72. From Fear To Freedom: Reclaiming “Apostate” In Life After High-Control Religion

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! Micki McAllen, known online as Apostate Barbie, spent 30 years as a Jehovah's Witness before leaving in 2021. Now based in the UK, she uses social media to raise awareness of high control religious groups, support others navigating life beyond faith, and advocate for an end to mandated shunning.Topics we cover✔︎ What life inside a high control group really looks like — and how coercive control works without physical force ✔︎ The Norway Supreme Court case challenging government funding of the JWs over shunning practices ✔︎ How to rebuild community, identity, and agency after leaving a high control religionConnect with MickiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/apostatebarbie/References and further readingJWFacts.com — ex-Witness resource recommended by Micki: https://www.jwfacts.comFaith to Faithless — UK support for those leaving high control religion: https://faithtofaithless.comStop Mandated Shunning — organisation Micki volunteers with: https://www.stopmandatedshunning.org/BITE Model of authoritarian control — Steven Hassan: https://www.bitemodel.comDecult Conference, New Zealand: https://www.decult.nzSend us Fan MailSupport the showSupport Humanism Now & Join Our Community!Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSkyHumanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]: Blossom by Light PrismPodcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.