If you want to be involved with psychedelics/psychedelic therapy then this is a must-listen.

Season 1 is great BUT, why did none of these people involve the police and report the people as rapists??? It’s maddening to listen to. It once did any of these victims involve law enforcement. It makes no sense. UGH. I liked Season 2 better just because it wasn’t as frustrating.

The reporting for season 1: power trip is impeccable, and goes to uncover much of the corruption and lack of proper care that exists amongst those in positions of power in the psychedelic field. I look forward to more reporting along these lines, and am grateful for this being brought to light and with such excellent storytelling throughout.

I agree with others S2 was a waste but since I listened while being productive, I didn’t feel like I wasted my time just a little attention. Season 1 was so much better. Despite audibly being turned off by every single person’s voice in S1, I found the material to be far more refreshing. While I believe in the healing power of plants, our own energy, and the earth - I also am highly uncomfortable with the new psychedelic movement and the dangers being completely ignored and anyone who speaks about the potential very serious dangers, they are considered against the entirety of the movement and gatekeepers. It’s very obvious with some of the earlier reviews on here that are clearly those of that ilk who would probably or have probably been part of some other type of cult or cultish practices and believe silencing concerns of patient safety and well-being is somehow admirable for the good of the movement. Never-mind the pettiness of those reviews, they are also oddly immature and sociopathic. Yes it’s a great alternative for treating trauma and ptsd without using opioids or other pharmaceuticals but it still should be handled with the patient’s best interest and wellness in mind instead of the institution or movement. Because frankly, if that isn’t the case, psychedelics will be just as abused and long term destructive as the dangerously additive pharmaceuticals for which psychedelics are supposed to be the alternative. I would have liked to also hear from the indigenous communities who have used psychedelics in ceremonies and how they feel about this movement to utilize, commercialize, and monetize their cultural practices. I think S1 could have gone far deeper. Felt very one sided and lacking in a bit more diversity to be honest. But also very glad it wasn’t another “psychedelics will heal everything!” kind of message. Turning critical eyes on the best of things often has the most positive effects and can help in prevention of unwanted outcomes.

So basically I had been listening to the podcast before I moved and it was really interesting because I thought it was fun that I was moving to Montana and the podcast was based in Montana. So I had been reading it and I had already had some friends in the area who I had met from my summer vacations. So then I told them about the podcast and said it was about a billionaire actually from Montana and they said oh yeah that's so and so's dad so that's how I found out that I go to the same school as the Billionaire's son. Yeah other than that it's a really good book 5 out of 5

I LOVED season 1 and found it interesting and investigating something important and valuable to know about that does and could potentially impact many many people. In fact, a friend just mentioned that they were looking at psychedelic therapy studies and I suggested they do more homework, including listening to season 1 of Cover Story. Season 2 is a focus on one guy and a whole lot of blah blah blah that doesn’t really matter to anyone besides those involved, about spoiled entitled rich people and the dumb things they do or don’t do. Not enjoyable to listen to at all. I’d love to see a followup to Season 1 with the latest studies and info.

… I listen to podcasts every day. Most of them are True Crime/Swindler stories and the best ones will make you cancel your dinner plans so you can binge them all at once. This one, suggested by another show, is just a massive waste of time. It’s the story a super rich guy in a small town who likes to pay strippers for sex, strippers who like rich guys paying them for sex, and his pathologically lying former employee who spills the beans on the rich guy, but somehow becomes the villain while the rich guy survives unscathed. It might sound provocative, but it’s really just two unlikable aging bros dripping with fragile masculinity name-calling each other like teenaged mean girls. You might get a few pearl-clutching moments out of this gross gossip-battle, but you’re mostly going to be bored to death while waiting for some closure that never arrives. Pass on this and find something better.

