Latter Day Struggles cover art

All Episodes

Latter Day Struggles — 306 episodes

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Title
1

455: How & Why the LDS Church is BOTH Booming & Bleeding out Members

2

453: Listening & Learning: Why LDS Loved Ones Could Not Stay in the Church

3

451: A Changing Society is Starving for Religious Systems to Meet them Where they Are

4

449: Torn: A Book Written to Help Your Devout Loved One Understand You

5

447: Why We Stay Small & Hide our Greatest Strengths from the World

6

445: LDS Missionary Work and OCD Scrupulosity

7

443: Addressing Real Mental Health Needs for the Full-time LDS Missionary

8

441: The Politics of Jesus: Not Subtle, Not Silent, Not Neutral

9

BONUS EPISODE: Do you Want to Make a Difference? Join us!

10

439: Religious Silence is Complicity in Times of Social Unrest

11

437: Whose Life is Worth Protecting? Politics & Religion Weight in 2026

12

435: Why Some Religions Drag their Feet even when the Rest of Society is Ready to Embody More Love?

13

433: On Churches of Legitimacy & Churches of Transformation

14

431: LDS Strategic Political Engagement & the Upholding of Traditional Male Power Structures

15

BONUS EPISODE: Tired of Feel Stuck, Angry & Alone?

16

429: Is the Mormon Church Politically Neutral?

17

427: When Normal Growth Feels Like Rebellion

18

425: When LDS "Normal" isn't very Normal

19

423: If the Ensign Peak Fund isn't Your Donation Destination of Choice...

20

BONUS EPISODE: Community Healing: How our Greatest Wounds & our Greatest Healing Happens through Human Relationship Audiobook

21

421: Why No Mixed-Gender Sunday School Presidencies? A Gender Equality Slippery-Slope Speculation

22

419: Formal Patriarchy & Inevitable Harm

23

BONUS EPISODE: Women in Ward Sunday School Presidencies: Progress, Breadcrumbs, or the “Near Enemy”?”

24

417: Confronting Men's Violence Against Women & Girls in the LDS Church

25

415: Presenting our Utah-Based Latter Day Struggles Faith Expansion Specialist

26

BONUS: How the World ACTUALLY Changes

27

413: Complexity of Clark Gilbert Call to the Q12

28

411: Inaugural Live Fellowship Recording

29

409: The Family Proclamation: Living Document or Unchanging Doctrine?

30

407: Is the Family Proclamation a Commentary or a Revelation?

31

405: Announcing: Biweekly LIVE Fellowship! More Healing & New Connection

32

403: A Tribute to our Former Bishop, Ken Glenn

33

401: A Response to Dallin Oaks' Desire for LDS Girls to Marry Younger

34

399: This Classic Episode Put Latter Day Struggles on the Map of Faith Crisis Healing

35

397: What Happens When Only One Kind of Latter-day Saint is Allowed to Exist in the Church

36

396: UNLOCKED for All Listeners: Shifting the Focus from Abortion to Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy!

37

395: We Need to Stop Calling Growth a Sin in the LDS Church

38

393: Quiet Conflict: What the Research Reveals About Active LDS Members

39

391: Why Mental Health Workers Became the Black Sheep of the 21st Century Church

40

389: Faith & Feminism: Valerie's Vision & Maxine’s Musings

41

BONUS EPISODE: Why the LDS Church is Vulnerable to Underreporting of Child S*x Abuse & What to Do

42

387: Mission Eligibility Age Dropped to 18 for LDS Young Women: A Conversation with Dr. Julie Hanks

43

385: Honoring Relationships AND your Nervous System Over the Holidays

44

383: Why We Care So Much about Transcending & Including Mormonism

45

381: Polygamy is Having its Mormon Moment (Again) in 2025

46

379: When Mormon Polygamy Comes to Primary in 2025

47

377: When One's Soul has the Audacity to Grow, Right there in Church

48

375: When God Refuses to Be Church-Correlated

49

373: What Caterpillars Can Teach us about Blind Conformity

50

371: To Find Divinity, Look No Further than the Mirror

51

369: Drowning in the Shallows: Fabricated Fellowship Explored

52

367: Faith on Fire: A Family’s Tragedy Becomes a Faith System’s Invitation to Awaken

