Kaleidoscope and iHeartPodcasts Launch ''Mind Games''

RADIO ONLINE | Thursday, January 15, 2026 | 3:45pm CT

Mind Games

Kaleidoscope and iHeartPodcasts have launched Mind Games, a new investigative series that explores the origins, influence, and controversies surrounding Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), a form of hypnotherapy that has quietly shaped sectors ranging from business and the military to wellness culture.

Created and hosted by journalists Alice Hines and Zoe Lescaze, the podcast traces NLP's beginnings in a 1970s California New Age commune and follows its spread into Fortune 500 boardrooms, U.S. Army training programs, professional sports, and organizations including NXIVM. While largely unfamiliar to the general public, NLP techniques have been adopted by therapists, life coaches, self-help figures, and others-raising questions about persuasion, power, and the lack of regulation around their use.

The series blends reporting, experimentation, and narrative storytelling as Hines and Lescaze test NLP methods themselves. While approaching the topic with skepticism, the hosts document results they say are difficult to dismiss, examining both the claims that NLP can drive personal change and the potential for misuse and manipulation.

Kaleidoscope Chief Strategy Officer and executive producer Kate Osborn said Mind Games aligns with the company's focus on science and technology stories that probe complex, under-examined ideas. Hines added that NLP "hides in plain sight," offering empowerment while also being used by bad actors to control others. Lescaze said her reporting aimed to separate exaggerated claims from techniques that may have legitimate value.

Mind Games is distributed by iHeartPodcasts, with new episodes released weekly on Tuesdays via the iHeartRadio app and major podcast platforms.