I listened to both seasons and I believe you can find enough out there to know why Season 2 is a total waste of time (no there there!). I have been looking for balanced coverage of potential benefits and risks of psychedelic use, especially now that using many of these plant medicines is being decriminalized across the nation. (I listened prior to November election here in CO for more data before voting.). This podcast is as biased against psychedelics as Pollan is for them. But it does not provide a counterpoint to Pollan. There is no analysis, and barely a cursory review, of the literature. It’s all anecdotes of people who had terrible experiences with GUIDES who abused their power, and light criticism of corporate money behind futures legalization (a worthy subject that could use a deeper dive). The first part of season 1 could perhaps stand-alone as worthwhile since it highlights potential risks of using underground guides (facilitators). It really made me think. But the second part was irritating in its lack of real journalism. Cover Story is simply junk, and the second season certainly proved that.

This podcast was so well done. The music, the main speaker, the twists & turns…I couldn’t stop listening.

This should be 5 stars no question. Absolutely masterfully crafted. Experienced journalist and high production

Both seasons of this podcast are remarkable, but the first is especially evocative and enraging. I only hate that there isn’t more to listen to. More forever, please.

This was a clickbait version of a podcast. There’s no story here. I kept waiting for things to turn and to get to the actual point of why we are fascinated with Gaughan and….nothing. Don’t bother.

Amateurish, silly, sensationalistic reporters attempt to pass off lame story about dullards living in backwards of White Fish 🐠 who feel threatened by big city slickers who brought immorality & misogyny with them. This does not make for original story even if reporter tries to convince us of its gravitas by speaking in hushed tones, pausing for emphasis & using inflection in a way that is overly dramatic & laughable. Didn’t think Season 2 could be any more worse than Season 1. Apparently, NYMag editors don’t read reviews or simply don’t care as perhaps NY interns come cheap. Creating buzz & generating ad revenue trumps quality journalism every time. That’s the story!

Their reporting didn’t pan out and they didn’t know what to do with all the material they collected. There’s really no storyline here and it’s kind of a waste of time. I don’t think they should’ve published this at all. Sometimes as a reporter, the story doesn’t go where you think it should, and this is the result of tgst. They need to go back to the drawing board to report a new story…

Season 1 is interesting, relevant, and well produced. Season 2 is well produced but there is no there there.

I listened to five episodes of season two thinking the story would go somewhere. And it did, kinda sorta maybe a little, but the payoff wasn’t worth all the time and build up. All the salaciousness about “the billionaire” went nowhere and feels like it had no purpose other than titillation. It also seems like most of the allegations against him are unproven or questionable which makes the whole thing feel quite gross. This presentation isn’t journalism but tabloid gossip. A 15-minute-read article about episode five would have sufficed in terms of telling this story.

Great reporting and insight into two very different versions of toxic masculinity and misogyny.

Had a hard time telling a thorough story, even previewing this in episode one when there’s a lot of discussion about “whether or not this should be a podcast.” Disappointing.

Manufactured expose. Waste of my time. Could have been a single brief article if they had simply fact checked their main source from the outset. I’m irritated they took hours of my time

Yikes, season 2 was the biggest waste of my listening time in all of 2022. Not interesting, not exciting, no impressive journalism going on here. I can’t believe this ever got the green light.

Don’t waste your time

Fascinating investigative reporting. Each episode has had me looking forward to the next. Keep up the great work.

Love everything about this podcast. The hosts have great “radio voices”, great music and the story is crafted smoothly. Easy to follow and keep all the characters straight. Always let me wanting more.

Typical so called expose. Drones on for episode after episode when it could’ve been over in two.

S2 was a disaster. First ep started strong, seemed like it would be an interesting story. But it all turned out to be irrelevant sideplots that were each discussed for too long, with no payoff in the final episode. Makes it seem like the reporters didn’t do their jobs (no fact checking their main source?!). This could have been a good print story, a good 20 minute read. But a huge stretch to make a 5 episode podcast about this.

