Lies We Bought – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Lies We Bought

Emily Rask

Business

Society & Culture

History

Frequency: 1 episode/8d. Total Eps: 37

Lies We Bought is a podcast with receipts. Host Emily Rask spent over a decade building marketing and advertising campaigns, and now she's reading the fine print out loud (think everything from "got milk?" to "clean beauty") to show how the message got made and why we believed it. Part consumer psychology, part cultural history, part 1950s wink.

If you love smart, myth-busting shows about advertising, branding, and the hidden tricks behind the stuff you buy, you're in the right place.

Pulled fresh from the oven every Tuesday at 7 AM EST.

Hit follow and start questioning the receipts.

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Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
15/08/2026
#65
🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
14/08/2026
#34
🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
10/08/2026
#81
🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
09/08/2026
#53
🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
18/05/2026
#76
🇨🇦 Canada - marketing
17/05/2026
#47

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought
27 shares

https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought
27 shares

https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/
25 shares
https://www.patreon.com/cw/LiesWeBought
2 shares

RSS feed quality and score

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 43%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

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Low-Fat Conspiracy: The 1994 Food Industry Scam That Made America Sick

Episode 12

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 • Duration 17:17

Somewhere along the way, we decided fat was the problem, and built an entire way of eating around that idea.

This episode breaks down how that belief took hold, from early nutrition research to government policy to the food industry quietly reshaping what ended up on store shelves.

Because what looked like a simple health shift turned into something much bigger, and a lot more profitable, than anyone realized at the time.

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Listerine, Halitosis, & The Fake Health Crisis | One-Minute What

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 • Duration 01:08

Your "morning routine" isn't a health choice - it's a series of manufactured solutions.

In this episode of One-Minute What, we’re exposing Albert Lasker, the "Father of Modern Advertising" who realized that the easiest way to sell a product is to invent a problem first.Lasker didn't just meet consumer demand; he created shame. From turning floor cleaner into a cure for "Halitosis" to forcing orange juice onto your breakfast table to save a surplus crop, Lasker’s "Salesmanship in Print" changed the human psyche forever.

Stop buying the "Reason Why" and start seeing the sales tool. This is your One-Minute What.

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De Beers Diamonds: How a Marketing Monopoly Forced Us into Marriage Debt

Episode 7

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 • Duration 21:56

Diamonds feel ancient. Inevitable. Like they’ve always been part of love. They haven’t.

In this episode of Lies We Bought, we dig into the marketing history behind diamonds and how one of the most successful advertising campaigns of all time turned a plentiful gemstone into a symbol of forever.

We explore how De Beers controlled supply, reshaped social expectations, and tied diamonds to love, sacrifice, and seriousness through repetition and psychology rather than tradition. From the invention of the Four Cs to the myth of the salary rule, this episode breaks down how diamonds became mandatory, why they still feel emotionally charged today, and what happens as lab-grown diamonds begin pulling at the threads of that story.

This is a cultural and marketing history of diamonds, not a judgment on personal choice. Understanding the story doesn’t mean rejecting it. It just means finally seeing it.

Welcome to Lies We Bought. They sold it. We bought it. Now we’re unpacking it.

Follow the show for future episodes.

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Rethinking “Treat Yourself” | One-Minute What

Episode 1

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 • Duration 01:34

Does “treat yourself” actually work?

I love a good treat. Truly. But some fascinating research made me pause.

Studies show that while buying yourself something feels good in the moment, acts of kindness toward others tend to create deeper, longer-lasting happiness. Helping someone else does more for our well-being than another self-focused reward.

Marketing noticed this gap. For years, self-care has been sold as consumption. You deserve this. Buy this. Reward yourself. And sometimes that’s great. But the science suggests the real emotional payoff often comes from connection, not just consumption.

So maybe “treat yourself” doesn’t always mean buying something. Maybe sometimes it means showing up for someone else.

I still love a good treat. I just see it a little differently now.

And that’s your One-Minute What.

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Organic Food Cults: The Deceptive Marketing Behind Clean Eating

Episode 6

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 • Duration 24:27

At some point, food quietly stopped being food.

A label on the package. A higher price. A feeling that one choice says something better about you than the other.

In this episode, I unpack how organic food became a moral signal rather than just a farming method. What started as early 20th-century fears around chemicals and industrialization evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry built on purity, identity, and responsibility.

I trace the origins of the organic movement, from early food safety scares and biodynamic farming to Whole Foods, the USDA organic seal, and the rise of fear-based grocery marketing. We look at what science actually says about nutrition, pesticides, and health, and why the organic label feels so personal even when the evidence is far more nuanced.

This is not about telling you what to buy. It is about understanding how a label became a moral benchmark.

Welcome to Lies We Bought. They sold it. We bought it. Now we’re unpacking it.

If this episode resonates, follow the show and leave a review. It helps new listeners find the podcast and supports independent storytelling.

