Y Magazine

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.

Since moving to the United States at age 8, Sabina Magar (’26) has always had a desire to return to her home country of Nepal. When Magar learned about BYU’s Nepal Global Health International Study Program, she saw it as the perfect opportunity. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with BYU public health professor Steven M. Thygerson (BS ‘98), about starting the Nepal Global Health International Study Program and Magar about her experience returning to Nepal. This episode is based on the article “Life and Breath,” written by Kate Hansen Roberson (BA ‘24), which appeared in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine.  Learn more about the organization Days for Girls our episode with the founder and CEO, both of whom are BYU alumni: Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls. Check out other episodes about BYU’s study abroad programs: Mapping Molokai and Students Engineer Prosthetic Solutions for Ecuador. 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 can you learn from other faith traditions? BYU religion professor Andrew C. Reed (BA ’04) says that interfaith efforts can help us develop, “generosity of spirit.” Reed is the Chair of the BYU Council for Interfaith Engagement, and he leads BYU students in interfaith efforts through the Interfaith Student Association and a study abroad focused on interfaith leadership. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Reed about how we can connect with people of other faith traditions. This episode is based on the article “Friendship Among Faiths” by Kate Hansen Roberson (BA ’24) that appeared in the summer 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out another episode on faith and service: “Religious Freedom with Elizabeth Clark.” 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 29 years, BYU alum Sarah Jane Weaver (BA ’94) traveled across the world reporting on ministry tours, temple dedications, and humanitarian outreach as a writer and then the editor for the Church News. Now in her new role as the first female editor of the Deseret News, Weaver will continue recording truth for a global audience. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Weaver about her experiences at the Church News and the importance of being a record keeper. This episode is based on an article about Sarah Jane Weaver written by Brooklyn Hughes Roemer (BA ’22) that will appear in the fall 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out another episode on faith and service: “BYU Pioneers in Chaplaincy.” 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.

In 2010, BYU alum Adam C. Miles (BA ’92) started a non-profit organization to help reunite refugee families who were resettling in the United States from Africa. Over the years, he realized more needed to be done to help refugees find belonging in the US. His solution? Soccer. in 2016 Adam Miles launched Refugee Soccer, with the three-fold mission of play, equip, and compete—raising money for refugee kids to join local teams, collecting used gear to make sure the kids have the equipment they need to play, and helping them travel to competitions. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Miles about how soccer creates connections for refugees in a unique way. This episode is based on the article “Goals for Refugee Girls” written by Julia K. Nebeker (’24) that appears in the summer 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out another episode on alumni service: “Saving Days, Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls.” 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.

45690Janiradebaugh is a minor planet nestled in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. But Jani Radebaugh is also a professor of geology at BYU. Radebaugh’s research in planetary exploration and involvement with the Dragonfly mission have earned her a place among the stars. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Jani Radebaugh (BS ’93, MS ’99) about how we can be planetary explorers here on Earth. This episode is based on the article “The Little Planet” written by Jedidiah A. Flores (’26) that appears in the summer 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Read more about Jani Radebaugh: "Between Heaven and Earth.” Check out other episodes on exploration: “The Curious Life of Byron Adams: How a BYU Biologist Turned ADHD into His Superpower” and “An American Journey: What a BYU Grad Discovered on a 500-Day Walk Across the United States.” 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.

Olympians Clayton A. Young (BS ’19, MS ’22) and Conner B. Mantz (BS ’22) are competitors—but they’re also close friends. Both BYU alumni will be running the Olympic marathon on Aug. 10, but they’ve been keeping stride with each other for years. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Young and Mantz about the 2024 Paris Olympics, their friendship, the competition, and their faith. This episode is based on the article “Fast Feats” written by R. Jeffrey Call (BA ’94) that will appear in the summer 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Listen to or read the BYU Devotional “Wrestling With Comparisons“ by J.B. Haws. Check out another episode on exercise and wellness: “Lifelong Wellness.” More on beauty and mundanity: “Artful Parenting: How to Make Creativity Part of Your Family Culture.” 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 Paige Crosland Anderson (BFA ’11), art is not only a profession but a way to connect with her family and her divine identity. As the mother of four daughters, Anderson often creates her art with the help of her children—though their help can sometimes be an obstacle. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Anderson about how her abstract approach to understanding the atonement of Jesus Christ and our divine creativity weaves itself through her art. This episode is based on an article that will appear in the summer 2024 issue of Y Magazine. See Anderson’s “Again, Glorified” triptych. Check out other episodes about family life: Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families and How to Be a Good Citizen with the American Moms. 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.

Could you build a company over the course of two semesters? BYU students have the opportunity to try through a new program: Sandbox. This 18-credit class motivates students to turn their ideas into real tech startups that solve problems for people from various industries, from therapists and dentists to river guides and Dungeons and Dragons fans. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Sandbox director Christopher B. Crittenden (BS ’06, MAcc ’07) and student Pearl Hulbert (BS ’24) about how Sandbox is turning students into builders and creators. This episode is based in the article “Incubating Ideas,” written by Josh Rust (BA ’24), which appeared in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out other episodes about student innovation: Students Engineer Prosthetic Solution for Ecuador and Mapping Molokai. 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.

