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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 religion

Connect with Micki

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apostatebarbie/

References and further reading

• JWFacts.com — ex-Witness resource recommended by Micki: https://www.jwfacts.com
• Faith to Faithless — UK support for those leaving high control religion: https://faithtofaithless.com
• Stop Mandated Shunning — organisation Micki volunteers with: https://www.stopmandatedshunning.org/
• BITE Model of authoritarian control — Steven Hassan: https://www.bitemodel.com
• Decult Conference, New Zealand: https://www.decult.nz

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Humanism 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 hello@humanise.live

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast 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.

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community!

“Curiosity leads to fully understanding someone’s situation and being empathetic to that person.”

Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant, author, and speaker who leads secular weddings, memorials, and other life-affirming ceremonies in Ontario. In this conversation, he explores street epistemology, interfaith family life, raising curious and compassionate children, and why humanism needs to lead with empathy as well as reason.

Connect with Steve

• steveghikadis.com
• Humanist Canada Officiant Profile
• facebook.com/steve.ghikadis
• instagram.com/steve.ghikadis/
• tiktok.com/@humanismfromtheheart
• Goodreads – Steve_Ghikadis

Topics we cover

• Street epistemology in practice
• Disagreeing with kindness & curiosity
• Interfaith relationships
• Raising curious, empathetic kids
• Humanist weddings in Canada
• Morality without religion

Resources & further reading

• Humanism from the Heart: Building Bridges Beyond Belief – Steve Ghikadis (2024)
• Recovering from Religion
• Sunday Assembly
• Evidence and Understanding –The Humanist (2025)
• What the Heck Is That!?!” The Humanist (2024)
• Interfaith Family – Marriage and Parenting with Mutual Respect – Humanist Canada (2024)

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Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky

Humanism 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 hello@humanise.live

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast 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.

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"Science is not objective. It is subjective. And I think having conversations about it is very important."

Dr Jenny Lange is a neuroscientist specialising in uncovering the mechanisms of rare neurological disorders. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University College London. Outside the lab, Dr Lange is a public speaker and writer on medical history, the intersection of science and literature, and scientific ethics.

Things we discuss

• The history of quackery and why charlatans follow the same playbook
• Research abuses that have legitimately fueled mistrust in science
• How to practice healthy, proportional skepticism and spot the difference between real and pseudoscience

References:

• William J. A. Bailey and Radithor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._A._Bailey
• The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: https://www.history.com/articles/the-infamous-40-year-tuskegee-study
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks
• Andrew Wakefield and the discredited MMR-autism study: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield
• Paolo Macchiarini trachea implant scandal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paolo_Macchiarini
• Greenwich Skeptics in the Pub: https://www.meetup.com/greenwich-skeptics-in-the-pub/

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Support Humanism Now & Join Our Community!

Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky

Humanism 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 hello@humanise.live

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast 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.