Just Love Them

Why do some thoughts leave us feeling trapped in fear, anxiety, worry, and confusion? According to Christian mentor, speaker, and energy coach Julie Hawkes, it's often because we've unknowingly believed lies that keep us stuck. In this powerful conversation, Julie shares five common lies that many of us tell ourselves—lies that separate us from peace, cloud our ability to hear God, and kee...

Family estrangement is becoming increasingly common, leaving many parents, siblings, and loved ones heartbroken and confused. In this episode, Shiree explores the difference between healthy boundaries that create safety and unhealthy boundaries that are used to control, punish, or cut people off. You'll learn some of the reasons family members choose distance. Shiree also shares a simple self-...

When relationships become difficult, it's easy to close our hearts in fear, frustration, or self-protection. But what if the path to greater peace and connection begins by opening our hearts instead? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Rachael Curfew to discuss how we can move from fear to curiosity, from judgment to understanding, and from trying to control outcomes to genuinely loving...

In this episode, Shiree explores a powerful framework inspired by Bryce Dunford that can transform the way we navigate relationships, especially with loved ones who have left the faith. What if "telestial," "terrestrial," and "celestial" describe more than where we end up someday? What if they also describe how we respond to people right now? A telestial response focu...

What happens when someone deeply rooted in faith begins to question everything they once believed? In this powerful conversation, seminary and institute teacher Tucker Boyle shares his personal journey through a faith crisis—what led him there, what he learned along the way, and how that experience now shapes the work he does helping others navigate their own spiritual questions through healing re...

What if healing begins by clearing out the “dusty rooms” of our minds? In this interactive episode, Shiree shares a simple three-step exercise to help you identify painful memories, recognize your good intentions, receive God’s forgiveness, and extend grace to yourself. As we release shame and self-judgment, we create more space for God’s peace, guidance, and love—allowing us to show up more compa...

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with life coach and light therapist Alysia Humphries to talk about something many parents and loved ones quietly carry: tying our sense of peace and worth to how someone else is doing. Alysia gently shares why making our emotional well-being dependent on another person can unintentionally place a heavy burden on the relationship. We discuss the importance of r...

In this deeply personal episode, I share pieces of my family’s journey navigating faith differences, heartbreak, strained relationships, and the fear that things may never heal. Like many parents, my husband and I raised our children with love, faith, values, and the hope that they would embrace the beliefs that meant so much to us. Over time, many of our children chose very different paths. Some...

What is the difference between being a peacekeeper and a peacemaker ? In this powerful and perspective-shifting conversation, I’m joined by Kathie Christensen—a remarkable woman, master teacher, and someone who has spent decades in the trenches of human relationships. As a mother and highly trained foster parent for the state of Utah, Kathie was entrusted with some of the most challenging children...

In this episode, I’ve pulled together powerful quotes from recent General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—all centered on one question: How do we stay close to people who believe differently than we do? The answers aren’t found in fixing others—but in turning more fully to Jesus Christ. These messages gently challenge us to rethink love, patience, prayer, and what it...

When life doesn’t unfold the way you expected, where do you turn for peace? In this episode, Molly Christianson shares her journey through some deeply personal challenges—including divorce and navigating the complex emotions that come when children choose a different spiritual path. Rather than becoming bitter or fearful, Molly has learned to approach these experiences with greater compassion, per...

What do you do when your deeply held beliefs seem to clash with the way you want to love and honor others? In this episode, we explore the tension that can arise between knowing eternal truths—especially those taught in scripture about returning to God—and navigating relationships with people whose choices or values differ from our own. How do we stay grounded in what we believe without becoming r...

In last week’s episode, we heard from Michael McLean. This week, we continue the conversation with his son, Jeff McLean — and you will not want to miss it. Jeff shares his deeply personal story of growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while quietly carrying a truth he didn’t yet feel safe to live: he is gay. For years, Jeff tried to fit into a framework that didn’t align wi...

What happens when the story you’ve built your life around begins to unravel? In this deeply personal and courageous episode, beloved singer-songwriter, performer, filmmaker, and author Michael McLean opens up about one of the most painful and transformative chapters of his life. Known for his inspiring music and messages of faith, Michael shares what happened behind the scenes when his son left th...

You’ve apologized. You’ve repented. They’ve forgiven you. So why are you still punishing yourself? In this episode, we explore: Why we get stuck in cycles of guilt and ruminationThe difference between healing guilt and destructive shameHow the adversary uses the past to keep us stuckWhy your power is only in the present momentWhat it actually looks like to receive Christ’s grace How to finally let...

What happens when four of your five children leave the religion you raised them in? In this powerful conversation, Joy Allen shares how turning to God brought a profound spiritual shift in the way she views agency, motherhood, and faith. Instead of clinging tighter in fear, she learned to lean into love. Grounded in her mother’s simple wisdom — “Love is the answer. Now what was your question?” — t...

What if the way you’re praying is missing one key element? In today’s episode, I share a spiritual “aha” moment that completely reframed how I understand prayer — especially when we’re asking God for miracles. After reading the book The Circle Maker and wrestling with some questions, I decided to write God a letter. The answer I received changed everything. We’re talking about: Why some prayers se...

This week’s guest is Lindsay Schiess —speaker, therapist, and professor at the University of Utah—who brings both professional expertise and deep compassion to one of the most tender experiences families face. As a therapist, Lindsay has worked with individuals on both sides of faith transitions. She offers thoughtful insight into why it feels so painful when a loved one leaves their religion—and...

Why does it seem like God speaks so clearly to some people… but not to you? In this episode, I share a powerful and unconventional way I’ve learned to receive clear, loving direction from God—especially during seasons of confusion, heartbreak, and strained relationships. When a loved one leaves the faith… When family dynamics feel painful… When you don’t know what to do next… We plead for answers....

What do you do when one child leaves and later returns… another passes away from the effects of drug use… and a third relationship feels distant? In this deeply moving conversation, Karen Smith shares her journey as a mother navigating all three realities. With remarkable grace and honesty, she opens up about addiction, grief, hope, disappointment, and the steady love of God that carried her throu...

When someone you love steps away from the faith you cherish, it can be hard to feel love. It can be hard to be a light. It may be more likely that you feel devastated. Rejected. Afraid. Angry. Sad. So how do you truly love and be a light when your heart is hurting? In this episode, I share three life-changing shifts that helped me love my children who left the church—without compromising my faith...

Returning guest and family relationship therapist Emil Harker joins the podcast to tackle a question many of you quietly wrestle with: What do you do when “just love them” feels like “let them take advantage of me”? In true, animated Emil-style, he breaks down what healthy boundaries actually look like —not walls, not ultimatums, but respectful limits that protect connection and self-respect. Emil...

Sometimes the most dangerous lies aren’t loud or obvious. They sound like your own thoughts . In this episode, Shiree shares a powerful realization that came while sitting in the temple—one that changed the way she understands how the adversary works on faithful, covenant-keeping people. Rather than pulling us off the path outright, Satan often works quietly, whispering discouragement, shame, blam...

Grief doesn’t only come from loss we can name or explain. Sometimes it comes from shattered expectations—especially when someone we love chooses a path different from the one we imagined for them. In this episode, life coach Lindsey Shumway joins me to share a powerful and compassionate grief protocol she has taught to many of her clients—and recently used herself as her daughter took a direction...

In this episode, I share a powerful journaling method that helped me move through a season of deep emotional pain—and has the potential to ease both emotional and physical pain. After learning this approach from my friend and past podcast guest Julie Hawkes, I discovered a simple but profound truth: unresolved emotions can keep our nervous system stuck in pain. When those emotions are safely expre...