Latter Day Struggles
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© 2026 Latter Day Struggles
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The Latter Day Struggles Podcast addresses beliefs and issues within the LDS faith that are challenging to talk about but vital to discuss for those trying to navigate their relationship in or around the church. Valerie and her guests invite psychological maturity, theological health, and institutional integrity.
279 Episodes
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Send us a Positive Review! We've heard it a thousand times...and probably have said it a few times ourselves. "The ________will never change." You fill in the blank..."The world will never change" or "the church will never change"...and yet they do. How does evolution actually happen? This "bonus episode" is a download that Val had over the weekend after asking herself why she was doing this platform. The answer to her question is what you will hear in this epis...
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Val is joined by Jana Riess, author and researcher of the LDS spectrum of experience and Jason Bergman, former BYU professor & faculty member. Together they discuss the many facets of the Clark Gilbert call to the Q12 of the LDS church. In this conversation Jason contrasts his experience on the BYU faculty both before and during Gilbert's leadership and candidly shares the painful and life altering impact Gilbert's fervor for ...
Send us a Positive Review! Join us for this one-time-only recording of our FIRST Latter Day Struggles "Live Fellowship"! What is this, you ask? Valerie has decided to offer a gathering place for those on the LDS and surrounding faith expansion journey wanting consistent (2x/month!) connection with her to go deeper into the mind & heart expanding content on both the Monday and Friday tracks of the Latter Day Struggles podcast. In this opening gathering, Valerie explor...
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode II of II] This episode of Latter Day Struggles continues a two-part conversation about the LDS Church's Proclamation on the Family, examining the tension between claims of unchanging doctrine and the historical reality of doctrinal evolution. Petrey demonstrates through historical analysis that LDS teachings on gender, sexuality, marriage, and family have repeatedly changed over time—from posit...
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: What does the Family Proclamation Mean to You? [Episode I of II] Welcome to this two-part series where Valerie welcomes returned guest scholar Taylor Petrey to discuss the LDS Church's Family Proclamation to the World as it reaches its 30th anniversary. The heart of the episode centers on Taylor's controversial Salt Lake Tribune opinion piece in September 2025 (linked below) arguing that The Family Proclamation should be understood as commentary...
Send us a Positive Review! Have you ever listened to a Latter Day Struggles episode and wanted nothing more than to talk about it but no one is around or would understand? Have you noticed that while your heart is growing faster than ever, your relationships are changing just as fast? Val has noticed that this podcast community has served not only to help you make sense of your LDS faith journey but also has created friendship networks that are life enriching in ways no one could...
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode Nathan & I pause to honor the impact that Ken Glenn had on us at this time of his early and tragic passing. In this episode we share many examples that prove that the traditionally believing [Ken] and the… shall we say...less traditionally believing…[us!] LDS can co-exist, when vulnerability, love, and curiosity are chosen over judgment. We love you Ken. Thank you for showing us Christ-like love even if you did not...
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode I respond to your requests to explore President Dallin Oaks' desire that LDS girls get married younger. As a bonus, I propose a counter-solution to. the current LDS mixed-faith marriage crisis that does not involve pressuring younger marriage (and its well-documented risk factors) on LDS young adults. Please share this episode if it resonates! Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:18 Valerie's Analysis of Early Marriage...
Send us a Positive Review! With well over a million downloads since its first drop in March of 2022, the Latter Day Struggles podcast has established itself the place to find peace, healing, community, and words to describe your Latter-day Saint faith and trust crisis. It is where thousands have come to realize that deep within themselves is a True Self capable of mapping out their own spiritual journey and integrating their Latter-day Saint background into this journey on their own te...
Send us a Positive Review! Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part III of III] In this episode Valerie welcomes back friend and researcher Jeff Strong for the third installment of their series exploring Jeff's research learning about the actual experiences of thousands of Latter-day Saints. The theme that came through? Massive amounts of TENSION. Today they go deeper into six distinct kinds of Latter-day Saints and highlight that one type, "the ...
Send us a Positive Review! As we begin 2026 and the fourth year of the Latter Day Struggles Podcast, we wanted to say THANK YOU to ALL supporters of the podcast and platform! So please enjoy this Office Hours recording and a podcast episode that is one that is a must-listen! In this timely conversation Valerie tackles Elder Anderson's recent general conference talk on abortion. In one hour she goes from the macro issue of abortion itself and offers some thought-provoking concepts ...
