Humanism Now | Secular Ethics, Curiosity and Compassionate Change

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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 [email protected]

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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 “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
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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 [email protected]

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/
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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 [email protected]

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.

"Home Office officials do not understand what apostasy is — and this affects how non-religious asylum seekers are recognised, questioned, and believed."
Dr Lucy Potter returns to Humanism Now to share the findings of her landmark new report on non-religious asylum claims in the UK, produced in collaboration with Humanists UK. Drawing on three years of in-depth qualitative research, the report is the first study to analyse Home Office decision-making policies for those seeking asylum on the basis of leaving religion or non-religious identity.
Things we discuss
✔︎ Why the Home Office misunderstands apostasy
✔︎ Cultural bias in credibility assessments 
✔︎ How interpretation errors can undermine asylum claims
✔︎ Policy recommendations for fairer decision-making
Read the report
Available from Humanists UK (https://humanists.uk) from 24 March 2026.
Attend the report launch
📍 Online
📆 Tuesday 24 March, 1.00–2.30pm GMT
➡️ Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/report-launch-non-religious-apostasy-asylum-claims-in-the-uk-tickets-1982976511125/
Event Speakers:
Dr Lucy Potter, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of York
https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/14031059/
Lizzie Collinge MP,  Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group
https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/17588288/
Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK
https://humanismnow.buzzsprout.com/2246305/episodes/17849032/
Jamie Bell, Solicitor, Public Law and Immigration, Duncan Lewis
Connect with Dr Lucy Potter
University of York profile:
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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 [email protected]

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.

"An estimated one person in three seeking asylum in the UK has experienced torture in their home country."
This is a bonus episode of Humanism Now, recorded as part of Podcasthon 2026: the global initiative uniting podcasters to raise awareness for charitable causes. 
This year, we are supporting Freedom from Torture, a UK charity that has spent more than 40 years providing specialist therapeutic care, rehabilitation, and advocacy to survivors of torture. Their work centres on restoring dignity, safety, and hope to people who have endured unimaginable harm and campaigning to hold perpetrators accountable worldwide.
We are delighted to be joined by Ann Salter, Head of Clinical Services Northwest at Freedom from Torture, who has worked clinically with survivors of torture for over 20 years.
How to support Freedom from Torture
Donate
Get involved in their campaigns
Refer yourself or someone else for support
Things we discuss
How Freedom from Torture has supported survivors for 40 years 
The shocking scale of torture globally — and why it still demands our attention 
The psychological impact of torture and what recovery really looks like 
Why community belonging is central to rehabilitation 
Freedom from Torture's role in the Pinochet case and blocking the Rwanda deportation scheme
About Podcasthon
Podcasthon is a global initiative uniting podcasters around the world to shine a light on the charities and causes that matter. If you host a podcast and want to get involved, find out more and register at podcasthon.org.
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 [email protected]

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.