The LDS Mission Podcast

Episode 264: I'm Not There Yet explores one of the most common thoughts missionaries have: "I thought I'd be farther along by now." Whether it's confidence, spirituality, boldness, or becoming the kind of missionary you hoped to be, it's easy to compare yourself to an idea of who you think you should be. In this episode, I share why those inner expectations often create unnecessary discouragement...

Episode 263: Reminders to Live By was inspired by one of my favorite General Conference talks, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's "Forget Me Not." As I revisited this talk, I couldn't stop thinking about how perfectly these five reminders apply to missionaries, returned missionaries, missionary moms, and anyone preparing to serve. In this episode, we talk about being patient with yourself, understanding t...

Episode 262: Face and Feel Your Fear is a reminder that fear isn't something to eliminate—it's something to understand, experience, and move through. In this episode, I share why fear, anxiety, self doubt, and uncertainty don't mean you're doing something wrong. Whether you're preparing to serve a mission, currently serving, or navigating life after your mission, I want to help you see fear as evi...

Episode 261: What If I Get Cold Feet? is for anyone who is preparing to serve a mission, nearing a big life transition, or wondering what to do when fear starts getting loud. In this episode, I talk about the very normal experience of getting "cold feet" before something important and why feeling fear, hesitation, uncertainty, homesickness, or anxiety doesn't automatically mean you've made the wro...

Episode 260: The Mission Bubble explores something I see all the time with missionaries, returned missionaries, and missionary moms: the tendency to get so immersed in the mission experience that we lose perspective. In this episode, I talk about the "mission bubble," the unique environment that helps us focus, grow spiritually, develop confidence, learn discipline, and deepen our relationship wit...

Episode 259: Before You "Wait For Each Other" is a conversation I've been wanting to have for a long time. Whether you're preparing to serve a mission, currently serving, a returned missionary, a missionary parent, or navigating a boyfriend or girlfriend relationship before a mission, this episode is for you. I dive into common questions about dating, waiting for each other, mission relationships,...

Episode 258: When You Feel Walked On is for missionaries, returned missionaries, missionary moms, and anyone who has ever felt exhausted, resentful, or quietly taken advantage of from always being the one who says yes. In this episode, I share a conversation I had with a missionary who asked me a powerful question: "What do you do when you feel like people are walking on you?" We talk about overgi...

Episode 257: A Simple Script for Missionary Moms  is for every missionary mom, dad, mission leader, or loved one who has ever wondered,  "What do I say when my missionary is struggling?"  In this episode, I share one simple but powerful script that can completely change the way you support missionaries, returned missionaries, and young adults through hard days, discouragement, anxiety, homesicknes...

Episode 256: Rethinking Mission Stress is all about understanding why stress shows up on the mission and how to work with it instead of feeling overwhelmed by it. In this episode, I share a real situation from a missionary mom and walk through what is actually happening in your brain when stress hits. We talk about how your brain is wired to see things as high stakes, even when they are not, and h...

Episode 255: How One Insight Can Change Everything is all about how a single shift in perspective can completely transform your confidence, your direction, and the way you see yourself as a missionary, returned missionary, or missionary mom. In this episode, I share a personal story about an identity shift I experienced and how something I once saw as a weakness became one of my greatest strengths...

In Episode 254: Fortify the Ship , I share a powerful perspective shift for missionaries, returned missionaries, and missionary moms who feel worried about how hard a mission—or life—can be. Instead of trying to calm every storm, fix every companion, or control every circumstance, I teach why the real work is learning how to strengthen yourself from the inside out. Missions are meant to be 50/50—f...

In Episode 253: Every Day Is a Good Day , I share a message that came from a recent sacrament meeting talk and how it applies directly to missionaries, returned missionaries, and anyone navigating waiting periods, hard seasons, or emotional challenges. Whether you're in mission prep, waiting on a visa, struggling to find your place, or just feeling like life isn't going the way you expected, this...

