Life After MLM

*This episode contains topics that may be triggering to some, including religious trauma, purity culture, infertility and sex education. Please use discretion when listening.* Growing up as the only daughter in a deeply religious Baptist home was an interesting experience for Kendyl. Her father was strict and adhered to the principles of Christian "Purity Culture", a fact made evident to her by al...

Before Kristin Hoffman made her name as "Baker Bettie", she was fresh out of culinary school and looking for her dream job. One day she happened upon a Craigslist Ad that seemed too good to be true (as they often are) and took a chance on a family needing a private chef for a child with a special needs diet. But what Kristin signed up for and what Kristin actually got, were two very different scen...

*Content Warning - This episode contains stories about extreme physical child abuse and neglect, including death. Please use caution when listening.* Stacey was just a small child when her family joined a non denominational Christian church without an official name. As time went on, the group got more extreme, prepping for "The End Times" and engaging in publiFc spankings. It wasn't until a young...

Samantha was a casino cocktail waitress, working the graveyard shift when she decided to change her direction in life and go into real estate. After getting her license and becoming a realtor she was introduced to eXp Realty and joined a local broker. Samantha and I go down the rabbit hole of MLM Real Estate - yes, there truly is an MLM for EVERYTHING! - answer some questions as to how Real Estate...

Shannon McLay is the host of Martinis and Your Money and the Founder and CEO of The Financial Gym, a personal financial services company. So many people leaving MLM feel lost and confused about how to fix the mess that was made and aren't sure where to look, or how to start. It's a scary and taboo subject and Shannon wants to take the shame and emotions out of it so we can better understand how ou...

*This episode deals with fatphobia, disordered eating, abuse, white supremacy and sex work. Please use discretion when listening.* From an early age, Leilah already knew she was different and didn't fit into societies mold of what a "good girl" should be. Even growing up in a more liberal household, she still experienced white supremacy and purity culture from the stance of "what not to be". Throu...

Paging the FTC. What happens when you're so high up in an organization that you experience the the quiet parts out loud? You know the ones, stacking, poaching, scheming and alleged tax fraud - the 4 horsemen of the MLM apocalypse. What happens when you hold more cards than the MLM wants you to have? What happens when you're a big enough load bearing brick that without you, the pyramid has to break...

Amanda was a new wife just trying to help pay down their bills when Pampered Chef enticed her with an opportunity and the kitchen of her dreams. The harder she tried to make it work while always struggling to survive, the more obvious the transactional relationship became, until Amanda had enough. She ditched her MLM, faced some harsh truths and made a plan that helped her and her husband tackle o...

Part Two! It wasn't until Andrew and Will watched the 2021 convention turn deadly that they finally had enough and decided to speak out. But speaking their truth was just the beginning of their nightmares. They quickly became the targets of horrific fair gaming from the very same people they once used to call friends, even tracing the cyberstalking to the original source, and the most disgusting s...

When Andrew Thompson first joined Paparazzi Accessories it wasn't out of spite or vengeance. He and his former partner climbed the multiple ranks effortlessly and were treated like MLM royalty until everything came crashing down, leaving him in the dust. Despite Andrew moving on and rebuilding his PapaKingdom, he had a target on his back he couldn't shake. It wasn't until he watched the 2021 conve...

*This episode mentions abusive relationships, thoughts of suicide and health claims. Please use discretion when listening.* When you're already experiencing red flags, it's easy to miss the others as they fill up your space and for Kristin it was one thing after the other. From an abusive relationship, into an abusive MLM, a lot of warning signs were excused until the weight of it all was just too...

*Content Warning* This episode deals with the human trafficking industry, please use discretion when listening. Amanda was just a teenager when she left home to join a "Mag Crew", traveling across the country selling magazines door to door. Maybe you've encountered a Mag Crew at your own doorstep, peddling overpriced magazine subscriptions with sketchy looking "official" documents, claiming to be...

Emily Lynn Paulson is back! And this time it's to talk about her book Hey, Hun Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing that comes out May 30th! In our chat we cover a lot of bases, including the process of writing and publishing a book with an "AntiMLM" message to the oddity of Parasocial relationships and how MLM is dripping in white supremacy. Show Notes Epis...

