Finding Unity: Recent Episodes
Valerie Payne
Annie discusses being bed bound for a year due to her chronic illness. She shares how she has found unity through connection, healing, seeking understanding and love during this isolating and difficult journey.
Brittany shares how she found healing after the pain and heartache of divorce. She shares how service and connection, “saved,” her and her family. Trigger warning Domestic Abuse and drug use are discussed in this episode.
Blaine talks about how he has been able to embrace running, biking, and the athletic world as a person who experiences blindness. He shares how he was able to find a sense of connection as a coach within the Special Olympics after he was no longer able to compete.
Beth shares what it was like for her to be an adoptee, finding her birth parents, and how she has found unity through this process in seeking understanding, healing, connection, and love.
Carolyn shares benefits of discovering learning about your ancestors based on research and her own personal experience. She shares how one can find unity healing and understanding from the past regardless of the history.
Michael White shares his personal experiences living with religious OCD (Scrupulosity). He shares how he has been able to find healing and tools that have helped him manage his OCD. He also shares his perspective on what clergy, family, and friends can do to support a loved one with OCD.
Dr. Lili Anderson shares her thoughts on the fears and concerns that prevent individuals of faith from dating, marrying, and/or staying married. She shares thoughts and experiences from her life and from years of experience in providing therapy to people of faith. She shares ideas in how to overcome these fears and ways to build and foster unity and connection with others.
Emily Silva is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in Perinatal Mood Disorders. She talks about what tools are helpful to parents who struggle with postpartum and how to find healing and unity when individuals or their loved ones experience postpartum. Emily uses a wide range of modalities but focuses more on CBT in this episode.
Brigitte shares her beliefs as a Nondenominational Christian and how her faith has brought unity. We discuss how we have been able to maintain our friendship and build unity despite our faith differences.
Moriah discusses her struggles with fertility and how she has found unity, healing, connection, understanding, and love throughout the process.
Kate Loveless talks to us about having cancer as a child and ultimately loosing her sight. She shares how she finds unity through the healing she finds in her faith, nature, and building connections with others.
Thank you so much for each person who has taken the time to share their story with me. Thank you so much for taking the time to find unity with me. I hope we continue to find unity through seeking understanding, connection, healing, and love.
Nick Galieti shares his personal experience with codependency along with mental health professional Jennifer Roach. They discuss how codependency can manifest in church, work, and other relationships. They discuss how unity can be found when working through codependency through seeking understanding, finding healing, connection, and love.
Emily has struggled with anxiety for most of her life. She talks about the tools that she uses to work through her anxiety and the reason she started her podcast, The Vibrant Life. She talks about how she has found unity through healing, connection, understanding and love.
Coralee talks about her experience with an Eating Disorder and how she has found recovery. She talks about how the Eating Disorder impacted relationships with others and how she found recovery and unity through seeking healing, connection, understanding, and love.
Shelly and I talk about our experiences as non married members off a church that places a high emphasis on families. We discuss our struggles and how we have found unity through healing, connection, seeking understanding, and love.
Bonnie Olson is the former owner of a successful hospice agency. She talks about how she was able to foster unity and a positive culture while running a successful hospice agency. I have learned so much from her leadership style and am grateful that she was willing to be on and share her thoughts on unity.
Tracy Browning is a mother, wife, works for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Publishing Services Department, and serves on the general Relief Society general advisory council. She shares her experiences as she has worked to build inclusion and unity within the church, community, and within her personal life.
Tanya’s first husband died from cancer and her second husband, Jeff, experiences same-sex attraction. Jeff and Tanya talk about how they knew that their marriage was right for them despite their unique circumstances. They discuss the faith, hope, and unity that they have found in marriage.
Sharlene’s parents divorced when she was 18. She talks about the impact of the divorce and how she was able to find healing, connection, understanding and love.
Carla shares her expertise as a clinician who works with individuals who struggle with addiction, past trauma, and other mental health concerns. Additionally, she shares how vulnerability allows us to find unity.
Rod Porter was in a tragic accident in which he drove off of a 100 foot cliff. He talks about what recovery looked like for him after the accident and how his perspective has changed since then. He discusses life lessons and how he has found unity through healing, seeking understanding, connection, and love.
Diane Buxton’s first husband passed away unexpectedly in an accident. She shares her experience with bereavement and how she found healing, connection, understanding, and love through this experience. She shares how she was able to start dating and ultimately find love again.
Lisa Marie Allred shares what it was like growing up with health and mental health challenges. She shares how she has found unity and connection with others through her experiences.
Welcome back to Season 3! In this episode I give some insights regarding my readings on self-esteem. How can we foster greater self esteem in our children? How can we foster greater self esteem ourselves.
