ENCORE: The Memory Maker Part 2 | 160

Scamfluencers

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.1 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Teal Swan’s self-help empire is on the rise, and so is the backlash to some of her most controversial techniques. Teal fights back against her critics, releasing long rebuttals and detailed explainers on YouTube. She even invites a film crew to document her life and hires a private investigator to prove she’s got nothing to hide. But when the findings come out, things will get even more complicated.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-8255. The U.S. National Alliance on Mental Illness is available at 1-800-950-6264. If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline in the US by calling 1-800-656-4673. That's 1-800-656-4673.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, scam influencers, listeners. If you're as hooked on these jaw-dropping schemes as we are,
0:04.7	you'll love Wondry Plus. Think of it as you're all access past the world of scams.
0:09.5	Add-free episodes, early access, and exclusive deep dives that uncover even more shocking details.
0:15.5	Don't just listen. Emmerse yourself in the chaos with Wondry Plus.
0:19.5	A heads up to our listeners.
0:24.5	Today's episode discusses mental health issues and suicide.
0:25.8	Listen with care.
0:34.9	Sachi, you're someone who loves power.
0:36.7	Let's not deny it.
0:37.3	Correct. If you are a cult leader,
0:39.3	what would your non-negotiables be for your followers? Everybody has to remark loudly and often
0:46.2	about how good looking I am. Okay. I'm not asking for a lot. You could start right now.
0:52.4	Why do I need to be a cult leader for that to happen? You could do it
0:55.0	today. Okay, I literally tell you all the time that you're beautiful. I know that is true.
1:00.6	It makes me really uncomfortable. Well, mine would definitely be that my followers have to make sure I'm
1:07.5	always well fed. Oh, that's a good one too. Yeah. Okay. We would have a great cult if you and I ever got, you know, active enough to do that.
1:15.9	Yeah, if we took the initiative.
1:18.3	Well, for someone like Teal Swan, who some people think is a bit of a cult leader,
1:23.0	it seems like her biggest non-negotiable is complete and unwavering loyalty, which means never having
1:29.2	to hear she's wrong ever. And as you can imagine, that does not go well. It's January 2014,
1:41.6	and Teal Swan is on a beach in Santa Barbara, California.
1:45.5	She's wearing a white dress and staring into the eyes of her new husband, Sardip Singh Swan.
	...

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