Life After MLM

Abby Miller thought she was just "helping out a friend" at church by buying some oils, when she got an email welcoming her to the team as Young Living's newest distributor. After that experience she wanted to understand what had happened to her and why, and she went down the MLM rabbit hole. Being a Christian, Abby began to see that the MLM practices she was experiencing in her community were cont...

Before Julie Jo was a major force in the AntiMLM TikTok community, she was an Arbonne Hun. She climbed the ranks within her MLM, and qualified for that coveted White Mercedes. Julie breaks down what it takes to get there and how much that "FREE CAR" really costs. We also chat about TikTok, the AntiMLM community, cult tactics, and what we do about all those "haters" we get. *If you're catching us i...

When Laura found herself pregnant with her 4th baby, in the middle of the Covid pandemic, she worried that her Mary Kay business may have been hurting more than it was helping. She took a long look at the numbers with her husband, and realized that she "never saw a true profit" from her 5 years in the "business". After a stress induced rash and severely swollen feet, Laura had "the talk" and decid...

Laura Caton was a mother of young children just looking for something of her own when she learned about a local community theater company in her area. She was targeted multiple times in her small town by the local Mary Kay Director, before eventually "starting her own business" with the MLM. Because she was a homeschooling mom, with little outlet outside of home, she began selling and sharing the...

In the conclusion of Rebecca's story, we get a bit deeper into the cult aspects and what she started to see and experience. While her new life as a mom was keeping her busy, and her husband's new career kept him away from the weekly team meetings, things with Amway began to unravel. Rebecca and I discuss different elements of the BITE Model that she personally knew were happening, what it's like t...

Rebecca, the AntiMLM force behind the IG account "Once Upon a Biz", spent 10 years of her life in the cult of Amway. While under their spell, she found herself slowly changing and shifting not only her attitude and focus, but her religious and political views as well. She met her husband while in what she describes as her "hunbot" phase, and shares what it's like navigating a marriage formed in th...

*Content Warning* This story contains the exploitation of minors as young as 16 , in a "Student Financial Assistance" scam. Those who are sensitive to stories like this, please use your best judgement before proceeding. Chelsea Flores was a young woman living in the Philippines, when she heard about a financial assistance scam targeting young students in her area. The opportunity, Zafire Natural B...

*Content Warning* This episode features a former rep from Pure Romance, an MLM that deals with adult products and toys. We talk about many topics that are not suitable for younger listeners, and could be triggering for some, including sexual situations and trauma . Please listen at your own discretion. In part 2, "Ruth" finishes her story about her time in Pure Romance and shares what she started...

*Content Warning* This episode features a former rep from Pure Romance, an MLM that deals with adult products and toys. We talk about many topics that are not suitable for younger listeners, and could be triggering for some, including sexual situations and trauma . Please listen at your own discretion. "Ruth" joined Pure Romance when her previous MLM, Slumber Parties was bought out and they were m...

Another Bonus episode! And this time it's with my girl, Chelsea! You may know her from her YouTube Channel where she does deep dives into MLM companies, talks to former 1%, and exposes scammers, among other things. We chat about her new gig as a full time content creator, her personal experiences in MLM, and the differences she's seen between being an actual sales professional, vs an MLM rep. Plus...

"Moira" was a stay at home mom of 3 boys, who bought into the hype of MLM in 2016. While chasing the dream of being at the top of the pyramid, "Moira" found herself involved with 3 different MLMs, including an elusive invitation to a "Ground Floor Opportunity". From her vantage point, she got a deep look into the toxic positivity of MLM, and experienced more psychological manipulation than she bar...

In the conclusion of Megan's story, she shares her struggles with Senegence, the predatory and toxic nature of what she experienced inside the cult, and how she got out and moved on. We also connect on a personal level and find out we have a lot more in common that just MLM (which is a pattern of coincidence I'm starting to see on this show...). Show Notes Megan "ZonaLife" YouTube - https://www.yo...

As an addict in recovery, Megan was targeted in her sacred Tuesday Night meeting by a seemingly friendly looking, tattooed woman who she connected with. Over a cup of coffee, she's pitched the beauty MLM, Senegence and decides to start her "business". Over the course of her time with the company, Megan started to notice things weren't what she signed up for. Thankfully for us, she's spilling all t...

