190 – Stalked by Elders – Running away from Jehovah’s Witnesses

Much like in the movie The Truman Show, young Tara was living a lie. In the 8th grade, at the age of 13, Tara would be told something by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in her English class that would rock her world. Learning her family secret would open her mind to wondering what else might not be as true as portrayed, and it would take great strength to untangle things that she once held as true while at the same time trying to figure out who she was and what she wanted for herself. A strong person that learned at an early age to think for herself out of necessity, Tara has forged ahead in search for truth, leaving behind what she once called “The Truth”. Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com Leave us a review on iTunes Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The song that Tara chose to represent her journey is Damn It Feels Good To Be Me by Andy Grammer 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

Treated terribly by those that were supposed to protect and love her, Sam looked to things like baptism and being “The Bible Girl” at school to escape into serving a god that she was also seeking love from. She tried desperately, even seeing herself as “Jephthah’s daughter”, trying to dedicate herself to Jehovah, nearly meeting a similar fate. Ultimately the congregation would take away everything that she wanted and leave her searching for identity in a marriage that mirrored the rest of the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of others that claimed to love her as well. In a desperately haunting moment she faced the end of everything, not knowing that it would work out a new beginning for her, one that she has seized as she has fought for survival. Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com Leave us a review on iTunes Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The song that Sam chose to represent her journey is Horseshoe Crab by Slothrust. 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

Dino, a Shunned Podcast veteran, came up with an idea to reach out to convention locations for Jehovah’s Witnesses to challenge their messaging that is featured, at times, even on the campuses of institutions that they condemn. You will learn who to contact and we’re even including a downloadable sample letter/email that you can use directly. This is something that anyone can do from the comfort of their own home to get involved in activism. At a minimum this is an educational campaign, but it could have impact that creates real tangible change as well. You can find more activism options, and an email that you can literally copy and paste for this project, at the following link (this project is at the bottom of the page): https://exjwhelp.com/exjw-activism/ Dino’s family was featured on episode 146 here: https://youtu.be/pY8uJ4WSjp4?si=y9_wg95oPJ_uWuGP Dino told his individual story on episode 90 here: https://youtu.be/ffa1yxXVaMU?si=pZeKE2qdnaHKMCxm Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

Thank you to all of the wonderful people that donated this year for our “day” of giving. Because so much is received, it takes more than a day, but we were able to do the following in September and October 2024. An accounting is below, and mirrored in the video: Amount Raised – $1525 plus $10 for $1535, explained in video (Thank you soooo much to all of you that gave generously!) Accounting: $40 – Meal for Facebook group admin and pimo $105 – Pimo first birthday $40 – Tip at Mexican restaurant $200 – Bookkeeping marketing and business $500 – College scholarship $250 – Baby shower for ExJW couple $200 – First Christmas number one $200 – First Christmas number two Total – $1535 We paid for all fees incurred for the collection and distribution of all monies, so the amounts are full amounts. 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/ Find Bell’s Bookkeeping at the following link: https://bellsbookkeeping.net/ 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://patreon.com/shunned An ExJW podcast and an ExJW YouTube channel

Imagine feeling that you have to run away from your family, leaving them physically, so that you can hope to continue to have them in your life through the bond of a cult. For Jodi, this was a reality. She knew that if she stayed where she lived and with the person that she was falling in love with, a person that was not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it could cost her relationship with her family. So she left. But high control groups don’t always just let people leave, sometimes they reach 3000 miles away to send elders to try to bring you back. This Jodi’s story, but also that of family members that can’t speak for themselves, a life story involving tragedy, loss, and ultimate reclamation of life. Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com Leave us a review on iTunes Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The song that Jodi chose to represent her journey is Through Smoke by NEEDTOBREATHE 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

Young Kenesha knew from the time that she was a teacher’s pet in school that she wanted to be “the good one”. Growing up in a life that she hated as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kenesha continued trying to be “the good one”, but somehow found herself in situations where she was being backed into corners by people seeking to punish her, both at home and in the cult. Over and over again she would find that even being the good one wasn’t a protection in a world where nobody could never be good enough. Kenesha’s website is https://keneshaantoine.com/ Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

Today we meet Mikey, aka Mikey J Havoc on the comedy stage, a stage that is very new for him in his life as he explores his past as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In this episode we explore that past together, from the “divided household” that he grew up in, to growing up having to mask not only the fact that he didn’t believe, but also masking his autism while in the Kingdom Hall. Despite his obstacles he was able to go to college and get a degree, and now he’s added comedy. And if you grew up JW, you won’t believe the reason that his dad eventually left the Witnesses behind. Watch Mikey’s first ever comedy set after taking just a very short bootcamp here: https://youtu.be/AhWPSRf06Ok?si=_Oh1Wl2G8xBIS0Dg Check out Mikey's artwork here: https://shunnedpodcast.com/188-an-autistic-bipolar-adhd-exjw-comedian-tells-his-story-shunned-by-jehovahs-witnesses/ Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com Leave us a review on iTunes Find shunned podcast on Youtube, including new VIDcasts here. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The song that Mikey chose to represent his journey is Get Better by Frank Turner 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

When Kelsi was a young girl growing up in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses, her head was filled with fears of great tribulations and doomsday scenarios. As most faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses would, her mom let her know that there would be no compromise, and that if push came to shove, she would choose her faith over her children. As she grew into her own person, Kelsi would realize that she would need the strength to to stand up for what she believed in, even if it wasn’t the same as what she had been taught, and even if it resulted in shunning. This is Kelsi’s story. Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com 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. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

After a life growing up in the cult of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where she thought she was going to do something good but only found pain, Megan made changes. Today she may be shunned by a group that holds women down, but she has done something good with her life and wishes to inspire women to see the good that they can do too. Earlier this year she was recognized by Women’s Magazine as one of 70 Women Entrepreneurs of the Year, as her company provides sustainable solutions and furnishings for people in need, turning surplus into support. Furniture Reuse Solutions Support the show and get bonuses as well 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 with a focus on cult recovery. Click HERE for more information. Want more resources? Go to my other website exjwHelp.com 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. The song that Megan chose to represent her journey is Born For This by The Score. This podcast was made possible by my original podcast This JW Life. You can find it on any podcast app. 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. Read my FREE online book, based on This JW Life, called Becoming Jehovah, in both English and Spanish by clicking here An ExJW podcast and ExJW YouTube Channel

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/