Send us a Positive Review! Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part II of III] In today's episode Valerie and guest researcher Jeff Strong explore why people in the same LDS congregation can experience church so differently, depending on where they are in their faith journey. They introduce Jeff’s model of six faith mindsets—seekers, cultivators, protectors, avoiders, connectors, and explorers—each representing valid and meaningful ways of engaging faith. The...
Send us a Positive Review! Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part I of III] The data is rolling in and Wow…if you want to know what’s really on the hearts and minds of many active Latter-day Saints, this 3-part series is a GOLD MINE. Join Val and colleague Jeff Strong, prominent researcher on Mormon faith crisis as they begin to look at some of Jeff’s team’s large-scale surveys and in-depth interviews that detail how many active members quietly wrestle ...
Send us a Positive Review! In this episode of Latter Day Struggles, Valerie and guest Maxine Hanks dive into the complexities of reform and personal wellness within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This fascinating conversation explores the first-hand experience of two women whose influential work spans a half-century in the LDS spotlight. With this time-span as a reference point, they discuss how the focus of institutional reprimand and control has shifted from scholars to me...
Send us a Positive Review! In this part one of a two-part conversation, Valerie is joined by Maxine Hanks for a deeply personal and reflective conversation exploring their parallel journeys as Latter-day Saint female thought leaders navigating faith transitions, church discipline, and personal empowerment. This episodes is more a tender conversation between two friends than an interview where both women share of the depths of the commitment to honor their higher selves, their experience...
Send us a Positive Review! In today's BONUS EPISODE Val breaks down some ideas around why the LDS Church is uniquely vulnerable to the underreporting of child sex abuse. While some of its issues will be vulnerabilities of all patriarchal systems, there are others that might be unique to the LDS church due to its history, doctrine, practices, and culture. Listen in as Val walks through her own process of understanding this devastating phenomenon in hopes to evoke more dialo...
Send us a Positive Review! Join Valerie and therapist colleague Dr. Julie Hanks in this recording of a recent “Instagram Live” where they explored the recent breaking news from LDS Newsroom decreasing the eligibility age from 19 to 18 for young women interested in serving full-time missions. In this conversation Val and Julie tackle possible as variety of topics, including short term and long term social, cultural, and mental health drawbacks and benefits that might follow this policy c...
Send us a Positive Review! If Episode 384 (the one right before this one!) addresses the larger psychological question of why the holidays & family events can be extra challenging and painful for those on the LDS faith expansion journey--then this episode answers the equally relevant follow up question: What can I actually do to maximize my potential to feel present and grounded at these holiday events? In today's episode, Val focuses in on two prevalent kinds of LDS family s...
Send us a Positive Review! Are you curious about what has happened in the minds and hearts of the Hamakers eight months post-resignation from the LDS church due to the waves that this podcast has made throughout the world for the past couple of years? Well, one thing that happened changed Val's life and is now changing hundreds of Latter Day Struggles Podcast listener's lives too. It all started the day Val opened up a book that became a portal to an entire universe of deep...
Send us a Positive Review! Series Title: Unpacking LDS Polygamy Developments in 2025 [Part II of II] Join Valerie and Jana Spangler as they finish their conversation about the fascinating currents of 2025 surrounding polygamy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In this episode they dissect the release of a new gospel topic essay solidifying Joseph Smith's role as the originator of polygamy, the provocative digitization of a John Taylor revelation, and analyze President Oaks'...
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Episode 203-206 = Our lived experience as parents! We're so glad you have illuminated this subject. Although my husband and I have moved out of orthodoxy, it has taken years to heal relationships with our children who disaffiliated as teens and young adults. Thank you for sharing these insights. I hope many more parents will listen to these very valuable episodes!
Episode 203-206 = Our lived experience as parents! We're so glad you have illuminated this subject. Although my husband and I have moved out of orthodoxy, it has taken years to heal relationships with our children who disaffiliated as teens and young adults. Thank you for sharing these insights. I hope many more parents will listen to these very valuable episodes!
Really awesome episode! Exactly what I needed this week. ❤️ Love the subscription podcast, too, which includes episode 200, the next in this series. Thank you both so much!
Really awesome episode! Exactly what I needed this week. ❤️
Very helpful episode to help highlight the disturbing harms of patriarchy.
I found this podcast about 2 weeks ago. I love it and so grateful for it