53

365: Soul Sisters Unite: Q&A w/ Valerie & Dr. Julie Hanks about Their Faith Journeys

54

363: The Beautiful Simplicity of Minding our Own Underwear Drawers

55

361: I'm Sharing My Life with This Stranger?

56

359: Holy Betrayal: When Men Betray Patriarchal Privilege

57

357: Hands Off My Soul!

58

355: Finding Myself in the Wilderness of LDS: A Tale of Vulnerability & Bravery

59

353: Introducing Latter Day Struggles 2.0: Transcending & Including Mormonism

60

351: Mormon Momma Turned Maverick

61

349: LIVE Q&A Recording: Val Talks Politics, Polarization & Peacemaking

62

347: Public Voices: Navigating an LDS Culture of Quiet Dissent

63

345: Heavenly Momma Drama: Navigating Fear & Embodying Faith

64

343: Not Fragile Like a Flower, Fragile Like a Bomb

65

341: Candid Conversation about Current LDS Patriarchal Structure & its Correlation to Child Abuse Risk

66

339: Patriarchal Church Structures & Heightened Risk of Violence/Abuse in Marriage

67

337: Patriarchy & its Connection to LGBTQ+ Violence and Abuse

68

335: Patriarchy and the Deeply Embedded "Female Fear Factory"

69

333: Patriarchy & Harm: Proven Connections to Abuse & Violence

70

331: Why Very Few Shout: "The Emperor Has No Clothes!"

71

329: The Official Faith Crisis Report: A Backstage Pass with Greg Prince

72

327: Jesus Eats with "Outcasts" to Embody that HE Knows No Outcast

73

325: Why Jesus Likely Couldn't Care Less about Church Handbooks & Creeds

74

323: Sometimes Love Uses a Microphone

75

321: The Feminine Divine in the Mormon Cosmos with Kathryn Sonntag & Taylor Petrey

76

319: "Queering" Ideas about Heavenly Mother in the Mormon Cosmos

77

317: Ideas on a Heaven Large Enough for All Loving Connection

78

315: Forgive Them, For They Know Not What They Do

79

313: Not Willing to be Burned at the Stake Center

80

312: Why Gender-based Wounds Can Only be Healed in Mixed-Gender Communities

81

311: By the Mouths of Four Witnesses: Community Healing in LDS Faith Crisis

82

310: A "Masculine" Man's True Self Journey Home to His Healthy Feminine

83

308: "I Am Not My Ability to Bear Children": A Tender Journey Towards True Self Discovery

84

307: On the Process of Awakening to Our Worthiness as the Factory Setting

85

306: "I Didn't Think Feeling This Safe was Possible in a Group of People"

86

305: What? I Belong Here No Matter What I Believe?

87

303: Alone Together: Redefining Masculinity & Femininity to Heal LDS Marriages

88

301: What Patriarchies Teach Men about Weakness & Vulnerability

89

299: What Happens When Collaboration & Connection are Neglected at Church

90

297: Two Wings of the Same Bird: Rediscovering Masculine & Feminine Energies

91

295: On LDS "Loyalists", "Leavers" & Everyone In Between! with Jana Riess

92

293: How the Powerhouses on "At Last She Said It" Found Their Backbones & their Voices

93

291: LDSP CLASSIC! Women Worldwide Vote "Opposed" to Institutional Claims of Female Authority

94

289: LDSP CLASSIC! Feminine Visions, Divine Love, and Differentiation with Fiona Givens

95

287: Why Patriarchal Men Cannot Tolerate Critique

96

285: Why Patriarchal Men See the World Transactionally

97

283: Patriarchy and its Connection to Low Empathy in Men

98

281: A Fascinating History of Feminism in the LDS Church

99

279: Strategies to Heal Mixed-Faith LDS Couples

100

277: My Faith Journey Actually Made our Marriage Stronger

101

275: An LDS Marriage in the Valley of the Shadow

102

273: 6 Crucial Questions When Evaluating Information

103

271: Introducing a NEW GROUP: Growing up in a Patriarchy!

