Today we’re going to meet Matthew from Australia. For a lot of Jehovah’s Witnesses they find themselves just riding the wave, doing what they have to do to get by. They may not ever really “reach out” for more and more “privileges” in the congregation but just seek to make it through from one day to the next. Matthew was one such JW, trying to get by, trying to make his very serious JW mom happy as a kid, trying to keep his head down and to not be noticed. One day when he had his own children he realized that he couldn’t make them live that same existence that he had and that things had to change.

The song that Matthew chose to represent his journey is Let Me Be by Xavier Rudd.

Speaking of music, you can listen to the Shunned Podcast Spotify playlist here for all of the songs chosen by guests of the show.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Matthew by leaving him a comment HERE

Follow my new podcast called LouisvilleOne at LouisvilleOne.org or look it up on a podcast app. You can watch the live videos on the YouTube channel HERE.

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

You can tell in this conversation that Daniel is a really humble and sincere guy. This conversation deal with the way Jehovah’s Witnesses make natural things seem unnatural, how bipolar disorder can impact a person inside the organization, and he has some great insights at the end regarding things that have helped him since leaving. There’s also a very strong reaction from me regarding a story he tells about being a dad and how he was treated regarding his child. I decided to leave it in because it was a very real moment and I hope that if you’re out there and being treated like Daniel was it gives you some energy to know that your feelings are valid and nobody should ever treat you that way.

The song that Daniel chose to represent his journey is Long Hard Road by Sade.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Daniel by leaving him a comment HERE

Follow my new podcast called LouisvilleOne at LouisvilleOne.org or look it up on a podcast app. You can watch the live videos on the YouTube channel HERE.

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

This episode really touches on so many different pitfalls of life as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses as seen through the life of one person. We talk about the blood issue, abuse, the realities of the politics inside congregations, mental health issues, the pressures put on young couples, and Yahoo Answers. Yeah, I didn’t see that last one coming either. Joseph is a person that pays attention to detail and you will hear about the life he lived and what he saw around him. Ultimately he committed the ultimate sin of thinking for himself and we all know how that ends. There will even be an opportunity to listen to his judicial committee after the interview if you like.

The song that Joseph chose to represent his journey is Coming of Age by Millow.

You can listen to Joseph’s judicial committee on his YouTube channel HERE.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Joseph by leaving him a comment HERE

Follow my new podcast called LouisvilleOne at LouisvilleOne.org or look it up on a podcast app. You can watch the live videos on the YouTube channel HERE.

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Today we’re going to meet Renee. This is a story of profound loneliness played out over decades, surviving an abusive home and life in a cult, and coming out the other side a profoundly compassionate and beautiful person. Renee is an activist in the ex-JW community today and some know her as Renee Cordeschi – JW Survivor.

The song that Renee chose to represent her journey is No Second Prize by Jimmy Barnes.

If you’d like to follow Renee’s work you can do so on Facebook at Renee Cordeschi – JW Survivor.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Renee by leaving her a comment HERE

Follow my new podcast called LouisvilleOne at LouisvilleOne.org or look it up on a podcast app. You can watch the live videos on the YouTube channel HERE.

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Today we’re going to meet Corrie. Her son Nico was featured back in April on episode 29. Now we get to hear her story and she does a really good job of putting it all together and was fun to talk to. She became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in her early 30s after a guy that was doing some tree work at her house pitched her and introduced her to his wife for a Bible study. Having recently lost her grandmother and in the middle of grieving, they gave her a hope that she could cling to and that drew her in. This is a story of manipulation from the beginning until the end of her time in the cult. You’ll find out how therapy, and Leah Remini helped her to wake up, and we have some great conversation about finding oneself after leaving.

The song that Corrie chose to represent her journey is Warrior by Demi Lovato.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Corrie by leaving her a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Nicole was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is a tough story to listen to and my heart goes out to her but she has overcome a truly traumatic childhood to create a good life for herself. Unlike most people that I interview she was never baptized, but she lived a life as a JW that needs to be told. There are a lot of patterns in this story that are repeated in many families in the organization. Sheltered from real life Nicole was in for some rude awakenings, and unfortunately the most abusive came from her own family. She eventually learned that she could trust nobody but herself.  Nicole chose the song “Eternal Sunshine” by Jhene Aiko to represent her journey.

