Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: A Story of LDS Faith Expansion & Marital Resilience [Part V of V]In this episode Valerie answers a variety of audience questions regarding the complexities of the LDS faith journey when a married couple finds themselves in different places on the LDS faith spectrum. Valerie provides resources, insights, and tools around topics that range from how to establish emotional safety in frightening conversations, how to develop emotional intimacy, how...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Series Title: A Story of LDS Faith Expansion & Marital Resilience [Part IV of V]In this sensitive-content exclusive episode, Val tackles a tough theme--why does the LDS faith journey of one partner put thousands of marriages into a full blown tailspin? In this episode she offers ideas that stem from hundreds of professional hours working with LDS couples in deep pain. Topics covered in this episode include fear experienced due t...
Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: A Story of LDS Faith Expansion & Marital Resilience [Part III of V]In this episode, Valerie is joined again by Katie and Jeremy as they share their journey from early religious alignment, through painful confusion and isolation, and then profound personal and relational growth and intimacy as a couple and family. Emphasizing the importance of emotional safety, attachment styles, and healthy stress management, Through their candid discussi...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Series Title: A Story of LDS Faith Expansion & Marital Resilience [Part II of V]In this in-depth episode of Latter Day Struggles, Valerie continues the three-part series with Katie and Jeremy, a couple now thriving following a rough time of transition as Katie was evolving in her relationship to God and spirituality. Val leads Katie and Jeremy in a conversation about their complex journey, focusing on creating a supportive and differentiate...
Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: A Story of LDS Faith Expansion & Marital Resilience [Part I of V]In this episode, Valerie hosts a heartfelt and raw discussion with Katie and Jeremy about the complexities of navigating a mixed-faith marriage. They share personal stories, fears, challenges, and the journey they've taken to find common ground and love despite differing faith paths. This episode delves into the deep emotions of fear, hurt, shame, loneliness, and highlights the importa...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Series Title: Navigating Information Quality in the Latter Days [Part II of II]Join Val and Nathan in this two-part series walking you through six questions that you can tape on your fridge and bathroom mirror to help you become a super savvy discerner of information quality. In an age where we are inundated with information and people from all quarters of our lives wanting to persuade us to do things their way--this short series hopefull...
Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: Navigating Information Quality in the Latter Days [Part I of II]Join Val and Nathan in this two-part series walking you through six questions that you can tape on your fridge and bathroom mirror to help you become a super savvy discerner of information quality. In an age where we are inundated with information and people from all quarters of our lives wanting to persuade us to do things their way--this short series hopefully will assist you ...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!In this exclusive episode, Valerie is joined by Jody England Hansen and Maxine Hanks where they delve into the recent changes in the style of the temple garment for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They explore the psychological, theological, and historical implications of these updates, discussing the complexities around personal revelation, institutional control, and the evolution of the garment policy over tim...
Send us a Positive Review!Hello everyone! Here is a quick introduction to NEW curriculum that I am putting together (by popular demand!) helping our Latter-day Saint and surrounding community better understand our complicated relationship with what healthy masculinity and femininity looks like in all human beings and how this concept has been warped by being socialized in multiple layers of patriarchy. This group beginning on November 7th at 10:30a Central is for those who have already ...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Series Title: Faith Journeying Parents of Adult Children—Part IV of IVIn this episode Val recommends six fundamental adjustments to LDS thought that might heal families who are spread across the spectrum of faith. **More sensitive or more psychologically advanced themes are saved for paid Friday episodes to protect the content creators from being mischaracterized by less familiar consumers.**LEARN HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO FRIDAY EPISODES(Watch ...
Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: Faith Journeying Parents of Adult Children—Part III of IVIn this tender episode Valerie has a conversation with special guest, Kim, who shares the intense emotional experience of entering into her own faith journey in the face of terror that she might lose the love and trust of her children and grandchildren. This episode walks us through the steps she took to meet each of her adult children where they were while also standing in her own sacred tr...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Series Title: Faith Journeying Parents of Adult Children—Part II of IVJoin Val along with therapist and colleague Liz Macdonald as they explore the experience of a more traditionally believing LDS individual, whose parent is going through a faith expansion journey. This episode empathetically shines a light on the very real existential crisis, concerns, and attachment fears evoked when one's caregiver grows in unexpected ways. This ...
Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: Faith Journeying Parents of Adult Children—Part I of IVIn this series Val is joined by therapist, colleague and friend Liz MacDonald to dive deeply into the world of the faith expanding Latter-day Saint with more traditionally believing adult children. They explore the unique stressors of this parent/child dynamic when the parent “goes first” on a faith journey, their fears, and some of their strategies intended to differentiate while staying in co...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!In this final episode of a four-part series, Val and Nathan focus on how embracing AMBIVALENCE is evidence of radical, spiritual growth. In the context of this conversation, ambivalence is less about indecision and more about embracing paradox--the dark and the light-- within each soul, each idea, each collective. As we embrace our spiritual journey more and more deeply, we see that "wholeness" is more noble than "goodness" and a more noble goa...
Send us a Positive Review!Remember when things were so simple? Back in the day when we were experts on pretty much everything related to life and eternity? Well, if you’re listening to Latter Day Struggles, you’ve likely let that go and are learning to embrace ambiguity. This episode [part three of a four-part series] tackles why certainty is so compelling but actually an illusion. The good news? Our growth turns mystery from terrifying to a beautiful adventure. Listen in and ...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!In this episode Val and Nathan unpack the difference between the anxiety that makes us sick and the anxiety that comes as we move deeper into our faith journeys. They explore how detecting and letting go of fear-oriented theology, practicing mindfulness, and personally differentiating, helps us manage that super scary experience of becoming who we are here to become--deeply spiritual, unique selves--sometimes pushing up against ideas and p...
Send us a Positive Review!Join Val and Nathan in this fast-paced 4-part conversation walking you through some hard evidence that you ARE, in fact, growing up! This series tackles why humans long for certainty, and how early life is mainly focused on avoiding anxiety. It goes on to help you see that the faith journey offers you all of the ingredients for growth in ways that you could not have imagined possible. If you LOVE the psychology of the faith journey explained—here’s ...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Hey, amazing Friday subscribers! You have questions? Val has responses! For the next few Fridays (and other Fridays in the future) she’ll be answering YOUR questions. This episode’s questions and discussion points:- What is the hardest part of your work?- I'm about to file for divorce and I am so scared of all the unknowns.- What podcasts do you love?**More sensitive or more psychologically advanced themes are saved for paid Friday episode...
Send us a Positive Review!Join Val and colleague Dr. Julie Hanks as they dive into the topic of differentiation and how being differentiated is the key to our making healthy choices related to our relationship with the church. This episode is a wonderful “teaser” for those who want to jump into their FINAL 4-week Q&A session, focused on supporting those people perplexed about how to relate to the LDS Church. This session will not only include a Q&A but also include instructi...
Subscriber-only episodeSend us a Positive Review!Hey, amazing Friday subscribers! You have questions? Val has responses! For the next few Fridays (and other Fridays in the future) she’ll be answering YOUR questions. This episode's questions: - How do I support a full-time missionary child when I'm struggling with some of the church's teachings? - How do I talk to my heartbroken father about my faith journey?- What is your exact education and background?**More sensitive or more ...
Bonnie Morey
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!
Bonnie Morey
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!
Bonnie Morey
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!
Bonnie Morey
Really awesome episode! Exactly what I needed this week. ❤️
Bonnie Morey
Very helpful episode to help highlight the disturbing harms of patriarchy.