Opportunity Cost
What makes the siren song of money-making schemes, cults, spiritual gurus, scams, and conspiracies of all kinds so irresistible? What is it about the desires of the human heart that make us vulnerable to such subterfuge?Opportunity Cost, hosted by Jill, cobbles an auditory scrapbook of old videos, soundscapes, interviews, and commentary together in an attempt to uncover the history, nuances, and manipulation behind these cultural phenomenon.Follow me on Instagram & TikTok - @oppcostpod
Bonus · Wed, February 07, 2024
Arbonne ft. Julie Jo
When Julie signed up as a distributor for Arbonne, she found early success and rapidly rose to the top of the ranks. What she didn't expect was her faith, finances, self-worth, and diet culture to be entangled with her business. When doubts began to creep in about her ability to stay in leadership at Arbonne, all it took was one thread for an entire belief system to unravel. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
Bonus · Wed, January 31, 2024
Enagic ft. Anna
Anna thought that she had found a home among the spiritually-minded community in Enagic and their Kangen ionizers, what she found instead were empty promises, debt and culty practices. I sit down with Anna 1:1 to talk about her experience in Enagic. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
Bonus · Wed, January 24, 2024
Amway ft. Chrystal
We kick off a round of bonus full interview episodes with the lovely Chrystal. When she joined Amway on an invitation from her coworker, Chrystal had no idea how much of her life would eventually be consumed by it. Through ever-growing fees paid and conferences attended, Chrystal never entirely lost her ability to see clearly through the merry-go-round of motivation pumped out by the organization and its leaders. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
Wed, January 17, 2024
The Wolf of Main Street
Insurance MLMs have given rise to a new wave of super bros, who are convinced that selling supplemental insurance is how they will make it big. American Income Life is famous among the MLM world, or maybe…infamous. American Income Life reached out to me to see if I would be interested in talking about their life-changing opportunity, so I took them up on it. Sources: 2021 Agent contractor class-action lawsuit AIL BBB No evidence that women using oral contraceptives have weaker preferences for masculine characteristics in men’s faces Insider: Inside the tawdry, drug-fueled, violent world of America's top life insurance salesmen by Susan Antilla WTAE: Lawsuit alleges fraud, sexual abuse and illicit drugs at Wexford insurance agency 2022 Plaintiff Amended Complaint vs Arias Agencies, Michael Russin, and American Income Life Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
S1 E5 · Wed, January 10, 2024
A Symphony in Pink
Mary Kay Ash spun a tale of female empowerment, and today, is hailed as a feminist icon. Their cream, goop, and makeup has been a fixture in pop culture Americana for decades, but the model it uses to sell products and Mary Kay's culty corporate culture is worth a second glance. Sources: Mary Kay Mary Kay Income Disclosure Pink Truth KRTV Mary Kay Ash, 1982 Mary Kay Inc., CBS 60 Minutes The case for and against multi-level marketing, Jon M. Taylor MBA, PhD, Consumer Awareness Institute Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
S1 E4 · Wed, January 03, 2024
Clean Conscience
Arbonne boasts that their products are vegan, non-GMO, and tout their B Corp certification as an extension of their clean ingredient mission. Consultants rave about Arbonne’s healthy living products - while toxic diet culture reigns supreme. I also sat down with Julie to talk about her climb up the ranks in Arbonne and what happened when her vantage from the top…did not look so pretty. Sources: Arbonne Arbonne Income Disclosure The Economic Cost of Devaluing “Women’s Work” by IMF The State of Moms and Dads in America 2022 by National Fatherhood initiatives Is Arbonne Greenwashing? by Better Goods B Corp - Arbonne B Corp Greenwashing by Sustainable Jungle 2017 Class Action v. Arbonne Facial Moisturizer Recall Liquid Eyeliner Recall Day Creme Recall Detox Body Wash Recall Peanut Butter Cup Recall NIH - Patterns and Prevalence of Disordered Eating and Weight Control Behaviors in Women Ages 25–45 Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
S1 E3 · Wed, December 27, 2023
Diamonds and Unicorns
Bomb Party's surprise reveal jewelry has taken TikTok by storm. Thousands of people tune in live every day to watch reps unfurl rings, bracelets, and necklaces that Bomb Party claims are worth up to $1,500. Peering through the haze of bath bomb fizz and glitter, things at Bomb Party may not be so sparkly after all. Sources: Bomb Party Dopamine Reward Prediction Error by Wolfram Schultz, MD Proft margins on jewelry Why women are leaving their side hustle by Vice Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
S1 E2 · Wed, December 20, 2023
Living Water
Seekers looking for community outside of traditional religion might find themselves in the New Age movement. These groups are not free from the grip of MLMs and the wild health claims made about their products. Enagic distributors claim to have the secret to long-lasting health in their Kangen water ionizers. I also speak with Anna about her time in Enagic, and the MLM distributor to QAnon pipeline. Sources: Enagic Enagic Income Disclosure When Multi-Level Marketing Met Gen Z by the Atlantic Is Alkaline Water a Miracle Cure? Or BS? The Science is In by the Guardian FTC Cease & Desist to Enagic Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
S1 E1 · Wed, December 13, 2023
Free Enterprise
In the premiere episode, we start at the logical place: the beginning. After Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos founded Amway, the world - and our political sphere - was never the same. The jury is out on whether that’s for the better…or worse. I also speak with Chrystal, a former Independent Business Owner with Amway and member of the motivational organization, Leadership Team Development (LTD). Sources: Amway Amway Income Disclosure 60 Minutes "Soap and Hope" 1999 Amway/Alticor Lobbying and Political Donations Sean Munger Substack Final Order in Regard to Alleged Violation of the FTC Act, 1979 LA Times: Amway earnings Merchants of Deception by Eric Scheibeler Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for 'fair use' for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
Trailer · Mon, December 04, 2023
Opportunity Cost S1 Trailer
How did multi-level marketing become a $186B industry? What does it mean to lose your identity and find it somewhere else? Are distributors who build teams of hundreds underneath them victims? Or are they villains? Maybe the answer to these questions is somewhere in the middle. Who we are determines what motivates us, how we make decisions, and who we trust. This includes when someone we know or don’t know tells us we can have everything we’ve ever wanted…by joining their network marketing company. I invite us to take a look under the hood to find that these companies and their representatives are much more complicated than they appear. Each episode, I try to answer the question, is this the opportunity of a lifetime? Or the illusion of one? Thanks for listening. Email us at bloww.studio@gmail.com and follow us at @oppcostpod on Instagram & TikTok. Brought to you by Bloww Studio. Scripted, hosted, and edited by Jill.
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