She mentioned the exjw reddit as a resource that helped her.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Support Nicole by leaving her a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Adrian was raised one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, born into the cult. His father even believed himself to be one of the 144,000 chosen to go to heaven. You’ll see through this interview that Adrian was one of those people that had humanity that even the cult couldn’t break. That sensitivity though, the heartbreak of shunning not just once but twice, led to his becoming a heroin addict at a young age. One moment though helped him to break free of it all and to realize that he was responsible for the path his life would take and that nobody he had relied on growing up would help, that the only person he ultimately had was himself, and that he had enough value to be worth living a good life for.

You can view more of Adrian’s work on Instagram at xadriantrevorx

The song that Adrian chose to represent his journey is Stop the Fuckin’ Car by Circa Survive.

He was helped by the book Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz and he also mentioned the exjw reddit group.

Want to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Dates and information can be found HERE.

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.

Would you like to be party to my birthday party? Send a card, letter, anything but JW literature to: Mike Shemwell P.O. Box 2641 Clarksville, IN 47131 USA Thank you!

Support Adrian by leaving him a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Linda was a devout Jehovah’s Witness, one that believed it all and really put her heart and soul into it. Today she’s been out of the organization for 25 years and our discussion involves Buddhist teachings, the neuroscience of shunning, and her story which she also shares in her memoir that is entitled Shunned: How I lost my religion and found myself. So you’re going to see how she both lost that religion and what she found on the other side.

Resources Mentioned: Her book Shunned: How I Lost Religion and Found Myself

Kip Williams at Purdue University

Poem: The Journey by Mary Oliver

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.

Would you like to be party to my birthday party? Send a card, letter, anything but JW literature to: Mike Shemwell P.O. Box 2641 Clarksville, IN 47131 USA Thank you!

Support Linda by leaving her a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

Today we are talking with Andie, formerly one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This story really involves so many things. First, we’re talking about a family that goes all the way back to the Rutherford days of the organization. Additionally, Andie was beat up for her beliefs, she was forced to move a lot for a reason that you won’t see coming, and she spent time in Mexico to try to build an English speaking congregation but had to come home for another reason that you won’t see coming. She talks openly about self-harm, about her own horrific rape, living in her car, and thoughts of suicide. Andie was one tough young lady that dealt with a lot and came out the other side. She should be very proud of herself.

The song that Andie chose to represent her journey is “If We’re Honest” by Francesca Battistelli. Resources mentioned included the book Combating Cult Mind Control by Steven Hassan, the Marc Cora YouTube Channel, and the Kim Mikey YouTube Channel.

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.

Would you like to be party to my birthday party? Send a card, letter, anything but JW literature to: Mike Shemwell P.O. Box 2641 Clarksville, IN 47131 USA Thank you!

Support Andie by leaving her a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.

In this episode we’re going to meet Lyla Illing from South Africa, now living in New York City. She was involved in a cult early in her life that, translated from Afrikaans to English, means “The Chosen People”. As one might imagine in a land where apartheid held strong for so long the cult was definitely racist. Lyla was only involved for a short time and you’ll see why, but it created dynamics that impact her to this day, and set her on a path to try to help Amish youth here in America.

This episode features two amazing songs from Lyla. The first that you will here is “Not Coming Home” and the second is “Below the Surface”.

“Not Coming Home” – Proceeds go to the Amish Heritage Foundation

“Below the Surface” by Lyla Illing

The song that Lyla chose (by another artist) to represent her journey is “Runaway” by Pink.

Resources mentioned:

William Ramsey Investigates interviews Mike Shemwell of the Shunned Podcast about Jehovah’s Witnesses HERE

Conversations with God interviews God about shunning in Episode 39 HERE

Would you like to be party to my birthday party? Send a card, letter, anything but JW literature to: Mike Shemwell P.O. Box 2641 Clarksville, IN 47131 USA Thank you!

Support Lyla by leaving her a comment HERE

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.

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

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled “No Hell Yet”.