This podcast is fun and also emotional. It reports on some very important issues with MDMA trials. There also was some concerning stuff about psychedelic drug culture. But firstly it was pretty silly to implicitly compare the two problems. The abusers in the psychedelic drug culture are horrific, but when psychedelic therapy is approved, it will be done with licensed therapists. I feel bad for the girl that traveled to the Amazon on her own to meet a shaman who turned out to be a monster. I hope he goes to prison. But it’s sort of like a true crime cult story that has nothing to do with psychedelic assisted therapy. That said, some of the issues with the trials were pretty disturbing and very relevant. But even then, the show takes the cheap and easy shot rather than just reporting on the very disturbing findings that they actually discovered. Specifically, they imply that it’s outrageous that the MDMA trials are being conducted when there have been serious adverse outcomes. They claimed that experts say that even a handful of adverse outcomes would be significant when evaluating whether to legalize the therapy. Of course it would be significant. It is significant. and it should be weighed when these decisions are made. But even if it were five suicides, rather than five injuries, that doesn’t mean that the drug obviously should not be used. PTSD is an incredibly lethal disorder. It’s extremely tragic and damaging. You have to weigh up the pros and cons and look at what the alternatives are, just like the scientist said. It’s really easy and lazy to just point at a few horrific outcomes and imply, without actually saying it out loud, that we should stop all trials on psychedelic drugs because they’re harming people. They’re harming people, but they’re also helping people. Both have to be taken into account, and also compare it to the alternative therapies. But the final part was truly insufferable. A man allegedly died of mushroom and a person involved in a psilocybin company, called the coroner to explain that a psilocybin overdose was not possible. The coroner agreed and changed the verdict. They make this out to be some sort of outrageous conspiracy, or some sort of shady bathroom deal. As if this physician pretended to just be a random person. of course a psilocybin company wants to ensure that a person is not incorrectly labeled as having died from mushrooms. Even the reporters agreed that the mushrooms didn’t directly kill him. Why is it weird that he would want to protect the public impression of his main product, especially when the thing that he is saying is completely true !?

I wanted to love this. I lived in Montana for 10 years of my life. But this was so cringey. The music, the editing. Got 20 minutes into episode 1 and was done.

Hands down the best podcast I have heard on true crime. The journalism is impeccable and the story is riveting - this reinforces the need to keep investigative journalism alive and I cannot wait for season 3!

What a horribly irresponsible piece of supposed journalism. You enthusiastically provide a platform to a convicted criminal and documented liar to spew lies about a man who has been proven without any doubt to be his victim. You allow Matt to repeat his highly defamatory falsehoods about Michael, the man whom he stole millions of dollars from, unchecked until the 5th episode where you finally reveal the truth. Then to add insult to injury, you talk to two of his jilted long term lovers - one who also has been proven to be a liar on a court of law and the other who is upset she didn’t get enough money out of him. I know it is popular and cool to hate billionaires right now, but it is reporters like you who give journalism a bad name. You should be ashamed of yourself for further victimizing this man and his family all in the pursuit of your personal advancement and street cred. Disgusting!

Sorry, how do you start a podcast without even background checking the characters?? This was a nothing story that made the hosts look dumb

Season 2 had some really exciting moments but felt a little like a slow burn to no real conclusion. The examination of a billionaire felt maybe a bit derailed? That being said I recognize the hard work and dedication this podcast took!

My issues are that the guests sound like they’re doing ASMR podcasts. I can hear all the breathing, the lip smacking and everything. It’s all picked up clearly through the mic and it makes it hard to listen to what’s actually being said when every 5-10 seconds I hear a deep inhale and exhale and all the other sounds a mouth makes when talking and it’s very off putting. Again great show and topic just next time you guys make a show be sure to try and edit that stuff out.

With regards to season 2: Hey Hanna, Geraldo Rivera called. He said he has the directions to Al Capone’s vault if you need them. Seriously, season 2 is a big nothing burger. Every salacious accusation turns out to be either completely false or easily explainable. There is nothing there. Tech billionaires like lavishing cash and gifts on their younger stripper girlfriends? You don’t say. Shocking stuff.

Listening & waiting for something that is criminal not just rich tech bros behaving very badly. If the point is the rich should be taxed more, I agree.

I tried to get through season one but after listening to 2 episodes, I give. A lot of filler but no real content. Too mysterious. Let the cat out the bag already.

Still can’t figure out what the real point is. The various players are kind of interesting to listen to but it’s kind of a “so what” as far as the actual events being retold.

