Latter Day Struggles

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451: A Changing Society is Starving for Religious Systems to Meet them Where they Are Jul 13, 2026

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Series Title: Torn: Why People We Love are Leaving the Church & What We Can Learn from Them [Part II of III]

In this fascinating episode, guest author Jeff Strong & Valerie tackle several key points that Jeff courageously and gently addresses in his bestselling book Torn: Why People We Love are Leaving the Church & What We can Learn from Them.

Today, Jeff & Val lay out several culture issues that are pressuring the need for churches to adapt-not because people are becoming less and less "spiritual"...but because evolution is an upward spiral and human beings entering new stages of faith development have different needs. If these needs are not acknowledged; or if they are vilified, shamed, or pathologized- they will go away. We are seeing this at record rates in the LDS church.

Listen in as Jeff and Valerie clarify not only why so many lifelong multi-generational Latter Day Saints are leaving--but also share how spiritual growth/ differientiation & community belonging need not be mutually exclusive.

Jeff's book Torn linked HERE

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Book Setup

01:38 Recap and Survey Numbers

03:13 Seeing and Humility

10:12 Culture as Soil Metaphor

15:44 Acceptance and Faith Stages

25:19 Fear to Hope and Growth

29:18 Four Storms Shaping Belief

37:19 Culture Change and Margins

45:44 Diversity and Balanced Energy

51:05 Next Episode Preview and Closing

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449: Torn: A Book Written to Help Your Devout Loved One Understand You Jul 06, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: Torn: Why People We Love are Leaving the Church & What We Can Learn from Them [Part 1 of 3]

In this three part series, Valerie is joined by Jeff Strong- friend, colleague, and author of the best-selling book Torn: Why People We Love are Leaving the Church & What We Can Learn from Them. In this opening episode, Jeff shares his personal experience as an LDS bishop and father at a crisis point in time when his missionary son disclosed that he was coming home and leaving the LDS church.

In this moment, Jeff felt that everything was falling apart & in his own valley of the shadow, he could not meet his son where he was in his own valley of the shadow. The following 13 years comprising hundreds of interviews with disaffiliating Latter-day Saints & heartfelt soul-searching about the true meaning of faith culminates in this book: a Love Letter to the Devout Latter-day Saint who has a loved one who has left the faith.

Please listen to this series & consider reading than then gifting Jeff's book to one of your loved ones who does not understand your spiritual journey. Together we can heal our community and build bridges of understanding & belonging. no matter where we are on the spectrum of faith.

Jeff's book Torn linked HERE.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

02:07 Why Jeff Wrote Torn

02:56 Faith Crisis Sparks Research

06:16 Years of Writing and Rewrites

07:32 Who the Book Is For

11:07 Upstream vs Downstream Trauma

13:48 A Devout Reader’s Reaction

17:06 Mixed Faith Marriage Pain Point

20:24 Disaffiliation Numbers and Studies

28:36 Counter Narratives on Growth

29:52 Growth vs Activity Metrics

32:07 Convert Baptisms and Disaffiliation

33:04 Two Truths in Church Life

35:59 Four Waves Overview

38:11 Why Waves Feel Sequential

40:50 Upstream vs Downstream Pushback

43:54 Stages of Faith Transition

47:37 Belonging Over Belief

51:31 Success Stories of Inclusion

55:58 Bar Mitzvah Closing Story

58:27 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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447: Why We Stay Small & Hide our Greatest Strengths from the World Jun 29, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Valerie & colleague Jana Spangler are guests on Dan Wotherspoon's Latter Day Faith podcast where they talk about a little known version of the human shadow.

Many of us know about the 'classic shadow'...you know...parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of and seek to hide. What about parts of ourselves that we also hide...even though they are our our strengths, our superpowers and even manifestations of our unique spiritual gifts & attributes?

Listen in as Dan, Jana, and Valerie discuss why people in general tend to have and hide "golden shadows" and as they explore some reasons why the LDS population might manifest unique "golden shadows" as a consequence of LDS theology and tradition.

Timestamps:

00:00 Meet the Hosts

00:48 Where to Find Val

01:24 Jana’s Coaching Work

02:18 Shadow Work Basics

03:44 What Is Golden Shadow

04:58 Projection and Admiration

07:15 Fear of Your Light

10:09 Sacred Examples of Calling

13:12 Spotting Golden Shadow

18:43 Therapy Approach and Safety

21:41 Patriarchy and Buried Identity

29:25 Grief Forgiveness and Family

31:56 Grieving Without Confronting

32:51 Shame and the Not Me Boundary

35:50 Holding Complexity With Kids

37:07 Critical Thinking Both And

38:33 Mormon Theology and Sin Scripts

46:55 Inner Work and Quiet Practices

52:55 Golden Shadow and Authority

59:33 Reclaiming Discernment and Closing

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445: LDS Missionary Work and OCD Scrupulosity Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: "Latter Day Missionaries": A Mental Health Resource for LDS Missionaries & their Families [Part II of II]

In this episode Dr. Bryson Ensign joins Valerie again to unpack OCD & scrupulosity in the LDS mission field. This episode first explores how Dr. Bryson covers OCD/scrupulosity in his "Mental Health Training Center". It also explores how this resource could be lifesaving tool for the missionary as well as a crucial resource for the parents of full-time missionaries concerned about their child's wellbeing and not knowing how to help when their child is far away and struggling with various mental healthy issues.

Find additional information on Dr. Ensign's program HERE.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome Back Intro

00:44 Why Missions Get Complicated

03:11 Mental Health Training Center Overview

07:00 Why Missionaries Are Vulnerable

10:15 Parents Need Support Too

15:52 Steady Parenting Skills

20:39 Pivot to OCD Scrupulosity

23:42 How Each Lesson Works

30:32 Bryson Mission Story

35:04 When Scrupulosity Gets Reinforced

38:21 Healthy vs Unhealthy Faith

39:52 Parents Spot the Signs

42:43 Accountability Partner Plan

44:32 Lesson Flow Overview

45:38 OCD Basics Explained

49:16 Scrupulosity on a Mission

55:23 Why Missions Trigger It

58:51 Three Practical Tools

01:04:30 Where to Get Help

01:07:38 Specialized OCD Treatment

01:09:51 Final Thanks and Wrap

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443: Addressing Real Mental Health Needs for the Full-time LDS Missionary Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: "Latter Day Missionaries": A Mental Health Resource for LDS Missionaries & their Families [Part I of II]

Do you know anyone who experienced issues with anxiety, depression, homesickness, getting along with that annoying companion, or struggles with shame and perfectionism on their LDS mission? Was that you? Your child? If you have been touched in any way with the LDS mission experience and would like a resource that is worth its weight in gold, this series is for you.

In today's episode you will meet Dr. Bryson Ensign, a former LDS missionary and psychiatrist in training who has dedicated countless hours creating a resource that he wishes he had on his own mission. As a devoted listener to the Latter Day Struggles podcast, Bryson shares a passion with Valerie to help those in and around the LDS faith with issues of mental well being that are often not understood (and therefore not addressed ) at the institutional level.

This episode shares his vision, sense of call, and an overview of his program. The next episode walks you through an entire segment of his curriculum (dealing with scrupulosity on the LDS mission). Enjoy!

Find additional information on Dr. Ensign's program HERE.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

02:48 Bryson's Background and Faith

07:24 Why Mission Mental Health

10:56 Program Overview: Latter Day Missionaries

16:01 Mental Health Training Center

20:36 Lesson Topics and Tools

28:19 Designed for Every Faith Stage

33:13 Holding Complexity: Obedience, Shame, and Mental Health

36:13 Systemic Challenges and Early Returns

40:30 Real Stories: Missionaries Suffering in Silence

46:10 The Church, Mental Health, and Cultural Change

51:16 Personal Call and Inspiration

57:52 Next Episode: Scrupulosity Preview

01:00:00 Closing and Resources

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441: The Politics of Jesus: Not Subtle, Not Silent, Not Neutral Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: Religion IS Political [Part VII of VII]

This final episode of this series is our response to the point of view that Jesus did not ‘get political’. Jesus (and each of us) cannot avoid being political. We state our “politics” with each stance to either uphold or resist dominator hierarchies. And Jesus’ whole ministry can be defined by resistance to any system that placed the life of any human being over the life of any other human being.

Listen to this episode to answer for yourself the following questions: Did the actual Jesus of Nazareth embody radical love for all human beings and speak strongly and often about very "political" topics? Or did claim neutrality in a way that left those of his time uncertain about how he felt about authoritarian power structures and their treatment of "the least of these"?

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Series Finale

02:06 Recap of Episodes One to Six

05:01 Liberation Jesus or Empire Mascot

06:42 Scripture Lenses and Competing Jesuses

08:47 Jesus of Nazareth vs Christ of Empire

12:48 Refusing Power and Inner Kingdom

20:30 Flattening Margins and Social Norms

27:58 Good Samaritan and Bad Laws Today

34:42 Challenging Religious Gatekeeping

40:05 Taking Jesus Name Through Action

43:23 Love Over Fear God Image

47:06 Closing Thanks and Fellowship Invite

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BONUS EPISODE: Do you Want to Make a Difference? Join us! Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Hey listeners of the Latter Day Struggles podcast! Join Val in this bonus episode as she answers audience questions that will help you feel like you've come to the right place for psychologically sound resources and community on your LDS faith expansion journey. We're not about burning anything down. We are about bridging. Building. Expanding. Transcending. Including. Becoming.

In this bonus episode Val answers a couple of questions about relationship struggles that inevitably come up when our relationship with the LDS church is evolving. She also shares her vision for the future of the LDS church if faith expanding people continue to gather and practice a more radical, inclusive, and non-polarized love than currently exists in our present LDS culture as groups gather at the opposite poles.

To be a part of a movement that actively practices critical thinking and personal growth--join Valerie & others leading out in a new way to manifest what true faith expansion is.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Purpose

02:07 How We Are Different

05:09 Beyond Binary Healing

07:45 Transcend and Include

12:18 Monday vs Friday Episodes

14:32 Friday Spiritual Expansion

21:57 Live Fellowship Overview

24:36 Fellowship Topics and Schedule

30:11 Upcoming Mission Mental Health Series

34:52 Why Groups Matter

42:52 Talking Across Ladder Rungs

52:15 Enrollment and Closing

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439: Religious Silence is Complicity in Times of Social Unrest Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: Religion IS Political [Part VI of VII]

In this episode Val & Nathan break down what religious institutional silent is communicating in times of social unrest. Don't miss this episode or series if you want to more deeply understand why religions are simply never neutral! They are loudly communicating what they stand for when they choose silence over speaking truth to power.

Timestamps:

00:00 Series Recap Setup

02:12 Religion Meets Politics

05:24 Legitimacy vs Transformation

06:59 Silence Equals Complicity

08:48 Why Churches Stay Quiet

13:23 Truth Claims Block Reform

20:05 Faith as Moral Reform

26:01 Rethinking Prophets

29:37 Prophetic Not Partisan

31:30 Closing and Next Episode

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437: Whose Life is Worth Protecting? Politics & Religion Weight in 2026 May 25, 2026

Show notes