For All The Saints With Ben Hancock

Acclaimed musicologist, composer, and author Dr. Michael Hicks served on the BYU faculty for 35 years, retiring as Professor Emeritus of Music. In our conversation, we delve into the rich and often surprising history of Latter-day Saint hymnody, looking at everything from the earliest frontier gatherings to the forthcoming global hymnbook. Michael shares how early Saints truly experienced music in...

In this episode, I sit down with JD Payne, the co-creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner behind Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power . Alongside his longtime writing partner Patrick McKay, JD is tasked with one of the largest creative undertakings in television history: translating J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth into a sprawling multi-season prod...

This week I speak with a returning guest, Dr. Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, co-host of Channel 9’s Parental Guidance , and host of the Happy Families podcast. We discuss his latest book, Boys: Building Strong Young Men from the Inside Out , and dive into why the modern conversation surrounding boys and young men is missing the mark. Rather than treating boys as a so...

I speak with Mahjolee Kershaw in this week’s episode who shares her deeply moving and vulnerable journey through severe health crises, losing her faith as a teenager, and finding her way back to Jesus Christ. After grappling with severe depression, an undiagnosed autoimmune disease, and feelings of isolation, Mahjolee experienced a powerful turning point that helped her realize God's intimate...

In this week's episode, I speak with Dr. James Holt, Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester in England and author of On Holy Ground: Inter-faith Encounters and the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ . I wanted to chat with him about how Latter-day Saints can hold unapologetic convictions in the Restored Gospel while simultaneously recognizing and celebrating God’...

Friend, musician, and church music enthusiast Connor Duncanson returns to the show to discuss the ongoing releases of Hymns for Home and Church , the new global hymnbook for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Together, we share our personal top five selections and examine the theological depth, emotional resonance, and musical craftsmanship behind both new Latter-day Saint compositio...

Brent Top, author, educator, and former mission president, joins me this week to talk about his deeply personal book, When You Can't Do It Alone: Take the Savior's Hand.  I wanted to chat with him about his candid journey navigating severe anxiety, depression, and panic attacks while serving in church leadership roles, and how those trials reshaped his understanding of grace, vulnerabili...

In this episode of For All The Saints , I sit down with Martin Turvey, a former Area Seventy in the Europe Area, former England Leeds Mission President, and long-time Church leader. I wanted to chat with him about his five-year tenure as an Area Seventy and get an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to serve in high-level leadership across the UK, Europe, and beyond.  From t...

In this week's episode, I sat down with the absolutely brilliant London-based author, poet, and songwriter Joshua Luke Smith to discuss his new book, This Is The Main Event: Finding Contentment in the Life You Have . I wanted to chat with Joshua about how we can anchor ourselves in the present moment, overcome the spiritual numbness of modern life, and reconnect with the quiet presence of God...

This week I speak with Paul Smith, a former Stake President and dedicated volunteer prison chaplain for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the UK. I wanted to chat with him about his unique journey into prison ministry and the unexpected spiritual insights he has gained while ministering to incarcerated individuals. What began as a simple request to visit a youth acquaintance trans...

In this week's episode, I speak with Hank Smith, the co-host of the followHIM podcast and a beloved religious educator. I wanted to chat with him about the insights he has gained while teaching the history and theology of the Abrahamic covenant. Hank shares how shifting our perspective toward being children of the covenant transforms our understanding of the Restoration by moving it away from...

In this 150th episode, I speak with Rachel Uda Murdock, who is the creator behind the viral social media platform called “RachelLDSStorytime.” I wanted to chat with her about the unexpected insights she has gained while sharing the global history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in bite-sized, three-minute segments that uncover powerful and often unknown, faith-building accounts...

Benji Wilkins has an inspirational and truly remarkable experience that needed to be told in the moment. His incredible story involves the physical and mental journey of running 42 marathons in 42 days across the UK. In his own words, “I’m not an elite athlete. I like to run, but I’m not winning any races. In 2025 I ran maybe 30 miles a month! I’m not the fastest runner you’ll meet, and I’m defini...

To celebrate reaching nearly 150 episodes, this week we are reflecting on some of our favourite guests from around the world. Remembering the global growth and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this special episode, we revisit the powerful first hand moments and international faith insights from our global guests spanning the Philippines, Thailand, Micronesia, Denmark,...

Alan Pace, Chairman of Burnley Football Club and RCD Espanyol, joined me this week for an exclusive interview where we discuss not only his fascinating life across finance and sports, but his deeply reflective approach to leadership and faith. Backed by a legitimate sporting pedigree that includes serving in the executive management of Real Salt Lake, Alan brings a rare blend of Wall Street busine...

Darrach Ó Duibh has such an interesting story, and I wanted to speak with him to discuss his incredible life journey and the profound, unexpected insights he gained while translating the Book of Mormon into the Irish language longhand. He’s an ancient language researcher, polyglot, and textual critic based in Ireland. Having previously worked as a bibliographic researcher for FARMS (now the Maxwel...

I have three guests joining me on the podcast this week: Hayden and Jackson Paul, the creators behind The Stick of Joseph , a popular YouTube channel dedicated to exploring the ancient roots and cultural impact of the Book of Mormon and David J. Butler (D. John Butler), an accomplished author, attorney, and entrepreneur who serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Plain & Precious Publishing. Hayden,...

Dr. Loren Marks is a professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University and a co-director of the American Families of Faith project. He is a prominent researcher at the Wheatley Institute, focusing on the intersection of faith, marriage, and family relationships across various world religions. He has co-authored numerous articles and reports analyzing the profound impact of religio...

Michelle Graabek-Wallace (PhD, European University Institute) is a historian at the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She serves as the Chair of the Global Mormon Studies Network and the Global Outreach Chair for the Mormon History Association. Her academic research focuses on global history, gender, migration, and transnational religious history, with a...

Matt Whitaker has been writing and directing for film and television for over 30 years. A specialist in the WWII genre, his produced screenplays include the critically acclaimed war films Saints and Soldiers and Instrument of War . In 2002, Whitaker and a film crew travelled to Germany with the last surviving member of a teenage resistance group, a powerful experience that led to the PBS documenta...

Osamu Sekiguchi is a devoted member and leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan. Having served in numerous capacities—including as the Mission President of the Japan Sendai Mission and currently as the Asia North Area Family Search Manager—Osamu has a profound perspective on the spiritual and cultural evolution of the Church in the land of the rising sun. I sat down with...

Peter Fagg, historian, author, and tour guide specializing in the British history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, returns to the podcast to share more of his research on the early missionary efforts in the United Kingdom, specifically the development of the Church in Preston, Lancashire. I wanted to speak with Peter to dive deep into the fascinating, and often harrowing, histor...

Gavri’el Wise is a professional actor best known for his recent portrayal of the Saviour in the "Greater Love" Easter video series produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Born in Minnesota to a Russian-Ukrainian mother and a Native American father, Gavri’el’s journey with church film projects began at age 11. He appeared as a background actor in the Bible and Book of...

Kyle Beshears (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a pastor in Mobile, Alabama and has taught courses on religion at the University of Mobile. He is the author of 40 Questions About Mormonism (Kregel Academic), and is presently writing on the development of LDS doctrine and practices during the life of Joseph Smith. I wanted to speak with Kyle to discuss his extensive research into...

As you know, each General Conference I visit a different location to meet with local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We talk about what life is like as a Church member in that area, what the Church is like, and we also recap General Conference.  This time, we're in Budapest, Hungary with Anita, Bercel and Csaba. Follow For All The Saints on social media for updates...