What is Speaking of Cults about?

Speaking of Cults is the podcast all about cults, from their anatomy to recovery from the experience. It is listed as an education show, with a religion focus.

Who hosts Speaking of Cults?

Speaking of Cults is hosted by Chris Shelton. They have published 300 episodes. The show covers education, with a religion focus.

What has Speaking of Cults covered recently?

Recent episodes include "Speaking of Cults...Dark Messiah and Fictionalized Cults with Sara Carson", "Speaking of Cults...Using Art for Recovery & Growth ft. Grace Sims", and "Speaking of Cults...Does Religion Belong in Therapy at All? with Veronica Thompson". The latest went out on 3 Oct 2026 and ran about 66 minutes. Reading two or three of these before pitching is the fastest way to see what the show actually books.

How often does Speaking of Cults publish?

Speaking of Cults publishes weekly, a median of 7 days between episodes. Episodes average about 84 minutes. The back catalogue stands at 300 episodes. A show on this cadence plans ahead, so pitch earlier rather than closer to the date you want.

How hard is it to get booked on Speaking of Cults?

For Speaking of Cults, Booking Probability sits at 37/100, Listen Score at 35/100, and the guest bar is around 80/100. The show has not signalled guest openness recently, which raises the bar on relevance. A verified contact is on file.

Who should pitch Speaking of Cults?

Speaking of Cults covers cults, mental health, scientology, religion, so guests who can speak to those specifically fit best. The show carries an audience score of 7/100. Lead with a specific result you can describe in numbers rather than a job title, and tie it to something the show has already covered.

education

Speaking of Cults

Hosted by Chris Shelton · education · EN-US · 300 episodes

Audience: 7

Apple Podcasts Website

About this Podcast:

Speaking of Cults is the podcast all about cults, from their anatomy to recovery from the experience. Join host and cult survivor Chris Shelton and his guests as they explore coercive control, how predators operate at all levels in our society, how to spot them and how to recover.

Pitch Analysis

Required Pod Score for this show. PitchCentric checks your profile against host openness, topical fit, and audience signals before you generate a pitch.

Contact path

Verified email

Booking probability

37%

Guest openness

Selective

Verified email on file

80/100

Required Score

Signup to Generate a Pitch

What is Speaking of Cults?

Speaking of Cults is a education podcast hosted by Chris Shelton, with 300 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

About the host

Chris Shelton hosts Speaking of Cults, a education show with 300 episodes published.

Verified host email: ████████@████.comSign in to unlock →

Recent episodes

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

Episode #536
Speaking of Cults...Dark Messiah and Fictionalized Cults with Sara Carson
Oct 3, 20261h 6m
This week I welcome author Sara Carson to discuss her recently published fiction story Dark Messiah, a tale based on the real-life tragedy of the Jonestown massacre at the order of cult leader Jim Jones. Sara and I have a far ranging discussion about the power of fiction, cult dynamics and Jonestown itself. Her book is now out for you to buy as well. Sara's website: https://sarazcarsonauthor.com Dark Messiah on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GVZMLYCR
Show Notes
Episode #535
Speaking of Cults...Using Art for Recovery & Growth ft. Grace Sims
Sep 26, 202653 min
This week I welcome film maker and cult survivor Grace Sims to discuss a recent project of hers and some of her experiences growing up in a high control group. Enjoy! Grace's website: https://gracesims.com
Show Notes
Episode #534
Speaking of Cults...Does Religion Belong in Therapy at All? with Veronica Thompson
Sep 19, 20261h 19m
This week I welcome therapist and author Veronica Thompson, a self-labelled "Christian therapist" who shares her work and opinions about where religion does and doesn't belong in the therapy space. I know people have strong opinions about this and I believe we had a very nuanced and understandable conversation about it. Enjoy! Veronica's website: https://VeronicaThompson.com
Show Notes
Episode #533
Speaking of Cults...Healing from Narcissistic Abuse with Dr. Tina Paone
Sep 12, 20261h 7m
This week I welcome therapist, author and narcissist specialist Dr. Tina Paone to discuss the psychology of narcissism and recovery from it. She is the author of a recently released book on recovery from narcissistic abuse titled Unbroken: Healing from Narcissistic Abuse and Reclaiming Me. Enjoy! Dr. Paone's website: https://drtinapaone.com Dr. Paone's book: https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-Healing-Narcissistic-Abuse-Reclaiming-ebook/dp/B0GRPNKDS6?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Show Notes
Episode #532
Speaking of Cults...Scientology and the Brain with Jon Atack
Sep 5, 20261h 16m
Today I welcome back Jon Atack to continue our series of podcasts to debunk the "basics" of Scientology, one bit at a time. This week we didn't make a lot of progress in our book review as we kept it short and mainly addressed Hubbard and his very outmoded ideas about the human brain. Enjoy! Roehampton University in London is conducting a survey into the effects of mandated shunning—or enforced disconnection—with the aim of introducing new legal provisions to the UK's existing coercive control law. This important study will help shift public opinion, offer protection and safeguarding to former members, and encourage education in our schools about the dangers of high-demand groups and their authoritarian practices. The survey is anonymised. It takes about an hour to complete, but can be done in stages at your own pace. Windy and Savin would also like to talk with people who have suffered disconnection. Please take the survey and let others know about it. Take the survey here: https://stopmandatedshunning.org/survey/ And here's the information page: https://roehamptonpsych.az1.qualtrics... or you may contact the researchers directly: Dr Savin Bapir-Tardy Senior lecturer in Counselling Psychology Roehampton University (s.bapir-tardy@roehampton.ac.uk) Dr Windy Grendele, Senior lecturer in Psychology, Roehampton University (Windy.grendele@roehampton.ac.uk) Thanks!
Show Notes