When Celeste Humphrey Mergens (’81) found out that girls in Kenya were trying to manage their periods with pieces of cardboard, she immediately began looking for solutions. She discovered that girls and women all around the world were missing weeks out of every year due to period poverty. Mergens’s solution? A nonprofit called Days for Girls. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Mergens and current Days for Girls CEO Tiffany Niland Larson (BA ’02) about how the nonprofit is working to end period poverty, advocate for menstrual health, and reach every girl. Everywhere. Period. This episode is based in the article “Reclaiming Days for Girls,” written Andrew T. Bay (BA ’91, MA ’94), which appeared in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out another episode about humanitarian outreach: Students Engineer Prosthetic Solution for Ecuador. 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.

Casting about for a great podcast to enrich your gospel study? Look no further. Podcasts are a great way to tune into spiritually enriching stories, devotionals, and research wherever you are. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with three different podcast producers from across BYU campus about their podcasts—BYU Speeches, Y Religion Podcast, and the Maxwell Institute Podcast. Whitney delves into the rich tapestry of faith-based content offered by these podcasts and where listeners might want to start. These three are just a few of the dozens of podcasts on campus. Check out other great BYU podcasts below. This episode is based in the article “Find Your BYU Podcast,” written Brooklyn Hughes Roemer (BA ’22), which appeared in the spring 2022 issue of Y Magazine. 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. Episodes mentioned in this podcast: BYU Speeches: Miracles BYU Speeches: Raising the World to a Higher Plane of Mortality BYU Speeches: What Will You Make Room for in Your Wagon? BYU Speeches: The Tree, the Fruit, and the Building Y Religion: Jacob and Mental Health Maxwell Institute: How Does God Grieve?   Other Podcasts on BYU Campus: BYU Sports Nation BYU Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Football, and Baseball Behind the Mic Her Y BYU Football with Kalani Sitake Cougar Tailgate Deep Blue In Good Faith Scripture Conversations (BYU Religious Education) BYU Studies (BYU Studies) Come Follow Up Constant Wonder Top of Mind with Julie Rose The Lisa Show Seek Learning (BYU Education Society) Faith and Imagination (BYU Humanities Center) Moral and Ethical Leadership (BYU Management Society) Writing Westward (BYU Redd Center) The International Cinema Podcast Y Life Science (Bean Life Science Museum) The Apple Seed KaboomSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sitting in a humdrum office, recent BYU grad Isaiah G. Shields (BS ’19) realized that there was a whole world out there for him to discover—and he was missing it. And so he decided to take a walk—a really, really long walk. In early 2020 he stepped from his Provo home’s driveway and began his journey across America, traversing 28 states and 8,600 miles over 500 days. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Shields joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA’ 01) to share stories that he’ll remember forever from his trek. Listen in for Shield’s experiences braving the elements, sharing powerful moments with ordinary people, and feeling the satisfaction of challenge.   This episode is based in the article “Getting His Steps In,” written Maya Lund (’24), which will appear in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Watch here to tag along on Isaiah Shields’s most recent adventures. 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.

Who wouldn’t want a peaceful life? Making that desire a reality is where many of us get stuck. But Emily de Schweinitz Taylor (BA ’97, PhD ’24), an expert in mediation and conflict resolution, believes that even a three-year-old can learn to navigate conflict effectively. The trick? Practicing a few simple communication tools. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Taylor and host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) discuss five ways to deal with disagreement and how to help children do the same. Listen in and learn how to mediate and de-escalate conflict with Taylor’s five conflict resolution skills. This episode is based on the article “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” written by Sara Smith Atwood which will appear in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine. Check out Emily de Schweinitz Taylor’s books Raising Mediators and Conflict Fluent: Mastering the Five Conflict Approaches. Listen to Elder Uchtdorf’s referenced talk here. 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 alumni from all walks of life are leaning into the second half of the university’s motto: "Go forth to serve." In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, hear three different stories about alums who have bloomed where they were planted—turning their unique circumstances into opportunities to serve others. Listen in as host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) uncovers stories of preemie miracles and playhouses, hope for foster children, and mental-health help for farmers. This episode is based on the magazine’s Going Forth section, which appears in each issue of Y Magazine. If you know a BYU alum who is making the world a better place through their service, please let us know by sending an email to alumninews@byu.edu. 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.

Byron J. Adams (BS ’93), BYU’s always-chill “worm herder,” lives in Antarctica for months each year to conduct some mind-blowing microfauna research. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join Adams and host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to uncover his passion for the natural world. From his origins as a free-range kid with a fascination for Mother Nature to a biologist who has a nematode namesake, Adams harnesses his curiosity and even his ADHD (which he calls his superpower) to ask the big scientific questions—and he helps his students do the same. Listen in for Adams’s adventures and his ideas on fostering our innate creativity. This episode is based in the article “Byron’s Excellent Adventure,” written by Brittany Karford Rogers (BA ’07), which will appear in the spring 2024 issue of Y Magazine. To learn more about Byron Adams and his story, watch here, here, and here. 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.

When BYU economics professor Joseph P. Price (BA ’03) realized that FamilySearch lacked coverage of many African American and international individuals, he employed AI tools to expand coverage of the human family and help build our genealogical ties. Through BYU’s Record Linking Lab (rll.byu.edu), his team has already added 50 million people to the tree. But the work isn’t done. The lab calls on the rising generation to broaden its circle of love by adding to the family tree and creating a wealth of names ready for temple ordinances. On this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) and Joe Price as they unpack the inspiration behind the Record Linking Lab, how it finds and connects people, and how you can get involved. This episode was based on the article “Linking Families” by Miriam Brantley Merrill in the winter 2023 issue of Y Magazine. Get involved with the Record Linking Lab here and find more BYU-created family-history resources from the Family History Technology Lab. 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 here. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post biweekly on Thursdays.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.