When “Trust the Process” Isn’t What It Seems

A Deep Dive into MLMs with Robert L. FitzPatrick

When I first joined a multi-level marketing company, it felt like destiny. Freedom. Empowerment. Community. So much so that I tattooed “trust the process” on my body as a daily reminder. But the deeper I got, the more I noticed the cracks: emotional manipulation, magical thinking, and an almost religious silencing of doubts.

If you missed last week’s episode here is the deep dive of my own experience.

The Dark Side of Manifestation and MLMs

That’s why I’m thrilled to share this week’s podcast interview with Robert L. FitzPatrick. Robert has been sounding the alarm on MLMs for decades, long before it was common to describe them as cult-like. He’s the author of Ponzinomics: The Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing, co-author of False Profits, and a respected expert cited by the BBC, The New York Times, and courts alike. For years, he’s been giving people the tools (language, data, and perspective) to recognize MLMs for what they truly are: predatory business models, not opportunities.

Here is the image of the “Airplane Game” we reference in the interview

In this episode, we cover:

• The Spark: Robert’s first encounter with a scam-like business in the 1980s, which pushed him into decades of research on MLMs and fraud—mirroring the way my own personal MLM experience prompted deep self-examination.
• Why “Not All MLMs” Is a Myth: The business model itself is designed to funnel money upward, making it impossible for the vast majority to succeed, regardless of the company or product.
• Puritan Theology & Prosperity: How old ideas linking wealth to virtue evolved into the prosperity gospel, and how MLMs exploit that mindset.
• Cultural Hooks: From hustle culture to self-improvement mantras and spiritual undertones, MLMs borrow heavily from mainstream culture to recruit and retain followers.
• Narrative Control: How pre-scripted objections, emotional manipulation, and silencing tactics maintain loyalty and block critical thinking—something I’ve noticed both in MLMs and high-control religious groups.
• The Hard Numbers: Realistic odds of success are brutal—most recruits lose money, almost all quit within a year, and mandatory purchases like “Healthy Mind and Body” programs or the Isabody Challenge trap participants financially and emotionally.
• Legality & Political Protection: If MLMs are fundamentally unfair, how are they still legal? And what protects them politically?
• Beyond the MLM Mindset: MLMs don’t just drain your wallet—they reshape identities, fracture communities, and erode trust in yourself and others.

This conversation is essential for anyone curious about MLMs, whether you’ve been drawn into one, have friends or family involved, or are simply interested in understanding how these systems work under the surface. Robert’s insights give us not just the numbers, but the language and tools to recognize the scam and the courage to break free from it.

Tune in for an eye-opening conversation that goes beyond the hype and digs into the real human cost of MLMs.

Links 

rfitzpatrick@pyramidschemealert.org

www.pyramidschemealert.org

Twitter: @pyramidalert

FB: @ponzinomicsthebook

Further reading: 

•Goodbye FTC 

•Quiz: How Many MLMs Are There? 

•Institutional Support for Multi-Level Marketing in America Is Cracking

Taste0ftruth Tuesdays Previous blogs on MLMs: 

•The MLM Illusion: Selling a Dream or a Trap?

•Why MLMs Exploit Magical Thinking

•Uncover how MLMs and high-control religions exploit narratives to control and isolate you

•Lottery Odds vs MLM: Which Poses a Higher Financial Risk?

Previous Interviews:

Deconstructing Deception: MLMs, Exploitation & Online Influencers

From Serendipity to Scrutiny: The Truth Behind MLMs and Coercive Control