Cults

After acing an IQ test in 1988, 28-year-old Keith Raniere was able to brand himself “The Smartest Man in the World.” The moniker allowed him to seduce unappreciated businesswoman Toni Natalie, who would go on to help Keith grow the first of his predatory companies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ma Anand Sheela orchestrated Rajneeshpuram’s movement from India to Oregon. As Rajneesh himself faded into the shadows, the cult’s grabs for political power led to wiretapping, poisoning, fraud and murder plots. We examine how Sheela was driven towards chaos by her husband’s death, and Rajneesh’s high expectations.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prophesied to die young and surviving near-death-experiences, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh felt discomfort with his own mortality from a young age. Over time, his spiritual studies and strong beliefs about capitalism and sexuality led Rajneesh to become a charismatic cult leader. This charisma attracted Ma Anand Sheela, the woman who rose from a 20-year-old devotee to a powerful leader in the cult that launched a deadly bioterrorism attack on over 750 Americans.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside a cult? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of people who join cults and leaders who start them. Every Tuesday we take a psychological approach to analyzing a cult and its founder. Cults premieres Tuesday September 26th. Here is a sneak peak.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices