Bad ASSociations Podcast

If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

On this episode of Bad Associations, Eva catches up with Chev. They delve deeper into Chev’s experiences of being reproved twice before she was disfellowshipped, along with why the reproving process didn’t have the effect that she or the elders hoped for. They also discuss her strained family dynamics and the uncomfortable struggle with relatives who are still in the organization trying to manipulate her into allowing a one-dimensional relationship with her son, and they talk about some of the awesome things that have contributed to living an actual and authentic 'best life ever' on the outside. For more of Chev’s origin story, please also listen to Episode 1: “I’m Chev” If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

Today, Brian is speaking with Adrian Green, host of the Greener Grass Podcast. Adrian was a 4th generation Jehovah's Witness, raised in it from birth. But at an early age, he realized he was gay. This discovery about himself is what prompted him to first doubt that the Witnesses had the truth; not simply because of his sexuality, but because of the Witnesses' response to it when he reached out for help. In this episode, we go on that journey with him. Link to the Greener Grass Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GreenerGrassPodcast-ce9qk If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

This month, Eva interviews Amara who was raised as a witness by a single mom in a less-than-ideal home situation where she was eventually kicked out of after choosing to attend college and later join the Air Force. Amara tells us about her self-defined Spiritual Journey to deprogram from The Witnesses and the process of learning to use critical thought. We discuss beards, time cards, territory records, and the parallels between The Organization and “The Capitol.” Amara also discusses a documentary towards the end of the episode; she later found and sent us a link to share which is below. https://buy.hereliesthetruth.com/products/truth-be-told-director-s-cut If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

In this episode Eva interviews Amber, who tells not only her own story, but also, with permission, shares some of her twin sister’s story as well. They both were raised as witnesses and left as adults, neither of them realizing they didn’t want to go back until after they had been out for a while. Amber talks about her relationship with her family, leaving her two abusive marriages, helping her sister, and finding a new partner and chosen family that accepts her just the way she is. In addition to the general triggers that often come up in the stories of Ex-JW life, Amber and her sister’s story also requires an additional content disclaimer as there is discussion throughout of ongoing child sexual abuse and suicide attempts. Please use discretion regarding if and when you choose to listen to this episode and as always, please utilize healthy support systems whenever appropriate, such as www.rainn.org and www.nami.org If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

Jacqueline grew up in California, where her parents owned a business in the San Francisco Bay area, but lived two hours away in a very rural town. What made her initially question the organization was her friendship with two gay teenagers in high school, ultimately leading her to take part in that school's Gay-Straight Alliance club unbeknownst to her parents or other witnesses in the congregation. She was baptized at 18, an disfellowshipped at 22. For several years, she was still a believer in the organization despite being disfellowshipped, but that all changed in 2020. We talk about all of that and more, so I hope you stick around. Please be advised, there are mentions of child sexual abuse and pets being killed in this episode. If that's something you might be sensitive about, keep that in mind before listening. If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

In this episode, Brian speaks with with Lyndon. Lyndon was born in Australia to a Pioneer couple who sacrificed so much for the organization that it plunged their family into poverty. We talk about what it was like growing up in that environment, what happened when he told his parents he was leaving the organization, the steep learning curve the world threw him when he was young, and how growing up in that environment drove him to succeed financially. We also talk about how traumatized one can be without realizing it later in life. If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

On this episode, Brian interviews Isabelle. Isabelle was born into the cult as a fourth-generation witness. Eventually, she broke down and began reading the ex-JW subreddit. Within a week, she had woken up totally. Brian and Isabelle talk about the difficulties she faced and still faces with her 'people pleaser' personality, how to deal with toxic people in your life, and much more. NOTE: Segments of this episode contain discussion of sexual exploitation and abuse of a minor, self-harm, and untreated mental illness. This segment begins at 1:04:29 and ends at 1:21:47. If you need help, the following resources are available to residents of the United States: The National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: 1-800-662-4357 If you are currently in crisis, call or text 988. If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.

It’s our first Halloween Special! In this episode, Chev, Brian, and Eva talk about Halloween from our unique perspective as former Jehovah’s Witnesses. We share our experiences dressing up in costumes, going to Halloween parties, the paranormal, and many more of our “firsts.” We were fortunate to have some of our former and (hopefully) future guests join in the conversation as well, including: Troy - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badassociationspod/episodes/Im-Troy-e1no6l7 Brittany - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badassociationspod/episodes/Im-Brittany-e2107rn Annie - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badassociationspod/episodes/Im-Annie-e259aun Hannah -  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badassociationspod/episodes/Im-Hannah-e26bvlf Cristina -  https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badassociationspod/episodes/Im-Cristina-e29faed Isabelle - Upcoming: To be released 11/4 Also joining in were Drake, Michael, Anna, Krystal, and Mo. Thanks everyone for contributing to the conversation! If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guests themselves.

On this episode, Brian speaks with Cristina. Cristina was introduced to the cult by her mother who was an adult convert. She was baptized at 8 years old, but never really "fit" the culture with respect to being closed off from the world. She grew frustrated by the hypocrisy and the amount of attention the Witnesses paid to the appearance of things pretty early on and also struggled under the regime of what she calls her "helicopter parent" mother. We talk about how difficult it was for her to make friends, even in the Kingdom Hall, facing a judicial committee for being kidnapped and assaulted, dealing with the initial guilt over celebrating holidays, and much more. If you’d like to share your story you can send a voice memo by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, by emailing me at [email protected], DMing me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @badassociationspod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or schedule time for us to chat by clicking ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The views expressed on the Bad Associations Podcast are solely from the recollections of the guest themselves.