Leading Saints Podcast

Braeden Jensen is a Mental Health Counselor and previously worked as a full-time Seminary teacher. Spending seven years in a high school classroom opened his eyes to a number of things. It changed his ability to listen and sharpened his aptitude for empathy. The more he sat with and listened to students, the more he saw and felt how many people are hurting in very real ways. At the same time, Brae...

Kristy Wheelwright Taylor serves as the board secretary for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation and helps with transcription and writing on the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. Her book, Prepare Me for Thy Use: Lessons from Wilford Woodruff’s Mission Years , will be published on May 12 by Deseret Book and BYU’s Religious Studies Center. Kristy has a masters degree in Humanities from...

Brian J. Willoughby, Ph. D. is a professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and a research fellow at The Wheatley Institute. He received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from BYU and masters and doctoral degrees in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. Brian’s research generally focuses on how adolescents, young adults, and adults move toward and fo...

Ned McArthur is a fellow of the International Board of Functional Neurology, was in private practice as a chiropractor in Orem, Utah, for 25 years, and now works with Integrated Pain Specialists, a multidisciplinary pain clinic in South Jordan, Utah. He served a mission in Dallas, Texas, and has served in the Church as an elders quorum president, ward executive secretary, ward mission leader, Youn...

John Eldredge is a New York Times bestselling author, counselor, and teacher who has inspired millions to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. He is also president of Wild at Heart, a ministry devoted to helping people discover the heart of God, recover their own hearts in God’s love, and learn to live in God’s kingdom. John and his wife, Stasi, live in Colorado Springs, Colorad...

Adam focused on creating a safe environment for open discussions, emphasizing that connection precedes meaningful gospel instruction. He shares practical strategies for engaging quorum members, and advocates for a shift from administrative check-ins to genuine conversations about members’ lives, fostering a culture of support and vulnerability.

What if your elders quorum could be completely transformed? One elders quorum president has a bold new vision that could reshape Latter-day Saint priesthood meetings, service efforts, and quorum unity. Hayden Holm, co-host of Salty Saints , and guest Daniel Ockey—an Elders Quorum president from Charlotte, North Carolina—shares an innovative approach to revitalizing the elders quorum experience. Da...

Justin Dyer received BA in Marriage and Family from Brigham Young University and a Master’s and Ph. D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also has expertise in statistics. Justin is a professor of religion at BYU, teaching religion and family classes, and focuses his research on religion and mental health. He has published over 70...

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in July 2020. David Butler is a religious educator at Utah Valley University. He also cohosts the popular YouTube scripture study channel Don’t Miss This and is the author of many religious books, including Almighty: How the Most Powerful Being in the Universe Is Also Your Loving Father , Redeemer: Who He Is and Who He Will Always Be , and Sp...

Gary Miller is the host of the “Hope In Him Today” and “Outside The Lane” podcasts. Before joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served as an independent fundamental Baptist pastor. He spent 11 years in the United States Air Force, dividing his time between critical care medicine and professional development training as a master military training instr...

Brenda Angle has served as a Young Women president, Primary president, stake and ward Relief Society president, stake camp director, and as a service missionary teaching study skills at the Provo Missionary Training Center. She is an author and a certified faith-based life coach and speaker who has also trained and certified 200 other faith-based life coaches. Brenda has served as president of Uni...

Rabbi Chaim Zippel was born and raised in nearby Salt Lake City, and is the first-Utah born Chabad Rabbi. He attended Yeshivas in California and New York, and has extensive experience in outreach work and youth programming all over the country. Rabbi Chaim & Esty Zippel moved to Lehi, Utah in 2022 to launch Chabad of Utah County. Chabad of Utah County is dedicated to promoting and strengtheni...

Jon Holdaway was born and raised in Pleasant Grove, Utah. He served in the Korea Seoul Mission, where he met Sister Juliette Landsem. They have two children. Jon graduated from Brigham Young University and BYU Law, and served in the Utah Army National Guard. He later became an Army JAG officer with assignments including Charlottesville, Virginia, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Darmstadt, Germany, where...

Frank Schwartz is a husband—for nearly 24 years—and a father of three girls. He was recently released from his elders quorum presidency and has served in several bishoprics, elders quorum presidencies, high councils, high priest group leaderships and Young Men presidencies (back when those were a thing), and a variety of other callings over the years. Frank did undergraduate and graduate work in P...

Courtney Bush lives in the Utah Area, married her high school sweetheart, and together they have two kids. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Early Childhood Education and has a deep love for teaching and helping children. During her time teaching, some of her accomplishments included the Golden Apple Award and KSL Teacher Feature. Courtney currently serves as stake Young Women preside...

Mark Bell has over 20 years of experience as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), and has trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). Mark specializes in helping couples navigate relational and emotional intimacy challenges and much of his work is with men struggling with sexually compulsive behavio...

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in July 2021. Andrea Lystrup is a licensed marriage and family therapist and owns a private practice—Andrea Lystrup Therapy—in Tucson, Arizona. She received her master’s degree from the University of Maryland in Couple and Family Therapy. She specializes in marriage therapy, particularly working with sexual issues, betrayal trauma, and mixed faith...

This podcast is a group discussion about the Heart of a Woman retreat, a 3-day intensive experience for women of faith. The retreat provides a space for women to connect with God, other women, and themselves. It includes presentations, time for reflection, and opportunities for prayer and worship. The guests discuss their own experiences with the retreat and how it has impacted their lives. They a...

Matt Bardsley grew up in Montana, and after a mission to New Jersey moved to Utah to go to school and has been there ever since. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Sociology and a master’s degree from Utah State University in Education. He has been a seminary teacher for 19 years, 12 of those serving as a local faculty principal where he gets to train teachers. He is a for...

Parker Walbeck shares his journey as a millennial content creator who aims to engage both younger and older audiences with gospel messages through short, impactful videos. He emphasizes the significance of sharing simple, foundational doctrines and the power of personal testimony, noting that even small acts of sharing can have a profound impact on friends and family. Parker is a filmmaker, social...

Tanner Pursley was born and raised in Thatcher, Arizona. He served his mission in Recife, Brasil, and graduated from BYU-Idaho where he married his sweetheart Nicole. He got his Masters Degree in School Counseling from Northern Arizona University. Tanner has over six years of EFY experience and another five working as a wrangler for troubled teenagers at Arivaca Boys Ranch. He currently is serving...

Danny and Emily Deaton are the founders of Living Proof Recovery Services, a company dedicated to supporting individuals and families who are navigating addiction with a loved one. They carry degrees from rival schools, the University of Utah and Brigham Young University but found common ground in their love for Jesus and the Utah Jazz. They have built a life they love together in Alpine, Utah. Th...

Jodi Atkinson was born and raised in Utah, and has lived all over the state. She went to college at Utah Tech University in St. George, Utah, and graduated with an Associates Degree in Science. That was where she met and married her husband, Brian. She then took on her next greatest educational experience as the mother of five children. The family left Utah in 2011 and has since lived in Texas, Il...

Skyler Sorensen grew up in St. George, Utah as the fourth of eight children. He is an active Latter-day Saint who experiences same-sex attraction. He and his wife, Amanda, were married in the Provo, Utah temple in 2018. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s in Media Arts and currently works with the team at Scripture Central. Skyler started the podcast “Sit Down with Sky”, w...

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in February 2020. Tony Overbay is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, a Certified Mindful Habit Coach, and the host of two award-winning mental health podcasts, “The Virtual Couch” and “Waking Up to Narcissism.” Tony also co-hosts “Love, ADHD” with author Julie Lee, where they share their experiences of receiving ADHD diagnosis as adults, and...