shunned – Details, episodes & analysis

In this gripping episode, we speak with Samantha Giles, who recounts her journey from a childhood marked by family trauma to her eventual "escape" from the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses. After her mother joined the organization seeking stability at a low point, Samantha's world became "very small," defined by a "significant decline" in quality of life where gymnastics and holidays were replaced by a constant, pervasive fear of demons and Armageddon. Samantha explores the nuances of growing up as a "poor" Witness in a wealthy congregation, leading her to seek validity through baptism at just 15 years old—a decision that would later cost her everything.

The heart of the episode details the "horror" of a judicial committee where Samantha was interrogated by three older men about her sexuality in front of her own mother. This violation was only the beginning; after being thrown out of her home at 17 and left to navigate the "real world" without any life skills, she faced a final, shocking betrayal involving a family inheritance. Samantha shares how her mother manipulated a family will to strip her of her grandfather's legacy, referring to her only as "the disfellowshipped one". It is a powerful story of reclaiming agency and building a new identity centered on unconditional love.

• The Trap of Seeking Validity: Samantha reflects on how she felt "invalidated" as a fatherless child from a poor background, which pressured her into making a lifelong religious commitment at age 15 just to feel "accepted" within the congregation hierarchy.
• Obedience vs. Critical Thinking: The organization focuses on teaching children to "obey" rather than "how to think," leaving them vulnerable to whoever is the strongest presence in their life once they leave the sheltered environment.
• The "Violating" Judicial Process: Samantha describes the invasive and abusive nature of being questioned by elders regarding private sexual details, a process she notes felt like a violation and led her to push back rather than "repent".
• Shunning as Financial Manipulation: In a disturbing turn, Samantha's mother and brothers used the shunning protocol to justify rewriting a family will, effectively stealing Samantha's inheritance to purchase a home for themselves while she was caring for her dying grandparents.
• Reclaiming Identity through Motherhood: Now a mother herself, Samantha contrasts the "conditional love" of her past with the deep, protective bond she has with her daughters, vowing to never let a belief system dominate her ability to fight for their best interests.

• "Demons were everywhere… we were just teaching children that like demons are walking among you".
• "What you call love does not resemble like any love I felt for my daughters. That's control".
• "Agency for me is always the biggest and most important thing. I think it's probably the crux of the ultimate of why I left".

• ExJwHelp.com (Cult recovery coaching and resources).
• FAFSA Form (Specifically the age requirements for filing without parental info).
• Patreon.com/shunned (Bonus content and guest connections).
• Shunnpodcast.com (Merch and podcast information).
• This JW Life (The host's original podcast story).
• Becoming Jehovah (Book by the host available at becomingjehovah.com).

Samantha Giles is a 39-year-old former Jehovah's Witness and mother who has successfully built a life of independence and education after being cast out of her home as a teenager. She currently works with middle school students, helping them develop the sense of self and personal identity that she was denied during her upbringing in a high-control group.

upport 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

In this episode, we sit down with Elizabeth, a 31-year-old former Jehovah's Witness who shares her journey as a fifth-generation member of the organization. Raised in a strict household where her father's history as a "Bethelite" set a high bar for spiritual performance, Elizabeth describes a childhood defined by "The Paradise Binder"—a homemade book of cutout publication pictures designed to program young minds before they could even read. From the pressure to "tally" scriptures at the Kingdom Hall to the harrowing experience of being physically removed from a car at age 12 for wearing mascara, Elizabeth exposes the intense surveillance and performance culture that dictated her early life.

The narrative takes a deeply personal turn as Elizabeth recounts her "double life" in high school, her marriage to a non-Witness named Chris, and the traumatic miscarriage she suffered while navigating the stress of being disfellowshipped. She discusses the "death by a thousand cuts" that led to her awakening, sparked by everything from bizarre "bunker" videos at conventions to reading about the similarities between Witnesses and Mormons. Now "soft shunned," Elizabeth reflects on the peace she has found in her own skin, the importance of choice, and the relief of no longer having to view the world through a black-and-white lens.

• The "Bethel" Standard: Growing up as the child of a former Bethelite meant Elizabeth's family life was an endless behind-the-scenes tour of spiritual hierarchy, where "spiritual things" always overrode personal milestones, including weddings.
• Performance-Based Love: Elizabeth's father measured her worth through her participation in meetings; she describes "graduating" from looking at pictures to "tally time," where she was expected to keep a physical count of scriptures and comments to earn parental approval.
• Institutional Inhospitality: The organization's treatment of Elizabeth's non-Witness husband, Chris, was exceptionally harsh, with elders comparing his presence at the Kingdom Hall to an ancient Bible account of people who were "worthy of death".
• Logical Deconstruction: Her exit was fueled by a written list of over 20 logical and scriptural questions—ranging from the lack of financial transparency to the hypocrisy of the "prodigal son" vs. modern shunning—that the organization simply could not answer.
• The Power of Choice: After years of being "voluntold" how to spend every hour, Elizabeth now finds the most beauty in the simple ability to choose her own friends, career, and beliefs based on her authentic self rather than a monthly report slip.

