Transformative Truths: Quotes for Learning, Growing, & Becoming.

Bring Light Into Your Home: Choosing Connection Over Criticism Episode 58 A hard parenting day doesn’t have to become a hard relationship. What helps when a child is upset, everyone is tired, and home feels anything but peaceful? Sarah Waldron Brinton and Dr. Wally Goddard reflect on a quote from Wilford W. Andersen about bringing light into moments of dissonance. Through Sarah’s honest stories of...

Family Stories of Faith: How Ancestry Connects Generations Epsiode 57 What can the faith stories of our ancestors teach us about trusting God with our own families? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Sarah shares a remarkable story from the Fairbanks family history, where quiet encounters with the Book of Mormon eventually led an entire family toward faith in Jesus Christ. Sarah and Wally...

Where Is Your Faith? Lessons from Lucy Mack Smith Episode 56 When circumstances are uncomfortable or uncertain, how quickly do we begin to complain instead of remembering God’s goodness? In Episode 56 of Transformative Truths, Sarah Waldron Brinton and Dr. Wally Goddard share a remarkable account of Lucy Mack Smith leading a group of early Latter-day Saints through an uncertain journey in 1831. As...

Abundance, Joy, and Everyday WonderEpisode 55 What does the beauty and abundance of the world teach us about God? In Episode 55 of Transformative Truths , Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on the generosity woven into creation, from mountains and birdsong to pizza, children, and the small delights of an ordinary day. They explore how gratitude, wonder, and even life’s difficult exper...

Finding God in the Quiet: Stillness, Family, and Sacred MomentsEpisode #54 What might you hear if you made a little more room for quiet? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on President Russell M. Nelson’s counsel that “quiet time is sacred time.” They explore how stillness can help us recognize God’s guidance, become more present with our chi...

Friendship: The Foundation of a Strong MarriageEpisode 53 What really makes a marriage strong? It may have less to do with resolving every disagreement and more to do with being good friends. In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton explore John Gottman’s research on marriage, friendship, conflict, and emotional connection. They discuss why active list...

The Family Stories Only You Can Save Episode 52 What family stories do you wish you could hear one more time? In Episode 52, Wally and Sarah explore how family stories connect us to our ancestors, strengthen our sense of identity, and preserve meaningful memories for future generations. Sarah shares tender memories of her grandmother Judy and the unusual way she used art to honor her family herita...

You Have Not Failed: Finding Joy in JesusEpisode 51 Do you ever feel as though your mistakes are evidence that you are failing God? In Episode 51 of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton explore a more hopeful understanding of keeping the commandments. Rather than demanding flawless performance, Jesus invites us into a living covenant relationship filled with trust, r...

Glory in Your Marital Story: How Looking for the Good Strengthens Marriage Episode 50 What story do you tell about your marriage? Research from Dr. John Gottman suggests that strong couples tend to look back on their struggles as part of a worthwhile journey. They recognize the hardships, but they also notice how those experiences strengthened their commitment, deepened their connection, and helpe...

The Quiet Work That Shapes a Family: Peace, Connection, and Everyday Kindness Episode 49 What if the quiet work happening in our homes matters more than the events that make headlines? Inspired by the words of Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Sarah and Dr. Wally reflect on the lasting influence of lullabies, shared meals, patient listening, and everyday acts of kindness. This hopeful episode explores how pa...

How God Turns Pain into Something BeautifulEpisode 48 Life brings heartache, disappointment, illness, loss, and unanswered questions. But what if God isn't the author of our suffering? What if His greatest work is transforming it? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a profound quote from Terryl and Fiona Givens about God's power...

Why Kindness Works Better Than Control Episode 47 What shapes a child's heart more than correction? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Britton reflect on a timeless teaching from Brigham Young about parenting with kind looks, kind actions, and kind words. Together they explore why kindness creates stronger family relationships than fear, why children...

