Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe in crystals but I went for this podcast because I wanted to hear both sides and have my thoughts provoked. But it was presented in a sneering, patronising and haughty way with absolutely zero respect for the other side. This wasn’t about curiosity, it was about humiliating ‘the opposition’. Uncomfortable to listen to and couldn’t get past the first 10 minutes of episode two when she starts ridiculing her friend.

Thank you so much for doing this podcast. As a chronically sick person (with an incurable, genetic connective tissue disorder, EDS), I get all kinds of remedies thrust my way... from isagenix, and Epsom salt, to vegansism, mulberries and holy water.

I think your podcast will protect many vulnerable people and that is so important 🖤

I adored Season 1! Frank, impartial, eloquent analysis and truly top-notch reporting.

Being a scientist and skeptic to the core, I was excited to start Season 2. But even from my perspective, Jane Marie came across as contemptuous, snarky and arrogant.

I agree with everything she says. There was simply no need to say it so cruelly. It made for a deeply difficult listening experience.

Excellent podcast, excellent research and reporting. I think this should be required listening for all secondary/high school students plus young adults in their 20s, heck 30s!

While yes there are certainly some wellness scams out there, she is lumping all wellness into this big conspiracy theory. Completely biased - instead of doing her own research she just critiqued and laughed and some of the research that has already been trying to discredit it based on her opinion alone.

I am very much into wellness but I also am keenly aware that there are a lot of scams and MLMs out there and I was hoping she would stick to those but instead she just belittles and barks at anyone who takes their health seriously and wants a more natural life.

Taking your health seriously and finding ways to reduce your stress is not a scam. Only on episode two - will update this review as I continue to listen.

Btw - season one was brilliant. Just hate season two already.

Shame. Loved S1 but S2 is just awkward to listen to. It’s arrogant, narrow minded and judgemental. Yes there are so many false claims and misinformation in the wellness industry, and if they’d just focused on that it would have been a good listen, but her judgemental running commentary just focuses on how much better she thinks she is for being a skeptic (including judging her partner).

I have to say - the first season was awesome! Great stories and understanding how the MLM industry evolved and affects people’s lives. The second season feels like it has a lot less research and is more of a smug takedown of different placebo effect treatments....

amazing, well produced, love jane marie. i thought season two would be crappier than the first, since the first set the bar so high, but so far season two has been just as amazing. thank you for all the hard work.

Excellent, well researched and balanced.

Episode - Magic Little Pills is essential listening, even if you think you are wise to the supplement industry, listen and share.

This was interesting and I really liked how they went into the history of pyramid schemes and MLMs and spoke to academics and lawyers who are experts in the subject. I also appreciated the attempts to expain why people get into MLMs (beyond 'they got tricked and it's all a lie!') and a look at the benefits that some people have found in them (i.e. community), whilst never letting us forget that overall they are a scam.

This podcast is insanely well made, well researched and well presented. I found the topic mind blowingly fascinating and I can’t wait to hear more episodes.

Greatly disappointed with season 2 ... Her tone is unnecessarily derogatory and hard minded. . . She should consider that her views are a personal reflection of herself and not the wellness industry ... massively uncomfortable to listen to ... she is coming across as immensely uptight, stubborn, and deeply in need of a massage and a gong bath ... here’s hoping you are able to heal your own wounds and projecting your unresolved trauma onto others including your partner ... loved season 1 and so far strongly dislike season 2 ...

Great podcast, but the tediously repeating adverts seem overkill. The most I’ve heard in any podcast... urgh

The podcast is extremely well made and structured, just a delight to listen to!

Brilliant, enlightening, important show. Thank you for your work, may it bring the sham of MLMs tumbling down.

The most interesting part is the feedback from the producer actually joining an MLM. The rest is rather dull and too long and the episode with all the phone calls is just disappointing and an anticlimax (most telephone calls are just very painful to listen to because of the quality). On this topic, I feel a more compelling product could have been done, given all the research that has been apparently made by the journalists.

What a fascinating podcast on American culture through the prism of pyramid schemes/MLMs and the corrosive effect of government neglect & corruption. I really hope to hear more from Jane!

Research & presentation thank you.

In depth investigation, compellingly told. Illuminates the exploitation of the vulnerable by MLM companies and how it’s been enabled by political lobbyists. Hopefully can spark a fight back against the whole MLM industry.

Best Pod I’ve listened to since Serial 3.

Really good. Looking forward to the next series

This is such a great podcast. But it has made me so angry. I actually cried hot tears of rage when the producers were discussing the corporate staff at the Limelight conference doing their emails while desperate people talked about what they hoped the MLM would provide them - when it was clear that all they would end up doing is loosing money and their dreams. MLMs are so wrong - a business model that only works if people in the chain loose their money - how do the 1% at the top sleep at night? There is no product, no job creation, no value add to the local community - just false promises and good old fashioned pyramid selling. Well done team for bringing this out of the shadows and keep the good work up!

I binged this podcast. Very well researched and explained.

One of the best produced podcasts I have ever listened to. I want even interested in the subject matter until I started listening.

I love this show and recommend it all the time!

Loved this podcast more than life itself, listened to the whole season in 1 day. So informative and fun to listen to. Brilliant host

Loved it. I have seen too many fall prey to these financial parasites!

I am so into this podcast. Really great in-depth view and reporting on multi level marketing schemes. Very fascinating!

Overall this was a captivating, well-produced podcast, structured well to keep me engaged over 12 episodes. The only drawback was the obvious bias of the reporter. I mean, most of us know that MLMs are scummy (and they are), but there were some points where I wondered whether we were definitely getting a wholly accurate picture. Not problematic enough to put me off or stop me recommending it though.

Really well done and produced podcast. That demonstrates how the MLM system works.

Excellent in-depth look at a frightening phenomena. Definitely recommend!

A really interesting investigation into mlm’s unfortunately the reporters are extremely annoying and nippy!

Really interesting topic with strong reporting but I really struggled with the tone. Often felt snarky and the lead reporter’s contempt for everyone involved is palpable. It undermined my confidence in the narrative and made the last few episodes really hard to get through.

MLMs are everywhere but you don’t hear much about them in mainstream media. This podcast explains them and highlights the problems with them in a really entertaining way.

A great listen, really interesting & thought provoking. Beware, may raise blood pressure as definitely anger inducing when listening to the shady practices & dodgy dealings these companies get involved in.

Thanks to the team for this fantastic series. It brings back so many memories for me when I was MLM’ing in the UK. everything you are sharing is spot-on. Great journalism - a riveting listen. Thankyou!

Even though it’s not telling us anything we didn’t know before (pyramid schemes take advantage of people duh) I love how this podcast explores the reasons people are in them and how they continue to recruit. Agree that the host could be a bit less judgemental, her bias is super obvious, but other than that well researched and presented!

I’ve really enjoyed this.

I do think it could be clearer sometimes but overall very interesting.

I listen to a lot of investigative podcast and was so interested in this topic. I think the fact-finding and structure of this podcast is top notch, but I have a real issue with the snarky tone of its presenters. I find them flippant and insensitive to their subjects - condescending and really off putting.

It’s a shame.

Love this podcast. Well produced and amazing stories. Wish there was more.

One episode in and I can’t wait for the next - I hope they throw this dodgy world wide open!