoiler --- Zumba, part 1 Further Reading --- https://www.inc.com/magazine/201212/leigh-buchanan/zumba-fitness-company-of-the-year-2012.html#:~:text=Based%20in%20an%20upscale%20shopping,does%20not%20release%20revenue%20figures. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/17/world/middleeast/iran-zumba-haram.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumba#Origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beto_P%C3%A9rez#Personal_life https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Perlman https://www.zumba.com/en-US/member-benefits https://www.zumba.com/en-US/trainings/zumbini https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/8b9bqs/where_do_things_like_zumba_fit_in/ https://qz.com/1085406/inside-the-cult-of-zumba-a-perfect-world-of-modern-make-believe/…

Do you believe in True Love? Chris and Kayla talk about soulmates. Well, a particularly "fiery" new age version of them. A version which has the potential to be problematic, and may even provide the foundation for a cult... --- *Search Categories* New Age; Business; Internet Culture; Destructive --- *Topic…

May you have the courage to change the things you can, the serenity to accept the things you can't, and the wisdom to know the difference. Chris & Kayla go deeper down the rabbit hole of the Twin Flames Universe, with some former members to help them with the whole…

I want to believe... but take this story with a bowl of salt. Chris abducts Kayla's scheduled episode slot to disclose a previously unidentified story... before it's too late. --- *Search Categories* Anthropological; Internet culture; Common interest / fandom --- *Topic Spoiler* Throawaylien --- *Further Reading* https://www.reddit.com/r/Throawaylien/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Throawaylien/comments/nn4usq/resources_and_links https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_abduction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Mack…

We hit a mother lode of madness. Chris complains to Kayla about some extremely weird ads he's been getting on YouTube lately. --- *Search Categories* New Age; Science / Pseudoscience; Business; Destructive; Conspiracy Theory; Alt Medicine --- *Topic Spoiler* Gaia.com Streaming Service --- *Further Reading* https://www.reddit.com/r/CommercialsIHate/comments/fkrd3s/the_stupid_gaiacom_ads_on_youtube/ https://www.gaia.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia,_Inc. https://medium.com/money-clip/gaia-the-craziest-streaming-service-or-the-most-dangerous-7a80391a9473 https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Gaia-Reviews-E1101975.htm…

"It's no use going back to yesterday," said Alice, "because I was a different person then." Kayla & Chris (or possibly their persona-tulpas created by their past selves?) traverse further into the wonderland realm of the imagination. Search Categories --- Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom Topic Spoiler --- Tulpa…

"A good traveler is one who who does not know where he is going to, and a perfect traveler does not know where he came from." -Lin Yutang Kayla & Chris travel the road of a surprisingly spiritual topic as they dig into one of the hidden treasures of the…

Good or bad, who's to say? Chris & Kayla walk by an interesting building in LA's Chinatown, which turns into a whole full excuse for Chris to talk about history on the cult show again. Search Categories --- Anthropological Topic Spoiler --- Hop Sing & other Chinese American Tongs Further…

This Is Not A Game. In part three of the now FIVE part COJW series on QAnon, Chris takes a hard look at the human psychology behind game mechanics, and what makes QAnon research so engaging. Special thanks to game designer Adrian Hon (https://twitter.com/adrianhon?lang=en) for sitting down with Chris this…

If you look, it's already too late. Chris & Kayla talk about a topic that some believe is dangerous merely by knowing about it. Content Warning: existential dread --- *Search Categories* Anthropological; Internet culture; Destructive --- *Topic Spoiler* Roko's Basilisk --- *Further Reading* https://www.nickbostrom.com/information-hazards.pdf https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Roko's_basilisk https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game) https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Roko%27s_basilisk# https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2018/04/24/whos-afraid-of-rokos-basilisk/ https://orbitermag.com/sinners-in-the-hands-of-an-angry-artificial-intelligence/…

Yeah I get confused, that's the human in me. I reason that shit out, that's the science in me. Chris & Kayla tap into their trust network to find experts to help navigate the tricky & complicated topic of epigenetics... and the tricky & complicated world of those who would…

Have you ever wanted to be your own boss? Make your own hours? Have the financial freedom and success you deserve? Chris & Kayla start tackling a whole giant subcategory of cult-or-just-weirds. Tell at least two friends about the podcast and you'll become a diamond tier listener! Search Categories ---…

Do you know how long this has been going on? In part one of a four part series, Kayla and Chris tackle a zeitgeisty topic that they've been ruminating on for a while. Search Categories --- Anthropological; Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom; Destructive; Conspiracy Theory Topic Spoiler --- QAnon,…

LOOK. DEEPER. Chris & Kayla follow up on an interesting lead to a former cult-or-just-weird member. And this interview turns up some surprising and creepy nuggets of new information... Special thanks to the Recovering Hunbot for being on the show! --- *Search Categories* Business; MLM; Destructive; Alt Medicine / Wellness…

Are you awake yet? In part two of CoJW's four (or maybe five!) part series on QAnon, Kayla gets into the nitty gritty mechanics of how it got going and where it's at now. Special thanks to conspiracy researcher Mike Rothschild (https://twitter.com/rothschildmd) for sharing his insights with CoJW this episode!…

Science is about questions. Self help is about answers. Kayla and Chris take a bite out of a meaty topic. --- *Search Categories* Science / Pseudoscience; Business; Destructive; Alt Medicine / Wellness --- *Topic Spoiler* The Lion Diet --- *Further Reading* https://shawn-baker.com/about/ https://meatrx.com/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/carnivore-research?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Carnivore_Diet.html?id=T3C9DwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description https://theswaddle.com/meat-and-masculinity-the-tired-trope-that-wont-go-away/ https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/jordan-peterson-carnivore-diet-mikhaila-meat.html https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/the-peterson-family-meat-cleanse/567613/ https://www.paleofx.com/top-5-things-i-learned-from-mikhaila-petersons-carnivore-diet/ https://carnivoresworld.com/lion-diet/…

How much would you spend to make it real? Chris brings an unexpected organization to the table in this week's episode. Prepare for the story of too much money, betrayal, pascal's wager, and the charismatic leader of.... a video game. Search Categories --- Business; Common interest / Fandom Topic Spoiler…

The real question is not whether our creations think, but whether we do. Kayla and Chris learn about the strange and endless limits of the human imagination. Search Categories --- Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom Topic Spoiler --- The Tulpa Community, pt1 Further Reading --- r/Tulpas Tulpa.info Vice article…

Is there anything more ritualistic than a meal? Chris and Kayla go out into the field and do some deliciously weird research in order to answer this episode's question. Search Categories --- New Religious Movement; Business Topic Spoiler --- Loving Hut Further Reading --- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_Hut Vice article LA Weekly article…