A cult doesn’t usually start with robes and chanting. It starts with a leader who feels magnetic, a group that promises belonging, and a subtle new rule: don’t question the story. We dig into the psychology of cult leaders, the behaviors that signal high-control groups, and why even smart, skeptical people can get swept up when love bombing, isolation, and fear take over.

We connect the dots between infamous cases and modern life, from the real origin of “don’t drink the Kool-Aid," to Heaven’s Gate, NXIVM, and fundamentalist sects that use secrecy to protect abuse. Along the way, we talk about how cult dynamics can show up in places that don’t label themselves as religion at all, including certain MLM structures and relationships that function like a “cult of two,” where one person becomes the only allowed source of truth and validation.

Heidi also shares a personal near-miss: a women-led community concept that rapidly morphed into something disturbing. We unpack the warning signs she saw only after stepping away, plus the practical safeguards that could've helped her. There’s even a modern twist on validation loops, including how AI can echo back paranoia in a way that sounds convincing.

Subscribe for more conversations that mix dark curiosity with real-world self-protection, and if this resonates, share the episode with a friend and leave us a review. What’s the clearest cult red flag you’ve seen up close?

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Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.

We revisit the children’s books and fairy tales that felt normal at the time and realize how many of them were basically horror stories with a moral. We connect the nightmares to bigger questions about censorship, family dynamics, and what we want kids to learn now.
• shifting patterns in children’s book censorship from the 1970s to today
• VC Andrews and the secret pipeline of too-adult reads
• Struwwelpeter and the shock-value “cautionary tale” tradition
• fairy tale archetypes like evil stepparents and abandoned kids
• The Giving Tree as generosity versus dysfunctional emotional labor
• Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and the power of illustrations
• Lois Duncan and Stranger with My Face plus fear that feels real
• choose your own adventure books that go wildly dark
• The Little Match Girl and other stories built to haunt
• Lord of the Flies compared with real survival stories
• LGBTQ children’s books, representation, and the future of labels
If you have a story you'd like to share or have any comments, we'd love to hear from you.

Send us Fan Mail

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.

We get honest, funny, and a little feral about the fictional characters who live rent-free in our heads, from Regency classics to modern fantasy heartthrobs. Along the way we name the psychology behind it, swap our most questionable crushes, and admit what these stories let us desire without real world consequences.

• our favorite literary crushes across genres and eras
• the popularity of classic “book boyfriends” like Mr Darcy
• fictophilia and why novels can feel like relationships
• Outlander and the enduring appeal of Jamie Fraser
• fantasy romance tropes like immortals, vampires, and shapeshifters
• Magic Bites and the slow-burn pull of Curran and Kate Daniels
• True Blood crush debates and why certain vampires win
• “problematic” or embarrassing crushes we still remember
• how beautiful writing intensifies attraction in classics like Gatsby and Hamlet

Send us Fan Mail

Email us at info@thewomenareplotting.com, and find us on all the socials. Be safe and be excellent to each other.