Conspirituality
Dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy-mad yogis. At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon. As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse, and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia. Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.
- Update frequency
- every 2 days
- Average duration
- 48 minutes
- Episodes
- 686
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Brief: Is Jordan Peterson Really a Licensed Psychologist? (w/Dr. Taslim Alani-Verjee)
In November, the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO)—through which Jordan Peterson must be licensed in order to treat private clients—opened an investigation into complaints over his Twitter be…
00:31:27 |
Tue 10 Jan 2023
Bonus Sample: A Little Birdie Told Me
While the Twitter Files revealed...not much at all...the right continues to push Elon Musk's "revelations" as hard as Hunter Biden's magical laptop, which seems to absorb every ill in society like Pa…
00:05:48 |
Mon 09 Jan 2023
UNLOCKED: The Courage to Heal Pt. 2
Matthew and Julian sit down for the second of a two-part examination of the 1988 bestseller at the heart of the recovered memory movement. This is episode 10 of the Swan Song Series.Show Notes Contro…
01:47:23 |
Sat 07 Jan 2023
135: The Persuaders (w/Anand Giridharadas)
Happy New Year, Conspirituality listeners!
As with the much anticipated midterm elections, the holiday season is now officially behind us. Which means that in addition to any of the colds, flu, and …
01:41:14 |
Thu 05 Jan 2023
Bonus Sample: Punching Down & Male Fragility
The Hodgetwins’ brand of comedy relies on punching down, not nuance or storytelling—or being based in reality in any meaningful way. They’ll take a subject, make fun of it, then sometimes moralize ab…
00:05:40 |
Mon 02 Jan 2023
Brief: Libs Of TikTok Cries Cult
Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok calls the LGBTQ+ community a cult. Does this mean the term has lost all meaning?
Searching for the roots of Raichik's abuse of cult discourse leads Matthew back throu…
00:37:31 |
Fri 30 Dec 2022
UNLOCKED: The Courage to Heal Pt. 1
Matthew and Julian sit down for the first of a two-part examination of the 1988 bestseller at the heart of the recovered memory movement—which played a central role in validating Satanic Panic testim…
01:26:14 |
Thu 29 Dec 2022
Bonus Sample: Growing Up in Scientology pt 2 (w/Sarah)
Part 2 of Matthew's conversation with Sarah. Sarah grew up in the Church of Scientology. But she also grew up in a small town. And, in a neurodiverse family. We come from so many places. Exploitative…
00:08:05 |
Mon 26 Dec 2022
UNLOCKED: Girl, Interrupted (pt 2)
The second part of Julian and Matthew's long look at the 1999 film Teal Swan was reportedly obsessed with as a teen. Girl, Interrupted is a freewheeling adaptation of a 1993 memoir by Susanna Kaysen …
01:34:07 |
Sat 24 Dec 2022
134: Elon Musk, Buddhabro? (w/Ann Gleig and Brenna Artinger)
Elon, Elon, who are you? Where is your essential self? Where are you as you soar through your space fantasies, as you track and hedge and bet your billions, wondering if all those emeralds gave you a…
01:33:38 |
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Bonus Sample: Growing Up in Scientology (w/Sarah)
Sarah grew up in the Church of Scientology. But she also grew up in a small town. And, in a neurodiverse family. We come from so many places. Exploitative, hierarchical, hypocritical. Generous, tende…
00:27:18 |
Mon 19 Dec 2022
133: Grifts That Keep on Taking (w/Kevin Klatt)
Remember way back to the beginning of this podcast, shortly after “Plandemic” dropped, when wellness influencers immediately began selling supposed “immune supporting” supplements? That trend has onl…
01:18:43 |
Thu 15 Dec 2022
Brief: The Right-Wing Machinery of Stochastic Terror
In this special report, Julian examines how the machinery of right-wing propaganda engineers the necessary conditions for stochastic terror. The recent waves of dehumanizing anti-LGBTQ bigotry height…
00:48:03 |
Tue 13 Dec 2022
Bonus Sample: Leaving S-Factor pt. 2 (w/Jessica Hopper)
Those who fly high, fall hard. Pole dance company S-Factor crashed and burned in 2021 amidst a stack of complaints. Detractors said the company was conducting unlicensed group therapy, cosplaying enl…
00:09:13 |
Mon 12 Dec 2022
UNLOCKED: Girl, Interrupted (pt 1)
Julian and Matthew take a long look at the 1999 film Teal Swan was reportedly obsessed with as a teen. Girl, Interrupted is a bold adaptation of a 1993 memoir by the writer Susanna Kaysen about the 1…
01:30:29 |
Sat 10 Dec 2022
132: Ye, Balenciaga, & Twilight Zone Propaganda (w/Francesca Tripodi)
We didn't have tracking BDSM Easter eggs in fashion shoots or Ye’s Jew-hating Christofascism on our bingo card. But here we are, covering a cluster of cursed images and hypomanic clips.We’ll stare ri…
01:37:45 |
Thu 08 Dec 2022
Bonus Sample: Leaving S-Factor pt. 1 (w/Jessica Hopper)
Those who fly high, fall hard. Pole dance company S-Factor crashed and burned in 2021 amidst a stack of complaints. Detractors said the company was conducting unlicensed group therapy, cosplaying enl…
00:10:06 |
Mon 05 Dec 2022
Brief: Digging up the Hampstead Hoax (w/Alexi Mostrous)
Matthew checks in with investigative journalist Alexi Mostrous on his fantastic work digging up the Hampstead Hoax.
Show Notes
Hoaxed — Tortoise Media
Re P and Q (Children: Care Proceedings: Fact …
00:29:28 |
Sat 03 Dec 2022
131: Parasite Cleanses are Full of Sh*t (feat Mallory DeMille)
Did you know, right now, as you sit there listening to this, your body is filled with parasites that need to be cleansed? Of course, that’s if you live in America, since every other country on the pl…
01:02:54 |
Thu 01 Dec 2022
Bonus Sample: The Super Best Most Pure Immune-Boosting Supplement Ever (Until Next Week)
Are you ready for the bestest, purest immunity-boosting supplement in the history of the world? No, not that one. Only I have discovered what really works, and I'll share it with you this week.Ok, no…
00:06:02 |
Mon 28 Nov 2022
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