What's Good Today: Finding Joy Amid Struggle Episode 46 In Episode 46 of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally and Sarah reflect on a simple question that can gently change the way we move through hard days: “What’s good today?” When life is heavy, “How are you?” can sometimes feel too big to answer. This conversation explores how parents, spouses, friends, and families can make room for struggle...

Bonus Episode: True Patriotism: Loving America with Charity and Gratitude Episode 45 In this special bonus episode of Transformative Truths , released in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, Sarah and Wally explore the meaning of true patriotism. Drawing from Sharlee Mullins Glenn’s thoughtful writing on patriotism and nationalism, they reflect on gratitude for America, love of country, faith, ch...

The Positive Habit That Changes Relationships Episode 44 In this week's episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally and Sarah explore John Gottman’s research on positive habits of mind, negative sentiment override, and the way our perspective shapes our relationships. A negative habit of mind can cause us to miss much of the good in our spouse, children, family members, and friends. A positiv...

Why Not? Noticing the Bids for Connection Episode 43 What happens when we stop trying to convince others to love our best ideas and start noticing what already lights them up? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Sarah and Wally explore a simple but powerful idea from Randy Bott: “Superior support of a mediocre idea is better than mediocre support of a superior idea.” Through stories about f...

Notice the Good: Gratitude and Growth Conversation Episode 42 What we notice shapes the life we experience. In this episode of Transformative Truths , Sarah Waldron Brinton and Dr. Wally Goddard reflect on a simple but powerful thought: the good things in our lives often become more visible when we practice noticing them. Together, they talk about gratitude, perfectionism, marriage, parenting, ser...

Feels Good to Be Nice: How Goodness Lifts Us Episode 41 What happens inside us when we witness goodness? In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Briton explore Jonathan Haidt’s idea of “elevation”—the lifting feeling we experience when we see charity, gratitude, kindness, and moral beauty in action. Drawing on Thomas Jefferson’s observation that acts of goodn...

Crazy About You: Why Every Child Needs Someone Who Believes in Them Episode 40 Every child needs someone who is truly “crazy about” them—someone who sees their goodness, cheers for their growth, and helps them feel deeply valued. In this episode of Transformative Truths, Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a powerful insight from psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner about the life-c...

Capturing God’s Blessings: How Daily Journaling Helps Us See His Hand Episode 39 In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on President Henry B. Eyring’s invitation to recognize and remember the hand of God in our daily lives. Together they talk about journaling, noticing small blessings, recording moments of faith, and finding God’s goodness ev...

Buoyant Faith: Hope, Not Burden Episode 38 Faith was never meant to feel crushing. In this week’s episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton explore the difference between religion that feels heavy and faith that gives us hope, peace, and joy. Together they discuss grace, doctrinal hope, Christ as our Advocate, and how trusting Jesus can lift the burden of perfe...

Gratitude, Encouragement, and Connection Episode 37 A simple note of thanks can do more than we realize. In this episode of Transformative Truths , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a touching Reader’s Digest story about a teacher who received her first letter of appreciation after 50 years of teaching. Together, they explore the quiet power of gratitude, encouragement, and sp...

Reordering Chaos Through Faith Episode 36 In this episode of Transformative Truths: Quotes for Learning, Growing, & Becoming , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a powerful passage from Terryl and Fiona Givens about faith, suffering, agency, and God’s power to redeem chaos . Together they explore how God does not always remove difficulty, but can transform pain, mistakes, a...

Spiritual Rebirth Takes Time Episode 35 In this episode of Transformative Truths: Quotes for Learning, Growing, & Becoming , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a powerful insight from Brad Wilcox about spiritual rebirth, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and God’s unending love . Together they explore why real change is often slow, sacred, and deeply personal. They also touch...

Maternal Love Is Divine Episode 34 In this episode of Transformative Truths: Quotes for Learning, Growing, & Becoming , Dr. Wally Goddard and Sarah Waldron Brinton reflect on a moving teaching from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland about maternal love, sacrifice, and Christlike service . Together they explore why the love that serves, lifts, and keeps showing up for children is more than instinct. It i...