104

269: When a Family Trusts Their Mom's Faith Journey

105

267: Will My Adult Children Reject Me as I Grow?

106

265: Leaning into the Messy of Uncertainty in Actual Life

107

263: How you Know You ARE Spiritually Growing Up!

108

261: Differentiation as Key to Wise Decision Making w/ Dr Julie Hanks

109

259: Not Fearing Others’ Faith Journeys: A Crucial Conversation with Faith Matters

110

257: Creating Communities of Unconditional Belonging with Aubrey Chaves

111

255: Returning to the Cave: Facing Inner & Outer Conflict on the Enlightenment Journey

112

253: From Darkness to the Light: Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" & Latter-day Saint Faith Journeys

113

251: Fostering Environments for Growth & Interdependent Thinking in the LDS Church

114

249: A Modern Map for Psychological Growth in our Latter-day Saint Community

115

247: Processing Former Spiritual Experiences after LDS Faith Crisis

116

245: Transaction as the "Pee Wee Level" of True Discipleship with Steve Young

117

243: Why a Call for Loyalty is a Red Flag

118

241: How Neuroscience Validates the Need for U.S. Prison Reform with Fiona Givens

119

239: How Christians Became Sinners with Fiona Givens

120

237: Near Enemy Behaviors that Creep into Missionary Work & Marriage

121

235: What is a "Near Enemy" & Why Exposing Near Enemies Matter

122

233: How Some Religious Teachings May Cause Anxiety & Harm Self Worth

123

231: Unlearning Beliefs about a Disappointed God to Heal from Scrupulosity

124

229: Rewriting LDS Women’s History of Motherhood

125

Bonus!

126

227: The Harder the Better? with "At Last She Said It!"

127

225: Finding Feminine Wisdom through the Cycles of Nature w/ Kathryn Sontag

128

223: Learning to Look at a Tree & Find Both Sides of God w/ Kathryn Sontag

129

221: Supporting Spiritual & Relational Wellness if Stepping Away from the Church w/ Dr Julie Hanks

130

219: Challenging Sacrament Exclusion for Any Reason

131

217: Sacrament Practices Across Time & Spiritual Tradition

132

215: Musket Fire, Academic Freedom, & Concerns about Scientific Progress at BYU

133

214: How Women’s Development is Compromised in a Patriarchal System

134

213: LDS Women Claim Their Worth by Not Engaging in Semantics Games

135

212: Gender & Opportunity: How Churches Communicate What & Whom they Value

136

211: Women Worldwide Vote "Opposed" to Institutional Claims of Female Authority

137

209: Unshackling Shame-LDS Faith Journey Brings Se*ual Healing

138

207: Healing Ideas & Harmful Ideas about the Use of Scripture

139

205: Exploring Disaffiliation Family Crisis Because the LDS Church is a ‘Covenant’ Religion

140

203: When Love, Faith Journeys & Fear Collide in an LDS Family

141

201: The Church’s Responsibility to See Whom They have Cast Out

142

199: Redefining God as Fundamental to Healing LDS Faith Crisis

143

197: A Story of Humanity, Reconciliation, & Spiritual Empowerment w/ Dan Wotherspoon

144

195: Expanding Truths Through Interfaith Learning w/ Jana Spangler

145

193: Navigating LDS Activity, Differentiation, & Healthy Boundaries w/ Dr. Julie Hanks

