Girlscamp

Continuing our October run of spooky episode topics, we’re talking about generative AI 👻 I start with a confession about my own past ChatGPT use and then get into all the reasons I think we should steer clear of chatbots as best we can.  Generative AI and not saying “I don’t know” video Try Desire here with code Girlscamp for $100 off Try Earlybird here with code Hayley20 for 20% off Join th...

I finally watched Backrooms and (no surprise!) made some Mormon connections. I'm recapping the movie and sharing my takeaways around processing trauma, particularly of the religious sort. I'm also talking about why many Mormon spaces fit the liminal space aesthetic. You can listen to the whole episode on the Girlscamp Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of my favorite annual episodes is here… I’m sharing your good ghost stories! We’re talking about friendly house ghosts, deceased grandparents showing up right when they’re needed and sacred signs from the other realm.  Try ⁠Desire here⁠ with code Girlscamp for $100 off ⁠Earlybird gummies here⁠ with code Hayley20 for 20% off your order Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠...

Yep! Ted Bundy was a full-blown Mormon. Today I'm telling you how he joined, what his Mormonism may have meant to him and what I think him joining says about Mormonism. Spilling the Mormon Temple Secrets on YouTube Spilling the Mormon Temple Secrets podcast PostMormon PostMortem Cults to Consciousness Ted Bundy episode Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes p...

Today I'm answering the 20 self-reflection questions of the Proust Questionnaire, including my idea of perfect happiness, the trait I most deplore in myself, the living person I most despise, and what I consider my greatest achievement. Join me in some self-reflecting? You can listen to the whole episode on the Girlscamp: Unplugged Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

I went back to Utah for the first time since moving to LA, and it was a mixed bag of emotions. Today, I'm talking about the good and the bad of being back, my first-ever Girlscamp live show, being seated next to a Mormon stake president on a plane, why I want to ditch social media entirely, and a note on 'surprise' pregnancies. Dr. Julie Hanks on Girlscamp Ms Meredith on Girlscamp Elizabeth Gilber...

In this wild card religious stories part 2 episode, things get even crazier than the first round. We’re talking about spiritual coercion to “speak in tongues”, religious justification for taking away women’s right to vote and a dog poop brownie virtue lesson. And that’s just a taste. I also end up ranting about politics, what else is new? Try Desire here, code GirlsCamp for $100 off Try Earlybird...

We’re talking all things friendship! I share about my friendship situation in  California, what I think makes for healthy long-term friendships, how to make new friends and give an update on my big friendship breakup of a couple years ago. You can listen to the whole episode at the Girlscamp: Unplugged podcast here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s that time again! We’ve got another chaotic season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to unpack, and I’m breaking it all down from my perspective as a former Mormon wife. We’re diving into why Taylor Frankie Paul needs to get off the show, that wild comment from Mayci’s older sister, McCall, and the ways Mormon programming played into the end of Layla and Mason’s relationship. I’m also sharin...

It’s time for one of my favorite types of episodes: reading your wildest religious stories. Today, we’re diving into Ted Bundy’s bizarre stint in Mormonism, a UK reverend threatening six-year-olds, people praying over Utah dirty sodas and a deeply spiritual testimony about a Margherita pizza. Grab your holy water, because we are officially going off the rails. Girlscamp: Homecoming live show ticke...

Happy Sunday! I decided to do this week's Sunday check-in here on Patreon, where I can be more open and unfiltered. I'm responding to your submissions—including my thoughts on threesomes, my cringiest Mormon phase, advice for a baby-naming crisis, and my current hyperfixation. I'm also talking a bit about how things are feeling in LA, now that we're coming up on four months since the move. You can...

It was so lovely to chat with today’s guest, Zoe Lazerson, about the times in life she’s made the difficult choice to start over: when rejecting the Mormon life path expected by her community and when ending two long-term relationships. We talk about the similarities between leaving a relationship and a religion, her unorthodox, mixed-faith family upbringing in Utah, and her current spiritual phil...

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of eating disorders and eating disorder recovery. Today, Clara Henrie bravely shares her story of eating disorder recovery, particularly where it intertwines with her Mormon faith deconstruction. We discuss the ways high-demand religions can exacerbate eating disorders and the specific Mormon doctrines that Clara felt contributed to her experience....

