Send us a Positive Review! Join Valerie in her analysis of the recent breaking news regarding the financial settlement between the LDS church and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission regarding tithing holdings. In this episode Valerie breaks down the following: An analysis of why, in a healthy relationship between ANY two parties [including between an individual and their church], one party does not decide unilaterally that ANY "matter is closed" especially in situations that inv...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Psychological Health Check on LDS Theology of Marriage & Family [Part III of XII] In this third of a multi-part series, Valerie and therapist colleague Brannon Patrick continue to unpack the very multifaceted doctrine of eternal marriage. In this episode Val and Brannon address the twin evils that profoundly impact every level of identity within the LDS church from the macro to the micro levels: PATRIARCHY and it’s painful offspring, POLYGAMY. Their a...
Feb 20, 2023•38 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Psychological Health Check on LDS Theology of Marriage & Family [Part II of XII] In this second of a multi-part series, Valerie and therapist colleague Brannon Patrick continue to unpack the very multifaceted doctrine of eternal marriage and all of its complex implications in the real lives of real people, often finding the “plan of happiness” feeling more like the “plan of sadness” as life progresses in ways that almost inevitably do not line up with...
Feb 17, 2023•39 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Psychological Health Check on LDS Theology of Marriage & Family [Part I of XII] In this multi-part series, Valerie and therapist colleague Brannon Patrick begin to unpack the very multifaceted doctrine of eternal marriage and all of its complex implications in the real lives of real people, often finding the “plan of happiness” feeling more like the “plan of sadness” as life progresses in ways that almost inevitably do not line up with what doctrine f...
Feb 14, 2023•43 min
Send us a Positive Review! This episode was recorded for "The Sisterhood Podcast" recently and takes a deep dive into issues of womanhood, LDS culture, and the vital importance of women learning how to truly be active agents of their own lives. Valerie addresses several topics including the following: the influence that the church's gendered teachings have had on some women who foreclosed early dreams and desires because they felt that these parts of themselves were "wrong", the importance of le...
Feb 10, 2023•48 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Analysis of E. Hamilton “Why a Church? [Part II of II] In this episode, Valerie looks a psychological lens to explain some of the dynamics at play between some current spokespeople for the LDS church and those who are asking for dialogue and change in a variety of areas. As an intimate relationship therapist, Valerie frequently works with couples and helps them with struggles around the issue of power, growth, and fear. These very same concepts can be sup...
Feb 06, 2023•52 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Analysis of E. Hamilton “Why a Church? [Part I of II] In this special episode Valerie and Nathan respond to the recent address given by Elder Hamilton titled "Why a Church". This episode attempts to acknowledge many potentially hurtful or harmful "take aways" that many might have experienced who are deeply committed to following Jesus Christ and who are also trying to discern if there is a place for them to worship in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter ...
Feb 03, 2023•56 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: An Exploration of Queer Mormon Theology [Part III of III] In this final episode in this series honoring Blaire Ostler [scholar, author, and warrior at the complex intersection of the Mormon and Queer worlds], Val and Nathan walk through 15 suggestions given by Blaire on how we can do a better job educating ourselves and those around us on queer issues so that our queer children and adolescents feel seen, safer, and valued. Please share this entire series ...
Jan 30, 2023•54 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: An Exploration of Queer Mormon Theology [Part II of III] Join Valerie and author, theologian, and scholar Blaire Ostler as they tackle the beauty of speculative theology through their analysis of Blaire’s book “Queer Mormon Theology”. In this bold and beautiful book, Blaire invites her readers to consider multiple traditional Mormon-specific beliefs through a queer lens, showing us how a robust theology is ALWAYS inviting of study, questioning, and re-eva...
Jan 27, 2023•58 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: An Exploration of Queer Mormon Theology [Part I of III] In this beautiful episode, Blaire Ostler joins Valerie in an autobiographical conversation about her painful and dynamic hero’s journey reconciling within herself her queerness and her Mormon-ness, finding for herself that she could not shun either. This conversation covers the gradual unfolding of her queer identity and the pain she went through both within her body and between herself and her creat...
Jan 23, 2023•56 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Do I Stay Christian? Book Analysis [Part V of V] In each of these episodes, Val and Nathan go through McLaren’s 10 compelling reasons to LEAVE institutionalized Christianity and 10 compelling reasons to STAY. In this episode the two reasons discussed to LEAVE are as follows: 9) Because of its tendency to constrict intellectualism [please jump over to episode 79 of this podcast for a deep dive into the damage done due to constrictive intellectualism and ma...
Jan 20, 2023•37 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Do I Stay Christian? Book Analysis [Part VI of V] Welcome to part IV of our exploration of Brian McLaren’s book “Do I Stay Christian”. In each of these episodes, Val and Nathan go through McLaren’s 10 compelling reasons to LEAVE institutionalized Christianity and 10 compelling reasons to STAY. In this episode the two reasons discussed to LEAVE are as follows: 7) Because Christianity is STUCK due to its “belief policing” and its accompanying resistance to ...
Jan 16, 2023•36 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Do I Stay Christian? Book Analysis [Part III of V] In each of these episodes, Val and Nathan go through McLaren’s 10 compelling reasons to LEAVE institutionalized Christianity and 10 compelling reasons to STAY. In this episode the two reasons discussed to LEAVE are as follows: 5) Because of Christianity's "real" master...MONEY. In this section Nathan and Val break down both how this issue applies to both "big" Christianity and to our our faith tradition's...
