Hosts Vanessa Richardson and Lanie Hobbs explore the story of Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally — the so-called king and queen of Diamond Mountain who used tantric yoga to lure hundreds to their Arizona desert retreat.

How do quests for enlightenment get so sinister? In this three-part special from Cults, a Spotify Original from Parcast, we’re looking at three stories of yoga gurus who were loved — then loathed — for their practices.

After marrying the heir to the Gucci empire, Patrizia Reggiani was living the dream. Almost overnight, she became a jet-setting socialite, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.

In the early 1990s, erstwhile biographer Lee Israel was having the time of her life forging letters from long-dead celebrities. But when that particular scheme got too risky, she switched gears, and started making real money moves...

When a sought-after biographer makes a costly misstep, she gets desperate enough to use her talents for more criminal exploits…

One night in 1834, a fire swept through the LaLaurie mansion in New Orleans, drawing a crowd of worried onlookers. Until then, Delphine LaLaurie had been a queen of Creole society,

Delphine LaLaurie is a name synonymous with history's most twisted villains. But though there are countless embellished and horrific stories about the evils she carried out in her New Orleans mansion, few know the story before the legend...

Mary Batemen had been playing people for fools for years. The problem was, too many of her dissatisfied customers stuck around to complain about her trickery. Her solution? Murder.

Mary Bateman was an accomplished liar from a young age, and when she grew up, she started using that talent as a way of making money.

In 1933, Kathryn took the FBI on a ride the likes of which no other criminal could ever match. So buckle up, listeners. This here’s about to be a wild one.

Behind every great man, there's a great woman. Or so they say. But Kathryn Kelly was never that far behind her infamous mobster husband.

After years of getting away with murder at her aged care facility, Amy Archer-Gilligan didn’t realize how closely she was being watched.

Business leaders and industry innovators are typically held up as examples to emulate — seizing the chance to turn a profit whenever possible.

Confronted with her status as an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever, Mary Mallon was disbelieving and hostile.

In the late 1800s, an Irish immigrant in New York City made ends meet by working as a cook for wealthy families. But wherever Mary Mallon went, typhoid fever followed.

Katherine Knight was in her last relationship. Of that she was sure. Because if one more man left her, she was going to lose it.

In Australia, a young Katherine Knight had a volatile childhood marked by parental abuse and a short fuse. Things didn't improve as she got older.

By 1875, the Queen of Thieves was wealthy, fashionable, and nearly untouchable. But New York was changing.

One of New York’s shrewdest criminals in the late 19th century was a German Jewish immigrant with a knack for buying and reselling stolen goods.

There's still so much mystery surrounding the fate of Belle Gunness, and what exactly happened on her now-infamous murder farm.

Belle Gunness never wanted much from her life: a fresh start in the USA, a nice husband, and maybe some children.

With her relationship with Bhagwan strained and her power slipping away, Sheela Birnstiel knew she had to do something drastic to make him happy and gain it all back.

She first met the guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh as a teenager and was instantly enamored.

Following God’s orders led Joan of Arc into battle against the English, and into an audience with the king.

Hero. Martyr. Feminist. Witch. Who really was Joan of Arc? And could she really speak to God, or were her visions something else entirely?