Called to Create: An LDSPMA Podcast

Al Carraway’s infectious enthusiasm and “wild optimism” has helped propel her forward through her difficult and uncanny journey of faith. A multi-award-winning author and international speaker, she shares her passion for life, happiness, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. True to her bold New York authenticity, Al talks about her disappointments and frustrations and how bringing them to God makes all...

Known for her work as an actress, writer, radio show host, and co-producer of Once I Was a Beehive , Lisa Valentine Clark has “stumbled into” a variety of roles throughout her life and career. With her trademark humor, Lisa shares what she has learned from her experiences and how she feels “called to create a beautiful life” to honor the legacy of her late husband, Christopher. Real Moms: Making I...

An experienced podcast host, Connie Sokol brings her trademark enthusiasm and positivity as the new host of the LDSPMA podcast Called to Create . She is a bestselling author, media personality, speaker, and devoted mother of seven children. Connie describes the Called to Create podcast as “part devotional, part scripture, part life experience, and part kitchen table chat.” With her expert guidance...

Sherry Meidell is a watercolor illustrator who often sees in life what others miss. For her, art is a way to connect with people and highlight the grandeur of life. Sherry serves as president of the Utah Watercolor Society and has received acclaim for illustrations of children’s books and landscapes. Watercolor is magic, she says. You don’t always know how water is going to react to paper. “Often,...

CJ Madsen is a graduate student studying choral conducting at Brigham Young University. CJ received his bachelor's degree in piano performance, also from BYU. CJ is fluent in composing, piano accompanying, arranging, and singing. He has performed in over 275 concerts and recitals during his time at Brigham Young University. CJ's recent choral/orchestral composition, One Fold, One Shepher...

Becky Fawson pursues her passion for art with the same ferocity she did as an 18-year-old first-generation college student. Over the years, as she raised her family, she continued to hone and refine her skills as a graphic designer and illustrator. But it wasn’t until the grandchildren needed better picture books that she found her niche. “There are books that you want to hide from your children b...

Since 2014, Margaret has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help start the film industry there. Her Congolese team recently released its first feature-- Heart of Afric a--in both the Congo and the USA. Margaret worked for twenty years with Darius Gray telling stories of Black Latter-day Saint pioneers . She taught creative writing at BYU for thirty years and is a much-published author. 

Jeff Wheeler is a sensitive soul. He once broke into wild tears as a young teen after reading a novel. But now, as a writer who creates books so engaging that readers stay awake late into the night, he feels no guilt for their loss of sleep. In this week’s podcast, Jeff shares his desire to create spellbinding fantasy fiction using religious themes that depict protagonists of strong moral characte...

Gregg Deal is a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Husband and father of four, Deal describes himself as a professional disruptor of the cowboy/Indian stereotype. He combines his artistic skills with a love of history to tell the story of his people, stirring new appreciation and soul searching in his audience. On this episode Deal and host Ted Finch talk about the compelling drive to create...

Be prepared to be stirred by two authors, Ka Hancock and Spencer Hyde . They both share how they portrayed the delicate subject of mental health by drawing on their up-close and personal perspectives. Ka Hancock, the author of Dancing on Broken Glass , is a former psychiatric nurse, and Spencer Hyde, professor at BYU and author of Waiting For Fitz and What the other Three Don’t Know uses his exper...

This week’s podcast features Heidi Tucker, a grandmother of 10 whose irrepressible happiness and deep-rooted hope have inspired many to take heart and rise to their opportunities. She is an award-winning speaker and writer who has been awarded Book of the Year, Best Inspirational, and Best Cover awards for her first two books Finding Hope in the Journey and Servie’s Song . Her latest release, The...

Jason F. Wright is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. He is also a popular speaker about the miracle of opening doors, faith, failure, the Christmas Jars movement, the lost art of letter writing, and many other topics. Each year Jason visits schools across the country and presents assemblies and writing workshops to students at all ages.  Jason grew up in Charl...

In 2017, President Clark G. Gilbert became the first president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide , a global online organization serving over 50,000 students in over 150 countries. President Gilbert previously served as the president of BYU-Idaho, the CEO of the Deseret News and Deseret Digital Media, and on the faculty of the Harvard Business School. President Gilbert currently serves as an area seventy, a...

Abigayl Finch is a writer, baking expert, theatre aficionado, and might be a little obsessed with musicals. She is currently a public policy major at BYU-Idaho. On our journey to become voices of light, we don’t travel alone. Sometimes you are the hero. Other times you might be the mentor or an ally. You might even be all of these roles at the same time across several different life stories. In to...

Rob Eaton has authored or co-authored multiple books for an LDS audience, including President Eyring’s biography, I Will Lead You Along. He is currently a professor of religious education and a Learning and Teaching Fellow at BYU-Idaho, and he serves as a stake president. Rob has worked as an attorney, institute director, seminary teacher, and other leadership positions at BYU-Idaho. 

Al Carraway is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ, writer, multi-award-winning international speaker, and author of the best-selling books, “ Wildly Optimistic ,” “ More Than the Tattooed Mormon ,” and “ Cheers to Eternity! ” After a decade spent in Arizona & Utah, she is now living with her husband, Ben, and her three kids back where she was raised, in New York, She has spent the last 10...

Steven Piersanti is one of the founding members of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association. He currently serves as the director of conferences and programs. Steve is also the president and publisher of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., a leading independent publisher of books on current affairs, personal growth, and business and management.