Girlscamp

Can you stay Mormon if you don’t actually believe it? Jessica Paige identifies as a secular Mormon and joins me to talk about why she stays, how she defines that label and what it actually looks like to participate in Mormon life without belief. You can find Jessica on TikTok here. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp...

Crazy church dating stories incoming! We’re talking condescending Mormon men, purity culture weirdness and the intense marriage focus in high-demand religions. More specifically: Shrek cosplay YouTube videos, a family who spiritually communicates with dragons and a Mormon guy who’s a little TOO into Harry Potter. In-N-Out at midnight TikTok Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ fo...

Today I’m diving into the Mormon POV on Mother Mary. And beyond some very ahem interesting doctrinal points (see the title), Mary opens up a much bigger conversation about virginity and virtue, the physical nature of the Mormon God, and the absence of any real female divinity in LDS theology. Mary, the Mother of Jesus (according to TCOJCOLDS) FAIR Latter Day Saints on Mary The Guardian Article Mor...

Benny grew up feeling like something about him was “wrong.” After pushing through the Mormon path—full-time mission, BYU education—he eventually came out and began learning how to love himself for who he is. With his expertise in gender and sexuality, we talk about Mormon manhood, coming out at BYU, his continued fascination with deep-cut LDS doctrine, and how he’s embracing new forms of spiritual...

I consumed a lot of Mormon and Mormon-adjacent media this week: Heather Gay’s Surviving Mormonism, Elizabeth Smart’s new documentary Kidnapped and Jennette McCurdy’s latest novel Half His Age. As you can imagine, I’ve got thoughts! We get into purity culture and sex, what it means to face the very worst of Mormonism, and where the bounds of “religious freedom” really are. And I also end up sharing...

Three years later, I’m revisiting the question that kicked off the whole Girlscamp podcast. I talk about how my answer to why I left the Mormon church has evolved, and reflect on how this podcast has helped shape me. Here’s to three more years!  The first Girlscamp episode Russell M. Nelson quote on the historicity of the Book of Mormon The Trevor Project Utah LGBTQ+ mental health statistics Sober...

I’m resurrecting the campfire chat ✝️ and diving into your thoughts and questions. We end up covering a lot of ground: Mormon adult infantilization, mixed-faith extended family dynamics, learning to trust yourself after high-demand religion, threesome thoughts, and more. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content fol...

“The most tragic episode in the history of the Church,” according to the Mormon Church’s own website, is the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In this episode, we talk about the violence carried out by early Mormons at Mountain Meadows, what was deliberately covered up, and how to reckon with that history now—especially after leaving the church. We dig into the social and political tensions between Mormo...

Though we both left Mormonism, Ash and I ended up in very different spiritual places. We talk about the tension between my skepticism and her mysticism, what New Age spirituality looks like in her everyday life, and the meaning it brings her. We also talk about her family’s move to Missouri to prepare for the Mormon Second Coming, and how that has shaped her worldview. Tune in for a dose of Ash ma...

This year was a big one for internal change. I’m sharing what I’ve changed my mind about in 2025 — my relationship with Mormonism, how I feel about Jesus, and what I now think counts as grounds for divorce. Then I’m reading your mind-changes, from something as small as eating kiwi skin to something as big as a 180 on political beliefs. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two...

In light of senior Mormon apostle Jeffrey R. Holland’s passing, we’re sitting down to take a real look at his life and legacy. He shaped so many of us in our Mormonism (and influenced many of our exits, too). He was my former favorite apostle, and I still have lines he said memorized. Those lines ring very differently now. Let’s get into it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

Today I get to be the Catholic priest. I’m reading your end-of-year confessions: marriage woes, smut enjoyment, religious indoctrination worries, and getting freaky at BYU. I also unpack my thoughts on the uproar over John Dehlin’s comments about his Mormonism, and whether I think I’m more ethical than practicing Mormons. Tommy Johnson’s reel about John Dehlin Terry real Instagram Zoomie (the girl...

No better time than Christmas to take a look at who Jesus really was. This episode is a deep dive into the historical Jesus—what we know, what we don’t, and how the story evolved over time. I ended up liking Jesus (the real guy) a lot more by the end of this. So, merry Christmas to that 🥂Yale Professor lecture “The Historical Jesus” Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two b...

