shunned

"I'm not sorry for who I am." When you think about that statement and life as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, it holds certain weight. But what if you were born into a body that didn't fit the person that you knew yourself to be? Meet Mitch, a trans man that had to go on quite a journey to be himself. When you grow up in a cult, where you are supposed to be like everyone else, it takes tremendous courage to be yourself. Sadly it often comes with a heavy price as well, but that freedom to be oneself is priceless. Note: There were some technical issues recording this episode in video format via Zoom so both the video and audio versions have an awkward moment or three where we had trouble syncing up and one or the other of us ended up talking over the other. We did our best to overcome the lagging that we dealt with.

The songs that Mitch chose to represent his journey are My Immortal and also Bring Me To Life by Evanescence. He also chose the song In The End by Linkin Park.

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.

Support Mitch by leaving him a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".

Angela was a born-in member of Jehovah's Witnesses. Although it was all that she ever knew, she could see that some things didn't add up from an early age and struggled to adopt everything she had been told. She was told to shun her own mother by her father, while at the same time all she wanted was love and attention from her parents like any normal child. In her story you will learn what woke her up and her path out. This story does involve suicide attempts and sexual abuse. Sadly, these things are all too common among Jehovah's supposedly happy and loving people.

The song that Angela chose to represent her journey is Best of You by Foo Fighters.

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.

Support Angela by leaving her a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".

A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence. As Jehovah's Witnesses we were taught endurance, how to put up with things externally that weren't what we wanted to achieve a goal we were given. As ex-Jehovah's Witnesses we have the opportunity to learn persistence in working toward goals that we set for ourselves because we want them bad enough. Through toil and tears, big moves and lots of hustle, Jack was able to connect with his own passions in his business. Always a fan of nature Jack wanted to do something to give back in some way, to help clean up the planet that he cared so much for even as a child, and started his own recycling business. You'll see the persistence that is embodied throughout his story as he reached for his own personal goals.

Support Jack by leaving him a comment HERE

Are you struggling in some area of life and looking for your own success and happiness? 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 the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

One reason that people are attracted to cults is that they are looking for stability in life. They may feel vulnerable and are looking for answers, something to hold on to that allows them to leave their troubles behind. Unfortunately the reality of what cults offer is nothing more than a surface level illusion of stability covering over deep dysfunction, beliefs that people use as an escape for their problems. It is like quicksand. It looks like firm ground but once you take the first step things just slowly get worse and worse.

Stephanie grew up in a somewhat chaotic environment. She could be found beating her dolls while "playing meeting" because the dolls weren't listening. At fourteen her father started suffering from mental issues that altered his view of reality at times. Her home wasn't stable from the environment in it to where she physically lived, even moving in with another family at eighteen. Then in her pursuit of stability she would look for it in marriage and find anything but that. Disfellowshipped three times, Stephanie finally realized that what she was seeking could only truly be found in another life and she had to go find it.

The song that Stephanie chose to represent her journey is Praying by Kesha.

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.

Support Stephanie by leaving her a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".

"I should have gotten the abortion", the words of Mario's mother when he was disfellowshipped at a young age from the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses. Some would equate shunning to exactly that, essentially aborting someone from your life and treating them as though they are dead. All because a person, even a mother's own son, simply chose another path.

"I just want to be normal", the words of a depressed 15 year old Mario growing up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Living in a self-described "police state" in his own home, the harsh fundamentalist upbringing resulted in a life of frustration and anger where nothing was ever good enough in that environment to garner trust. Mario overcame so much to finally have a chance to find himself, and he shares his story today to help others going through similar circumstances. We talk about his time growing up JW, how he was treated in his own home growing up after the shunning started, his time spent after being pushed out and the impact it had on him, and how he has continued to work on himself to grow into someone that he can be proud of.

The song that Mario chose to represent his journey is The Unforgiven by Metallica.

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.

Support Mario by leaving him a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".