In this bonus episode, I interview the hosts of Sip with Me about their MLM themed, second season. I had so much fun talking with Ioanna and Aaron last summer on their show, that I had to have them on mine! They recount what they learned diving into the Anti MLM world, their own cringey experiences with MLM, how it invaded their personal and professional spaces and even share an MLM inspired cockt...

In the conclusion of Amanda's story, we finish up the BITE model and talk about the artificial "mentorship" and friendships of MLM. Once she understood what was actually happening, she became fiercely protective of her groups outside of Amway and started to realize that this wasn't what she signed up for. Her and her husband decided that it was time to leave, and shortly after things began to chan...

Amanda and her husband were newly transplanted into Southern California for work, and looking for some mentorship and direction in life when she met a nice girl offering just that at a coffee shop. She was quickly swept up into the controlling nature of the oldest MLM in the world, Amway. Amanda and I talk about what life was like inside the cult, the BITE Model, and Amway's odd fixation on marrie...

In the early 1990's Skip Press was a newlywed with a son on the way, looking for an alternative to the freelance life he was currently living; the thought of a corporate job with consistent, steady pay was enticing. He was hired on as the new Communications Director, and placed in charge of the huge yearly convention for a HUGE Multi Level Marketing company with juicy secrets. Things started to ge...

Hey! A little call to action before we jump into this next story, I need your help! I am working on some ideas for future episodes, but I can't do it without you! Just hear me out hun, this could be an exciting opportunity for you! Afterwards, listen to the story of Belen, who was looking for friendship, confidence and community, but instead found gaslighting, manipulation and bullying from the sa...

CONTENT WARNING : In this episode, we break down the deceptive and dangerous dealings of Mr. "Doctor" Donald Gary Young, founder of Young Living. We talk about many things that may be triggering to people, including infanticide. Please listen at your own discretion. In the second half of Liz's story, we talk about the random cause and effect that lead to her ending her Herbalife business, her time...

When MLM found Liz, she was looking to up her game on the roller derby circuit. One of her derby friends reached out with a solution that answered of her problems, or so it seemed. Liz decided to go "all in" after a roller derby injury resulted in her losing her job as a cocktail waitress at a local casino. In this episode, we get deep into what it's like to sell Herbalife, what's the deal with th...

Josie and I finish up the BITE Model in part 2, diving into the Informational and Emotional control of commercial cults. Afterwards we discuss the DSA and politics in MLM, an inside perspective into those "free" perks, the culture and dynamics of the top of the pyramid, and a little personal chat and look into our lives outside of our Anti MLM advocacy efforts. Show Notes Steven Hassan's BITE Mode...

You asked, and we answered! In this bonus episode, I talk to AntiMLM Advocate, "Not the Good Girl", Josie Naikoi about her time in MLM as the Top 1%, and our favorite topic to ramble on about, the BITE model. Show Notes Not the Good Girl - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4DMThX0F-h6F1nzCbp6shw/featured Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan - https://amzn.to/3uLhYco "Because of Deanne" -...

As if his story in part one couldn't get any weirder, in part two Russ tells us about his experience of heading to a big ACN convention where Donald Trump, star of The Apprentice , would be speaking at. He recounts his trip, including fudge inspired doowop, and odd encounter with an employee in the lobby of McDonalds. We get deep into the celebrity and political affiliations with ACN, how men are...

In this episode, we get to meet our very first "BroBot", Russ Nielsen, who had an incredibly unbelievable experience in a serviced based MLM. In an effort to keep Russ motivated and "all in" with their scam, his upline kept pushing attending big events, even when he couldn't afford to go. Even with the strange and abusive treatment he received, the dopamine fueled parties kept Russ on the hook, ri...

In part 2, Robert and I finish up our analysis into the differences between MLMs and Pyramid Schemes, answer some questions from our listeners, discuss what the future of the Anti-MLM movement looks like and how to achieve the cohesive message that we both believe will change the future of how people view and understand Multi Level Marketing on a fundamental level. Show Notes: Ponzinomics by Rober...