What if you could hypnotize yourself into a better you? Or…. secretly hypnotize others into giving you anything you want?
That’s the promise of NLP, which emerged in 1970s California and then took over self-help… in spite of its connection to a gruesome unsolved murder in the late 1980s .
NLP is the secret sauce connecting life coach Tony Robbins, Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort, pick-up artist Ross Jeffries, as well as NXIVM, the most infamous sex cult of the 21st century.
Journalists and best friends Zoë Lescaze and Alice Hines investigate the controversies behind NLP, put the techniques to the test on themselves, and ask the ultimate question: is mind control real?
Mind Games tells the story of NLP and its crazy cast of disciples, including the fake doctor who invented it at a New Age commune, took it to Fortune 500 boardrooms, and whose gruesome murder trial did little to stop its rise. The biggest mind game of all? NLP may actually work.
Host Mangesh explores the science of living longer with aging researcher Dr. Nir Barzelai and longevity doctor Dr. Ron Primas, interviewing Ken Reid about age in pop culture.
17 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
Meeting Bandler
After following Neuro-Linguistic Programming from a groovy West Coast commune to the inner circles of NXIVM, we track down its elusive creator, Richard Bandler. Our search leads us to a London seminar, where Alice experiences his techniques firsthand. Finally, we hear from the man himself and decide once and for all if NLP is a tool worth using, or a pseudoscientific hustle best left alone.See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
10 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
NXIVM
Co-founder Nancy Salzman explains how she integrated Neuro-Linguistic Programming into NXIVM and how leader Keith Raniere manipulated these techniques for control in this interview.
3 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Pickup Artist Playbook
Host Zoë Ball and Alice explore the controversial world of pickup artists with hypnotist Ross Jeffries, uncovering surprising parallels with journalistic tactics.
24 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
Murder in Santa Cruz
This episode explores the 1986 murder case involving Richard Bandler and its impact on the reputation of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, examining the trial and the mysteries surrounding the events.
17 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
A Human Technology
Zoë Chance explores Neuro-Linguistic Programming's origins with Richard Bandler and Tony Robbins in the U.S. Army, revealing its surprising connection to EMDR and attempts to enhance soldiers' marksmanship.
10 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Self-Help Empire
Tony Robbins discusses building a self-help empire through Neuro-Linguistic Programming, while Alice tests Bandler's techniques to conquer fears in this interview episode.
3 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
All In Your Head
Zoë and Alice explore the power of hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to unlock memories and manage anxiety, examining its effectiveness and rise in corporate settings.
27 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Drummer with the Knives
1970s Santa Cruz, California–a world of barefoot psychology students, mountain communes, and underground therapy sessions led by a charismatic but troubled young man: Richard Bandler. We go back to the moment Neuro-Linguistic Programming was born, and meet a teenage misfit rocker whose talent for persuasion came with a dangerous edge. We hear from the Bandler’s early followers, including one woman who ended up tied to a burning cross in a therapy game gone wrong. As the origins of NLP come into focus, another question emerges: how did a fringe experiment in an alternative college town grow into a global force for both transformation and manipulation?See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
20 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
The Guru’s Guru
What if someone told you that you could skip years of therapy with a few mental tricks? It sounded impossible… until we found Neuro-Linguistic Programming. NLP is a form of hypnosis beloved by everyone from sex cults to the U.S. military to fortune 500 companies–yet almost no one knows it exists. Long before she co-founded NXIVM, hypnotist Nancy Salzman encountered NLP as a radical method for reprogramming the mind. Her story leads us to its inventor, Richard Bandler, a volatile, self-made guru. As we dig into how it took hold in so many places, we face an unsettling possibility: NLP might actually work.See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
12 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT
Introducing: Mind Games
Mind Games tells the story of NLP and its crazy cast of disciples, including the fake doctor who invented it at a New Age commune, took it to Fortune 500 boardrooms, and whose gruesome murder trial did little to stop its rise. The biggest mind game of all? NLP may actually work.See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
Inside a recent episode
From How to Life Forever: The Longevinauts
Published 4 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Yeah. Even an Uber or taxi? Yeah. Do you go on a bike at all? Rarely. Do you have a helmet? Yes. Any firearms in the house? No. You know, people have it. You got to make sure you keep the safety on and all that sort of thing. It's important. It's funny. These are such simple questions, but also so different from the 15-minute cursory checkup I'm used to getting. Is this a glimpse into what preventive care could look like for everyone? None of this costs any money. What it costs is time. How many lives would be saved if everyone's doctor asked them these questions? When we finish, we go into another room, I put on a paper gown, and we do a series of tests. […]
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