Episodes

After a night spent with her boyfriend talking, a relationship that as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses she wasn’t supposed to have because he wasn’t in the cult, a phone call comes in from Elizabeth’s father wanting to know where she is. After replying that she was at Waffle House planning a wedding with her friend and that she just lost track of time, she told her boyfriend that now they had to go to Waffle House. Why? Because she had to “make it be true”.

If those four words aren’t the epitome of what it is to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I don’t know what is. The desire to “make it be true”, to ignore all evidence to the contrary, to continue to uphold a dedication coerced through cult influence often as children, and to justify the sunk cost at all costs, is what leads so many to stay in something that isn’t good for them. It leads to people living an inauthentic life because they’re in so far that they have to “make it be true” because the cost of leaving is so high although they’ve already lost so much while being in. Elizabeth has such a story of her own to share, including a harrowing experience with a predatory cult member that she was saved from just before it got much worse.

Support today’s guest 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 Support 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.

Thanks to our wonderful supporters we raised $560 plus our $200 in matching the first amount by that number so we ended up with $760 to do good with in the community. Follow what we were all able to do together as I take you through what went from ExJwHelp Day into six ExJwHelp Days (plural). Your donations were very much appreciated and ExJwHelp Day 2022 was a success!

Professional one on one Cult Recovery Coaching services, helpful videos and articles, more information about ExJwHelp Day itself, and other resources can be found at: https://exjwhelp.com/

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: https://storyworkscoaching.com

Please consider supporting the show’s Patreon if you appreciate the time that goes into producing these stories at: https://www.patreon.com/shunned

Amanda travels the United States but is not allowed to have friends as a kid, both outside OR inside of the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Amanda isn’t home schooled to further her isolation but is sent to school because her dad teaches. Amanda can’t play sports at school but her dad coaches some of them. Amanda’s dad screams and even gets physical but everyone outside of the home sees a different side of him and loves him. Amanda is forced to hide her body with oversized clothes yet is called a slut at home. And when Amanda is starting to get in trouble with the cult as an adult, her dad does something that is perhaps the most confusing in a life of contradictions.

The song that she chose to represent her journey is Conqueror by the Empire Cast.

Support today’s guest 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 Support 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.

To participate by donating to the cause, you can donate here (I will personally match the first $200 dollar for dollar): https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/shunnedrecovery

You can also Venmo to @michael-shemwell-1 (last four digits of phone are 3279 if needed)

To learn more about this day and how you can go out and participate on your own visit: https://exjwhelp.com/exjwhelpday/

The cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses has some interesting takes on life and death. On one hand, as today’s guest puts it, Jehovah’s Witnesses give up on life before it even starts because to them this world is going to end and this life is a means to that end. On the other hand, they believe that they have the “real life” talked about in scripture, even sporting the hashtag bestlifeever on some of their social media posts. And when someone no longer believes in the doctrine of their group, that person is viewed as dead to them. They are shunned as though they are dead.

In a 1952 Watchtower magazine, a question from the readers was answered as follows:
“● In the case of where a father or mother or son or daughter is disfellowshiped, how should such person be treated by members of the family in their family relationship?—P. C., Ontario, Canada.

We are not living today among theocratic nations where such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apostasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and in the land of Palestine. “Thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, . . . And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee.”—Deut. 13:6-11, AS.

Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God’s law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship. However, God’s law requires us to recognize their being disfellowshiped from his congregation, and this despite the fact that the law of the land in which we live requires us under some natural obligation to live with and have dealings with such apostates under the same roof.”

As you can see, Jehovah’s Witnesses almost lament the fact that they can’t kill apostates, people that leave their cult. Today’s guest, at just 19 years of age, is very much on death row, so to speak. He is PIMO, or physically in but mentally out. Because he no longer believes what he was brought up to believe, he knows that eventually he will be disfellowshipped, executed as it were. In fact, doing this interview could be that very death knell for him. His bravery in speaking out shows the depth of his desire to live free from the bonds put upon him as a child by his family. He hopes to inspire and encourage others to live free too. Everyone deserves that chance.

