Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

My friend Jamison Manwaring (RM from Eastern Canada, Business Owner, Age 40) shares his journey as a gay Latter-day Saint. Jamison talks about his efforts to make deals with God to not be gay during his closeted years growing up in Idaho Falls and coming out to his Mission President who listened without judgement. Jamison talks about difficult and painful years in his 20’s and early 30’s trying to...

My friend Ed Axley (married father of four, business owner, RM from Costa Rica) share the unique aspects of our restored doctrine that led to his baptism into the Church at age 18. Ed also shares four insightful ways to respond when people open with their life situations. Ed concludes with helping each of us see ourselves as beloved children of Heavenly Parents and to never feel shame or less of o...

My friend Andrea Lystrup is a licensed marriage and family therapist joining us to share insights on several important topics including 1) creating Zion within our Church; 2) tools to better love each other; 3) how to balance the tension between law and love; 4) working through pain when something said at Church is hurtful; 5) how to get through trauma/pain which is interfering with your relations...

My friend Marcus Hayden, age 19 and preparing for a mission, shares his story as a gay Latter-day Saint. Marcus starts with the excellent talk he gave in his BYU YSA Ward this summer based on Elder Gong’s talk “Room in the Inn” (https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/16gong?lang=eng). Marcus does a great job of taking the principles from Elder Gong’s talk and applying...

My friend Liv Mendoza Haynes, who spoke with the Relief Society General Presidency at BYU Women’s Conference, shares her story. Liv (who is a convert, RM, Lawyer, Young Woman’s President and expectant mother), shares her journey which included coming out as queer church-wide at Women’s Conference in April 2021 as part of the Relief Society goal to help everyone belong (see https://www.thechurchnew...

My friend Colette Dalton (Masters of Social Work from BYU, worked for the Church, now therapist at Symmentry Solutions) share her journey as a gay/queer Latter-day Saints. Colette shares her journey to understand her sexual orientation, navigating being queer and a Church employee and her work as a therapist. If you are a queer women or parent of a queer daughter, Colette’s insights will help you....

My friend Kendall Harward (Ghana, West Africa RM) bravely shares his story. Kendall talks about life before his mission pushing down this aspect of his essence, talking to his Bishop, and going on his mission believing feelings of being gay was a phase that ended. Kendall bravely talks about realizing being gay was still part of him during his mission and how he navigated the complexity of his sit...

My friend Stuart Barrett (RM from Nebraska, age 26) bravely shared his experience being disfellowshipped in a Facebook post (see https://www.facebook.com/1344601875/posts/10225731849786709/) and returned to full Church activity. Stuart talks about why he is open about this chapter of his life, why he is a better person for going through the process, efforts to reduce shame and desire to give hope...

My friend Devan Jensen, president of the Latter-day Saint Publishing and Media Association (ldspma.org), joins us to introduce the organization and invite listeners to their upcoming conference at BYU October 7-9, 2021. The association is for Latter-day Saints in publishing or media or independently sharing content through blogs, podcasts, or social media (membership is free). Those who join can n...

In this solo episode following the events at BYU on August 23rd, I share thoughts for my LGBTQ Latter-day Saints friends, thoughts about my friend Matt Easton, thoughts for fellow Latter-day Saints who are LGBTQ allies, thoughts for local leaders wanting to talk about supporting LGBTQ Latter-day Saints in their local areas, and insights for those in a faith crisis who want to stay in the Church. I...

My friend Mindi Holmgren and Justin Holmgren join us to share about the sudden death of their husband/brother at age 35. Corey, who drowned in the community swimming pool on January 19th 2019, was a Military Chaplain and LMFT working at Lifestar in Murray, Utah who helped hundreds during his lifetime. Mindi and Corey are the parents of four—with their last child born 6 weeks after Corey’s death. M...

My friend Ryan Anderson (LDS married father of 4, Ph. D. in Medical Family Therapy from East Carolina University) talks about helping those in abusive relationships and also tools to help local Church leaders better meet the needs of those who bravely open up about being victims of abuse. Ryan offers this free webinar https://academy.cedarfort.com/course/religion-and-abuse. Ryan has a book from Ce...

My friend @noah7hanson on IG shares his journey as a gay Latter-day Saint. Noah talks about life in High School, and his successful mission (came out to Heavenly Father at the end of his mission). Noah also talks about dating women, getting engaged, and then receiving strong personal revelation to end that engagement and come out to his now ex-fiancé as gay. That put Noah in a very difficult and d...

