WTF is on my Mind?!

About WTF is on my Mind?!

Author, Speaker, Whistleblower and award-winning Director Mark Vicente was behind the sleeper hit “What The Bleep Do We Know?!” Several books have been written about the film’s remarkable grassroots marketing campaign, which led to its unprecedented success.Mark was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1965. Taking his first photograph at age four, he quickly discovered his passion for being behind the camera. After attending film and drama school in South Africa, he began working his way up the ranks of the camera department, from Assistant to Operator to Cinematographer. His first big break came as Director of Photography on the musical “SARAFINA,” starring Whoopi Goldberg. In 1992, he set his sights on Hollywood and relocated to Los Angeles to shoot his first studio picture for Disney; “FATHERHOOD,” starring Patrick Swayze and Halle Berry. At the age of 26, he became one of the youngest cinematographers to shoot a big-budget studio picture. Over the next few decades, he went on to shoot an additional 14 feature films and numerous documentaries, music videos and commercials. Mark soon found there were in him, untold stories he desperately wanted to express as a Director. He was driven by the conviction that tales of greatness, nobility and introspection could be exciting and financially successful. Perhaps because of the very obvious race and class iniquities in South Africa, he found himself propelled to question certain fundamental assumptions at a very young age. Beliefs about human behavior, cosmology, religion, existentialism and mysticism. Along the way, he stumbled into a few situations where leaders with malignant pathologies (masquerading as saintly philosophers) spoke the talk of self-improvement but did untold damage to their followers... and him. Looking back, he can now say he has been in at least two cults. His last foray into personal growth and his defection from NXIVM was chronicled in the HBO series “The Vow”. Mark and a few plucky whistleblowers exposed the criminal activities of the organization, resulting in multiple arrests and indictments. He doesn’t consider himself a cult expert, but by his own admission, “I’m an expert in being screwed over, waking up, and knowing how to spot them.” He’s got a pretty salty approach to most things and is fascinated by the myriad patterns in the human psychodynamic that create the best and the worst in civilization. Join Mark as he unpacks a whole range of topics to do with: Psychology, Consciousness, Morality, Narcissistic Abuse, Spirituality, Cults, Propaganda, Science, Filmmaking, and Philosophy.You never quite know what you’re going to get, as it really does depend on… WTF is on his mind?!

Publisher

Mark Vicente

Category

society & culture · true crime · tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

30 Sept 2022

Latest episode

20 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

68 of 135 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   20 Sept 2026

   The Algorithm Wants us to Hate

   Host [Host Name] interviews [Guest Name, Credential] about how algorithms foster division, revealing who profits from widespread societal hatred.

2. 

   13 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro Ep 14 - The Cult Assassin

   Host Bentinho Massaro interviews attorney Carol Merchasin, "The Cult Assassin," about coercive control and high-demand groups, offering insights into navigating abusive dynamics.

3. 

   30 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Narcissism: When the Ego Goes Insane

   Host Mark Vicente explores how narcissism represents an out-of-control ego, connecting spiritual traditions to modern psychological concepts in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

Inst@Guru: Bentinho Massaro Ep 14 - The Cult Assassin

Published 13 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] That's the other thing that I hear all the time, right? And you're laughing, but people really believe that. You know that. It wouldn't happen to me. And I'm always at great pains to tell people that it can happen to anybody. And in fact, people who join these organizations are generally what we would think of as idealistic, looking for a better world, looking for a better life for themselves, trusting. Those are all things that are beneficial to society. And sometimes they're vulnerable. Yeah. Yeah. I was laughing because I do get that question and people say things like, well, you're a smart guy, how did you fall for it? […]

Who has been a guest on WTF is on my Mind?!

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Carol Merchasin
• Dr Heather Berlin
• Dr Ramani Durvasula
• Dr Jamie Zuckerman
• Margot Lane

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

822,766

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

756 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

880 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

97

Pitching WTF is on my Mind?!

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting pitches.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  A Little Bit Culty

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  IndoctriNation

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  Cults to Consciousness

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  Remember Your Greatness with Mark Vicente

• 

  Was I In A Cult?

• 

  Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Questions about WTF is on my Mind?!