The songs that he chose to represent his journey are In The End by Linkin Park and The Nights by Avicii.

Support today’s guest 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 Support 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.

Chris comes from a large family of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Montgomery Alabama area. Being from a big family can result in big family drama though, especially when everyone is in a cult that dictates behavior and divides families. In this episode you’ll learn about Chris, his family, his story, and how his story overlaps other things going on in the family as well.

The song that Chris chose to represent his journey is I Wanna Live by Fifth featuring P. Black

Support Chris 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 Support 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.

Sitting at a meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses, during the circuit overseer’s visit, a young Dylan was facing a crisis of disconnection. As he realized that he did not belong there once again, and as he felt this darkness in the Kingdom Hall, Dylan would do something that would change the course of his life. On the congregation’s wifi while the meeting was going on, Dylan took a chance on Dylan for the first time. He took a chance to open a door that would lead him to eventual freedom even while sitting in a mental prison with everyone else. Listen to his story to learn about his family that was a constant in the congregation, his mother that married an ex-Scientologist and ended up in Africa, and what pushed him to have the courage on that fateful day to do something unthinkable for most in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The song that Dylan chose to represent his journey is I’m Not Okay But I Know I’m Going To Be by Raleigh Ritchie.

Dylan has his own music single on Spotify as Gem Fresh, entitled Bluefin, found HERE

Support Dylan 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 Support 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.

Coming from a cult that actively discouraged even basic education at times, it can be daunting to even contemplate trying to pursue higher education. What is it like to be a non-traditional student? How can I afford to go? Are there ways to pursue this without the support of my parents? How do I even apply? In this episode we answer your questions as submitted through the Shunned Podcast Facebook group, r/exjw on reddit and so much more.

We talk strategies on how to finance your education, how to figure out what you even want to pursue, the unexpected benefits of the college experience, etc. You will hear the real world experiences of not just our main guest as she shares her experience and expertise in this field, but you will also get to hear four other short real world stories at the end to help round out your knowledge as you understand what this is like from people that have actually done it.

This is the first in our ExJwHelp series. The goal is to do a follow-up episode on careers that one can pursue without a college education if that isn’t for you, as well as self-employed or small business endeavors that you can strive for. The ExJwHelp series is part of the Cult Recovery Coaching program offered at ExJwHelp.com and the hope is to grow it to include a wide variety of topics that can help as you move forward in real and actionable ways.

Resources Mentioned:
Everything Starts With FAFSA for Federal Student Aid – FAFSA , UnderstandingFAFSA
Scholarships and other aid – National Merit Scholarship Corporation, AmeriCorps, myFuture, Upward Bound
Career Exploration Assessment Tool – O*Net OnLine
Places to brush up on skills or learn about various skills: OutSchool, Khan Academy, Udemy, SkillShare

Feel free to leave a comment of support for participants on the Shunned Podcast website 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.

Being raised in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses involves being taught to chase love. If a person can only be good enough, one day their god will love them. But being taught this can lead to people going back to things that treat them poorly, whether it is their god, their religion, their family, etc. as a part of chasing that love. Aaron was both disfellowshipped and divorced and each time he went back, something that many have done, always holding out hope that this time will be different. It is tough to learn this lesson and many have been held in suspension, but Aaron has found more solid ground today and has learned his lessons from going back.

The song that Aaron chose to represent his journey is Amazing by Aerosmith. He also added Take Me To Church by Hosier.

Support Aaron 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.

From the time he was 12, Matt had to work. With his father’s vices taking the family’s money and groceries to put on the table, Matt stepped up. That started young Matt down the path to workaholism which would be put to the test as he went through life, at times taking care of his dad after his parents divorced, and later taking that same dedication to his dad on to the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Serving at one of the highest esteemed places in the organization, within the headquarters facilities, Matt’s ability to continue dedicating his everything to others that gave him little in return would be pushed beyond its limits.

The song that Matt chose to represent his journey is Never Going Back by Skillet.

Support Matt 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.