Jan 13, 2023•41 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Do I Stay Christian? Book Analysis [Part II of V] In each of these episodes, Val and Nathan go through McLaren’s 10 compelling reasons to LEAVE institutionalized Christianity and 10 compelling reasons to STAY. In this episode the two reasons discussed to LEAVE are as follows: 3) Because of the huge world-wide death toll and life toll due to Christian imperialism/ colonization, and 4) Because of perpetual issues with loyal Christian “company men” who value...
Jan 09, 2023•47 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Do I Stay Christian? Book Analysis [Part I of V] This is part one of a five part series analyzing Brian McLaren’s book "Do I Stay Christian”. In each of the next 5 episodes, Val and Nathan go through McLaren’s 10 compelling reasons to LEAVE institutionalized Christianity and 10 compelling reasons to STAY. In this episode the first two reasons to LEAVE are as follows: 1) Because of the brutal treatment of Jewish people by Christians throughout Christianity...
Jan 06, 2023•38 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Journey Out of Orthodoxy [Part II of II] This episode is part II of Valerie and Nathan’s reflections on their journey out of orthodoxy. In this episode they respond to the large amount of feedback that the previous episode received by those listening to Valerie’s former podcast “Generation Xhausted” and address several questions, including their thoughts on parenting, leaving institutional religion all together, and more. Val also talks about how the huma...
Jan 02, 2023•51 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Journey Out of Orthodoxy [Part I of II] In this episode, Val and Nathan share a recording from Valerie's first podcast titled "Generation Xhausted", which is a podcast where Valerie delved into issues of soul crisis, something that many people simply call "burnout", ranging from crisis in marriage, aging, parenting, work, body image, and finally, faith crisis. In this particular episode, Val and Nathan talk about their own faith journeys and their ongoing...
Dec 30, 2022•57 min
Send us a Positive Review! Join Val in this beautiful conversation with Jody England Hansen as together they explore the complexities of membership in the human race (oh, and also in the LDS church) as well as other beautiful ideas about making meaning of struggle and becoming the makers of meaning in our own spiritual lives. This conversation focuses on these two main topics: The power and importance of taking ownership in our own worship. Much can be learned if we are allowed to find and inter...
Dec 23, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Val and Nathan open up with a refresher courses on the theories of faith development that have impacted their growth the most and break down a theory that is less about stages of faith and more cyclical in nature. This stage theory breaks down Order Disorder Reorder. They give many examples in pop culture, nature, theology, and myth that illustrates that cycles of birth, death, and rebirth can be found virtually everywhere. This cycle reminds us that Je...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Val and Nathan review several common cognitive biases that many Christians worldwide struggle with due to their leadership’s tendency to constrict intellectualism [because broad and open inquiry may challenge their denomination’s particular ideologies]. When intellectualism is stifled, we do not become complex thinkers and we tend to overlook these biases and shortchange our own God-given abilities to grow in knowledge, truth, and wisdom. The biases are...
Dec 16, 2022•33 min
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Nathan and Val draw from the wisdom of Jungian scholar James Hollis and his insights about truly evolved parenting. Turns out that parenting is not about crafting perfect children. It is not about crafting compliant children. It is not even about protecting children from tough lessons. Nor is it about needing children to carry on their parents belief systems. While this may induce anxiety in many of us who have been taught that this is exactly what pare...
Dec 12, 2022•38 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VIII of VIII] In this Q&R episode Valerie asks CAROL LYNN PEARSON several tough questions from you listeners about how she has managed to navigate some of the thorniest topics in Mormondom. Perhaps the more challenging question she answers is how she navigates feeling congruent with herself as a contributing and lifelong member in a religious institution that struggles so much with issues of...
Dec 09, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VII of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com . Support the show Listen, Sha...
Dec 08, 2022•8 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VI of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com . Support the show Listen, Shar...
Dec 08, 2022•9 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part V of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com . Support the show Listen, Share...
Dec 07, 2022•11 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part IV of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com ———————————————————————————————...
Dec 07, 2022•6 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part III of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com Support the show Listen, Share...
Dec 06, 2022•9 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part II of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God. Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God. To purchase the entire autographed book, go to carollynnpearson.com Support the show Listen, Share,...
Dec 06, 2022•9 min
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part I of VIII] Carol Lynn Pearson said, "maybe the worst thing that could have happened for the Brethren of the Mormon church was the moment I was given the role to play "Joan of Arc" in a theatrical production at BYU 60+ years ago!" The rest was history. And luckily for us, our own Mormon "Joan of Arc" has not been burned at the stake (center) thus far!! And in this series, she does not disappoint....
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Send us a Positive Review! Following the recent Salt Lake Tribune article titled "BYU-I Instructors fired for failing 'ecclesiastical clearance.' They can't find out why", and on the heels of this podcast's last episode coincidentally on a similar topic, Valerie was connected with a BYU-I faculty member who was willing--anonymously--to share their experience as a current faculty member and one who clearly sees many deeply troubling dynamics surrounding culture, messaging, and practices at BYU-I,...
Dec 02, 2022•32 min
