Y Magazine

Sports benefit kids in numerous ways: they reduce the risk of disease and mental illness, they improve performance in school, and they can even help kids do better at work later in life, says Matthew K. Seeley, a BYU biomechanics professor. But we’re also in the midst of what Seeley calls a “youth-sport culture crisis,” where kids are being pushed to specialize too early, chase scholarships, and train year-round—all things that can do more harm than good. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, listen in as Seeley talks with host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) about his initiative, the Strong Youth Project, which aims to improve youth sports, and offers advice to parents and coaches on how to help kids experience the benefits of sports without the burnout and stress. You can learn more about the Strong Youth Project and access their podcast at exsc.byu.edu. This episode is based on the article “Raising Happy Athletes” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Lifelong Wellness,” where BYU student wellness instructors offer personal health tips, and “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his experience creating belonging in refugee communities through soccer. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Which translations of the Bible should you use in your family or personal study? How did different Bible translations come about in the first place? Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in learning from BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew J. Grey (BA ’03) about the Church’s new policy on Bible translations, the history of those translations, and where to start your own study. Try exploring these verses using different Bible translations: Matthew 6:25–34, Matthew 5:22, John 1:1, and 1 John 2:2. You can access all of the modern translations recommended in the Church Handbook online at Bible.com. This episode is based on the article that will publish in the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “10 Tips from BYU Religion Professors to Deepen Your Book of Mormon Study” and “Gospel on the Go: Three BYU Podcasts to Enrich Your Study.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an age of digital communication, remote work, and social media, the World Health Organization recognizes social disconnection as a worldwide epidemic. What is the solution? Othello L. Richards (BA ’03, MA ’17), communications professor and former on-air reporter, has some ideas. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Richards joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in a conversation about conversations—how to start them, how to keep them going, and how to get better at them. This episode is based on the article “Asking Good Questions” from the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad,” an episode exploring the physical impact of isolation, and “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics With Family,” where a political science professor discusses how to have better disagreements. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Brent S. Crane (BS ’93), caring for individuals living in poverty or without homes is about more than just providing food. As executive director of Provo’s Food & Care Coalition, Crane helps provide meals, hot showers, clean clothes, hygiene products, and healthcare services every day—and the mission of each service is to provide dignity and care to individuals, no matter the circumstances they’re coming from. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Crane joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss the power of humanizing unhoused and low-income populations, and how the community has come together to serve those in need. This episode is based on the article “Opening Opportunities” in the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. You can learn more about the Food & Care Coalition and look for volunteer opportunities at foodandcare.org. You can also watch a video about BYU’s hydroponics partnership here. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his efforts to help refugees find belonging in the US through soccer. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you include raising a family and managing a home on a resume? What’s the business term for “stay-at-home mom”? When Heather Nemelka faced a sudden divorce and had to find a job after years of dedicating herself to her kids, she had to tackle these questions head-on. Now, as the founder of Elavare, a company that supports women who are re-entering the workforce, Nemelka joins Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in an empowering conversation about how women—whether young mothers, or empty nesters—can seek education, develop their talents, and apply homemaking skills toward employment opportunities. This episode accompanies an article about Heather Nemelka in the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “BYU’s Pioneers in Chaplaincy,” an episode about the first women in BYU’s chaplaincy program, and “Cake by Courtney: Baking, Business, and Faith,” an episode about another alumni entrepreneur. You might also enjoy “In Good Company: Students Build Real Businesses in Two Semesters.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When journalist and BYU alum McKay Coppins received news of the tragic attack on a Latter-day Saint chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, he’d already been planning an article for The Atlantic  in memory of President Russell M. Nelson, who had died the day before. Now Coppins wondered, “How would [President Nelson] have responded to the horrific violence in Michigan if he’d lived one more day?” In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Coppins about the interplay between his faith and his journalism career—and how that relationship was shaped in part by advice from President Nelson himself. The episode is based on a feature article in the upcoming Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. Check out Coppins’s articles discussed in the episode: “A Prophet’s Diagnosis” (2025) and “The Most American Religion” (2020). If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “Write It Down: Advice from the New Deseret News Editor on Recording Your Life,” a conversation with Deseret News editor Sarah Jane Weaver (BA ’94). You can learn more about talking politics peacefully by listening to “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics with Family.