Grateful for all the MeidasTouch shows!

I had to hold back tears listening to the episode about women in family court. I have been through it and felt so alone, but it feels awful that other women & kids are caught up in this nightmare. I’m fine now, but the experience nearly unraveled me - so thank you for this episode and I truly appreciate Steve Hassan’s work. The podcast helps me heal and find empathy but keep my resolve to keep firm boundaries. Having a greater awareness of influence and the many ways it presents, is like building an immune system for gaslighting and narcissistic abuse!

If this doesn’t scream that we MUST reign in our media and start REGULATING…. I don’t know what does!

Thank you for 6.5.23 quote: “We need each other ….to lift each other up in truth, in love, in humility and compassion”. Dr. Hassan, You are appreciated!

Love these shows. Steve, you are the best. Please keep doing what you are doing. You are saving our country! Love you.

He used a really inappropriate analogy about ISIS recruiting online saying that the more sex you have the more likely you get stds. I am sure there are many survivors of sexual trauma listening to this. That analogy was way out of line.

Dr. Hassan has contributed a wealth of information to a very narrow, specific topic that has helped many. He has not recognized that his model is not easily applicable to other areas and contorts his framework to misuse his expertise beyond it’s scope. The inability to allow others to speak is a deficit for anyone in the field of psychology and it makes listening to a podcast challenging. I hope Dr. Hassan can unwrap himself from a cloak of a teacher/expert and better home his skills as a student/listener.

I found this topic interesting and, I was a bit disappointed that the sound quality of your guest was less than stellar. I had a lot of difficulty hearing all of his content, or I should say hearing it clearly and crisply. It wasn’t so much an audio malfunction per se, but periodically the ending of sentences or words would drift off a bit, and this happened more than once & esp when a particular point was aiming to be made. It might of been the guest’s manner of speaking, trailing off a bit towards the end of a word or sentence. In contrast, I heard Dr. Hassan just fine. That said, the topic was interesting and informative.

RE: Dr. Shulman episode (February 2024) Dr. Hassan please check audio quality before posting an episode. I missed so much of what your guest was saying due to his lousy audio system. Either get sound engineers to clean up audio, or better yet: make sure your guests have proper audio delivery systems. Thanks. One star is to get your attention. I’ll fix to the deserved 5 stars after I’m guessing this is seen.

But please listen a little more and let the guest speak.

Thank You Dr Steven Hassan for hosting and interviewing so many guests.

Many thanks to you, Dr. Hassan! This podcast stands alone in each episode, connecting the dots between manipulative coercion and myriad predatory, dangerous groups and belief systems. We all need to learn this!

I admire Dr. Hassan so much. I aspire to have the patience, courage, energy, dedication, and love that he demonstrates by helping people navigate their way out of a cult lifestyle. His commitment to educating the public is so noble and so necessary. I believe that his work has helped so many who are in need of healing after being harmed by undue influence, I know his work helped me. I respect his skill in being able to listen to some of the most interesting and some of the most mislead people with such a sincerity and understanding that they are being changed for the better and don’t even know it. His podcast is one of the most diverse, internet and educational podcasts. Anything that I learn from to make me a better human will get 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This is one of those podcasts. Thank you so much Dr. Hassan. Lolita in Michigan. 👍🏾

I am sure Dr Hassan is a great source of knowledge. Sadly, in my opinion, he is a poor interviewer. He seems more interested in his own views, experiences and observations than listening to his guest. He often talks over, interrupts and make himself the most important speaker in the interview. Frustrating. Not recommended.

This is a marvelous podcast. Dr. Hassan, please stop interrupting your guests!! It's either interrupting, or going on for so long that they can't speak. Please give your guests all the room to speak that they need.

Dr. Steven Hassan is articulate, intelligent, and a great source of knowledge about his subject. I recommend his books. Unfortunately, He is not a good podcast host because he does not let his guests speak! A great example is his interview with Pam Hemphill. I had to stop listening after 20 minutes because it was infuriating to listen to Pam trying to get a word in edgewise. Also, there does not seem to be a lot of structure to his style and it just ends up in rambling.

There are very interesting people on this podcast. Sadly, they are never given a chance to say more than a sentence. The good Doctor cannot seem to let his guests actually tell their stories. He tells his stories! He talks about himself endlessly. He’s had an interesting life, for sure. However, it’s frustrating to not also be able to hear his guests tell theirs! Not everyone is a skilled interviewer. I’ve read the reviews here, so far one positive review. One!! Does anyone read these reviews??? Steve!! STOP TALKING!

How can most MAGA be good or decent deep down when their leader states extreme racism, disrespect for all others, and misogyny!!! Why can’t you see that, makes you suspect.

I was excited to listen to an episode but it was so uncomfortable to listen to because Dr. Hassan just spoke over his interviewee. It was so awkward. He is very knowledgeable, but if he wants to have guests he should let them speak. If not, just have a podcast where he speaks!

