‘I was an atheist for 30 years – then my search for truth led me to Jesus’

Keely, you grew up an atheist, can you tell us a little about your background?

Absolutely. I was a complete atheist. I didn’t have any interest in Christianity or any kind of belief whatsoever. My mum and dad divorced when I was two – and I wasn’t brought up in Christianity or any other religious background. My grandparents had a level of belief and would pray, but it wasn’t something that was actively taught and nobody really went to church. Faith just wasn’t part of my life at all. I was the atheist who would literally cross the road to avoid street preachers and avoid any talk about Jesus.

Did you have RE lessons at school? Were you interested in religion then?

Not at all. This is going to sound awful, but we just didn’t take RE seriously at school. It was almost a lesson to mess about in. If anything, learning about so many different religions reinforced my belief that there wasn’t one true religion. It didn’t interest me at all.

Were you at peace with being an atheist? Did you ever think about what would happen when you died?

I was terrified of dying. I had this immense fear thinking about what actually happens when you die. Do you just close your eyes and go into this deep, black sinkhole? What actually happens? I was also a very angry and defensive person. I didn’t know how to communicate and was very shut down. You couldn’t really communicate with me at all. But in other areas, everything seemed normal because that was all I knew.

Do you know where that anger came from?

I don’t know. As you become an adult, you start to see how other people grew up and what their households were like. We weren’t really a family that talked about things. We were more of a ‘get on with it’ type of family, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

What did life look like as you got older? Were you ambitious in your career?

Very. I’ve always been career-driven and had an entrepreneurial spirit. I always wanted to achieve more. Even when I was young, I had a paper round from the age of about twelve or thirteen, but it had to be in my brother’s name because I wanted to start working as soon as possible! I went to college but lasted six weeks and quit because I’m more of a doer than a learner. I then started my AAT studies, went into accounting and slowly climbed the ladder.

You were an atheist who wasn’t interested in church, so how did you find Jesus?

Around 2020, I went deep down the rabbit hole. I became the conspiracy theorist in the family – the ‘crazy one’. I got to the point where I thought: Nothing is true. Everything we’ve been told is a lie. What’s the point? I felt hopeless and incredibly lost. And because everyone thought I was crazy, it was lonely too. Then suddenly my social media algorithm went from being full of conspiracy theories to being filled with content about Christ – particularly evidence-based content about the Bible and Christianity.

Had you started deliberately searching for Christian content?

No. I was searching for truth everywhere. I was going down Reddit trails and looking everywhere, trying to work out: What actually is the truth? I think of my whole journey in terms of Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” That is essentially what happened to me.

Was there anyone in your life who helped you begin to understand Christianity?

Yes. I had a friend I met through work. We’ve still never met in person because she lives down south and I’m up north in Manchester, but we just gravitated towards each other. She was a Christian and I slowly started asking her questions. She was never forceful or preachy; she would simply answer my questions.

What sort of questions were you asking her?

You have to remember that, as an atheist, I knew nothing. I’d hear about the Holy Trinity and think: What on earth is that? I didn’t know it meant God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I didn’t know the Bible consisted of 66 books. I thought it was just one big book. I didn’t know what ‘scripture’ meant or what verses were. I didn’t even know the Lord’s Prayer. If I went to a wedding in a church, I would just move my lips because I didn’t know the words! I was starting from the very beginning.

Then, in January 2023, I asked my friend something – I can’t remember exactly what – and she said: “Download the Bible app and just start reading wherever you feel led.” So I started with Psalms.

What happened when you began reading the Bible?

At first, I didn’t get Psalms at all. I was completely lost. Then it got to my 30th birthday in May 2023. I’m a terrible reader – reading is not my idea of fun – but the only thing I asked for was a Bible. I stayed committed to it and read it every day. It took me two years to get through the whole thing, but I did it. When I read Psalms for the second time, suddenly I thought: I get it. This is me. Every emotion is there. It’s truthful, honest and vulnerable, and now it’s probably one of my favourite books. That happens to me with the Bible. I’ll read something once and have no idea what it means. Then I’ll read it again and suddenly it’s like a light bulb switches on. There’s complete revelation.