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caring for an aging loved one can be challenging—it makes demands on time and resources that can strain relationships. Despite the challenge, it can also be an “angelic and special time,” says BYU family life professor Jeremy B. Yorgason (BS ’97). In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Yorgason about both the blessings and the burdens of being a caregiver for aging loved ones. This episode is based on the article “Prepare to Care” by Tyler Stahle in the Winter 2024 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may enjoy other episodes about having difficult conversations, like “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics with Family” and “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you prefer the energy of football in LaVell Edwards Stadium, the roar of the Marriott Center during a basketball game, or the thrill of a women’s volleyball match in the Smith Fieldhouse, one thing’s for sure: it’s an exciting time to be a BYU fan. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks all things BYU athletics with BYU Sports Nation hosts Jarom T. Jordan (BA ’09) and Spencer K. Linton (BA ’07). This episode accompanies the Summer 2025 issue of Y Magazine, an issue entirely dedicated to 150 years of BYU history in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial anniversary. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like our episode with retired BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, “A Vic’try Story” and our conversation with Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young in “Fast Friends.” You may also enjoy the episode “BYU Joins the Big 12” with coaches Jennifer Rockwood, Diljeet Taylor, and Mark Pope. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you handle political disagreement in your family? In a world rife with political division, it can feel difficult to share your opinion without feeling attacked or misunderstood—or thinking everyone else is wrong. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) discusses the art of disagreement with Marianne Holt Viray (BA ’96), executive director of the nonprofit organization Disagree Better. Disagreement, Viray says, isn’t bad—nor are political conversations. What matters is how those conversations are held. This episode is based on “Doing Disagreement Better” by Julia K. Nebeker (BA ’24) and Anna E. Sneddon (’27), found in the Spring 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may be interested in Disagree Better’s free online courses and the Dignity Index. Visit disagreebetter.us to learn more. You may also like the episodes “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families” and “How to Be a Good Citizen with the American Moms.” If you’re interested in how to have faith-related conversations, you may like “Building Bridges: How to Enrich Interfaith Relationships.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you’d like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most important lessons parents can teach their children is how to manage money. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Ashley LeBaron-Black (BS ’16, MS ’18) to discuss the best ways to teach kids about finances. LeBaron-Black is a BYU family life professor who researches financial socialization in families. This episode is based on “For Love and Money” by Tyler S. Stahle, found in the Spring 2022 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like other episodes about parenting: “Artful Parenting: How to Make Creativity Part of Your Family Culture,” “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families,” and “How to Help Kids Love Reading with BYU Professor Paul Ricks.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the difference between perfectionism and scrupulosity? Do religious people experience more or less toxic perfectionism that non-religious people? What can we do to minimize toxic perfectionism? In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) chats with BYU religion professor Michael Goodman (PHD ’04), one of several professors conducting a long-term study about the relationship between perfectionism and religion. This episode is based on the article “The Perfect Problem” by Brooklyn Hughes Roemer (BA ’22), in the Spring 2025 issue of Y Magazine. Read the issue of BYU Studies devoted to Latter-day Saints and Perfectionism here. For some great general conference talks about perfectionism, check out “Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually” and “Perfection Pending.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the past two decades, BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe (BS ’83, MS ’95) has been calling the shots. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) sits down with Holmoe to discuss what brought him to BYU, what made him keep coming back, and the remarkable people he’s worked with along the way. If you liked this episode, you might also enjoy these sports-related episodes: “BYU Joins the Big 12” and “Fast Friends: Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forget house calls—try mountain calls at 13,000 feet. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) chats with Craig Nuttall (MS ’11), the BYU nursing professor and emergency nurse practitioner who founded the Mountain People Project. Nuttall talks about his experience bringing critical healthcare to people traveling through the Garhwal Himalayas. This episode is based on the article “Healing in High Places,” by Abi Falin Horspool (’24), in the Winter 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like other episodes about international service: “Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls” and “Life and Breath: BYU Students Improve Public Health in Nepal.” And you can hear Archibald’s story of her rock-climbing fall in “Spiritual Lessons and a 30-Foot Fall.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love stories abound at BYU, and in this Valentine’s Day special of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks to three BYU alumni couples about their proposal stories. High school sweethearts Stephanie Smith Eliason (BA ’91, MA ’95) and Eric Eliason (BA ’92) tell their story of flat tires and reconnection, Matthew Scott (BM ’06) and Heather Brown Scott (BA ’06) recount a chance encounter at the BYU Creamery and a showstopping proposal during a concert, and Kim Thornock (BA ’91) and Kareen Hursman Thornock (BA ’92) talk about their dancing dates. This episode was based on the article “Popping the Question” from the Summer 2021 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you might enjoy another episode with alumni stories, “True Blue Friendship,” about friendships forged at BYU, and one about alumni service: “Going Forth—It’s What We Do: How BYU Grads are Making a Difference.