Leading Saints Podcast

Chris Kittle lives in Leesville, Louisiana and works as an oral maxillofacial surgeon (a really awesome dentist). He has been bishop for 2+ years for a military ward. In this episode he shares with us his Catholic background, joining the LDS Church at 19 and then serving a mission in Brazil at the age of 22. Bishop Kittle's 5 Leadership Principles Be Flexible Use Your Counselors Communication, Com...

Warwick & Samantha Allen live on the east coast of Australia in beautiful city of Brisbane. Warwick is currently serving as the bishop or his ward and his wife Samantha is a great support and has many years of leadership service herself. In this episode we learn about their unique background of gaining a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ while dealing with growing up in a home impacte...

From time to time church leaders will counsel with someone in their flock that has concerns and confusion related to how science relates to the Book of Mormon; more specifically how DNA relates to the people talked about in the Book of Mormon. It would be beneficial for all leaders to listen to this podcast interview and also review the links below. This will help leaders to have more confidence w...

We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. —Joseph Smith, D&C 121:39 In the history of the world, we're hard-pressed to find more George Washington's. That's part of why he's so revered and even deified. He could have taken a lot mor...

This was a fun interview! I had the chance to chat with Kalee and Neal Mortensen, both Arizona natives, who have been living in São Paulo, Brazil for the last 2 years. They have had a unique experience as newly weds in a foreign country while also attending a familiar church. Neal, who served his mission in Brazil, has served as ward clerk and is currently in the bishopric. Kalee is the Young Wome...

Brigham Rupp is a full-time seminary teacher in Gilbert, Arizona. He’s served as elders quorum counselor, executive secretary, stake Sunday School, and currently serves as bishop. He served a mission in Chicago, Illinois and share many of his scriptural thoughts at The Silver Grey. Also be sure to listen to Brigham's How I Lead interview.

A few years ago a close friend was over at my house visiting with my wife (we will call her Ashley). As I entered the room Ashley said she wanted to tell us about a conversation she had with one of her longtime friends. Ashley's friend called the day before to let her know she experiences same-sex attraction. They had a good talk about the gospel and what this means for her spiritual journey going...

Greg Trimble is a very popular blogger that produces great content around LDS culture (see gregtrimble.com). Part of that content includes leadership articles, teaching articles, and some inspiring words for those serving full-time missions. I had the opportunity to interview him for the LeadingLDS podcast about leadership and what inspires him to write about leadership. It turned out to be a grea...

Adult leaders probably feel pretty hip now that they have their own Facebook account. Sorry to tell you this, but that was totally last decade! Facebook has a problem, and they know it. The youth are bored with Facebook and many don't even bother to check their feed regularly. Apps like Snapchat provide a more dynamic experience that appeals to the youth. So if you only have a Facebook account to...

Like any Mormon boy who was raised going to a church with an indoor gymnasium, I love playing basketball. It was one of the focuses of my teenage years and it taught me many life lessons. One of the great things about basketball is you can learn so much about the character and personality of individuals that are on the court. A manager would have an easier decision about whom to hire by watching t...

Sesily Lee is an inspiring Relief Society president in Las Vegas, Nevada. If you are an avid listener to this podcast you might remember her husband, Trent Lee, when I interview him prior. It was a fantastic episode and this one might be a little better. :) In this interview we hear Sesily's engaging story of conversion as she grew up in a less-active home and had many influential people in her li...

In this podcast, we talk to a 3 Term Senator that just became a Mormon. Senator Larry Pressler from South Dakota, Retired. He was baptized in April 2016. While Senator Harry Reid helped him along the path, he first read part of the Book of Mormon in a Marriott. He served with many in senate and house that were Mormon and has had a lot of feelings and run-ins with members along the way. It’s been a...

Jeff Case is a clinical psychologist, former elders quorum president, return missionary, and gay Mormon. In this interview we primarily focus on the basics a ward leader need to understand about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, personality disorders, suicide, and other mental illnesses. It's a fascinating discussion with best practices of how to help these individuals find a plac...

Ross Richey is originally from North Ogden, Utah. He is currently serving as a high priest group leader in South Salt Lake, Utah. In this episode Ross shares his 5 principles of leadership and other unique perspectives on leadership.

Dan Clark is an award winning motivational speaker and best selling author. He has traveled to 59 countries in the world motivating the masses to create a life of significance. He has also served as a Young Single Adult (YSA) bishop (twice). I first came across Dan's speaking ability when I listened to his BYU Devotional. It inspired me to be a better leader in the Church and it inspired me to get...

Why Brother Neveragain turns into Brother Relapse... Bishop: So you are struggling with pornography addiction? Brother Neveragain: Well, Bishop, it has happened a few times but believe me it won't happen again. Nooooo way! I can't believe I did such a thing when so much is at stake! From here on out it will NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN!

I first came across Bishop Bumbaugh's name when I read his article called, What Happened When I Quit Home Teaching. I thought it was a fantastic story and I was pleased to see he was serving as a bishop in Huntsville, Texas. I reached out to Bishop Bumbaugh and he agreed to do an interview with me and talk about how he leads. In this episode we discuss his conversion to the Church and what guided...

I had the opportunity to attend the Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference in February where I met the owners of Router Limits, a hardware company looking to help families control content coming into their home. Their stuff is cutting edge and they are experts in the field. I set up a time to visit their Layton, Utah office and interview their CEO, Skylar Walker. In this interview Skylar gi...

Scott Hall lives in Taylorsville, Utah and was recently released as bishop after a call to serve in a stake presidency (with my brother). He is a successful real estate agent and is supported by a wonderful wife and 6 children. We talked about his few years serving as bishop and most importantly, how to stay awake in church when everyone is watching you. He talks highly of the examples he has had...

Local LDS leaders are always striving to help single members of the Church feel comfortable in their wards. Each individuals situation is so different that it is difficult to know exactly how to support them. I wanted to gather a group of single LDS members in a room and discuss their experience with being single in their ward. We talk about the stigma of eternal marriage, the doctrine of sealings...

On a scale from 1 to 10 how well does your ward know each other? (1 = they just met, 10 = we are best friends forever)

This Leader to Leader story comes from a BYU Devotional called Constructing Spiritual Stability, by Elder Dale G. Renlund:

In this episode we hear from Trent Lee in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has rich experience as an instructor, teaching Gospel Doctrine, early morning seminary, ward mission leader, and currently serves on his stake's high council. We start off the interview by sharing both of our personal experiences of with Elder Oaks and how that influenced us as leaders. Trent's Leadership Principles: What I learned fr...

A story told by Bruce C. Hafen in 1979 in his talk Love Is Not Blind: Some Thoughts for College Students on Faith:

Brigham Rupp is a full-time seminary teacher in Gilbert, Arizona. He's served as elders quorum counselor, executive secretary, stake Sunday School, and currently serves as bishop. He served a mission in Chicago, Illinois and share many of his scriptural thoughts at The Silver Grey. In this episode we discuss how he decided to become a seminary teacher and how he was later called as bishop. We also...