My friend Kim Siever zooms us from Lethbridge, Alberta, to share his story. Kim, who is Canadian, served a mission in Utah and is now an independent journalist. He tells us his lifelong journey to understand his sexual orientation after being convinced for over 40 years that he was straight. He also shares how the Spirt helped him understand this part of him, and he came out as queer to his wife,...

My friend Geoffrey Pears (Masters in Accounting from BYU, RM from the Philippines) joins us to share the talk he gave in his YSA Ward in Houston about his journey as a gay Latter-day Saint. It is a deeply moving, honest and vulnerable talk. Geoffrey does a great job taking us into the life of a gay member of the Church. I am glad that his Bishop and ward leadership helped to create Zion by asking...

My friend Jordan Jackson (who shared his story in episode 246) joins us to talk about his new LGBTQ resource guide, LGBTQUT.com. Jordan talks about how the guide helps connect LGBTQ individuals, parents with LGBTQ children, and allies to resources in Utah—something Jordan wishes he had 4 years ago when we came out. Please listen to this podcast and check out LGBTQUT.com. Thank you Jordan for being...

My friend Kurt Nielsen (who was episode 147) updates us on his journey and insights as a gay Latter-day Saint. Kurt, who is active in the Church, shares insights on what we can do to better create Zion by seeing and involving our LGBTQ members. Kurt also talks about the need to belong and how some considering separating themselves from the Church are not having a belief crisis but a belonging cris...

My friend Will Sintyl, who grew up in Haiti and has lived in Utah for the last 4 years, shares his story. Will, who recently graduated from High School, shares coming out to family and friends as bisexual. Will talks about knowing he was bisexual for many years, why he needed to come out and his hopes for the future. Will also talks about how his relationship with the Church is even stronger since...

Our good family friends Mason Dimond and Luke Davenport join us to share their stories. Luke updates us on his service mission that ends in late July—thank you for your service Elder Davenport! Please listen to Episode 228 for more of Luke’s story. Mason, in one of the bravest moments on our podcast, shares what led him to come home from his mission after 5 weeks. Mason, who left for his mission i...

My friend Blake Hogge shares his story as a gay Latter-day Saint. Blake shares knowing his was “different” before his successful mission to Tampa, Florida (Haitian Creole), decided to stop dating women, developing his very successful wedding photographer business (check out @blakehogge on IG), coming out to friends and family, starting to date men, and staying close to his Heavenly Father. Blake h...

My friend Calvin Smith (RM from Mozambique and Swaziland, BYU Grad in Teaching Social Sciences) bravely shares his story as a gay Latter-Day Saint. Calvin talks about his younger years, great mission experience, realizing marrying a woman isn’t going to be possible, becoming suicidal with the complexities of his situation, good family and friends, and finding hope and healing. Calvin talks about d...

My friend Raini Stock (RM from Colorado Springs and getting her Master’s in school counseling from Idaho State University), shares her journey to stay a member of our Church. Raini shares the challenges she faced after her mission while at school at BYU-Idaho and not fitting in or feeling a sense of belong at times in our Church. Raini shares being uncomfortable about garment wearing (not from a r...

My friend Lincoln Bagley bravely shares his unique mission (Peru, home for a year, Utah, Peru and Colorado) which covered three years from his call to returning home in May 2021. Lincoln talks about being sent home from his mission because of prior worthiness and a difficult experience his Mission President, feeling his was going to leave the church because “could not measure up”, being home for a...

My friend, Dr. Christy Kane who has a PhD in clinical psychology, joins us to talk about her new book Fractured Souls and Splintered Memories: Unlocking the Boxes of Trauma (https://www.amazon.com/Fractured-Souls-Splintered-Memories-Unlocking/dp/1462140327). Dr Kane’s book and clinical practice is focused on improving our mental health including identifying and working through trauma. In the podca...

My friends Loren (PhD in Counseling Psychology from BYU) and Anne (Master in Marriage and Family Therapy from BYU) share their story. Loren, who knew he was not straight from an early age, shares his journey of self-discovery and understanding and why he identifies as Queer—a recent development—and the personal revelation that led him to accepting that label for himself. Loren and Anne also discus...