This is exactly right.

Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult.

But it happens all the time to people just like you.

And people just like us.

I'm Lola Blanc.

And I'm Megan Elizabeth.

We're the hosts of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief.

Each week, we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out.

Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

This story contains adult content and language.

Listener discretion is advised.

First it becomes, why didn't you tell me about this?

And, you know, this is the secret you've been keeping.

And then when things start to go awry, how could you involve me in this thing?

I'm Kate Winkler Dawson, a nonfiction author and journalism professor in Austin, Texas.

I'm also the co-host of the podcast Buried Bones on Exactly Right. And throughout my career, research for my many audio and book

projects has taken me around the world. On Wicked Words, I sit down with the people I've met along the way,

amazing writers, journalists, filmmakers,

and podcasters who have investigated and reported on notorious true crime cases.

This is about the choices writers make, both good and bad,

and it's a deep dive into the unpublished details behind their stories.

...