Karri Stoker, the director of the 2022 Gathering Saints Women's retreat, discusses with Kurt Francom and Dan Duckworth the purposes of a women's retreat like this. For all the details related to the Fall 2022 Women's Retreat visit leadingsaints.org/gathering Continue listening to the short series of podcasts about the women’s retreat HERE.
Sarah Randall grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, served in the Portugal Lisbon South mission, and graduated from Utah State University in Elementary Education. She has served in many ward Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society presidencies in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Alaska. Sarah and her husband have six children and together they love to backpack, hike, bike, and kayak all over Alaska. Sarah recently served as a facilitator for the Church’s new “Emotional Resilience-Strength in the Lo...
We are excited to launch Gathering Saints where we will provide remarkable in-person experiences in order to help individuals transform as leaders in their church, community, and home. To see the details of all upcoming retreat experiences, visit LeadingSaints.org/Gathering Find more information about the Gathering Saints Women's Retreat in a series of podcast conversations starting HERE.
Mat Duerden received a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and an M.S. from Brigham Young University. His experience design research focuses on memorable, meaningful, and transformative experiences. Mat is an Associate Professor of Experience Design and Management and Alumni Research Fellow in BYU's Marriott School of Business, and also teaches an honors program course, The Art of Transformative Storytelling. He works with organizations across a variety of sectors to provide training and consulting ...
This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in May 2020. Dan Duckworth is a disciple, family man, and changemaker. As a teacher and coach, he guides elite leaders to the top of their game. He’s the author of Stop Asking Why: Your Purpose is Self-Evident, and president of the Leading Saints Board of Directors. Highlights 05:39: Dan discusses the life cycle of a crisis and creating a “new normal” for Home Church 11:51: Statistics of geographic areas and types of leaders that responded to sur...
Joseph M. Spencer is a philosopher and an assistant professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He has a BA in philosophy from BYU, an MLIS in library science from San Jose State University, and an MA and PhD in philosophy from the University of New Mexico. Joseph is the author of six books, including the recently-published Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide. He serves as the editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, as the associate director of the Latter-d...
This episode is a conversation from the One Heart One Light podcast with Matt Allred, where Kurt talks about the power of story and how we can connect and find healing through our stories. Highlights 03:25 Introduction to Kurt Francom 04:40 Kurt talks about his path to starting Leading Saints. 10:30 The most important thing that Kurt has learned as a leader 14:20 Master the skill of connecting. Connecting person to person. 15:00 How do you get people to open up and connect with you? 18:00 Most p...
Crystal Hurd is an educator, poet, and researcher from Virginia. She holds a master of arts in Literature from East Tennessee State University, a master of fine arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University. Her doctoral research focused on C. S. Lewis as a Transformational Leader. Crystal currently serves as reviews editor for Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal. Her articles hav...
Jason Noel currently serves on his stake high council with a stewardship over missionary work. He has served previously as a bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, and as a teacher in Primary, Sunday School, and Young Men. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and developing businesses that reflect and engage his interests. He owns a hot rod shop in Arizona called Fat Fender Garage, that specializes in building custom-classic-trucks and Broncos. They have recently been awarded “Builder ...
J.D. Griffith is the Vice President of Administration for BYU-Pathway Worldwide, an online higher education organization serving nearly 60,000 students from over 180 countries, and was its first employee in 2009 when he assisted with the creation of the original Pathway program. He previously worked at BYU-Idaho as a faculty member in the College of Business and as an administrator in the Division of Continuing Education. J.D. holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, and an MBA and a Ph...
Walter Franco most recently served as a bishop and has previously served as an elders quorum president, Young Men president, Sunday School teacher, ward mission leader, and as a missionary in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a principal for a boutique sports business consulting firm based out of Park City, serves on a few University of Utah boards and the KSL Community Board, and is president of a non-profit that raises college scholarship funds for DACA students in Utah. Walter and his wife have be...
Clay Olsen serves as the CEO and Founder of Impact Suite, which owns and operates a suite of award-winning self-care apps that have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals find deeper healing and recovery in over 150 countries. Early in his career, he co-founded and lead the creation of Fight the New Drug—a youth movement dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation through science, facts, and personal accounts. He now sits on th...
In this podcast, Kurt sits down with four members of the Little Valley Stake in St. George, Utah, to talk about what happened when the stake president asked the youth (and their leaders) to plan stake conference. Guests include stake high councilor and Young Men leader Steve Chase, stake youth council member and high school sophomore Lucy Hansen, stake Young Women president Ashlie Bundy, and Brad Simister, second counselor in the stake presidency. Highlights 01:45 Introductions to the speakers. ...
Brian Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US Politics, Western foreign policy, political violence, and elections. He has advised governments, US political campaigns, international politicians, the European Union, NATO, and more. Brian holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford and is an associate professor in Global Politics at University College London. He is a regular commentator and political consultant to an extensive lineup of international media outlets, a W...
This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in June 2019. We are instructed in the General Handbook (8.1.1) that “Members of the elders quorum work together to help accomplish the work of salvation and exaltation. They serve others, fulfill priesthood duties, build unity, and learn and live doctrine.” How effective is your quorum at succeeding in this purpose? Is there more that can be done to leverage the inspired quorum structure that has been restored in these latter days? The reality i...
