Ah-ha's, Awakenings, and Applications

Leann and Melissa continue their conversation about connection by reviewing Brene Brown’s concepts of “near enemies” and “far enemies,” the importance of self-acceptance, and how prioritizing truths allow us to form deeper connections.   Ponder Questions: Am I intentionally creating connection? Am I giving my power away to other people? Is this fact or opinion? What is truth? Am I safe? In wh...

Leann and Melissa go over the importance of vulnerability and connection for forming genuine connections and how stories tie people together across generations.   Ponder Questions: Am I making connections with authenticity? Am I secure in my own self-acceptance? How can I be more real? Am I willing to share my struggles? Do I have anyone to confide in? What are the long-term effects of social...

Leann and Melissa go over the concept of belonging as an innate need and how authenticity and effort helps yourself and others feel connected and wanted.    Ponder Questions: Do I have a sense of belonging? Am I noticing others? Am I an active participant? Am I being authentic with myself? Am I being my authentic person around others? Am I helping other people feel like they belong? Am I...

Melissa and Leann discuss creating a plan for the upcoming year and how we can trust Christ to help us make changes in our lives and continually begin again.   Ponder Questions: What old patterns keep reoccurring that I am ready to change? What went well for me this year? What didn’t go well for me this year? What do I need to stop doing and start doing? What does the Lord want me to stop doi...

Leann and Melissa talk about the power of little rays of light, how choosing Christ’s light makes a difference in our lives, and how we can emulate that light.   Ponder Questions: Am I seeing the rays? How can I bring more light into my life? Am I seeing the good? What can I do to bring back the light? Am I seeking enough light to illuminate all that is available? What am I going to do to see...

Leann and Melissa discuss letting the Lord lead us through difficult times and the importance of being a peacemaker.    Ponder Questions: Why am I so fearful? Where is my faith? Am I choosing peace? Am I letting go of control? Am I a peacemaker? Am I a builder or a destroyer? Am I noticing the good in others?   Invitation: Study how to show faith and seek for greater peace.  &n...

Melissa and Leann talk about “includedness” and how to share authentic belonging and kindness with others to make sure no one is alone.    Ponder Questions: How am I including others in our gatherings? How can I reach out so others feel included? How am I building relationships? What is keeping me from Christ? Am I accepting the call to gather scattered Israel? Who do I know who is feeli...

Leann and Melissa discuss ways to simplify this upcoming holiday season by reprioritizing your favorite parts of the holiday, being willing to say no, and focusing on Christ.   Ponder Questions: How do I find Christ in Christmas? What kind of a holiday do I want to create? What is the most important to me? Am I living in gratitude? How can I love and serve others? How much time do I have to g...

Leann and Melissa discuss rejoicing in and building both spiritual and temporal abundance, ways to move out of a scarcity mindset, and embracing our limitless potential as children of God.   Ponder Questions: How is abundance showing up in my life? How am I cultivating abundance? What do I consider abundance? What areas am I abundant in? How is scarcity showing up in my life? How do I add to...

Leann and Melissa announce their new YouTube channel and share their story about the origins of Aha’s and Awakenings and Applications, and then dive into the topic of conquering limiting beliefs and working with Christ to build self-confidence and enjoy the journey of life.   Ponder Questions: What fears am I overcoming? Do I really feel that I am a child of God? Am I turning to Christ first?...

Leann and Melissa expand the definition of ministering to include neighbors and communities as they discuss following promptings and showing love through simple, consistent ways.   Ponder Questions: Am I ministering to someone each day? Do I understand the true reason for ministering? Do the people I minister to feel ministered to? Do the people I minister to feel comfortable enough to ask fo...

Melissa, Leann and Erin continue to discuss the importance of listening to your body and ways to release old emotions and patterns to facilitate personal healing. Erin walks Melissa and Leann through some breathwork exercises.    Ponder Questions: Am I thanking my body for the messages it is giving me? Am I stuck in my head? Am I leading with my heart? Am I living in alignment with what...

Erin, a trauma-informed breathwork facilitator, joins Melissa and Leann to talk about the importance of the breath and how it allows you to reconnect with your body and move forward with God.   Ponder Questions: What is it I want to let go of, and what do I want to receive? Am I intentionally finding my breath? Am I intentionally breathing? Am I aware of what my body is saying?   Invitat...