What did your friends and family make of your conversion?

I have one grandparent still alive, although unfortunately she’s not in a good place now. I do talk to her about faith, although we don’t have deep conversations. I have two of her old Bibles downstairs, which I treasure. I think my parents probably thought I was a bit crazy at first. Everyone thought: Oh, it’s a phase. But it wasn’t!

How has Jesus changed your life?

My whole perception of life has completely changed. Before, life could feel very lonely – like it was just you against the world. Now my eyes have been opened to things on a deeper level. I’m much more patient. Beforehand, patience just didn’t exist for me! Now I actually think before I say things. I’m not so quick to respond and I’m not argumentative. My partner has seen an incredible change in me. We’ve been together for 14 years and he says I’m much more patient and that I actually communicate now rather than simply becoming argumentative. I’m a much nicer person to live with!

I’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn, but I’m much more considerate. If somebody is having a bad day and takes it out on me, I’m more likely to think: I don’t know what they’re going through. There’s more grace for people.

Tell us about your business, Troof and Flocc. Where did the idea come from?

An idea to start a business kept getting stronger. I kept asking God for signs and felt I was seeing them, but I was still saying: “No, I’m not doing it. I’m not qualified for this.” Eventually, I started feeling convicted that I was being disobedient. So I began doing free programmes run by a company called Help Bank to learn how to start a business. I thought: It’s free. What could go wrong? In January 2026, Troof and Flocc was born.

Tell us about the name.

‘Truth’ is deliberately spelt TROOF, reflecting that there is one true God, his word is truth and Jesus is “the way and the truth and the life”. ‘Flock’ is spelt FLOCC, reflecting the fact that he is our shepherd and we are one flock. There is so much division in the world at the moment, but ultimately we are called to come together. It began as a clothing brand but has developed into a lifestyle brand for women. The idea is that you don’t have to have all the answers to belong. You don’t have to be a certain type of person. Just come as you are. The first product is a journal set. When I became a Christian, I didn’t know how to pray. For me, getting everything out of my head and onto paper really helped me focus, connect with God and go deeper into my faith.

If an atheist said to you, “How do you know God is real? You can’t see or touch him,” what would you say?

Firstly, I think timing matters. God will reveal himself at the right time because, as an atheist, I wasn’t willing to listen to anybody. Secondly, people use the example of a painting: you don’t see the artist, but you know somebody painted it. Or an aeroplane: you may not see the pilot, but you know somebody is flying it. Look at creation and how meticulously everything is connected. Thirdly, read the Bible. God’s word is truly transforming. Reading the Bible has changed my understanding so much, and you have to keep reading it. So I would say to an atheist: have patience, be open-minded and go deep into the Bible.

Your business also has a strong outward focus. You’re not simply trying to build a company; you want to help other people. Where did that come from?

Through my journey, I’ve developed love for five particular causes: veterans, farmers, elderly people, children and animals. As soon as the business is able to, I want to put a portion of the profits towards those causes and give back to the community. Ultimately, that is what we should be doing as the Church – helping each other, especially the vulnerable. I also want to bring women together. During emotional or stressful times, it’s important to have a group of women where we can be vulnerable, pray for one another and share each other’s burdens. In the future, I’d love to hold events where women could bring their atheist friends along too. I want people to see that Christianity isn’t simply this ‘religion’ they might fear. It’s a relationship with God, and once you experience that, you have a very different understanding of what Christianity is.

You said that, as an atheist, you were terrified of death. How do you feel about death now?

I’m not afraid any more. Christianity isn’t about our works or what we can do. Christ has already done it for us. He died on the cross and rose again. It’s not our works that save us; it’s what Jesus has done for us. When we repent, accept him and believe in him, we have the hope of eternity with God. That has completely changed how I feel about death.

Finally, what would you say to an atheist reading this?

Search for the truth. Really search for it, because when you go deeply into that search, I believe you will realise where it leads. I went from being in a dark and hopeless place to discovering that Christ is the truth – and that there is so much hope in Him.

TROOF AND FLOCC