Bonnie Lyman has a BA in Elementary Education, is the parent of five "grown up kids", and a certified life coach. She has served as a ward Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women president, as a stake Young Women president and Primary counselor, a youth Sunday School, Primary, and Relief Society teacher, and as a mission medical coordinator and a music coordinator. Bonnie and her husband served in the Kenya Nairobi Mission as service missionaries before she launched her coaching business in 201...
Gregory K. Stapley is the executive chairman and recently-retired chief executive officer of CareTrust REIT, a real estate investment trust investing in healthcare real estate. He received his J.D. from the University of Arizona and his B.A. in Humanities from Brigham Young University. He is a stake president and former high councilor, bishop, bishopric counselor, Gospel Doctrine teacher and missionary in the Spain Seville Mission. Deborah E. Stapley got her start in television in the late 80’s ...
Dennis R. Deaton is co-founder of Quma Learning Systems and a nationally known corporate educator and popular convention speaker on Mind Management, Human Productivity, Visioneering and The Ownership Spirit. He has taught numerous adult education classes for the Church Education System and was a regular speaker at BYU Campus Education Week for 22 years. Dennis received his BA degree from the University of Utah and his doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis, and has authored several bo...
Tim Welch currently serves as second counselor in the Provo Missionary Training Center presidency. He previously presided over the Ohio Cincinnati Mission and has served as a stake president, bishop, high councilor, MTC branch presidency counselor, ward Young Men president, elders quorum president and missionary in the Michigan Lansing Mission. Professionally, he was vice president of sales for Won-Door Corporation. He and his wife Michele have five children and live in Highland, Utah. Highlight...
Emily Belle Freeman is a best-selling author and popular inspirational speaker. She has a deep love of the scriptures, which comes from a desire to find their application in everyday life. She is the author of numerous books, a favorite speaker at Time Out for Women, and cohosts with David Butler Don't Miss This, a "Come, Follow Me" study channel on YouTube. Emily has served in numerous callings in the Church, including in Young Women, Sunday School, Relief Society, and fourteen times as girls c...
Barton Stuart Sloat was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, the youngest of four children. He attended BYU before serving a mission in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission, and later attended the University of Utah, graduating in Political Science and receiving a commission as a 2d Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He served as an Infantry Officer and commanded at the platoon, company, battalion and regimental level. He also served in numerous staff positions, including the faculty at the Marine Corps Universi...
Michele Portlock is a mother of four children living in Parker, Colorado. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Brigham Young University and worked as an elementary school teacher for two years before taking an extended sabbatical to raise her family. Michele recently completed a master’s degree in behavior therapy from Arizona State University where she developed skills which enable her to help others navigate the autism experience. Michele has three neurodivergent childre...
This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in August 2020. Blake works in the Brigham Young University Office of Success and Inclusion, offering confidential support to people who, for various reasons, feel marginalized. The goal is to help student body members feel unity. Previously he worked in the BYU University Relations office. One of his main areas of focus is helping LGBT students. He is a returned missionary. Highlights 3:24 Blake’s personal experience helps him relate. How he has...
David P. Kasperson has been building high-trust partnerships and innovative solutions for clients of FranklinCovey’s Global Trust Practice for more than 15 years. Most of that time has been spent in collaboration with Stephen M. R. Covey, managing his speaking business, and custom client solutions as the Director of Business Development. An expert on trust, he has served clients via consulting, coaching, program design, and keynote speaking in more than twenty countries. He is co-author of the b...
In this short interview, Kurt talks with Brent & Courtney Ebmeyer about the upcoming North Star Conference. The 2022 conference is June 9-11 both in-person and streaming online. Learn more about NorthStarLDS.org Listen to the podcast with Brent & Bruce Ebmeyer, Learning to Lead SSA Saints Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help latter-day sain...
Greg Matsen is the founder of Cwic Media and the host of its primary show called Cwic Show, which focuses on cultural issues affecting the restored church. He ran a large web development and marketing firm representing the vast majority of the sporting goods industry and some of the auto industry in Newport Beach, California in the 1990s, then built a wealth management firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, which he sold in early 2020. Greg has studied the scriptures and history almost daily since his mis...
Tyler Lefevor, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychology at Utah State University where his research focuses on understanding how LGBTQ+ latter-day saints can flourish. He was raised LDS, served a mission in the New Jersey, Cherry Hills mission, and served as an Elders quorum president for 4 years. Tyler has since left the church to marry his husband, Brock. He also operates a small therapy practice. Sam Skidmore, MS, is a third-year doctoral student of clinical/counseling psychology at Utah ...
Sharon Kaye Fisher has been a president of ward Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society organizations. She served as stake Primary president with one branch 800 miles away and one branch covering remote villages throughout Alaska. Sharon Kaye was raised in southern California and met her husband, Brent, at Brigham Young University where she received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She taught elementary school for a short time at the beginning of their marriage and then devot...
This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in August 2016. Greg McKeown has dedicated his career to discovering why some people and teams break through to the next level—and others don’t. The definitive treatment of this issue is addressed in his New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Greg hosts The Essentialism Podcast and is the CEO of McKeown Inc., with clients including Adobe, Apple, Google, Facebook, Pixar, Salesforce.com, Sy...
John Hilton III was born in San Francisco and grew up in Seattle. He served a mission in Denver, and got a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. While there he met his wife Lani and they have six children. They have lived in Boise, Boston, Miami, Mexico, Jerusalem and China. John has a master's degree from Harvard and a Ph.D from BYU, both in Education. John is a professor of Religious Education at BYU. John has published several books with Deseret Book, including Considering the Cros...
