Mormon Stories Podcast

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

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📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

I Was A Mormon Wife - It Never Felt Right - Stetson Done Pt. 2 | Ep. 2214 Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

What happens when you follow the path laid out for you, but it still doesn’t feel right?

In Part Two of our conversation with Stetson Done, Stetson returns from his mission and quickly becomes engaged, believing marriage is the next step in the life he is supposed to build. But despite trying to be a good spouse and faithful Mormon, he struggles with the expectations of marriage, sex, and motherhood. As his questions about the church grow, he begins to recognize his attraction to women and encounters new ideas of his own gender identity that he never had the context to understand before.

Stetson shares what led him to leave his marriage, the process of coming out to his family, and how hearing experiences of other transgender men helped him understand himself in a new way. He will also discuss what it was like to finally find a relationship that brought self actualization, and the joy he has discovered in becoming a father - rather than a mother.

This is part two of a three-part conversation with Stetson. Please be sure to continue on with his story to understand how he forged his own personal path to personal happiness!

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⁠Show Notes⁠

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Raised as a Mormon Girl - It Never Felt Right - Stetson Done Pt. 1 | Ep. 2213 Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

What happens when you grow up doing everything you are told, but it never feels right?

In Part One of our conversation with Stetson Done, a transgender man who grew up Mormon, Stetson shares his story of growing up in a loving LDS family in Mesa, Arizona. Although he appreciated the structure and community of Mormonism, he struggled with the expectations placed on girls and the belief that becoming a wife and mother was his highest calling. He knew he didn’t want that future, but didn’t yet understand why.

Stetson describes the gender divisions he experienced in church, the differences between the Young Women's and Young Men's programs, and the loneliness of feeling out of place without having the language to explain it. He also reflects on his LDS mission in El Salvador/Belize, and the disparity between how male and female missionaries are regarded in the Church.

Although Stetson found purpose in much of the Mormon structure, questions about church teachings—including polygamy and the legalization of same-sex marriage—began to challenge his faith. By the end of his mission, his testimony remained strong, but difficult questions were beginning to emerge.

This is part one of a three-part conversation with Stetson. Please be sure to continue on with his story to understand how he forged his own personal path to personal happiness!

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Mormon Missionary Fixer, Peeping Tom, Tithing Manipulation, BYU Notre Dame - Mormon News | Ep. 2212 Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

Today on Mormon Stories News, John Dehlin and Meggan Hayes are covering six stories involving the LDS Church, from a revealing Missionary Department job posting to newly released police interrogation footage, debates over tithing, and developments in Mormon culture and education.

THE LDS CHURCH IS HIRING SOMEONE TO HANDLE MISSIONARY CRISES

A Church job posting offers an unusually detailed look at how the Missionary Department handles problems involving missionaries, including health emergencies, worthiness concerns, arrests, and allegations of abuse. One responsibility is particularly revealing: protecting the interests of the Church, the missionary, and lastly, the victims.

https://epej.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/ChurchEmployment/job/378249

RYAN CHRISTOPHER HALL: MORMONISM ENTERS A POLICE INTERROGATION

Newly released footage from a 2024 investigation shows detectives confronting Ryan Christopher Hall, a former Maryland sheriff's detective and devout Mormon who was convicted. During questioning, investigators explicitly bring up Hall's Mormon faith, his troubled marriage, and Christian forgiveness. Hall ultimately received lengthy state and federal prison sentences.

https://youtu.be/SP78F3l8OHs

TITHING AND THE LDS CHURCH'S FINANCES

An article in Public Square Magazine examines tithing and Church finances. We'll look at the arguments being made about religious giving, financial stewardship, and the Church's substantial financial resources.

https://publicsquaremag.org/faith/tithing-and-church-finances/

WHEN AN OB-GYN FOLLOWS THE BRETHREN

A video raises questions about the relationship between medical expertise, religious authority, and following Church leaders. What happens when professional judgment and religious expectations intersect?

https://youtu.be/3cCCicEMj_M

JULIE DE AZEVEDO on SOFT WHITE UNDERBELLY

We're also discussing Julie de Azevedo and a conversation that offers another perspective on Mormon life, identity, and experience.

https://youtu.be/vOjAMMQhXqc

BYU'S MEDICAL SCHOOL MOVES FORWARD

BYU's planned medical school has reached an important accreditation milestone. Deseret News reports on the process and what it means for the university's effort to establish a medical school.

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2026/10/15/how-byu-medical-school-earned-accreditation/

From institutional priorities and financial transparency to religious authority and accountability, today's stories raise important questions about the relationship between the LDS Church and the people whose lives it influences.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

The Mormon Succession Crisis w/ John Turner - Brigham Young Podcast Pt. 4 | Ep. 2211 Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

What happened to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after Joseph Smith was killed?

In Part Four of our series with historical Dr. John Turner, we examine the complicated succession crisis that followed Joseph Smith’s martyrdom in 1844. Drawing from Turner’s book Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet, we explore the competing claims to leadership, the role of Joseph’s family, Sidney Rigdon’s challenge to the Twelve, and the ways Brigham Young gradually established himself as Joseph’s successor.

Why wasn’t there a clear succession plan? Did Joseph intend for one of his sons to eventually lead the Church? Why didn’t Sidney Rigdon receive the Second Anointing? How much did the Smith family name matter to Brigham Young? And what really happened when Brigham was said to have miraculously taken on Joseph Smith’s “countenance”?

We also discuss James Strang’s competing claim to succession, his opposition to polygamy, and why he was able to attract hundreds of Latter-day Saints. Along the way, we look at the so-called “Rigdonites,” allegations against the Twelve, Brigham’s prayer circles, failed prophecies, the pressure he felt to produce written revelations, and his efforts to complete the Nauvoo Temple before the Saints left Illinois.

One particularly interesting theme emerges throughout the episode: Brigham Young did not initially see himself as Joseph Smith’s equal. His authority developed over time as he navigated competing leaders, external threats, internal divisions, and the enormous weight of Joseph Smith’s legacy.

This episode is part of our ongoing series examining the life, leadership, theology, and historical legacy of Brigham Young through the scholarship of Dr. John Turner.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Gay Mormon Bishop Comes Out! - Patrick Brady Pt 2 | Ep. 2210 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In Part Two, we continue Patrick Brady and Dan Dorty’s story as Patrick becomes a Mormon bishop while privately struggling with his sexuality and his increasingly complicated relationship with Dan.

Patrick discusses serving as a bishop, his approach to worthiness interviews, pornography and masturbation, the law of chastity, and his desire to create a safer environment for members of his ward. We also explore the Church’s 2015 policy concerning same-sex couples and its eventual reversal, and how these events affected Patrick’s faith.

The conversation then turns to Patrick and Dan questioning their place in the Church, the SEC investigation, Church history, Patrick coming out to his wife, and his eventual decision to step away from Mormonism.

Patrick reflects on marriage, family, faith, sexuality, and what happened when he finally took away the Church’s power to control him.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Being a Gay Mormon Bishop - Patrick Brady Pt. 1 | Ep. 2209 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In this interview, we sit down with Patrick Brady and his partner Dan Dougherty to hear Patrick’s story of growing up as a gay man in the Mormon church, marrying a wonderful woman, raising a family, serving in church leadership, and eventually becoming a bishop while keeping a deeply important part of his identity hidden.

Patrick was married to Heidi for 27 years and had four children, and he describes how much he loved his family while simultaneously feeling unable to live openly as a gay man. From an early age, he was taught that being gay was sinful and that marriage to a woman could somehow “fix” his same-sex attraction. He shares how teachings from Mormon leaders, including Spencer W. Kimball, shaped his understanding of homosexuality and led him to compartmentalize his feelings and try to eliminate them rather than accept them. He shares his experiences as a missionary, his return to Salt Lake City, the underground gay culture among Mormon men, and his efforts to reconcile his sexuality with the Church he loved.

We also explore Patrick’s marriage to Heidi, his friendship with Dan, and the emotional intimacy that developed between them as two gay Mormon men who were committed to their families and their faith.

Part One follows Patrick’s journey from childhood through his marriage, family life, Church service, and the years he spent trying to live a divided life.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Gambling Crackdown, Dan McLellan on Joe Rogan, Bisbee Case & More - Mormon News | Ep. 2208 Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

For this week's Mormon News Podcast, John Dehlin and Meggan Hayes look at Apostle D. Todd Christofferson's General Conference talk on gambling, a remarkably well-timed prediction from Latter-day Saint journalist McKay Coppins, a new documentary exploring the experiences of queer Christians, the latest development in the Bisbee abuse case, Dan McClellan, Flightless Bird and more.

Months before General Conference, Latter-day Saint journalist McKay Coppins spent a year immersed in America's rapidly expanding gambling industry for The Atlantic. Then, just weeks before conference, he appeared on the Mormon Land podcast and predicted that Church leaders might soon address gambling directly.

Then D. Todd Christofferson did exactly that. His October General Conference talk addressed sports betting, prediction markets, young people gambling, addiction, and even betting on the timing of the Second Coming. We compare his talk with Coppins' earlier reporting and look at just how much the two have in common.

Christofferson's gambling talk also found an unexpected fan outside the usual General Conference audience. Political streamer Hasan Piker praised the Church's stance on gambling, saying, "It's hard for me not to give a shoutout to the Mormons on this one."

Kathy Baldock is on the scene exploring what happens when LGBTQ identity and Christian faith intersect, including the experiences of people trying to find belonging in religious communities while navigating teachings about sexuality and identity.

The Bisbee abuse case may be headed to the nation's highest court. Survivors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case involving clergy confidentiality and the failure of LDS bishops to report abuse they learned about through confession.

