Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

This is a solo podcast for my friend wanting to repent and for parents/local leaders/friends looking to better help them. It is based on Chapter 5 called “Hope-Filled Repentance” from my book “Listen, Learn and Love: Improving Latter-day Saint Culture”. I hope and pray this podcast is helpful to you. All my love, Richard Links mentioned in the podcast: Richard Ostler Book: Deseret Book: https://de...

My friend Dr. Ryan Gottfredson (active LDS, married father of two, leadership and management professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton) joins us to talk about his Leading Saints article called “The Root Cause for Why Members Leave the Church and What Leaders Can Do About It”. In this article Ryan shares facts about why people leave the Church and w...

My friend Crystal Bowman (active LDS, Mother of six, Marriage and Family Therapist) joins us to share some thoughts on how to talk to our kids about sex from a shame-free approach. The podcast provides new perspectives and helpful tools to begin to talk about sex in an age-appropriate way to be intentional and normalize these conversations in our homes. Crystal teaches this is not a one-time conve...

My friend Amberly June Bean (gay, active LDS, lo married mother of one; late 20’s) joins us to bravely share her story. Amberly, who grew up in Idaho Falls, talks about knowing she was gay and eventually coming out to her mother (good experience). She talks about the shame and suicidal ideation she felt during this time and not wanting to disappoint her Heavenly Parents by being gay. Amberly talks...

My friend Liz Kazandzhy (married mother of 3, active LDS, podcaster) joins us to talk about her new book focused on helping us better unlock the power of the Holy Ghost to have more spiritual experiences, make better decisions, and feel more hope. Liz (taking each letter of the alphabet) shares how the Holy Ghost can help and guide us. She also shares some personal stories, including working throu...

My friend Cassidy Lundgren (married mother of four, active LDS) joins us to talk about her three-decade journey dealing with OCD (especially scrupulosity subset) and depression. Cassidy starts with her high school and college years never feeling good enough and being sad all the time—and incorrectly believing that more religious commitment was the key to solve her challenges. Cassidy’s shares how...

My friend Nathan McLaughlin joins us to share his story as a gay Latter-day Saint and recent returned missionary (returned home in August of 2022). Nathan starts the podcast with his years leading up to his mission, why he decided to stay in the church, organize a rally at BYU-I to support LGBTQ students, and then his decision to serve a mission. Nathan then talks about his mission which including...

My friend Kory Koontz (married father of 5) joins us to share his story in the hopes that his journey in life will help others. Kory bravely talks about figuring out his sexuality (he is bisexual), serving a mission, getting married and divorced, feeling suicidal, staying active in the Church, dealing with pornography, getting remarried, working through bipolar 2 and using God-given talents. Kory...

My friend Jaci Wightman (married mother of 7, certified wellness coach) joins us to talk about her new book “Aren’t You Tired: Embracing the Lord’s Call to Enter His Rest”. Jaci write how this book focuses “on how worldly worries, juggling Church responsibilities, and managing societal expectations, many Latter-day Saints are tired. They are weary from constantly striving to work hard enough, be g...

Jeralee Renshaw and David Ostler join us to talk about a Facebook support group for LDS parents who have adult children not participating in the Church. Jeralee and David share their own experience with some of their children leaving the church, the need to community for parents walking this road, what they have learned from other parents, what is helpful, and their goals for their families. If yo...

My friend, Elder Shane Carpenter, joins us as a full-time missionary from the California, Anaheim Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share his story as an openly gay missionary. Elder Carpenter states he wanted to be "my authentic self so I could become something better,” and be in a better position to help people come unto Christ. His podcast episode, with approval from...

My friend Anne Easton (active LDS mother of four) and Malcolm Easton (age 29, web development, same-sex relationship) join us to share their story. The podcast starts with Anne’s talk in her Latter-day Saint congregation about her gay son Malcolm and what we can do to better support our LGBTQ family members. It is a powerful and needed talk. Anne also talks about all the subsequent needed conversa...

My friends Aubrey and Tim Chaves join us to talk about “Restore: A Faith Matters Gathering” on October 7-8 in Salt Lake City. In this episode they talk about the purpose of the conference, who is speaking, who is performing, and who is invited to this groundbreaking inaugural event. For more information and to register, please go to https://faithmatters.regfox.com/restore Also, Faith Matters is of...