In Episode 252: Why Your Habits After the Mission Aren't Working, I'm talking directly to returned missionaries who feel guilty, frustrated, or discouraged because they can't seem to maintain the same habits they had on their mission. If you've been trying to force yourself into rigid routines, linear schedules, or spiritual habits that no longer fit your life—and then making that mean something i...

In Episode 251: When Change Is the Right Move , I'm diving into a powerful and nuanced conversation about personal growth, missionary mindset, emotional resilience, and how to know when it's time to shift your thinking—or actually change your environment. So often, we hear simple advice like "just change your thoughts" or "just stay busy," but real transformation isn't always that straightforward....

In Episode 250: The View From Here , I'm reflecting on turning 50, reaching 250 podcast episodes, and what I've learned about the patterns of life through years of coaching missionaries, returned missionaries, and missionary moms. This episode is deeply personal as I share stories from my life—moments of faith, growth, heartbreak, uncertainty, and purpose—and how they've revealed a powerful truth:...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Episode 249 - You Can't Go Back to Your Comfort Zone, we talk about why the "comfort zone" your brain wants to return to doesn't actually exist—and what to do instead. Whether you're a preparing missionary, currently serving, a returned missionary, or a missionary mama, it's so normal to find yourself thinking, "I just want things to feel like they used to." But th...

In Episode 248 – The Truth About "Finding Joy in the Work" , I share a powerful mindset shift for missionaries, returned missionaries, preparing missionaries, and missionary moms who feel discouraged when they're "not finding joy in the work." In this episode of the LDS Mission Podcast, I break down why the phrase finding joy can actually be misleading and why joy isn't something you discover out...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Episode 247 – Stop Fighting Yourself , I'm sharing a powerful mindset shift for missionaries, returned missionaries, and missionary moms who feel like they're constantly battling their own thoughts, emotions, or motivation. So many of us have been taught that growth requires fighting ourselves—battling the natural man, conquering weakness, or pushing through fear w...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Episode 246 – Reclaiming Purpose , we talk about what to do when you feel like you've lost your purpose on the mission, after the mission, or even as a missionary mama. If you're currently serving and struggling with anxiety, rejection, comparison, or discouragement, or if you're a returned missionary feeling directionless and wondering what's next, this episode is...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Episode 245 – A Leadership Framework , we explore what Christlike leadership really looks like on the mission and in everyday life. In this episode, I share a simple but powerful framework that has been on my mind ever since a stake leadership training: identity before instruction, worth before correction, and belonging before belief. Whether you're a district lead...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Episode 244 – Creating Clarity , we talk about what to do when you feel stuck, confused, directionless, or unsure about your next step on the mission, in college, or in life. I share in real time what it looked like for me to create clarity while recording this very episode, and why clarity rarely comes before movement. Whether you're deciding if you should serve a...

LDS Mission Podcast Episode 243: Relationship Strategies with Mike Dildine is a Valentine's-week conversation with my favorite human—my husband, Mike—and it's packed with real-life relationship strategies that apply to marriage, companionships, family relationships, roommates, and mission culture. We talk about what coaching has taught us about thoughts, emotions, agency, and how to stop living li...

LDS Mission Podcast Episode 242: How to Know If You're Making Progress is all about answering a question I hear all the time from missionaries, returned missionaries, and missionary moms: How do I know if the internal work I'm doing is actually working? When growth is emotional, mental, and spiritual—like confidence, anxiety, fear, perfectionism, or self-trust—it can feel invisible. In this episod...

Here on The LDS Mission Podcast, Ep. 241 - Flavors of Motivation,  is all about changing the way we think about motivation—especially when it feels like it's "on" one day and completely gone the next. I share why motivation isn't actually black-and-white, and how judging yourself for feeling unmotivated usually makes everything heavier. Instead, I teach a simple framework that helps you identify y...

In E pisode 240, "Advice vs. Tools," I talk about something I feel deeply passionate about right now—especially as I work with younger preparing missionaries and get ready to launch Mission Prep Plus again—and that is the powerful difference between receiving advice and learning actual tools. Advice often sounds helpful and well-intended, but it's usually based on someone else's experience, person...