146

191: Temple Recommend Process as a Forum to Grant/Withhold Spiritual Privileges

147

189: Temple Worship Throughout the World & in Many Faith Traditions Worldwide

148

187: Demystifying LDS Hierarchy & Corporate Politics w/ Greg Prince

149

BONUS: Navigating Mixed-Faith Parenting, Isolation in Faith Crisis, and Decisions to Stay or Go

150

185: On Science/Faith, Prop 8, LGBTQ+ w/ Greg Prince

151

183: Progress, Pretense & the Gender Politics of the LDS Chapel Seating Chart

152

181: Post September Six: One Who Wandered but Was Not Lost w/ Maxine Hanks

153

179: ‘Women and Authority’: A Feminist Work of Art w/ Maxine Hanks

154

177: Advocating for Diligent Parents Called “Weak Links”

155

175. Why Human Suffering is Not Punishment from God w/ Adam Miller

156

173: Grace as the Original Intention of God-NOT the Backup Plan! w/ Adam Miller

157

171: Celebrating Lavina Fielding Anderson’s Vision for a More Inclusive Church

158

167: Raising Kids with a Deep & Broad Spiritual Worldview

159

165: A Seminary Teacher Who "Gets" What LDS Youth Need to Thrive Spiritually

160

163: Parenting Adolescents in/around the LDS Church w/ Dr. Julie Hanks

161

BONUS: FREE Post-General Conference Group Processing Opportunity

162

161: Young Adults Want the Hard Conversations w/ Patrick Mason

163

159: LDS University Students Pressured to Not Ask Hard Questions

164

157: The Spiritual Dangers of Magical Thinking w/ Christian Kimball

165

155: LDS Church as Neither Magic Kingdom nor Evil Empire w/ Christian Kimball

166

153: The State of LDS Faith Crisis Ten Years Post 2014 Official “Faith Crisis Report” Research

167

151: In Search of Mother God w/ Carol Lynn Pearson

168

149: Sociopolitical Forces that Led to Ezra Taft Benson's "To the Mothers in Zion"

169

147: Protecting Those on the Margins Out Loud

170

145: When & Why Diverse People Becomes Marginalized

171

143: How & Why Some People Oppress Others

172

141: Gender, Sexuality, & Mormonism's Participation in Modern Politics

173

139: A History of the Evolving Definition of a Legitimate LDS Marriage

174

BONUS: How to subscribe to Friday Latter Day Struggles Episodes

175

137: When 'Quick Conversion' Leads to Attrition Rather than Growth

176

135: Shrinking Missionary Force Means Shrinking LDS Church

177

134: Impressive LDS Church Growth in Africa, With some Caveats

178

133: LDS Growth Not Exponential as Predicted. Why?

179

131: Choosing Love & Healing Over Silence & Fear

180

130: More Latter-day Saint stories of overcoming queerphobia

181

129: How Someone Like You Can (or Maybe Did) Overcome Queerphobia

182

127: When it Feels Like Your Spouse Chooses the Church over Your Marriage

183

125: Feminine Visions of Julian of Norwich w/ Fiona Givens

184

123: A Study of Immature Versus Maturing Spirituality

185

122: On the LDS Faith Expansion Journey & the Painful Loss of Community

186

121: On the LDS Faith Expansion Journey & Cynicism Spirals

187

Episode 120: The White Male’s Creation of the White Male God

188

119: Is Your God Disappointed, Demanding, & Punishing?

189

118: The Unbelievability of Mystic Texts Throughout Time w/ Paul Toscano

190

117: The Book of Mormon Was Never about LDS "Truth Claims" w/ Paul Toscano

191

116: Harm Done in Oversimplifying the Book of Mormon w/ Taylor Petrey

192

115: The Book of Mormon: Myth or History? w/ Taylor Petrey

193

114: Exploring Different Interpretations on "Peacemakers Needed" Address

194

113: A Call for Non-Hierarchical "Grassroots" Revelation w/in the LDS Church

195

112: When Past & Present Prophecy is Contradictory

196

111: Processing General Conference During/Post Faith Crisis

197

110: This Might be One Reason Why Second Hour at Church is Challenging

198

109: The Slippery Slope of Self Justification

199

108: Is Your Marriage on Life Support Due to Your Faith Journey? Listen Here for Support!