I went to church this Sunday of my own free will. You read that right! I took a microdose mushroom gummy on Saturday, went down a Unitarian Universalist internet rabbit hole, and then had to go check it out for myself the next morning. As you can imagine, I felt and thought a lot of things, and I’m excited to share them all with you 🤍 EVERYONE who signs up to my giveaway will receive a FREE Rose...

Ten years after returning home from my Mormon mission, I’m finally answering whether I’m glad I went—and exploring why that’s such a complicated thing to answer. I also share submissions from fellow returned missionaries about how they feel looking back on their own missions. Their responses are all across the board and open up so many thought-provoking conversations about how we make sense of an...

Due to some recent life events, I kind of think that if there is a God, he’s mad at me. So reading and unpacking Louise Glück’s The Wild Iris was particularly cathartic. I loved sitting with her anger at God, God’s often cold responses back, and the plants and flowers that speak their own unique lessons throughout the book. Along the way, I also learned a lot about poetry as a genre, share the beg...

I'm thrilled to have sociolinguist Amanda Montell joining us to talk about the power of language in shaping what we believe—whether those beliefs are religious, political, cultural or even about ourselves. As a gigantic fan of Amanda's work on Wordslut and Cultish, it was such a delight to hear her apply her expertise to Mormon-specific jargon, speech patterns and culture. We discuss everything fr...

I asked you to share your most meaningful dream experiences and naturally ended up crying on my couch reading through them. These stories include poignant visits from dead loved ones, dreams that seemed to reveal truths, confirm life decisions, or offer wisdom at just the right time, a few uncanny coincidences, and, of course, some that are just plain funny. I also give a quick-and-dirty overview...

Abigail Porter, better known online as "The Girl with the List," joins me to talk about deconstructing motherhood—especially after growing up Mormon. We discuss the messages society and religion often send women about motherhood as their highest purpose, and how Abigail unpacked those beliefs to arrive at her decision to be child-free.  She also shares what she loves about the child-free life...

I've been meaning to tell this story for a long time. This is my infertility journey that ultimately led to the birth of my now four-year-old twin daughters. We cover the practical side: infertility treatments, my endometriosis diagnosis, and why we decided to transfer two embryos. But I also get into the parts that are harder to talk about: how infertility shook my Mormon faith, made me question...

I recruited Bentley to answer some "boyfriend questions," and our conversation ended up in some unexpected places. We discuss our death row meals, where we'd look for each other if we went missing for 24 hours, our stolen catalytic converter, how we're settling into life in our new LA rental, a little relationship check-in, and plenty of other tangents along the way. You can listen to the whole ep...

If there's one thing to say about Mormonism, it's that it's distinctly American. My Mormon deconstruction both mirrored and informed my deconstruction of American exceptionalism. In honor of America's 250th anniversary, I'm breaking down how I feel about this country now, the ways Mormonism shaped my view of America, and what it was like to untangle the two. Everyone who signs up to my giveaway wi...

I'm annoyed! By a creator freaking out that Toy Story spotlighted Jessie over Woody and Buzz, for starters, and by a lot of other things too. I had you write in what you're annoyed about, and we've got a great lineup of grievances: in-laws acting weird, returned Mormon missionaries being presumptuous, parents letting their kids go crazy, influencers filming themselves walking, and more. Some I agr...

In this catch-up episode, I'm sharing some shifts in my perspectives I've been noticing after our first month in LA. Then we jump into a little bit of everything: the ethics of porn, a racist comment recently made by a Mormon general authority, Jen Affleck's fourth pregnancy announcement, a few thoughts on Love Island, and what has struck me about the way Utah Mormon adults socialize compared to a...

In honor of Pride Month, I’m reading your stories of when queerness and religion collide. There are stories of finding love despite church community pushback, first crushes, forbidden feelings, queer awakenings, and figuring yourself out in religious spaces. There are also a lot of girls kissing girls: mission companions, YSA ward friends, and fellow campers at Girls’ Camp. We love to see it. And...