I’ve hung in there with these episodes for a while but it doesn’t seem like solid objective reporting to me. There’s a lot of talk about flawed or biased clinical trials, and misconduct and abuse by practitioners, but it’s ultimately “he said she said” arguments and there’s not a lot to convince me as a listener that the “plaintiffs” - or the victims - are more credible than the “defendants”… and that’s sort of what this feels like, a trial, but if I’m a member of the jury I feel like I’d need a lot more evidence to make a sound judgement. Of course there is abuse that happens… and there are definitely psychedelic healer/shaman types that get corrupted by their own egos - I’ve seen it with my own eyes - and I suppose I feel the thrust of the podcast is worthy, but in my opinion there’s something that smacks of chronic victimhood as well. A lack of accountability. if you are not able to self advocate and use sound judgement, you will have problems in the world. I felt that as I was listening to this I was expected to believe a lot of anecdotal evidence.

❤️

I am enjoying it the mystery, but I can only imagine if the host talked about the way African Americans spoke with the same disdain as white men. She would be cancelled and run out of town, but I guess us white dudes are the last hunt-able game in town.

Honestly Investigate supermodels who have babies w horrible billionaires. Yawn.

I found Season 2 engaging, exciting, and all the things that make for a top tier true crime podcast. But dear god, Hanna is hard to listen to. Even though all signs point to Mike being at minimum a creep and a sexual criminal, Hanna is obvious with her judgements towards him. No unbiased or objective journalism here. Furthermore, she makes a sport of emasculating the other men on the show, poking fun of their “bro-ness” and often doing the cartoonish impression of a dumb man when quoting him. Hopefully I can just get used to it seeing as I’m in deep with this story and looking to see if this predator and possibly others get ousted and punished if crimes are exposed.

Relatable only if you’re vulnerable, prone to stupid choices, misinformation & live in Lala land. 5 stars only for gag factor. Ugh..

Super interesting and well done!!

OK just a quick lil 2 cents - spending personal real time (gone forever btw) by engaging, paying attention, listening to this dribbley drivel is the EXACT SAME EXPERIENCE as 4 hrs on a megabus eavesdropping on the idiot 3rd yr art students in front prattle on about the gross thing they heard about at camp. Ewww can you believe it?? So gross they Actually Did That Barf emoji

this podcast dives into how complicated the discussion around psychedelics can be. when you hail anything as wildly successful without nuance, it does not paint a complete picture. i don’t understand the reviews saying this podcast is anti-drug… it’s anti- abusive drug therapists. this podcast stresses the importance of boundaries and guidelines in any setting where people are vulnerable.

Don’t know much about journalism but I know this isn’t that. If u believe psychedelics are “bad” and are looking for validation this is a great podcast to listen to, otherwise don’t bother. I understand the host was in a very tricky spot when discussing sexual abuse and manipulation however I do believe it’s possible to ask the right questions with out invalidating the experiences of others. No attempt to do that what do ever.

I appreciated the level of journalism and views in the podcast. As with any type of “drug” people will have different effects. I appreciate that this brought both sides of that, even though I’ve seen a lot of people saying it doesn’t. I think it’s important to note the data and controlled therapy isn’t always what you think it is. I’m happy to be more informed and have been able to do more research because of it.

Might be better titled Art Linkletter’s Daughter. True and horrifying anecdotes that do little to illuminate the landscape. The unregulated world is dangerous. So is the regulated world. Show has that annoyingly hip format in which the listener is manipulated through music and cuts of dialogue featuring speakers with monotone voices droning with trendy flat affect and telling hippy dippy stories, all undershot with childhood tragedy. “Sincere and open hearted teen with traumatizing backstory loses their naïveté and is saved by their hard edge in the mean streets of reality” kind of stuff. Nice for NPR subscribers, annoying for those seeking data and statistically significant results. However. If you form your beliefs based on very skilled multimedia storytelling, this is for you. If you just want to hear an in-depth interview, move along.

I’m a “poddy” geek and fully vouch for this one. Good on so many levels. Checks all the boxes for me. Give it a try!

I inhaled this podcast, but honestly never would have posted a review. Then yesterday, I saw Netflix promoting a TV version of "How To Change Your Mind.” If pop culture is going to be promoting psychedelics, I also need more people to hear how the world of psychedelia is complicated and potentially dangerous. I hope that by sharing these stories, the future can be safer and better for people who want to get into the psychedelic space.