The Mistakes We Made When Leaving Jehovah's Witnesses @JustDeannaJune
In this episode of Best Life After, our friend Deanna shares what happened when a former Jehovah’s Witness friend was unexpectedly warm after years of silence and shunning. If you’ve ever lost friendships because you left Jehovah’s Witnesses, this conversation will hit home. We talk honestly about shunning, funerals, grief, conditional love, and how relationships shift once you’re labeled an apostate. Deanna opens up about reconnecting with someone still inside the organization, how alcoholism complicated that friendship in the past, and how sobriety and personal growth changed everything. We also discuss: • Why Jehovah’s Witnesses sometimes soften their stance during funerals • How “worldly” people and so-called apostates are often more compassionate than expected • The emotional tension of reconnecting with someone still inside a high-control religion • What healthy boundaries look like after leaving a cult • Why we can hope for reconciliation without sacrificing self-respect Leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses often means losing community, lifelong friends, and even family relationships. But sometimes the story doesn’t end there. Sometimes cracks appear in the wall. This episode is about navigating those moments with clarity, sobriety, compassion, and boundaries. If you are questioning Jehovah’s Witnesses, waking up to the control of the Governing Body, or rebuilding your life after leaving a high-control religion, this conversation is for you. Best Life After podcast ex Jehovah’s Witness Jehovah’s Witness shunning leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses religious trauma recovery life after a cult apostate experience JW funerals and shunning reconnecting after leaving religion sobriety and healing high control religion recovery Chapters 00:00 When JWs Stop Shunning 00:53 Please Subscribe! 💛 02:48 Former Friends Change When there is a Funeral 05:25 The Impact of Jehovah's Witnesses on Relationships 08:09 Not Convincing FNG-H 10:36 Healthy Being a non-JW Condolences and Unexpected Connections 13:26 Humanizing Experiences with "Worldly Apostates" 18:24 Optimism for Future but not Holding Our Breath 31:48 Danielle I'm Talking to You