In this episode the girls prepare for death by considering what a death cult is and ensuring they aren’t in one.

We recommend

Caitlin: the 2016-2022 series, Search Party, particularly the last season, which deals with cult dynamics

Kaylin: visiting Salem, Massachusetts for its witch kitsch and old cemeteries

Kris: the 2017 sci-fi novel, Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, about a universe with no death and lots of clones

Megan: the self-help book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, to better organize your limited time on this planet

We referenced

Azab, M. (2020, June 9). The brain under the influence of power. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/neuroscience-in-everyday-life/202006/the-brain-under-the-influence-power

Banisadr, M. (2015, November 29). How do terrorist groups and cults attract followers? Fair Observer. https://www.fairobserver.com/region/middle_east_north_africa/the-illusions-of-cults-81308/

Brice, A. (2025, June 16). Who decides the difference between a cult and a religion? The IRS. Berkeley News. https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/06/16/who-decides-the-difference-between-a-cult-and-a-religion-the-irs/

Generation Cult. (2022, October 28). Ep. 1: What is a cult? with Ashlen [Audio podcast episode]. Libsyn. https://generationcult.libsyn.com/what-is-a-cult-with-ashlen

Haworth, A. (2016, November 20). Growing up with The Family: Inside Anne Hamilton-Byrne’s sinister cult. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/nov/20/growing-up-with-the-family-inside-anne-hamilton-byrnes-sinister-cult

HeinOnline Blogger. (2023, October 13). 4 notorious cults in American history. HeinOnline Blog. https://home.heinonline.org/blog/2023/10/4-notorious-cults-in-american-history/

Kellogg, C. (2013, October 19). It’s not too late to get to the Death Salon. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-death-salon-20131017-story.html

Koller, W. N., Thompson, H., & Cannon, T. D. (2023). Conspiracy mentality, subclinical paranoia, and political conservatism are associated with perceived status threat. PLOS ONE, 18(11), e0293930. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293930

Lacayo, R. (1997, April 7). The lure of the cult. TIME. https://time.com/archive/6730588/the-lure-of-the-cult/

Metz, J. (2025). Unlearning agency: Lessons from cults. Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 12(57), 1510–1530. https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.8582

People Leave Cults. (n.d.). What is a cult? https://www.peopleleavecults.com/resources/what-is-a-cult

TalkDeath. (2015, June 9). The death positive movement: What is it? https://www.talkdeath.com/the-death-positive-movement/

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Good News International Ministries. In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_News_International_Ministries

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Raël. In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 19, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABl

Text us to let us know what you think of the episode!

Follow us on Instagram and Substack for more.

Death Wish returns for season two on October 23rd!

Text us to let us know what you think of the episode!

Follow us on Instagram and Substack for more.

In this episode, the girls prepare for death by reflecting on everything they’ve learned in season one.

Good news: we’re making Season 2.

Slightly inconvenient news: you’ll have to wait for it.

The solution? We launched a Death Wish Substack! Same vibe, different medium to grapple with all the big, weird, funny questions we have about death. Subscribe at substack.com/@thedeathwishpodcast.

Text us to let us know what you think of the episode!

Follow us on Instagram and Substack for more.