200

107: Can a Marriage Survive After one Partner Departs from their Plan of Eternal Orthodoxy?

201

106. Including Your Queer Self (or Loved One) in God’s Eternal Family Plan

202

105: When a Too-Small Eternal Family Theology Crumbles around Your Beloved Queer Child

203

104: How LDS Marriage Theology Complicates Growth Potential for the Mixed-Faith Couple

204

103: A Single Woman’s Perspective on the LDS Theology of Eternal Marriage

205

102: Personal Battles with Fear & Shame Due to LDS Eternal Marriage Theology

206

101: The Personal & Relational Impact of Patriarchy & Eternal Polygamy Theology

207

100: Unprogramming the Dependency & Gender-Role Based Model of LDS Marriage/Family

208

99: Does Fear & Shame Motivate Belief & Practice?

209

98: We do NOT ‘Consider the Matter Closed’—Tithing Wealth, Transparency, & Accountability

210

97: The Toxic Twin Towers of Patriarchy & Polygamy

211

96: A Focus on those on the Margins: Gender/Sexual Minorities & Singles

212

95: Our Primary Task in Life is Not Marriage!

213

94: Claiming Spiritual & Psychological Agency as Women in/around a Patriarchal Church

214

93: Understanding a Healthy Dynamic Between Church Leaders & Members

215

92: Closed Channels of Communication & its Impact on Some LDS Members

216

91: Ways to Actively Protect & Support our Queer Youth at Church

217

90: The Sacred Queerness of Dawn, Dusk, & Even Jesus w/ Blair Ostler

218

89: A Queer Mormon’s Walk through the Valley of the Shadow w/ Blair Ostler

219

88: God is So Tired of Being an Old White Guy

220

87: On Superiority Complexes & Christian Nationalism

221

86: On the Power of Money & Confronting the Cult of Innocence

222

85: On Colonization, Company Men, & Christianity as an Infant Religion

223

84: Christianity: Reasons to Stay & Reasons to Leave

224

83: How Early Faith Crisis Divides the Human Brain

225

82: The Discomfort of Seeing our Former Self Righteousness

226

81: Temple Symbolism & the Hero's Journey w/ Jodi England Hansen

227

80: On Your Faith Journey & Your Many Births, Deaths & Rebirths

228

79: On Waking up to Constricted Intellectualism & Cognitive Biases

229

78: On Maturing Spiritually as Parents & Letting Go of Control

230

77: Answers to Tough Questions about Authentically Navigating LDS Membership w/ Carol Lynn Pearson

231

76: Two Images of the One God

232

75: Matriarchal Blessing

233

74: Jesus Remembered

234

73: Growing up Godly

235

72: The Case of the Disappearance of our Mother God

236

71: I Live in a Motherless House

237

70: An Hour with Mormonism’s Own Joan of Arc, Carol Lynn Pearson

238

69: BYU-Idaho Faculty Member & the Current University Climate

239

68: Former BYU Professor's Arrival at Love over Loyalty

240

67: Is a Mandate for Unity of Belief Helping or Hurting Us?

241

66: Se*ual Thoughts, Feelings & Expressions: Tattoos, Piercings

242

65: Light, Discernment, Media & Pornography Talk

243

64: Expanding Concepts of Loving Self, Others, & God

244

63: A Psychological Look at Combative Discourse

245

62: Jesus was a Model of Christ-Centered Activism

246

61: Healthy Atonement Theology & the Healing of Lifelong Se*ual Sin

247

60: Imagine an Atonement Theology Free of Fear, Shame & Hustle

248

59: What You'll Experience in a Latter Day Struggles Growth & Processing Group

249

58: We're Not Actually More Special than "the World"

250

57: Strength of Youth Time Machine

251

56: Are the Young Women's & Young Men's Themes Healthy Identity Statements?