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Is Multitasking a Scam? | One-Minute What

Episode 1

Tuesday, January 13, 2026 • Duration 01:41

Welcome to my new bonus series, One-Minute What?

Where I talk about something for one minute that makes you stop and go… what?

Is multitasking actually productive, or does it just feel that way?

Multitasking didn’t become popular because it works. It became popular because it sounds productive. It fits perfectly into hustle culture. Do more. Faster. At the same time.

The problem is, multitasking doesn’t make us more efficient. It makes us feel efficient. And feeling productive is much easier to sell than actually being productive.

That’s why companies love it. Productivity tools love it. And why “must be able to multitask” keeps showing up in job descriptions.

So the next time you see that phrase, just know what they’re really asking for.

And that’s your One-Minute What.

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10,000 Steps: The Fake Pedometer Rule That Tricked the World

Episode 5

Tuesday, January 6, 2026 • Duration 25:17

At some point, a daily walk quietly turned into a performance review.

A buzz on your wrist. A glowing ring. A number that decides whether today “counts.”

This episode unpacks how ten thousand steps became the world’s most accepted fitness goal, despite never being rooted in science. What began as a 1960s marketing idea evolved into a global wellness rule that now lives on smartwatches, corporate challenges, insurance incentives, and personal guilt.

We trace the origin of the ten-thousand-step myth, what research actually says about walking and health, and why round numbers are so effective at shaping behavior.

This episode is not about walking less. It is about understanding how a marketing idea became a moral benchmark.

Welcome to Lies We Bought. They sold it. We bought it. Now we’re unpacking it.

Follow the show for future episodes.

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"Live Laugh Love": Inside the Subversive History of the Suburban Decor Trap

Episode 4

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 • Duration 19:57

If you’re a millennial woman, you might want to sit down for this one.

This episode explores how “Live Laugh Love” became one of the most successful pieces of modern décor, not because it was profound, but because it was comforting.

What began as a reflective early-1900s essay quietly transformed into a cultural shorthand for optimism, warmth, and emotional safety, and eventually into a multibillion-dollar home décor industry.

We trace how inspirational language moved from meaning to merchandise, why people like words in their homes, and how familiar phrases began standing in for identity, reassurance, and the version of ourselves we were trying to become. Especially during a time when adulthood felt unstable, expensive, and overwhelming.

This episode is not about judging taste or mocking trends. It is about understanding why comforting words matter, and how marketing learned to scale that instinct.

Once you see how meaning, emotion, and commerce intertwine, you start seeing décor differently.

Welcome to Lies We Bought. They sold it. We bought it. Now we’re unpacking it.

Follow the show for future episodes.

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Color Psychology: How Big Retail Uses Red Flags to Control Your Wallet

Episode 3

Tuesday, December 9, 2025 • Duration 21:35

Do you know why certain colors make you feel calm, hungry, energized, or oddly loyal to a brand you have never questioned?

This episode explores how color became one of the most powerful psychological tools in marketing, shaping reactions long before we realize we are reacting at all.

Red creates urgency. Blue signals trust. Green implies health. Black and white suggest power and restraint. None of it is accidental. Entire industries spend millions testing shades because color influences belief, behavior, and choice before logic ever enters the room.

We trace how color carried meaning long before modern advertising, rooted in history, symbolism, and emotion, then follow how marketers, psychologists, and corporations turned it into a behavioral shortcut. From packaging and apps to grocery aisles and “add to cart” buttons, color quietly guides movement, appetite, and impulse.

This episode is not about telling you what color to like. It is about understanding how emotion, culture, and strategy work together to shape preference and behavior.

Your instincts are wiser than any palette a company selects. Once you see the patterns, you cannot unsee them.

Welcome to Lies We Bought. They sold it. We bought it. Now we are unpacking it.

Follow the show for future episodes.

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Water Bottles & Hydration: How Big Beverage Sold Us a Lifestyle

Episode 2

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 • Duration 19:30

How did drinking water become a moral achievement?

Hydration used to be a biological need. Somewhere along the way, it became a wellness routine, a personality trait, and a daily metric to prove you are doing life correctly.

This episode explores how water went from necessity to lifestyle. From the eight-glasses-a-day rule and wartime nutrition guidance, to bottled water brands selling purity, performance, and identity, hydration became less about thirst and more about control.

We trace how nuance disappeared, how marketing filled the gap, and how a free public resource turned into a multibillion-dollar industry. We also look at how modern wellness culture, influencer routines, and WaterTok trends turned drinking water into content and competition.

This episode is not about telling you how much to drink. It is about understanding how belief is shaped, repeated, and sold.

Hydration should not feel like a moral scoreboard. It should feel like balance - Drink when you are thirsty and pause when you are not. Your body already knows what it needs.

Welcome to Lies We Bought.

They sold it. We bought it. Now we are unpacking it.

Follow the show for future episodes.

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Lies We Bought – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Lies We Bought – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Instagram1

Tik Tok1

Patreon2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Instagram1

Tik Tok1

Patreon2

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities