Latter Day Struggles

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BONUS EPISODE: Women in Ward Sunday School Presidencies: Progress, Breadcrumbs, or the “Near Enemy”?” Mar 22, 2026

Show notes

In this episode I respond to your requests to explore the March 2026 Church news release announcing that women can now serve in ward Sunday School presidencies, and how this is linked to stages of psychological/faith development.

Please share this episode if it resonates! Link to the church's announcement can be found HERE.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and context

01:21 Gratitude and reflection

03:58 Reading the news release

07:52 What we will cover

09:04 Big picture framing

11:43 Liminal perspective reactions

16:59 Loyalist perspective reactions

19:58 Faith development stages

24:08 Leadership tension and paths

27:01 Beyond black and white

28:14 Real Reform Or Optics

29:05 Why Change Is Slow

31:10 Gradualism Explained

32:55 Lincoln And Strategy

37:37 Applying Gradualism Today

39:36 Women Priesthood Forecast

41:08 Near Enemy Concept

45:43 Near Enemy In Practice

48:41 Divine Authority Corner

52:11 Continuing Revelation Tension

56:17 Community And Next Steps

58:25 Closing Reflections

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417: Confronting Men's Violence Against Women & Girls in the LDS Church Mar 16, 2026

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Series Title: Straight Talk on Patriarchy and Harm [Part I of II]

In this episode I read to you a shocking and brilliant article that I wish every Latter-day Saint can hear. This is a tough topic but one where reform will not touch until we start looking it in the eye. Please listen and share this article. Thank you to the Dialogue Foundation and to the author Suzanne E. Greco, whose trailblazing work may eventually be instrumental in preventing countless LDS women and girls from future harm.

She wrote the article. I read the article. Please do your part and share the article (via the podcast or linked HERE!)

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Context

00:26 Upcoming Episode Preview

03:31 Reading the Article: Confronting Men's Violence

05:26 Author's Background and Article Introduction

06:26 Article Reading: Violence Against Women in LDS Church

11:11 Personal Story of Abuse

14:56 Credibility Issues and External Validation

19:59 Global Perspective on Violence Against Women

25:38 Utah Statistics and Under-Reporting

28:38 Male Ecclesiastical Leaders as First Responders

32:38 Challenges and Solutions

33:18 Solution One: Legal Changes and Clergy-Penitent Laws

38:31 High-Profile Cases and Institutional Betrayal

42:58 Solution Two: Women's Ministry and Male Protection Racket

46:23 Solution Three: Training and Education

48:23 DARVO Tactics and Victim-Perpetrator Dynamics

52:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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415: Presenting our Utah-Based Latter Day Struggles Faith Expansion Specialist Mar 09, 2026

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One thing that Val is always juggling is how to do it all and maintain her sense of humor, high commitment to play, and overall sanity. She loves running the podcast, the groups, and squeezes work with amazing LDS faith-journeying individuals and couples between the cracks (which is a highlight of her week!)

Fitting it all in can become tricky, which is why she has been looking for the 'just right' person to help with individuals & couples in Utah looking for a mental health worker with the stamp of approval from Val at Latter Day Struggles.

In today's episode you will meet Heather Sundahl, the newest member of Valerie's Latter Day Struggles team. Heather is a licensed mental health worker, a resident of Utah and strongly endorsed by Valerie as someone you can trust on your faith expansion journey. If you loved their laughter, tears (mostly Val!) and banter, you'll love knowing that Heather plans to come on a few times a year to tackle tough topics with Val relevant to your healing and growth. Jump over to latterdaystruggles.com if you're from Utah and want to work with Heather.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro

01:01 Heather Background And Mentors

04:07 Early LDS Gender Messages

07:03 BYU Awakening Moment

09:58 Storytelling And Exponent Two

12:27 Becoming A Therapist

14:23 Healing Through Narrative

17:42 Owning Faith Narratives

19:18 Eve And Going Off Script

21:35 Life Beyond The Script

25:47 Navigating Church Tensions

26:57 Community Over Purity

28:05 Permission to Be Honest

29:05 Jesus as the Anchor

29:23 Self Care for LDS Women

31:24 Beyond Constant Sacrifice

33:51 Therapy Approach and Boundaries

35:33 Staying or Leaving the Church

39:02 Trusting Your Inner Compass

43:43 Faith Journeys and Belonging

49:08 Honoring Mormon Identity

51:14 Closing Vision and Next Steps

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BONUS: How the World ACTUALLY Changes Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

We've heard it a thousand times...and probably have said it a few times ourselves. "The ________will never change." You fill in the blank..."The world will never change" or "the church will never change"...and yet they do.

How does evolution actually happen? This "bonus episode" is a download that Val had over the weekend after asking herself why she was doing this platform. The answer to her question is what you will hear in this episode. In short, the only way anything ever changes is when a small group of people gather and use their synergy to productively heal themselves and thoughtfully agitate for change in their worlds. Its how it has always been and always will be.

Listen in and decide if you are someone who wants to be a part of the change that is already underway in our world right now.

"We Shall Be Known" by MaMuse

Timestamps:

00:00 Bonus Episode Check In

00:32 Existential Questions

02:01 Live Fellowship Vision

03:56 Awakening Or Breakdown

05:54 Labor Pains of New Consciousness

07:05 Thesis Antithesis Synthesis

09:51 Seekers As Change Agents

11:19 Why Side Communities Matter

12:48 Community for Healing and Growth

14:53 Early Church Example

20:02 Feminine Divine and Equality

21:35 Institutions Retrench

26:08 Laboratories of Expanding Consciousness

30:07 Transformation In Groups

34:51 Who This Is For

36:16 Needs The Fellowship Meets

42:45 How Live Fellowship Works

48:40 Founding Group Details

53:36 Song And Great Turning

58:07 Enrollment And Scholarships

01:00:14 Closing Thanks

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413: Complexity of Clark Gilbert Call to the Q12 Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

Jana's Salt Lake Tribune Article

In this episode Val is joined by Jana Riess, author and researcher of the LDS spectrum of experience and Jason Bergman, former BYU professor & faculty member. Together they discuss the many facets of the Clark Gilbert call to the Q12 of the LDS church.

In this conversation Jason contrasts his experience on the BYU faculty both before and during Gilbert's leadership and candidly shares the painful and life altering impact Gilbert's fervor for loyalty and conformity of LDS orthodoxy had on him and his career.

They also explore the possibility that well-intended loyalty to tradition can actually fracture lives, families, and even the potential good that churches can do in the long run--especially when loyalty to old ways end up getting in the way of further light and truth hiding in plain sight.

Join them for another bold, courageous, and candid conversation inviting spiritual growth in and around the LDS church.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome and Guests

00:36 Why This Topic Matters

01:55 Jana Riess Research

03:42 Jason BYU Background

07:20 Mixed Reactions Online

12:11 Why Gilbert Stands Out

17:27 Culture Warrior Defined

27:12 Polarization and Autonomy

35:53 BYU Orthodoxy Crackdown

40:43 Honor Code Turmoil Timeline

43:58 Choosing to Leave BYU

44:56 Faculty Fear and Silence

47:15 Big Tent Tensions

49:14 Incognito Faculty Support

52:41 Loyalty Oath Explained

58:33 Surveillance and Dismissals

01:00:35 Hiring and Worthiness Filters

01:02:52 Growth Versus Orthodoxy

01:07:31 Data on Same Sex Marriage

01:10:02 What BYU Lost

01:17:44 Evolution One Funeral

01:20:46 Gerontocracy and Mini Me

01:22:07 Final Thanks and Farewell

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411: Inaugural Live Fellowship Recording Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

Join us for this one-time-only recording of our FIRST Latter Day Struggles "Live Fellowship"!

What is this, you ask? Valerie has decided to offer a gathering place for those on the LDS and surrounding faith expansion journey wanting consistent (2x/month!) connection with her to go deeper into the mind & heart expanding content on both the Monday and Friday tracks of the Latter Day Struggles podcast.

In this opening gathering, Valerie explored with those in attendance how both The Family Proclamation to the World and the call of Clark Gilbert to the Q12 are reflections of a historical moment and a choice point that all organizations confront as they grow. The question?

Do we adapt to a more connected and pluralistic world that is experiencing an awakening of light and truth? Or do we double down in fear-based conformity?

This amazing interactive Fellowship Live episode gives you a taste of how your faith journey can move beyond a passive listening experience and towards active healing and connection with other seekers like yourself.

Jump in now and you can become a founding shaper of the first cohesive and intentional community of individuals whose LDS faith journey was an entry point into their greatest spiritual growth and evolution.

