An analogy to help us conceptualize the work of deoprogramming

On our very first Halloween episode, we take a cold, hard, chilling look at the spooky topic of death, and explore the possibility that death isn't necessarily the big scary monster we thought it was.

We start by sitting for a bit with the uncomfortable actuality of our imminent demise, followed by some more comforting ideas to take the edge off.

Finally, I open up about some of my personal experiences with the afterlife...

Narrative, perspective, point of view, opinion, belief, story... all of these word and phrases point to the same thing: That our experience of the world is subjective, and shaped by the stories we hold about the world and our relationship to it.

I'm sure you're all too aware of the way the JW story has dominated your worldview.

In today's episode, we talk about how take back control over our story, and safegaurd it from those with the intention to undermine it

This episode is the first in a series of "mini" episodes entitled STRONGER.

Sometimes we get so mired down in all the heaviness around leaving the org, that we lose sight of why we left in the first place; which is to grow, explore, and experience life to the fullest.

The STRONGER series will be focused on all things related to building resiliency and developing the skill set which will move us from surviving to thriving.

In today's episode, we focus on the practice of meditation. Sure, it may be a well covered topic, but I have a unique take that I believe will clarify a few misconceptions and might make this practice a bit more accessible to you

Last week we came down pretty hard on all you "nice" guys and gals out there. This week, as promised, we bring some practical steps towards breaking this nasty habit, including mindfulness, saying yes to "no", saying no to "sorry", and the difference between "being nice" and kindness.

Of all the common challenges faced by ex-JWs, people pleasing is at the number one spot for most universal. We can't help ourselves. We have been wired in every way imaginable towards having this disposition.

And lets be honest... it sucks

It's corrosive to our sense of well being, to our confidence, and extremely detrimental to our relationships.

In part one of this two-part episode, we take a long hard look at the ugly side of being (shudder) "nice"

As ex-JWs, we have our work cut out for us in terms of healing. From leaving the org, to connecting with our true self, redefining our spiritual beliefs, rebuilding our community... the list goes on.

All of this is even more challenging in light of the fact that we haven't really been taught how to approach self-directed growth.

Today, we break away from the more granular topics we normally focus on, and use a wider lens to understand the basic mechanisms and mindsets of "doing the work" which are guaranteed to produce the kind of traction and growth we're all looking for in our lives