Our long-time family friend Ben Delmoe (married father of three, active LDS, age 31) joins us to share his story with OCD. Ben starts with how undiagnosed OCD ended his MTC experience causing him to return home. After 13 months, Ben returned and completed his mission pushing through OCD without full understanding of his mental illness. Ben shares several examples of how he coped with OCD—without h...

This is a solo podcast for my younger unmarried LGBTQ Latter-day Saints friends—including a segment for transgender Latter-day Saints. This recaps the general principles and advice I give to younger unmarried LGBTQ Latter-day Saints. I hope and pray this is helpful. Much love, Richard Links mentioned in the podcast: Facebook Group to Minster to LGBTQ Latter-day Saints: https://www.facebook.com/gro...

My friend Suzette Ward Halterman (relationship and couples coach specializing in LDS mixed-faith marriages) joins us to talk about how to keep marriages and families strong and together when different perspectives and beliefs enter the relationship. Suzette shares how those differences can be a good thing as it deepens emotional connection to create a better relationship. If you are in relationshi...

My friend Shawn Moon (noted writer, business leader and community member) joins us to talk about his new book called Learning Leadership From the Scriptures: 12 Practices for Building Leadership Effectiveness Based on Timeless and Eternal Principles. The book is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Leadership-Scriptures-Effectiveness-Principles/dp/1462142931/ Shawn talks about how...

My high school friend Mark “Mini” Morgan joins us to talk about his journey into and then out of addiction. Mark bravely shared his story in this June 8, 2022, Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/mark.morgan.5439/posts/pfbid02ToW5aoKvuKzohpyCMd2CJqhgd3jXWGGu11AmEGWFVJigTxmocEGLueZByd6FjjHil In this post Mark writes: “21 years ago, today my life was at rock bottom. Arrested for a second time wi...

My friend Jody England Hansen (married mother of three, active Latter-day Saint) shares her story growing up in family that valued critical thinking, activism, looking out for the most marginalized and moving forward with the complexities/beauties of being a Latter-day Saints. Jody also shares insights about her father, Eugene England, who was one of the most influential Latter-day Saints in our l...

My friends Tyler Lefevor, Cynthia and Paul Winward join us to share about and invite listeners to the church leader sessions at Affirmation’s International Conference (attend in-person or virtual). If you register, you view and discuss the church leader sessions later as each session is recorded. Here are links mentioned in the podcast: Affirmation conference overview: https://affirmation.org/even...

My friend David Cook joins us to share his journey as a life-long Democrat. David isn’t on the podcast to recruit for new Democrats, but rather to help create space in our congregations for different political perspectives to be welcomed and valued. David, who has been on this road his whole life, has the long view for younger liberal Latter-day Saints looking for voices and their needed perspecti...

My friend David Butler joins us to talk about the beautiful doctrine of our restored Church and how it applied to our lives. David also shares a gospel principles framework to manage the complexities of life’s questions. David also shares how our Heavenly Father will always be there to help and support us and the role of Jesus in our lives. If you are looking for a steady gospel voice to give you...

My friend Preston Jenkins (who was on Episode 237) joins us to talk about his new book, “This Boy and His Mother: Healing from Trauma as a Gay Latter-day Saint.” The book talks about how Preston found hope and healing through Christ after sexual and emotional abuse during his mission. The abuse resulted in PTSD and would be triggered by things related to The Church (such as reading scriptures). Pr...

My friend Noah Walker (age 20, active LDS, college student) shares his story with OCD with a focus on some of the “taboo” subsets including harm OCD and pedophilic OCD. Noah talks about egosyntonic (line up with values) and egodystonic (don’t line up with values)—a critical difference in understanding these subsets. Noah also talks about this path to hope and healing—and how he pulled out of feeli...

My friend Dr. Matthew Wickman (BYU Professor of English and Founding Director, Emeritus, of the BYU Humanities Center) joins us to talk about his new book called “Life to the Whole Being, The Spiritual Memoir of a Literature Professor”. The great book (published by the BYU Maxwell Institute) is available at: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Whole-Being-Spiritual-Literature/dp/0842500618/ In the podcast...