If you listened and this is for you, jump into the Latter Day Struggles LIVE FELLOWSHIP by clicking on the link below and enroll.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome: Why Seeing Faces Matters

00:51 Building a Faith-Expansion Community

02:33 What a "Sangha" Is

04:14 How the Fellowship Works

05:23 What This Space Is (and Isn't)

07:43 Ground Rules: Staying with Growth

09:28 Why Context Heals

10:48 The Family Proclamation & Clark Gilbert

13:57 America and the LDS Church as Parallel Institutions

15:52 Master Narratives & Threatened Identity

19:38 Retrench or Adapt: The Choice Point

27:00 Discussion: Authoritarian Systems vs. Healthy Communities

32:54 Pocket Communities Over Polarization

34:08 Seeing the System with Compassion

37:50 Why Narrative Change Feels Threatening

40:00 High-Level Language vs. Real-Life Details

42:42 Moving Beyond Fixed Rules

46:45 Transcend & Include

51:37 Rethinking Prophecy

56:13 Our Role in the Larger Awakening

01:00:16 Closing: Breakout Groups & What's Next

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409: The Family Proclamation: Living Document or Unchanging Doctrine? Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode II of II]

This episode of Latter Day Struggles continues a two-part conversation about the LDS Church's Proclamation on the Family, examining the tension between claims of unchanging doctrine and the historical reality of doctrinal evolution.
Petrey demonstrates through historical analysis that LDS teachings on gender, sexuality, marriage, and family have repeatedly changed over time—from positions on interracial marriage and the priesthood ban, to birth control prohibitions, plural marriage, conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals, and women wearing pants.

The conversation highlights how church leaders have consistently taught that their current positions were "unchanging doctrine" until those positions eventually changed, creating a pattern that contradicts claims of doctrinal fixity. Petrey offers a constructive framework for understanding doctrine as historically contingent and evolving—consistent with the LDS concept of continuing revelation—rather than eternally fixed.

The Family Proclamation

Op Ed by Taylor Petrey

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and Welcome

00:19 - Overview of the Proclamation to the Family

01:19 - Recap: Last Week's Discussion

01:31 - Defining Doctrine and Authority

02:08 - What Does 'Doctrine' Mean to Members?

03:48 - The Salvational Weight of Doctrine

05:31 - Elder Rasband's Talk and Proclamation Analysis

09:40 - Historical Changes in LDS Doctrine

11:41 - Race, Interracial Marriage, and Doctrinal Change

13:14 - Birth Control and Plural Marriage

15:11 - History vs. Faith-Promoting Narratives

17:34 - Redefining Doctrine: Making Space for Change

20:06 - Conversion Therapy and Evolving LGBTQ Positions

22:31 - Holding Contradictory Positions Simultaneously

25:31 - Challenges of Authoritarianism in the Church

28:09 - Religious Authority Across Denominations

32:33 - Who Defines History vs. Who Defines Doctrine?

34:22 - Doctrine as Continuing Revelation

35:15 - Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions

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407: Is the Family Proclamation a Commentary or a Revelation? Feb 09, 2026

Show notes

Series Title: What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode I of II]

Welcome to this two-part series where Valerie welcomes returned guest scholar Taylor Petrey to discuss the LDS Church's Family Proclamation to the World as it reaches its 30th anniversary.

The heart of the episode centers on Taylor's controversial Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece in September 2025 (linked below) arguing that The Family Proclamation should be understood as commentary rather than revelation or unchanging doctrine. This characterization sparked significant pushback from conservative church members who insisted the document represents eternal, unchanging truth.

Taylor and Valerie explore the complex and often inconsistent ways that the LDS Church uses terms like doctrine, revelation, policy, and commentary, noting how these categories shift depending on context and speaker. They discuss how the proclamation itself has been reinterpreted over time and set you up for the second part of their conversation where they dive deeply into the changing interpretations themselves.

The Family Proclamation

Op Ed by Taylor Petrey

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:11 Discussing the Family Proclamation

01:48 Cultural and Political Context

04:20 Historical Background of Family Proclamations

07:04 The 1995 Proclamation and Its Impact

13:21 Opinion Piece and Public Reaction

24:43 Controversy and Clarifications

27:57 Historical Changes in Church Teachings

28:33 Modern Reinterpretations of Doctrine

30:42 Balancing Eternal Truths and Continuing Revelation

32:58 The Controversy of Words and Authority

36:15 Revelation vs. Policy: A Case Study

38:10 The Fluidity of Revelation

43:45 The Role of Commentary in Church Doctrine

48:20 Setting Up for the Next Episode

51:36 Final Thoughts and Conclusion

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405: Announcing: Biweekly LIVE Fellowship! More Healing & New Connection Feb 02, 2026

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