Guest Appearances

Recent guests on Speaking of Cults. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Tia Levings

author of A Well-trained Wife: My Escape From Christian Patriarchy

Melissa Duge Spiers

author of Holy Disobedience

Phil Jones

author of Exactly What to Say, Alliance for Transportation Electrification

Rachel Bernstein

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, IndoctriNation Podcast

Advertisers on this show

Sponsor detection runs nightly. Check back soon.

Best industries to pitch Speaking of Cults for

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

educationstrong

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.

Podcasts like Speaking of Cults

All podcasts More education Top in US Top 100 by Booking Probability Booking Probability Index How scoring works How to get on podcasts

Is this podcast yours and you'd like to remove or correct details? Request removal or email privacy@pitchcentric.com.

FAQs

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

If you have a concern about deliverability, AI quality, data privacy, or whether this will actually work for your specific situation, it's probably answered below.

What is the difference between Founder Solo and Founder Pro?

Founder Solo gives you 50 AI pitches per month using the credit model (Standard pitches cost 1 credit, Enriched pitches cost 2). Founder Pro raises that to 200 credits per month and adds full Booking Probability access, unlimited Magic Match, Apollo enrichment credits, and data export capabilities. Both plans use the same credit system, so you can stretch your monthly budget further by using Standard-mode drafting.

How do agency tiers work?

Agency tiers have no base fee. You pay per managed client and per talent profile. Agency Standard is $199 per client per month; Agency Pro is $399 per client per month. Both add $39 per talent profile per month. Your own team's user seats are always free.

What is a talent profile?

A talent profile represents one person (founder, executive, or spokesperson) you are booking onto podcasts. It includes their bio, topics, headshots, and outreach history. Team plans include 5 profiles; agency plans are pay-as-you-go.

Can I switch plans later?

Yes, at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades apply at the end of the current billing period. Contact support if you need help migrating between plan families.

Do you offer a free trial?

Every paid plan includes a 15-day free trial. Your card is saved at signup but you will not be charged until day 16. Cancel any time from your dashboard.

What happens if I cancel?

You keep access until the end of your current billing period. No charges after that. Your data is retained for 30 days in case you reactivate.

Is the 20% annual discount automatic?

Yes. Select Annual on the pricing toggle and the discounted price is applied automatically at checkout. The annual price shown is the full year cost.

What if I have more than 50 profiles or 20 clients?

That is our Enterprise tier. Contact our sales team and we will build a custom plan with volume pricing, a dedicated account manager, and SLA guarantees.

Every question we get asked before
someone starts their trial.

If you have a concern about deliverability, AI quality, data privacy, or whether this will actually work for your specific situation, it's probably answered below.

What is the difference between Founder Solo and Founder Pro?

How do agency tiers work?

What is a talent profile?

Can I switch plans later?

Yes, at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately; downgrades apply at the end of the current billing period. Contact support if you need help migrating between plan families.

Do you offer a free trial?

Every paid plan includes a 15-day free trial. Your card is saved at signup but you will not be charged until day 16. Cancel any time from your dashboard.

What happens if I cancel?

You keep access until the end of your current billing period. No charges after that. Your data is retained for 30 days in case you reactivate.

Is the 20% annual discount automatic?

Yes. Select Annual on the pricing toggle and the discounted price is applied automatically at checkout. The annual price shown is the full year cost.

What if I have more than 50 profiles or 20 clients?

That is our Enterprise tier. Contact our sales team and we will build a custom plan with volume pricing, a dedicated account manager, and SLA guarantees.

Speaking of Cults

About this Podcast:

Pitch Analysis

What is Speaking of Cults?

About the host

Recent episodes