We have some catching up to do! I’m getting into some ✨off the main feed ✨ topics today: an interaction with a couple moms from my kid’s extracurriculars, BTS from the Chase McWhorter episode, Christmas-time mom guilt, more about my grief journey and how I feel about people who go to church just for the community. See you there! You can listen to the full episode on the Girlscamp: Unplugged Patr...

Chase McWhorter, of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, comes to Girlscamp today to talk about his Mormon upbringing, sex shame and taking accountability for his recently revealed DUI charge. We dig into the context behind his choices (spoiler: it's mostly Mormon!) and the ripple effects they’ve had. We talk about what rebuilding looks like—as a man, a dad, and in his spiritual identity. Chase on Th...

Only a few weeks off social media and this bitch has stories to tell. Today I’m talking about my scrolling addiction and the moment I realized enough was enough. Then we’ll catch up while I read through your submissions and questions ❤️ Episode with Amy McPhie Allebest Podcast Episode with Amy McPhie Allebest YouTube Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke The Push by Ashley...

What would the story of Jesus look like if he had a wife? That’s the thought experiment Sue Monk Kidd takes on in The Book of Longings, told from the perspective of Jesus’s fictional wife, Ana. This book healed some of my Jesus trauma and helped me put words to my new kind of spirituality. It opened up conversations about the silencing of women's voices, patriarchy and power, motherhood, spiritual...

If there’s one thing we’re going to do at Girlscamp, it’s talk about Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Season 3 cracked open so many conversations: toxic masculinity in patriarchal marriages, the complexity of progressive Mormonism, racism in the Book of Mormon, and intimacy issues born from purity culture. Let’s get into it. REFERENCES Jessi on Girlscamp: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3MrrfYJz5MA1...

Author of the viral 2016 essay Dear Mormon Man, Amy McPhie Allebest joins me to talk all things feminism in and beyond a patriarchal faith tradition. We get into how deeply patriarchy is baked into Mormonism and the wider world, why recent shifts in the church’s treatment of women can feel more harmful than helpful, and how to uproot patriarchal thinking in ourselves and our communities. We wrap w...

Sunday check-in time! I’m answering your write-ins about everything from people-pleasing and workplace self-doubt to holiday gift-giving dread, grounds for divorce, and the rage of watching Mormon rule changes get retroactively gaslit (i.e. "it was never about modesty"). We also get into financial control in relationships, mixed-faith dating, the SLOMW season 3 men, and… whether I’ve ever been to...

There’s a full-blown Mormon reality TV takeover happening! This week, Madi Murphy-West of The Bad Broadcast joins me to break down why public fascination with Mormonism keeps growing and why it translates so well to the reality TV format. We get into Utah’s pipeline feeding Dancing With the Stars, our predictions for Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 3, and our thoughts on Taylor Frankie Paul as...

What's spookier than talking about religion? Talking about politics. 👻 So let's dive right in. This week, I'm not just sharing my political opinions (though I do a bit of that)—I'm talking about talking about politics: why it feels like such a landmine, whether it’s even productive, and how I try to navigate it all. Correction: In this episode, I mistakenly said that Donald Trump was convicted of...

How do you know what’s right when there’s no religious rulebook anymore? This week I’m talking about how I’m rebuilding my moral compass and working through a bunch of ethical dilemmas — like whether my decision to publicly call out Christian podcasters felt morally aligned, what I’d do if I found out a friend was cheating (or being cheated on), and the ethics of parents doing online sex work. I a...

We’ve got another haunted episode—this time we’re diving into LDS doctrine around devils and demons. I break down the “demons in the details” of Mormon teachings about Satan, then share your stories and reflections on what learning about the devil meant for you. Meredith’s episode Conversion Therapy to Drag Diva: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversion-therapy-to-drag-diva/id1667706991?i=...

It's our third annual Girlscamp scary stories roundup! Bentley joins me as we dive into tales of a haunted mission house, a temple initiatory gone wrong, a possessed Airbnb doll, and more. Consider this your Halloween campfire… inside the chapel. Last year’s scary stories episode with Bentley Return missionary speaking Spanish video Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bo...