In this episode, I wrestle with the topic of people leaving the church for a variety of reasons and how I've evolved in my thinking about it. I also talk about why I choose to stay, and the "wrestle" many of us have with our minds and hearts in this space. This includes a conscious decision to make continuous efforts to keep our heart soft. I hope it is helpful for those who want to do the same.

Last week on this podcast I talked about what Elder Renlund said about the Church needing to do better for women, and I argued for a policy change and for all of us to believe women, particularly when bad things have or are happening. I also mentioned some research, so I want to focus this episode on telling you about this research. I published pieces of this in a Forbes article in February this year, and I’ll change the words to focus on our situation.
This research has helped me understand why men tend to support men even when those men perpetrate abuse of some kind. And, unfortunately, some women fall into that category too. So why do people support perpetrators? This research was focused on sexual misconduct allegations in the workplace, but its applications are beyond. I know I've been focusing a lot on abuse, but it feels right. I want you to be empowered to act as you are armed with the research! RESOURCE:

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbescoachescouncil/2025/02/25/why-people-support-perpetrators-during-sexual-misconduct-allegations/

In March of 2025, an article in the Salt Lake Tribunesaid this: Speaking at a women’s conference this month in Arcadia, California, apostle Dale Renlund tackled head-on a question about the church’s lack of gender equality and representation. He observed that church leaders "haven't done as good a job as I think we can" to address existing imbalances "within the bounds that God has set." Then he said "So, we're going to do better. " I talk about that and suggest a policy change that could be incredibly powerful in the space of helping women. I also share some tips from the "Start by Believing" campaign. Listen in!

RESOURCE: https://startbybelieving.org/

In this special episode, I'm joined by Dr. Jenet Jacob Erickson who is a fellow of the Wheatley Institute and a professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. She is also a faculty member in the Department of Church History and Doctrine too. She and I discuss some new research on women’s wellbeing. It explored marital status and how itimpacts happiness, enjoyment, belonging, identity, and purpose. It focused on levels of flourishing and even how women experience greater meaning and purpose. Listen in.

In the last episode, I shared a chunk of what I taught to YSAs in my breakout session recently at the 2025 Regional YSA Conference. I was so inspired by these young people and optimist for the future. In this episode I want to finish sharing some of the concepts I taught in my workshop titled “Becoming a Leader.” Thanks for listening in!

Recently, I did breakout session for the Regional YSA Conference at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City. I enjoyed teaching them about "Becoming a Leader: Developing and Unleashing Your Potential". This this episode, I share my thoughts about our rising generation as I felt their positive influence, and I also share some of that I taught them about becoming leaders. I hope you find this 15-minute episode helpful!

This 10-minute episode welcomes you to the 4th season of Unleashing Sister Saints by highlighting its' purpose, audience, and why I chose the title I did for this podcast. Also, I reflect on keeping our hearts soft and the impact of a hymn we sang in Church titled "I Stand All Amazed." It is a little bit of this and that, which I hope you appreciate!

Welcome back to my next season of Unleashing Sister Saints. I'm starting out this season with a special episode titled "Healing After Sexual Abuse: A Latter-Day Saint Perspective," which is the title of a new book released by Deseret Book. I interviewed the two authors of this book for this episode: Shirley Washenko and Sage Williams. This episode has such profound insights we need to all understand, whether we are a survivor or not. And we all around people impacted whether we know it or not. Their insights on accountability and forgiveness are profound and not what you would think in many ways. Please listen in! These two are amazing. https://open.spotify.com/episode/26N9MEivRkUkgFeoA52m68?si=R9VlNmuzQ3OCpFwFL0n7BABook: Healing after Sexual Abuse - WILLIAMS, SAGE; WASHENKO, SHIRLEY | Deseret Book