• "You're a JW 24/7, a Jehovah is not what you are, it's who you are".
• "It's about results, right? Type A results to some degree".

• My Book of Bible Stories (Implicitly referenced via cassette stories and binders).
• Young People Ask—Answers That Work.
• Insight on the Scriptures.
• "Keep Yourselves in God's Love" (Remaining in God's Love book).
• Under the Banner of Heaven (Book by Jon Krakauer).
• Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (TV Series/JW Special).
• XJW Reddit.
• JWfacts.com (Referenced as "XJW facts").

Elizabeth is a 31-year-old medical professional and a fifth-generation former Jehovah's Witness who is currently "soft shunned" by her family. After over a decade of navigating a high-control upbringing and a complex reinstatement process, she now lives authentically with her husband and son, focusing on building a life defined by choice rather than indoctrination.

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

I was very fortunate to be able to travel and record an episode of Jubilee along with other ExJWs and Ex-Scientologists as we discussed our lives and the groups we came from. Their YouTube channel was kind enough to give us a platform on which to share. I took not just my own experiences, but all of the stories I've heard through the Shunned Podcast here, and everyone that I've been fortunate to work with in my cult recovery coaching practice. There's so much to talk about, so much to share, so much that we can learn from one another. I'm grateful for the opportunity and encouraging you to go participate by watching and liking and commenting on their channel for this episode.

You can find the episode of Jubilee here:  https://youtu.be/592sOIePWpc?si=kyAEteMN4kd4itm2

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

I also have an ExJW specific site here: https://exjwhelp.com

Please consider supporting the show's Patreon if you appreciate the time that goes into producing these stories, and get yourself some exclusive bonuses, at: https://www.patreon.com/shunned

Show notes and information on how to be a guest or find other resources for the podcast can be found here: https://shunnedpodcast.com/episodes/

Read my free online book, based on my original podcast This JW Life (still available on podcast apps), called Becoming Jehovah (in English and Spanish) at: https://becomingjehovah.com/

An ExJW podcast and an ExJW YouTube channel #exjw #jehovahswitnesses #cult

Whether it was giving his first talk or becoming an unbaptized publisher or getting baptized, Nate knew what was expected of him as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. With a desire to please his parents and a desire to get them off of his back, Nate did what he had to do to get by, hoping that it would alleviate the pressure. But every step just leads to the expectation of yet another, as nothing is ever good enough for the cult. Ultimately it never mattered what Nate did, however, because Nate knew something about himself that would never be accepted.

The song that Nate chose to represent his story is Rainbow by Kesha.

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 *NEW* Private ExJwHelp Coaching & 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.

During a meeting with the congregation elders about her abusive husband, JoHannah asked the question that is the title of this episode. Trying to get the elders to understand the severity of the abuse in her home, words that fell on deaf ears, she would take the courageous step of leaving her marriage only to be looked down upon for doing so. Such is life when you've been conditioned to tolerate abuse from an early age to endure the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses. In this episode you will learn JoHannah's story, sadly full of abuse in a cult that protects abusers (her dad was shunned for smoking while her childhood abuser ran free), but more than that you'll learn about the indomitable person and spirit that is JoHannah and her path out.

You can learn more about her on her own YouTube channel at A is for Apostate Here

The song that she chose to represent her journey is Forgiven by Alanis Morissette

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.

Harrison lived a life full of change and drama growing up. A mother that was dependent on alcohol and disfellowshipped from the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses twice, move after move after move, including living with a grandmother that was also eventually disfellowshipped, there was a lot of chaos at times. Having not really been interested in "The Truth" as JWs call it, a chance month of field ministry around the age of 16 with a young couple that showed him interest would change everything. Well, not quite everything, as Harrison was gay and knew it, but he would end up serving at the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses, Bethel. You'll learn about Harrison as a person, as a JW, and as a Bethelite, along with some insights into the culture of Bethel, a place that is idolized by members of the cult.

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.

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.

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/

To watch this on YouTube, go to: https://youtu.be/HgX1ApWPl5s

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 but 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 and treated as though they are no longer living.

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 the cult 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.