Isaac Ramos was an overworked and underpaid teacher looking to supplement his income while caring for his chronically ill wife when Amway walked into their lives. As the "upline" in their marriage, Isaac dove head first into the American Way, duplicating what his Platinum kept saying was the way to millions in residual income. Through Isaac's perspective, we see the pressures of an Amway marriage...

As a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family & County Mediator, Vanessa sees a lot. As another personal protection advocate on TikTok, she wanted to have a conversation. And in that conversation we covered a lot of topics; owning your own business, obvious lack in education, not-so-basic job knowledge, the military and the power of confidence. Show Notes Vanessa on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.c...

Cori was never in a MLM, but she got a front row seat to the circus of Amway when she met her soon-to-be in-laws and saw their basement. Throughout almost their entire marriage, Cori watched them struggle when they didn't have to, sacrificing everything they had for a dream that was only out of reach while funneling their money into Amway. Cori shares her story of watching the aftermath of putting...

Eden Robinson had a confusing childhood; a closeted father, an abusive mother and a buried identity that almost everyone else could see but her. Slowly, as she started to unpack her own baggage, she had to confront some hard truths before unlearning all the shame she had been raised in. With the help of Pink!, Jillian Holtzman, and Jennette McCurdy, Eden found herself, her voice and her identity,...

As a mom of special needs children, Savannah wanted to be the best advocate for them that she could be. She thought she was doing her research when she came upon a Special Needs advocate and educator who promised just that. Throughout her experience she started to notice some red flags; unnecessary conflict, tensions and a seemingly endless fight for what kinda looked like justice. But for who? Sh...

*This episode involves discussion of sex work, sexual assault and racism. Please use discretion when listening.* Jessica Hopper was introduced to pole fitness in the mid 2000's when she stumbled upon S Factor Studio and quickly became an instructor. Throughout her 14 years with the studio, Jessica witnessed countless abuses of power at the hand of the company's founder, Sheila Kelley. With compart...

This Episode is sponsored by Credit Sage. To save $50 on your credit repair service visit https://www.creditsage.com/mlm or call (844) 938 1619 *TW: This episode talks about infertility, IVF, and Covid-19. Please use caution when listening.* When Brandi joined Arbonne she had no idea what she was signing up for, she just wanted a way to pay for another round of IVF. Throughout her time in the MLM...

Tracy Coenen is the powerhouse behind Pink Truth and the brilliant forensic accountant also known as The Fraud Coach. And she's here to talk to us about financial literacy after leaving high demand situations... like bad marriages, or even cults. Tracy has been though the MLM rollercoaster so she offers a unique perspective to those of us who may be going through even more than leaving an MLM duri...

When twin sisters Melissa and Marissa both joined Pampered Chef, it was for very different reasons with very different results. As one quickly climbed the ranks, the other was stacked and used to help her sister rank up within the company, helping her earn trips, recognition and at times up to 5 times more than her sister was. It wasn't until a personal revelation, and an interventions of sorts th...

Christine reached out to me because she found the podcast and wanted to talk about a subject near to her heart that we hadn't covered yet; Military families and spouses and how MLMs take advantage of them from multiple angles. It's a discussion I've wanted to have for awhile, and while Christine wasn't ever in an MLM, she's supported more than anyone could ever want to admit. And she brought a lis...

*This episode contains topics that may be triggering to some listeners, including descriptions of medical procedures, fatphobia, infertility and child loss. Please use discretion when listening.* Hayden was starting her fertility journey when she discovered a clinic just down the street. It was a well known and respected clinic so she didn't see the red flag until she was poking around on their we...

Have you heard of ChatGPT? It's an AI model that chats conversationally. The format makes it possible for the AI to learn, admit mistakes, be challenged, and answer follow up questions. And after being asked so many times over the holidays if I had heard of it or used it, I signed up and gave it a whirl. My conversations with ChatGPT started off with some basic MLM stuff, and quickly descended int...