Really wanted to hear Pam’s story so I had to find her on another podcast that didn’t have her constantly being interrupted.

Please allow your guests more room to tell their stories. Please give them the floor and refrain from interrupting their flow. Thank you very much for your work!

The constant interruptions are so frustrating. The moment the guest starts to say something fascinating, they’re interrupted and we never get to hear it.

People don’t realize how what happened to Dr Hassan is happening all around us. I thank him so much for educating everyone on mind control and highlighting the parallels between cults and Trump. Religion, authoritarians and capitalism controlling people are so similar to cults it’s unbelievable!!!

Dr. Hassan has a wealth of knowledge and is an expert in his field, but the episode with Pam was a lost opportunity to gain knowledge from someone who was in the cult of Trump. Steve talked 90% of the time about himself and his experience, one that we hear about in almost every episode. The episodes are less of an interview and conversation and more about Steve just talking about himself. It’s unfortunate because the guests on the show seem very interesting and I would love to learn about all these different experiences. The format would be much better if it were interview-style with set and follow-up questions and not just Steve rambling on about the Moonies. Will be unfollowing.

It is so difficult to listen to this because Steven constantly interrupts and talks over his guests. I, like some other reviewers, had stopped listening but I really wanted to hear Pam so I took a chance. He barely let her speak and I found it so disrespectful to her. I also found his remark about her recovery cringy. He constantly talks about himself. I’ve heard the same story over and over from his Podcasts, interviews, and his books. He’s never not plugging himself. I’m not sure what the payoff would be for someone coming on this podcast.

The episode with Pam Hemphill was very disappointing. I was very interested in her story but Dr Hassan immediately hijacked the interview and began yet another rendition of his own story. He tells his story in every episode. The rest of the episode was yet another lesson in how to communicate with people in cults. He’s begun to flesh out his personal story with advice the guest never asked for. Poor Pam hardly got a chance to speak at all. Though I did like how she volleyed retorts at him. I’ve had plenty of my own and it was a bit cathartic to hear her challenge his absolutism. I hope I find her on a different podcast because I’m still really interested in what she has to say. I’m unsubscribing after this episode. I’m interested in the topic but no longer interested in Dr Hassan’s personal history. Dr Hassan would be better served by doing solo episodes in which he told his story, and shared advice for communicating with people in cults. Listeners would be better served by hearing the stories of guests on the show.

I was excited to hear the recent interview with the woman leaving the cult of Trump but the guest was interrupted and talked over so many times I couldn’t continue listening. The host talks a lot and dominates the interview -ultimately extracting less interesting stories from very interesting guests.

Unfortunately, as many other reviewers have noted, the host doesn’t ask his guests many questions and when he does, he interrupts, speaks over them and talks about himself. It’s clear Dr. Hassan is passionate but I stopped listening because it was so frustrating. Then I saw he was interviewing a Jan. 6er and I was excited to hear the how, what, why, when, etc., but sadly, I learned nothing except that a Capitol police officer came to her aid. Disappointing.

I truly love Dr. Hassan’s work, but unfollowed after fast forwarding through 75% of Pam Hemphill’s episode trying to find a place where he wasn’t talking.

Dr Hassan often apologizes for interrupting but continues to do it. He is so wise and generous with his help except in his willingness to let his guest speak. Often after he introduces a guest and then says “tell us your story” he follows almost immediately by interrupting his guest to tell his own story. The one I’ve heard hundreds of times. Considering moving on.

Steve I love you BUT please let us hear more from your guests…. I have heard your stories soooooo many times. Please let guests tell their stories more details and how they got in and out.

I really want to like this show, but I have to ask, is this an interview show? I don’t know any more about the woman who left MAGA than what Steve Hassan stated in the introduction. Every episode seems to be a copy of the previous one. I know alot about the host and the Moonies. I’m not learning much about the other cults.

I appreciate your work and research, but we don’t need to hear your own story every single episode. Please let your guests speak without the constant interruptions.

Several minutes in on the latest episode and I want to scream LET YOUR GUEST TALK. I don’t know if this is a common thing on this pod, but I listen regularly enough to know the story of Dr. Hassan, and he should let the guest talk at the top. He gave her a long intro and then asked her to tell us about herself. She got out one or two sentences before he completely took over and stoned on about his story for several minutes. I’m going to try to keep listening because I’m assuming he will eventually cede some airtime to her but sheesh. LET YOUR GUEST TALK. Update: NOPE! I’m going to try to find another podcast with this guest (former J6er) because I want to hear her story. Read other reviews and it seems I’m not the only one who can’t stand his constant interruptions.

I really respect Hassan’s work and subscribed because of that. But hoo boy, please do some work with a coach in relation to doing interviews. If you’re interviewing someone about their experience, your voice shouldn’t be taking up half the conversation. Work on asking cohesive questions (not rambling statements) that give guests the chance to tell their stories. Not sure if I can continue listening.