Biblical scholar Dan McClellan continues his work separating what biblical texts actually say from the assumptions and doctrines that have accumulated around them. We take a look at his latest conversation and what it adds to discussions about scripture and religious authority.

And finally, Flightless Bird enters the world of Mormonism, giving an outsider's perspective on Latter-day Saint beliefs, culture and the sometimes very unusual world surrounding the faith.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Suing Marriott Hotel for Racist Book of Mormon in the U.K. - Amanda Barnett | Ep. 2207 Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Why would a British ex-Mormon sue a Marriott hotel over the Book of Mormon in her nightstand?

Amanda Barnett grew up Mormon in Plymouth, England. Her mother and grandmother joined the church when the missionaries knocked in 1961. Most Mormon Stories guests believed for years before something fell apart. Amanda never believed at all. She was nearly four when her grandfather died, and when her family told her he'd gone to Heavenly Father, she says she looked up at them and thought, "You're lying."

Amanda tells John Dehlin about growing up as the only Mormon in her school in 1960s and 70s Britain. She describes being sealed to her parents in the London Temple at 14, asking her mother whether she'd choose God or her, and learning that the only Black man in her ward couldn't do what even the boys did because of the "mark of Cain." On her 16th birthday in 1976, she told her mother she would never believe and was never going back to church. Then came two marriages, three daughters, and her mother's early death from a brain tumor. During her mother's illness, the help that came was from charities and a hospice, not the LDS Church. Through it all she was the non-believer in a devout family. Years later she found the ex-Mormon community online, and this month she found it in person on the Post-Mormon Cruise.

In the second half of the episode, Amanda and her husband Jez explain the claim she has filed in the courts of England and Wales. It's against the franchisee that runs the Leicester Marriott. While staying there, Amanda found a Book of Mormon in the drawer and complained about the racist language in 2 Nephi 5:21. The hotel told her the books are a tradition the Marriott family started in 1957. Her claim is not about religion. She argues that putting this text in a paid hotel room is racial harassment and indirect discrimination under the UK Equality Act. The only remedy she asks for is removing the books, or using the "ask at reception" card system Marriott already uses in other countries. Her grandchildren are mixed-race, which makes this personal. Her case management hearing is set for October 12, 2026.

Amanda ends with a message to her family and to Latter-day Saints everywhere: read those verses and ask whether they still belong in your scripture today.

Thanks to Nemo for the introduction, and to RFM, Bill Reel, Rebecca Bibliotheca and everyone who ran the Post-Mormon Cruise.

Recorded September 22, 2026, in Salt Lake City.

Support Mormon Stories: http://www.mormonstories.org/donate

Apply to share your story: http://www.mormonstories.org/apply

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

Our Platforms:

🎙️⁠Patreon ⁠

✳️⁠Spotify⁠

🖼️⁠Instagram ⁠

📧 MormonStories@gmail.com

📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Buddhism Changed My Life - Noah Rasheta Pt. 2 | Ep. 2206 Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

In Part 2 of this Mormon Stories interview, John Dehlin continues his conversation with Noah Rasheta, a former Mormon who became a Buddhist teacher and a host of the Secular Buddhism podcast. After leaving Mormonism and entering what he calls “seeker mode,” Noah began exploring Buddhism –not simply as a set of beliefs, but as a practical way of understanding suffering, relationships, grief, and everyday life.

Noah begins explaining what Buddhism actually is, whether it should be considered a religion, and who the Buddha was. He introduces the Four Noble Truths and explores the Buddhist understanding of suffering, including the distinction between unavoidable suffering and the additional suffering we create for ourselves.

Together, Noah and John Discuss the “first and second arrow” teaching, the happiness trap, and the idea that while we cannot always control what happens to us, we can often influence how much additional suffering we create in response. Noah also shares personal experiences with panic and anxiety and explains how mindfulness and meditation became practical tools in his own life.

The conversation becomes especially personal as Noah discusses the death of his father and how Buddhist practices helped him navigate grief. John and Noah explore mindfulness, grief meditation, contemplating death as a way of appreciating life, and the possibility of meeting difficult experiences with greater awareness rather than resistance.

The discussion then expands into Buddhist ethics and philosophy, including right resolve, the dangers and benefits of absolute authority, the idea that no single worldview necessarily represents universal reality, the Buddhist principle of “do no harm,” and the concept of right livelihood. Noah also explains Buddhist perspectives on death and the afterlife and offers practical suggestions for people who are curious about exploring Buddhism for themselves.

This episode is ultimately a conversation about what happens when we stop asking only, “What is true?” and begin asking, “How should I live?” Noah shares the practices and ideas that have shaped his life since leaving Mormonism and offers a thoughtful introduction to Buddhism as a path for engaging with suffering, uncertainty, grief, and the human experience.

___________________

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today