I’ve Never Met This Family Member…Until Now! (SEPARATED BY RELIGION) | ft @GrowingUpinPolygamy

What happens when two cousins grow up just minutes apart—yet never meet because of religion?In this episode, I finally sit down with Sam Zitting (from Growing Up in Polygamy ) for the very first time. Despite being family, we spent over 30 years completely unaware of each other. Why? Because our families were split apart by different branches of fundamentalist Mormonism.👉 We unpack how Mormon history led to that split, what it was like to grow up with 44 siblings vs. 35 siblings, and how belief systems can divide—even across the same bloodline.👉 We explore the doctrine, the history, the “great split,” and the very human cost of growing up in isolated religious communities.👉 Most of all, we reflect on what it means to leave behind certainty and step into curiosity, freedom, and self-discovery.This conversation is deeply personal, but it’s also universal. Whether you’ve left a religion, a relationship, or just the “script” you were handed—you’ll see reflections of your own journey here.📺 Watch Sam’s channel here: YouTube.com/@GrowingUpinPolygamy✦ Subscribe for more stories like this: YouTube.com/@officialcalvinwayman✦ Follow me on Instagram: @calvinwayman⏱️ Timestamps00:00:00 – Meeting family for the 1st time ✈️00:00:31 – Wait…we’re actually first cousins?! 🤯00:01:40 – 44 siblings vs. 35 siblings 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦00:02:33 – Mormonism & why polygamy mattered 💍00:06:01 – Celestial law & multiple heavens ☁️00:07:04 – Joseph Smith’s angel with a sword ⚔️00:09:25 – The Manifesto: when polygamy “ended” 📜00:12:58 – The fork in the road: LDS vs. Fundamentalists 🛤️00:16:55 – Our great-grandfather & the Council of Friends 👴00:20:17 – “Milk & honey” vs. the “meat” of the gospel 🍯🥩00:23:06 – Who has the authority? 🔑00:27:34 – The 1886 revelation that sparked the split ✨00:29:04 – Leroy Johnson: the beloved prophet 🙏00:32:28 – Keep Sweet, Pray, and Obey 🕊️00:36:52 – The split: A Council vs. One-Man rule ⚖️00:42:06 – Apostates, fear & cutting off ties 🚷00:48:04 – Growing up “over the hill” ⛰️00:53:31 – Why we heard such different stories 🔍00:59:38 – Alma Timpson’s fiery sermons 🔥01:03:12 – Modern leaders: fear & damnation 😡01:06:00 – Why we would’ve feared talking 😨01:07:58 – Warren Jeffs takes control 🏚️01:09:47 – Sons of Perdition & eternal hell 🔥😈01:12:26 – Leaving: trusting my own path 🏃‍♂️01:15:24 – Evil spirits & dedicated buildings 👻01:18:49 – Realizing how similar we really were 🤝01:20:22 – Why we never met until YouTube 🎥01:25:01 – Sam hasn’t seen his mom in 16 years! 💔01:28:54 – Meeting outsiders ruined us, in the best way 😀01:32:02 – Living life from the inside-out 🌱01:33:09 – The first taste of freedom 🕊️01:38:00 – From missions to deconstruction 🌍01:40:05 – “I don’t know” ✨01:42:39 – Curiosity vs. certainty 🧠01:44:03 – Final reflections: life, freedom, curiosity 🌎