252

55: On the Deep Psychological Costs of Institutionalized Queerphobia

253

54: Why Science May Pressure Policy Change on Homosexuality

254

53: On Patriarchy & the Feminine Face of God

255

52: Recommendations to Help Those Suffering in LDS Faith Crisis

256

51: The Perpetual Cycle of Disaffection in LDS Crisis

257

50: A Sobering View of Stages of Crisis

258

49: Who, What & Why of LDS Faith Crisis

259

48: An Overview of the 2014 Official LDS Faith Crisis Report

260

47: Processing the Trauma and Grief of Faith Crisis

261

46: The History & Context of "The Prophet Will Never Lead You Astray"

262

45: Please Stay in Your Lane, Bishop

263

44: On Skepticism of Having Your Children Baptized

264

43: Mormon Women's History & the ERA: A Case of Subservience Over Conscience

265

42: Why Humans & Latter-day Saints are Lulled by the Status Quo

266

41: On Paranoia, Misdirected Worship & Image Management

267

40: On Overstepping on Personal Life Choices

268

39: On Accountability Struggles, Performance Focus, & Unspoken Rules

269

38: Standing up Against Chicken Patriarchy

270

37: The Current Culture of Mandated Missionary Service

271

36: On the Associated Press's Recent S*x Abuse Underreporting Article

272

35: The Shadow of Joseph's Polygamy & its Ongoing Institutional Reverberations

273

34: Sunstone Symposium: A Weekend Experiencing Big-Tent Mormonism at its Finest

274

33: HIGHEST RATED EPISODE: Stages of Faith Development, Why We are Stuck, How to get Unstuck

275

32: Honoring One Gay Man's Reasons for Staying

276

31: On Finally Becoming an "Adult" of God

277

30: On Finding Our Voices & Advocating for Christ-Like Change

278

29: On Moving Away from Judgement in the Second Half of Life

279

28: On the "Cafeteria Approach" to Spirituality & its Value

280

27: The "If/Then" Temptation: Resisting the Urge to Oversimplify the Complex

281

26: Dad's Contribution to Mom's Numbness

282

25: Why Moms Might Feel Numb

283

24: On Inverted Spiritual Value Systems: Facial Hair, Piercings, etc.

284

23: PRIDE: On Honoring or Interfering with Another's Essential Identity

285

22: On Spiritual Rigidity, Word of Wisdom, & Gandhi as a Work in Progress

286

21: On Temple Marriage & the Weight of Family Tradition

287

20: Dissent as the Greatest Catalyst of Systemic Integrity

288

10: On Normalizing & Honoring Separate Faith Journeys in LDS Marriage

289

19: On Speaking the Truth, Even When My Voice Shakes

290

18: Why Consent-Only Cultures Do Not Thrive

291

17: Dissent as Core to Personal Revelation

292

16: Dissent as the Backbone of Our Spiritual Maturation

293

15: Dissent as Fundamental to Consent

294

14: Are We Really Encouraged to Use our Free Agency?

295

13: Does Disaffiliation Lead to 'Spiritual Death'?

296

12: Do you Speak Up? Walk Away? Suck it Up? or Check Out?

297

11: On Feeling Mutual Respect & its Relationship to Strong Leadership

298

9: On the Harm of Ignoring the Feminine Divine

299

8: On General Conference, Complicated Feelings & LDS Faith Expansion

300

7: On Church Callings...Can They be a Problem?

301

6: On Patriarchy's Impact on Healthy Development

302

5: On the Value of Doubting Our Doubt

303

4: On Doubt as Valuable to True Belief

304

3: On Owning Our Mistakes

305

2: On "Bad" Thoughts

306

1: Is Gods Love Contingent on Righteousness?