Episodes

Jehovah’s Witnesses promote men to the role of head of the family, and of the congregation. Keion, as a brother in the congregation and also as a family head later in life, faced certain blowback for his actions due to this position that he was elevated to simply for being male. This is an interesting story of one man’s journey to find himself and his place in relationships without any healthy examples and input from those that claimed the position of teachers for young men like him.

This is the video that Keion mentions in his episode, CLICK HERE

Support Keion by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Struggling with perfectionism, building a social network, codependency, or feeling like you’re not enough? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a Cult Recovery Coach. I work with many ex-JWs, along with ex-other groups, and your average person that has never been in a cult that wants better things in their life. Find out more here:

 Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook Support Group group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Growing up with parents that were not only Jehovah’s Witnesses but also suffering from their own addictions and mental/emotional struggles, Aubrey felt invisible. When he realized his sexual orientation and needed support, he was again ignored and felt invisible. But the reality is that there were invisible things going on within Aubrey as well, Aubrey is intersex. Listen as Aubrey is open about life after never speaking of these things for over 30 years so that he and others no longer have to feel invisible.

Support Aubrey by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Five year old boys should be walking around full of wonder about dinosaurs and big trucks, not full of shame. Imagine stumbling on things at such a young age that would kick off shame that would haunt your every thought and action for years. And all of this because you were in a cult like Jehovah’s Witnesses who shame human exploration and lack any understanding of how people truly work. Eventually Keagen would have to learn the lesson that he is enough, and he always was, it was the cult and the people in it that let him down.

The song that Keagen chose to represent his journey are The Light by Disturbed and Revival by Selena Gomez.

Support Keagen by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Wayne was never one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and had nothing to do with the cult. Later in life circumstances would change, however, as his sister would fall prey to their teachings. Her enthusiasm for sharing what she learned with him would eventually lead him to researching the realities of the cult, and ultimately end with him being shunned because he knew too much and asked too many uncomfortable questions. You don’t have to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses to have shunning touch your life, and Wayne graciously volunteered to share his story to shine light on that for others that may feel alone in their similar journey.

The song that Wayne chose to represent his journey is one of his own, Just Another Bad Day, by Wayne Marshall and the Jericho Riders.

Support Wayne by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Going back five generations in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses, back to the origins of what we know today by that name, Heath’s family runs deep in it. His great grandfather was of the anointed with the heavenly hope back in the 1930s when the option of an earthly hope was brought to the fore, his great grandmother holding that earthly hope. So this cult has its fingerprints all over the family, and Heath grew up only knowing one way of life.

“There was no doubt. There was no room to doubt. There was no way to doubt.” The prescribed path of a JW was set out before him, but a moment in 2003 changed everything for Heath. That “spiritual paradise” that he lived in was shaken up through some experiences, and over time Heath would have to find another path, one divergent from the one that his entire family had invested so deeply in.

The song that Heath chose to represent his story is Heaven Go Easy On Me by The Head and the Heart.

Support Heath by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Amber never knew her dad growing up. She looked around and saw other people with dads, including her step-siblings, and wanted the same. So when she was pressed by her mother to apologize to the School Overseer in her congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses one day, little Amber asked that brother to be her dad. This would touch off years of control and grooming at the hands of an elder in the Kingdom Hall. It took years for the truth to come out and for Amber to know who her real father was. Listen to the end and you will know too.

The song that Amber chose to represent her story is I Don’t Need You To by Samantha Mumba.

Support Amber by leaving her a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

If you’ve ever watched the show Seinfeld then you know that sometimes spite is a good motivator. In Jared’s case, spite motivated him to attend Ministerial Training School, an exclusive school for Jehovah’s Witnesses that taught men to lead congregations in various ways. Find out how that went for him, how he got there in the first place, and why he is now telling his story.

The song that Jared chose to represent his journey is Doses & Mimosas by Cherub.

Support Jared by leaving him a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

At just 12 years of age, Jacelly got baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses with the promise of a great life. Shortly thereafter her illusions were shattered as she was promptly sexually assaulted within the congregation and met with apathy regarding her plight. Over and over again in her life with her family and the cult, Jacelly would find herself let down and confused, wondering how people could act as they did around her. Repeating the cycles of abuse as a victim, eventually she would have to come to grips with harsh realities in order to grow and hope to live a good life.

The song that Jacelly chose to represent her journey is Bless The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts.

Support Jacelly by leaving her a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of self-harm.

The words spoken by her therapist in rehab, “In this religion, what do you really have”, made Mackenzie look at the harsh realities of her life in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Worried about what she would lose, she had to first take a look at what she really had. Sadly, what she had was a life that was so traumatic she developed DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and that had driven her to self harm. Failing to receive any real help from her family and the congregation, with a mother encouraging her to cut again because she was better to be around when self-harming, Mackenzie would find help with others that were working through their own pains that finally brought real support to her life.

The song that Mackenzie chose to represent her journey is Waiting For My Real Life To Begin by Colin Hay.

Support Mackenzie by leaving her a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.

Like most kids growing up, Ali wanted to know that someone was in her corner. But the adults in her life had their own issues, issues that would prevent her from being allowed to have friends stay over at her house. Issues that would result in her, her sister, and her mother being moved out under the cover of darkness away from their father. Issues that never really went away, that were seen over and over again in patterns repeated that left Ali looking for a way out, ANY way out, more than once at different times in her life. Where do you find support when even an overdose of pills is met with a cold admonishment to go throw up? Jehovah’s Witnesses often grow up in an emotional desert, thirsty for real love and support.

The song that Ali chose to represent her story is This Is Me Trying by Taylor Swift.

Support Ali by leaving her a comment HERE

Support the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Are you struggling in some area of life? Feeling stuck? Need an accountability partner or some encouragement? Need to talk to someone that understands cult life? Reach out and let’s talk. I have affordable programs to help as a certified life coach. Click HERE for more information.

Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com

Join our Shunned Podcast Facebook group HERE

Leave us a review on iTunes

Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

You can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app or on YouTube. It is a 9 part series about life as Jehovah’s Witnesses designed to help you understand how it worked in one comprehensive story and to help you process your own if you came from that environment.

Music provided by Jane and the Boy, entitled Save Myself.