We are wrapping up another season of Finding Unity. Thank you for your support and desire to come on this journey of finding unity with me. In this final episode of season two I share what I have learned from the amazing guests that I have had on.
Amanda lost her mother to cancer at the age of 16. She shares how she has found peace in bereavement. She shares how her faith has helped her to find unity and healing.
In the season of Thanksgiving I interview kids and ask what they are thankful for. Great wisdom can come from the mouth of a child. Our lives all look different but I hope that this season we can give thanks for the blessings we have.
Reverend Greg Johnson co-authored the book, Bridging The Divide, with Dr. Robert L. Millet. He discusses how Evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can bridge gaps and find unity.
Christie Huff talks about living life with dyslexia and how she has found healing and unity.
Many have shared how they have lost friends over politics? How can we find unity during such polarizing times? How can we focus on finding unity this Election Day?
John Williams talks about his addiction to prescription drugs, experiencing homelessness, and how he has found purpose on the road to recovery.
Richard Ostler is the host of the podcast Listen, Learn, and Love and the author of the book Listen, Learn, and Love: Embracing Latter-day Saints. He shares ways he has found love, connection, understanding and unity with individuals and himself as he has worked with LGBTQ individuals.
Christina discusses her Postpartum, depression, and struggling with motherhood. She shares some tips that help her as she continues in the journey of motherhood.
Braden shares his experience with pornography addiction, his road to recovery, and how he found hope and unity.
Jennifer Palmer talks about her personal experience with racism and how she has been able to find unity.
Jan talks about her experience as the chairwoman of the Interfaith Roundtable during the 2002 olympics. She shares about her upbringing and the teachings of unity that she experienced in the Baha’i faith. She also shares the work that she continues to do to facilitate unity in her community.
Jared Halverson talks to us on how we can remain authentic to our own faith as we find unity with those who have left our faith and those who are not of our faith.
Welcome back to season 2! Patience can be hard for many of us. How do we take opportunities during trials of patience? How can we find unity through patience?
This season has been incredible. I’m so grateful to each guest and the profound insights that they shared. The second season of Finding Unity will start on August 17
Kami experienced the loss of her sister due to illness and most of her family due to a house fire. She shares what has helped her to find healing through these losses.
Nicole talks about overcoming heartache through faith and songwriting. She shares how she has found unity as people connect with her music and her story.
Have you ever tried to write your life story? Has it felt overwhelming? Will Edgel gives simple tips and tools to help us find unity with ourself and others as we find power and purpose behind our story.
Andy Proctor, CAPP is a positive psychology expert. His podcast, More Happy Life, has been featured nationally across the USA in The New York Times, ABC News, Fox Business, and many other media outlets. In this episode he shares how we can find happiness during physical isolation and the presenting challenges of COVID-19
Moriah talks about the pain, healing, and unity that she felt throughout her parents’ divorce process.
Karim shares his experiences being raised as a Muslim in the US and shares his beliefs and values. He studied psychology, comparative religion, and has M.A. in East-west psychology and spiritual counseling. He is the founder of Noor Human Consulting and host of the podcast, Coffee With Karim.
Lea had her first cigarette at the age of 12 and was drinking by the end of middle school. She later developed an addiction to methamphetamines. She shares her story to help listeners to seek understanding, healing, connection, and love.
Melanie experimented with self harming behaviors as a child. This experimentation lead to more intense struggles with self harming behaviors later in life. She and her husband Scott also experienced marital conflicts and were considering divorce. Melanie and Scott talk about how they overcame marital conflict and worked as a team to find hope in marriage and overcoming self-harm.
John Pretorius shares what it was like to first meet President Nelson Mandela and what it was like to be a part of his political campaign. He shares memories from his time with President Mandela and the lessons of unity that he learned from him.
Kasee Tenny talks about living in Hong Kong during COVID-19. She shares the hope, calm, and connections that she has experienced throughout the transitions in Hong Kong.
Ed Willis shares his transition from being a member of the Black Panther Party to finding God. He shares his thoughts on racism and what unity means to him.
Ed Willis describes what lead him to join the Black Panther Party. He shares stories of his time in the party and what lead him to ultimately leave the party.
Michael Gasparro is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who shares his experience as a Catholic with same-sex attraction. Join in seeking understanding as he shares his perspective on sexuality, therapy, and freedom.
Arpine helps to share her perspective on coming to America as a refugee from Armenia. She shares her insights and ways that she has found unity throughout her experiences.
Join as we strive to find unity through seeking understanding with Miriam Blanco. Miriam shares her experiences of living with a neurological disorder and ways that she has found unity.