Melissa’s friend Shauna, creator of the Refill My Soul app, joins Melissa and Leann to discuss how meditation helps us to abide with God and share everything with Him.   Ponder Questions: Am I taking time to be still? Have I forgotten what it is like to be still? Am I in a place of poor reception where I am unable to hear the Holy Ghost? Am I in a spiritual slump? Do I believe in a God who is...

Leann and Melissa discuss messages and themes from the October 2025 General Conference, including ways to become more like Christ in these last days.   Ponder Questions: What attributes of Christ can I work on? How can I connect with others? Am I choosing to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Am I being proved? Am I deeply studying the Book of Mormon? Am I choosing moral agency? Am I excited for...

Leann’s daughter-in-law Caitlin joins Melissa and Leann in remembering President Nelson and discussing how his prophetic counsel and invitations have blessed their lives. Ponder Questions: Have I followed his invitations? Am I focusing on Christ? Am I preparing to understand symbols as I go to the temple? Am I accessing God's power? Am I missing out on blessings by not following prophetic council...

Leann and Melissa discuss our internal and eternal value as children of God, worthiness as a process, and how Christ offers us personal hope.    Ponder Questions: What is my value?   Invitation: Ask to know how Heavenly Father feels about you.   References: D&C 18 :10  “Value beyond Measure,” Joy D. Jones, October 2017 General Conference “Choices for Eternity,” Russell...

Leann and Melissa talk about the difference between self-esteem and self-compassion and how we can create spaces of acceptance and inclusion for ourselves and for others.   Ponder Questions: Where is my self-esteem rooted? Am I allowing myself to make mistakes? Am I showing myself compassion, or am I loathing myself? Am I focusing on love? Am I letting go of comparison? Am I respecting others...

Melissa’s brother Ben, a seminary teacher, joins Melissa and Leann to discuss the importance of scripture study and how dedicating time and effort to the scriptures allows the Spirit to teach us truth. Ponder Questions: Am I meeting God in the scriptures? Do I prepare to read and study the scriptures? Am I asking to be taught? Am I asking questions with the intent to learn and act?  Am I allo...

Leann and Melissa continue their discussion on grief by exploring alternative definitions of grief, including the opposing natures of godly and worldly sorrow and how they connect or divide us from Christ.   Ponder Questions: What am I saying to myself? Am I grieved into repenting as I feel Godly grief? How is the repentance cycle working in my life? Am I repenting as soon as I am aware? Am I...

Nate, a grad student studying communication, returns to talk with Melissa and Leann about grief as loss and reframe the common myths associated with grief.   Ponder Questions: Am I trying to “fix it” and make someone who is grieving feel better? Am I able to show empathy and compassion to someone who is feeling intense emotions? How can I be there to support someone else in the grieving proce...

Melissa’s daughter Lyndee joins Leann and Melissa to discuss different forms of creativity and how we choose intentional creation with the Savior, and how creativity and stories allows us to connect with one another and our divine identity.   Ponder Questions: What do I want to create? What am I thinking? What am I uncovering inside? Am I turning my story over to Christ? “What do you suppose...

Melissa and Leann discuss how recognizing fear and refocusing on Christ help us become empowered through faith.    Ponder Questions: Where is fear showing up in my life? Where am I not exercising my faith? Where am I looking? Where is my focus? Where am I spending my time? Am I living my life for Christ? Have I walked away from the rock?   Invitation: Choose a fear and work on facin...

Leann and Melissa talk through how distraction and fear prevents us from achieving our goals and how to peel away our personal distractions to refocus on our eternal progress.   Ponder Questions: What are my distractions? What things can I change? Am I aware of the things that are distracting me? Will this matter tomorrow? Is this a good use of my time? Is this taking me closer to my goals? I...

Leann and Melissa talk about how Christ increases our capacity and capability for growth and how the process of striving allows us to become more than we think we can be.    Ponder Questions: What lies am I accepting as truth? Do I challenge the lies with truth? Am I choosing to partner with Christ? Am I ok with making mistakes? Am I ready to allow God to show me what I am capable of? Am...