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much screen time should kids have? At what age should they be allowed to have a smartphone? BYU alum Richard Culatta (BA ’03, MS ’06) answers these questions and more with helpful advice for parents trying to guide children through the digital world. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Culatta and explores how parents can create a family digital culture focused on responsibility and balance. This episode is based on the article “Mind the App,” by Sara Atwood (BA ’10, MA ‘15), which will appear in the Winter 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you’d like to listen to more episodes with great parenting advice, check out these three: “How to Help Kids Love Reading with BYU Professor Paul Ricks,” “Artful Parenting: How to Make Creativity Part of Your Family Culture,” and “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How old is too old to learn to play an instrument? The New Horizons Orchestra gives adults over 40 a chance to learn a string instrument—even if they’ve never played one before. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with director Allison Bennett Taylor (BMu ’12, MMu ’22) and orchestra members about how the orchestra is about more than just music. This episode is based on the article “Strings of Support,” by Abi Falin Horspool (’24), which will appear in the Winter 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like another musical episode: “Take a Tour of BYU’s New Music Building,” or our episode “Lifelong Wellness.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you inspire a love of reading in your children, siblings, nieces, nephews, or grandkids? With so many distractions, it can be difficult to make reading a priority. But Paul Ricks, BYU professor of children’s literature, says if we want children to value reading, we need to show them that we value it too. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Ricks about how to make reading an interactive and enriching experience for both children and adults. Ricks also gives several book recommendations, listed below: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klaussen, I Talk Like a Like a River by Jordan Scott, The Arrival by Shaun Tan, The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day, Spiders by Nic Bishop, Seen and Unseen by Elizabeth Partridge, Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, and Big by Vashti Harrison. This episode is based on an upcoming article about about encouraging kids to love reading that will appear in the winter 2025 issue of Y Magazine. You might also like these episodes: Artful Parenting: Making Creativity Part of Your Family Culture and Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you see when you look at a pile of cardboard? BYU Recycling Supervisor Bill Rudy sees trees. BYU has been ramping up its sustainability efforts for decades, with recycling, responsible food service practices, energy efficiency, transportation options and more. This fall, BYU was recognized as one of just 140 institutions with a gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) takes listeners behind the scenes of BYU’s sustainability efforts by talking to Rudy; Bremen J. Leak (BA ’05), associate director of sustainability at BYU; Aaron Skabelund (BA ’95), bike enthusiast and director of the Office of Civic Engagement at BYU; and two students. This episode is based on an upcoming article about BYU’s sustainability efforts that will appear in the winter 2025 issue of Y Magazine. Check out other behind the scenes episodes: Take a Tour of BYU’s New Music Building and A Chat With President C. Shane Reese. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BYU was named the No. 1 university for students studying abroad in a recent report from the International Institute of Education. BYU currently offers over 150 study abroad options each year to help students enhance their global perspectives while learning valuable lessons that couldn’t be taught in the classroom. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with the director of BYU’s David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies, V. Stanley Benfell (BA ’87). Benfell discusses his own experience studying abroad as a student, the great programs BYU offers, and how alumni can make the most of their experiences abroad. This episode is based on Benfell’s article “A World Campus,” from the fall 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out these episodes about specific study abroad programs: Life and Breath: BYU Students Improve Public Health in Nepal, Students Engineer Prosthetic Solutions for Ecuador and Happiness 101. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does a “Utah accent” exist? According to David S. Eddington (BA ’86, MA ’89), BYU emeritus linguistics professor, the language and accents used in Utah are always changing. But if you’ve heard the word “feel” pronounced like “fill” or the word “mountain” pronounced with a strong “t,” you might be hearing newer elements of a Utah accent. And what about those names—and unique spellings? In this episode, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) breaks down Utah accents, language, and names with two BYU linguistics professors: Eddington, author of Utah English, and Dallin D. Oaks (BA ‘84) who recently co-edited a book called Perspectives about Latter-day Saint Names and Naming. This episode is based on two Y Magazine articles: “Do Utahns Talk Funny,” written by Jennifer G. Jones (BS ’12), from the winter 2012 issue, and “What’s in a Baby Neighm?” by Miriam Brantley Merrill (’24), which appeared in the fall 2023 issue. Check out another episode about how Artificial Intelligence is changing the landscape of language and writing: “Writing and Teaching with ChatGPT.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the types of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first and third Thursdays of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.