Latter Day Struggles

Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Nathan and Val draw from the wisdom of Jungian scholar James Hollis and his insights about truly evolved parenting. Turns out that parenting is not about crafting perfect children.  It is not about crafting compliant children.  It is not even about protecting children from tough lessons.  Nor is it about needing children to carry on their parents belief s...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VIII of VIII] In this Q&R episode Valerie asks CAROL LYNN PEARSON several tough questions from you listeners about how she has managed to navigate some of the thorniest topics in Mormondom. Perhaps the more challenging question she answers is how she navigates feeling congruent with herself as...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VII of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother Go...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part VI of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part V of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God....

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part IV of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part III of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother Go...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part II of VIII] For these mini-episodes I will be showcasing some of my favorite poems more deeply acquainting us with the feminine face of God.  Please listen and listen again...these poems hold lost and forgotten truths that can recall to us our sometime distant relationship with our dear Mother God...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Tribute to the Life & Poetry of Carol Lynn Pearson [Part I of VIII] Carol Lynn Pearson said,  "maybe the worst thing that could have happened for the Brethren of the Mormon church was the moment I was given the role to play "Joan of Arc" in a theatrical production at BYU 60+ years ago!" The rest was history.  And luckily for us, our...

Send us a Positive Review! Following the recent Salt Lake Tribune article titled "BYU-I Instructors fired for failing 'ecclesiastical clearance.' They can't find out why", and on the heels of this podcast's last episode coincidentally on a similar topic, Valerie was connected with a BYU-I faculty member who was willing--anonymously--to share their experience as a curr...

Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Valerie interviews former BYU professor and current lover of people, education, music, truth, and personal integrity.  In this conversation, Jason shares his journey from his teen years as a convert to the LDS church, through years of rewarding orthodoxy (box checking like the best of them) that led him to a position at BYU.   His faith expansion journey...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part VII of VII] This episode rounds out the complete analysis of the 2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet AND explores the wisdom of the great thinker and theologian Francis Menlove's writings, proposing that unity of doctrine is greatly overrated in this [and every] church and that the idea of needing to have...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part VI of VII] Join Val and Nathan in this deep dive into the Church's current positions on the human body, sexual thought, speech, expression, and relationship, the Word of Wisdom, tattoos, piercings, grooming issues, and a word to those who have been abused in any way. Main points discussed include conv...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part V of VII] In this episode Val and Nathan break down the section "Walk in God's Light", a section of the manual used to offer direction on issues such as media use, word of wisdom, and issues around the use of pornography.  They love the guidance to cultivate our own offspring-of-God abilitie...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part III of VII] In this episode Valerie and Nathan tackle the "For the Strength of Youth" section titled "Love God, Love Your Neighbor".  This section starts off strong reminding us of love as the power that evokes more love and the most important force for growth and change. Another "...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Analysis of E. Corbitt: Christ-Centered Activism [Part II of II] In this follow up episode, Valerie conceptualizes the recent formal criticism of activism/advocacy against the LDS church from the psychological framework called Internal Family Systems [IFS]. She begins by explaining how within each individual is a “true self” who is whole, complete, wise, an...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Analysis of E. Corbitt: Christ-Centered Activism [Part I of II] In this special episode, Nathan and Val respond to the recent address given by E. Corbitt claiming that all activism against the church is sinful, wrong, and motivated by evil intention.  This could not be further from the truth.  Val and Nathan address the following issues looking at the psych...

Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Valerie walks you through her own experience with many, many of her own clients who tenaciously refuse to believe that the atonement is actually infinite and eternal for them.  In the LDS faith (and other conservative Christian faiths) sexual addiction seems to hold an elevated place of shame, judgment, and condemnation. Many people communicate and truly...

Send us a Positive Review! Series: 2022 Strength of Youth Health Check [Part III of VII] In this episode Val and Nathan focus on the section in the pamphlet that outlines the LDS church’s teachings on the atonement of Jesus Christ and riff about some positives in this section as well as what they feel might be a generalized misunderstanding about the nature of Christ’s truly infinite power to heal...

Send us a Positive Review! Due to the large number of enquiries I have received about joining a space-limited support group, this short episode will answer some of the common questions that many of you have about what to expect in a Latter Day Struggles Support Group.  I address and give examples of kinds of conversations we have, kinds of content I bring, what type of participation you might expe...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part II of VII] In this episode tackling the fresh new For the Strength of the Youth Pamphlet, Val and Nathan cover the first several sections of this pamphlet and on the bright side are encouraged by opening words about the lovability of our youth and how normal it is to struggle in life.  They also notice the...

Send us a Positive Review! Series Title:  2022 Strength of Youth Pamphlet Health Check [Part I of VII] Join Nathan and Val in this walk down "For the Strength of the Youth" memory lane.  Beginning with the first rendition in the 60's and its humorous fixation on proper fashion to the focus on measuring up to God of the 1990's pamphlet and anxiety inducing do's and don&apos...

Send us a Positive Review! Join Valerie and Nathan as they break down the Young Women's and Young Men's Themes from the perspective of healthy identity development as children of divine parents, each with a unique identity and purpose in this life.   Val and Nathan celebrate the 'wins' in each document and then describe why certain elements of each document might be problematic...

Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Valerie validates those who are struggling with some current policies that are wounding our sexual and gender minority friends and loved ones and invites a deeper understanding of both the hurt and our potential to heal this hurt by looking at Carol Lynn Pearson's book "No More Goodbyes".    In this episode Val breaks down what she consider...

Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Valerie talks to those of you out there whose faith and trust crises are at least in part due to issues around the LDS church's doctrine, policies, and consequent treatment towards our sexual and gender minority friends and family members.  This episode focuses especially on scientific findings that clearly explain that sexual orientation is not a ch...