For many of us most of our lives were spent devoting our assets to "Kingdom interests" as Jehovah's Witnesses. We literally counted the hours spent pushing literature door to door and gave our everything to the belief that in doing so we were helping people. Tim took his time, treasure and talents in another direction, using them in the nonprofit world to make a real difference today. From helping cats as a kid to preventing pediatric accidents to helping burn victims in Ghana and now working to help with adoptions, he has seen real needs and worked to address them while growing as a individual at the same time.

Support Tim by leaving him a comment HERE

Are you struggling in some area of life and looking for your own success and happiness? 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 the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

Either you get baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses or you die. These are the two options presented to most young kids growing up in the cult. Often times people will say "it's not like you had a gun to your head so you had a choice", but they're wrong on both counts. JWs hold a god to your head, a god that will let you live if you make the right choice and that will kill you if you choose any other path. What kind of choice is that? It sounds more like extortion. Ryan's baptism was just part of his story of looking for connection and stability. Instead of people talking to him they far more often talked about him. He tried everything to be what they wanted him to be, including undergoing conversion therapy to try to suppress his sexuality. Ultimately Ryan had to make a choice to be himself.

The song that Ryan chose to represent his journey is It's Not My Time by 3 Doors Down.

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.

Support Ryan by leaving him a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".

Jehovah's Witnesses have a practice called "disfellowshipping" that at one point long ago even Watchtower estimated at costing them 70,000 members per year. Tens of thousands of people are cast out of their group and shunned to an extreme degree. They tell their members that the practice is one of love. Is that true? They also have a narrative about shunning that they tell the general public through the FAQ section of their official website. Are those answers true? A letter was leaked on Twitter from a JW circuit overseer. Per direction from the organization he was looking for positive stories of shunning inside the organization. In particular they wanted to hear from those that openly express their confidence that the disfellowshipping arrangement is loving, and that they had personally benefited from this discipline. Preferably, the experiences should illustrate the points in the second, third, and fourth paragraphs in the article Do Jehovah's Witnesses Shun Those Who Used To Belong To Their Religion (from their official website). That's exactly what they asked for word for word in their letter. That's exactly what we're going to look at.

So follow along as we examine their words. As we do you'll hear from real life stories of people that volunteered to call in and leave voicemails in response to questions asked regarding the claims made by the Jehovah's Witnesses and Watchtower. Those familiar with the cult know that they refer to their doctrine as "The Truth". Let's see how honest they really are in the narrative that they sell the general public.

I want to thank Andy, Chris, Stephanie, M.K., Patrick, Mario, Lydia, Lisa, "J", Vicki, and Rebecca for lending their voice and personal experiences to this project voluntarily. You can leave a comment of support HERE

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

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

Welcome to the first episode of the Shunned Success Stories series. In this episode we meet Kelsey and get to learn from her path as she went from a homeschooled member of Jehovah's Witnesses to recently being accepted to attend MIT. You'll learn about her struggles on this path as she is shunned by her family and former friends, how she overcame that for this part of her journey, and the new opportunities that she's found. Success as defined by these episodes is personal happiness, so look for the lessons you can take on your own journey to find more happiness in your life.

Support Kelsey by leaving her a comment HERE

Are you struggling in some area of life and looking for your own success and happiness? 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 the show by donating to the cause on our Patreon page, Patreon.com/shunned

A third generation Jehovah's Witness from Puerto Rico, Daniel often had an identity crisis despite being surrounded by a cult that dominated so much of his life. He loved people and wanted desperately to fit in so he tried on different personas to try to make that happen. At one point a brother named "Mr. J" comes into his life and you'll meet this character too as he tells his story.

The song that Daniel chose to represent his journey is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

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.

Support Daniel by leaving him a comment HERE

Want more resources or to participate in the Shunned Recovery Project that I mentioned? Go to my new 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.

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.

Music by Fair Voyeur entitled "No Hell Yet".