This is such an important podcast, but please - producers, host - re-listen to the first few minutes. The host says he will let the guest tell her story, but when she’s a minute in, he completely takes over, starting with saying “I was there!” He continues to tell HIS story, and subverts her voice and the telling of her own. I know he probably believes he was just being compassionate and validating her, but there’s the intention vs. the impact, and if the impact is that this woman was cut off and unable to finish sharing her story, she and we lose.

I like this podcast but you ALWAYS interrupt your guests. You constantly repeat YOUR story and don’t let your guests tell their story. Just let other people tell their story. Isn’t that the point of this podcast?

The subjects and guests are very interesting, but I also, like others commented, find it very hard to listen because of the many interruptions from Dr. Hassan, interruptions which he uses to talk about himself. No one needs to say what their past was or their accomplishments are during an interview, many times over! It would serve him well to record an intro, run it at the beginning of every recording to get out of the way his past as a moonie and his amazing expertise , then have the conversation/interview flow, focusing on the guest story and using the host “powers” to ask questions, reel an off topic side conversation back in… The current format becomes annoying very quickly. I tried to listen to several episodes and I just can’t finish any: it’s always the same disrupting pattern happening. Unfortunately. I hope it changes.

There is a lot of good practical information in this episode. Anyone raised in an authoritarian group would benefit greatly from listening to this podcast.

The two of you are my heroes. Loved your discourse today and all the shows so far.

Great episode guys! You two really are on the same page intellectually and your expertise is immense. Thank you for putting yourselves out there in defense of our democracy.

Have to agree with other reviewers that the guests and topics are interesting, the host never misses an opportunity to interrupt them and talk about himself. It is incredibly irritating my and stops the flow of conversation numerous times in each episode. The host should learn to listen better and let the guests finish a thought before piping in.

Dr. Hassan: You are to be commended and admired for laying down your life in the service of others, ministering to the most vulnerable and to the least among us. “Store up for yourself treasures in Heaven,” my Brother (Matthew 6.20a). Dr. Hassan, would you do something for me? Many, many years ago, I witnessed the machinations of the RWM/RWF shepherding or discipleship cult. Four of my closest friends were ensnared in this evil movement, and three of them sold out their souls to it. All of them were eventually delivered after several years. Could you please ferret out someone who at one time sold out her/his soul to this heinous cult, but saw the light, got out, owned their behavior, repented, and lived to tell the tale? You have had so many vital, inspiring guests on your program. Perhaps you could consider my request. Thank you, Pastor Roberts Houston

As a recently retired psychotherapist, I find Dr. Hassans passionate and expert work about all the types of cults; political, religious, etc. to be a gift to all of us who care about the state of our world. In an age where political cults ( his book-The Cult of Trump is excellent) are such a concern and touch so many of us in a very personal way, he calmly prepares you on how to interact with that dear friend or family member who has fallen under the spell of a cult. Did I mention his guests are phenomenal and he is a fantastic interviewer? While I spent my career as a psychotherapist, this was integral to improving my effectiveness in helping people under the influence of a cult. I fully credit my improved knowledge in helping two people dear to me to abandon the cult of Trump.

I listen to every episode, and learn so much every time. I enjoyed seeing a younger you on the Heaven’s Gate special on CNN. Please consider doing an episode on Hasidic Jews is Brooklyn. So much terrible behavior happening right under our noses. They should not be allowed to treat women and children the way they do. It’s awful.

While Dr. Hasan has a wealth of knowledge to share, that knowledge is in his books and and his blogs, and these podcasts are the time for his guests to shine. He needs to stop interrupting and stop making every point or topic about him. He constantly interrupts to tell a story about his experience, and how it’s like some thing that the guest said. He could simply say yes I have seen that in my practice, too and leave it at that. But no, he has to be sure that we all are very aware that he too knows all about x, y, z. Let the guest do the talking! I am to the point where I almost cannot listen to this anymore. I find myself so frustrated at his constant interruption and making the podcast about him. Some podcasts are better done when the interviewer is not an expert in the topic at hand so that there is more curiosity and less “know it all” from the host.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I hope to one day help people like you & me heal from the trauma of these types of experiences.

As an adoptee, and a person who has experienced many experiences of undo influence, I really appreciated the episode featuring guest, Dr. Joyce Pavao. Her rich background and expertise in counseling adopted individuals and in helping change how our society practices and thinks about the adoption process to be “child-centered” is immeasurable.

This is the first time I’ve listened to this podcast and disappointed! The constant interrupting and “patting your own back” retelling your stories and techniques was overwhelming. I was 33 minutes in and new nothing about your guest! My advice is to listen more rather than constantly interrupting trying to “ relate” to their experience.

This is a supremely helpful podcast. Interrupting guests can make the conversations hard to follow.