Unleashing Sister Saints: Recent Episodes
Dr. Susan R. Madsen
The “Unleashing Sister Saints” podcast was created by Susan R. Madsen to strengthen the testimonies of sisters in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while helping them wrestle through the cultural and gender dynamics that have kept women from bringing their whole selves to the Lord’s work. The vision is to unleash the positive impact and power of righteous Latter-day Saint women on the world!
Today I share my 90th episode before taking a break for the summer, and perhaps longer. In this episode, I share a few final thoughts, including inspiring quotes from leaders on the potential of women’s impact on the Church and the world, and some personal disappointment in the roadblocks women face in making our full influence feltgenerally, in the Church. Do you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, or suggestions? I love to hear fromyou: email me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com
“God sent you here to prepare for a future greater than anything you can imagine...God knows of your successes...He knows of the times you have heldonto the fading light and believed—even in the midst of growing darkness. He knows of your sufferings. He knows of your remorse for the times you have fallen short or failed. And he still loves you...He loves you not only for who you are...but also for the person of glory and light you have the potential...to become.”
· Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world ... will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Churchreflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—fromthe women of the world.”
· President Spencer W. Kimball
“I have often thought that if great numbers of women of all nations were to unite and lift up their voices in the cause of peace, there would develop a worldwide will for peace which could save our civilization and avoid untold suffering, misery, plague, starvation, and the death of millions.”
· President Gordon B. Hinckley
“It is not for you to be led by the women of the world; it is for you to lead the … women of the world, in everything that is praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everything that is uplifting and … purifying to the children of men”
· President Joseph F. Smith
“I believe that the moment we learn to unleash the full influence of converted, covenant-keeping women, the kingdom of God will change overnight.”
· Sheri Dew
Challenge: As always, follow any promptings you feel to lead and make your influence felt at home, at church, and in the world.
Resources:
Book: A Future Only God Can See For You: https://susanrmadsen.com/a-future-only-god-can-see
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources,and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
FollowUnleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me: I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week I will be sharing the second half of a two-part conversation with my brother, Tim Willden. These two episodes were originally published in 2023 and have become a listener favorite. Enjoy!
Have you ever thought about how cultivating a more equal partnership in the home can better invite the Holy Ghost to teach, inspire, and uplift a family? Join me for part two of my conversation with Tim Willden, my younger brother, as we discuss ways men and women can work together to create a more equal partnership in the home, resulting in a more Spirit-filled, loving, and safe home and family life.
Tim shares the critical importance of husbands and wives talking together openly and frequently about the roles and responsibilities within the home, including those Church culture or broader society has traditionally assigned to just men or just women. In situations where abuse of any kind is present, we discuss the need for women to seek for safe places where they can feel and receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I also share research about the positive effect of equal partnerships in the home on children and future generations.
“The prophet has been teaching us to ‘Hear Him.’ He’s been teaching us that we can’t make it through this if we don’t have the Holy Ghost, if we don’t have that relationship. And as a father, I think it comes upon me and my wife, as the nurturers and caregivers of our children, to help foster an environment where they can hear him better, and teaching them how to “hear him.”
-Tim Willden
Challenge: Think about what equal partnership in the home looks like for you. Talk about that with your spouse, boyfriend, a family member, or whomever might feel appropriate to you. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
May 2020 Harvard Business Review article: “Gender Equity Starts in the Home”
October 2022 General Conference talk by Elder Ulisses S. Soares: “In Partnership with the Lord”
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week and next, I will be sharing again a two-part conversation with my brother, Tim Willden. These episodes were originally published in 2023 and have become a listener favorite. Enjoy!
As members of the church, we live in a culture that literally and metaphorically puts men on the stand. On this week's episode, I invite my younger brother, Tim Willden, to share his experiences as a bishop and stake president learning and striving to allow women in his stake to be more equal partners in the work of salvation. Tim shares ways his wife Danai was a more active partner throughout his service as stake president, including in ministering to departing and returning missionaries, as well as ways he encouraged the stake Relief Society, Young Women and Primary leaders to speak up and share revelation they received in more gender-balanced settings. Tim shares the revelation he received repeatedly to simply close his mouth (“shut up!”) and listen to what women were thinking and feeling. I hope this episode gives you encouragement and ideas for what can be done on the local level to help women and young women be heard, recognized and included.
“Quite often we focus too much on the leaders that are sitting on the stand, and not enough on the sacrifice that everyone is making.”
-Tim Willden
Challenge: Think about the types of things bishops, stake presidents or other men in the church have done that have impacted you positively and why. Share them with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
March 2019 Ensign Article by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “Connecting Daughters of God with His Priesthood Power"
Book by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “The Priesthood Power of Women: In the Temple, Church, and Family”
Spring 2020 BYU Magazine article highlighting research from Chrisopher F. Karpowitz, Jessica R. Preece, and Olga Stoddard: “When Women Don’t Speak Up”
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Do you tend to feel comfortable and powerful with your sexuality as a Latter-day Saint woman, or somewhat ashamed and embarrassed? Join me today for a fantastic discussion with Dr. Chelom Leavitt, a BYU professor, author, mother of eight, and expert in healthy, meaningful sexuality. Dr. Leavitt shares how women can achieve more meaningful sex and why meaningful sex is critical in a healthy marriage relationship, and how women can achieve greater mindfulness during sex. We also discuss how to teach children of any age about sex, and small things we can do to help prevent sexual abuse. As Dr. Leavitt says, who better to talk about healthy sex than a committed, Latter-day Saint woman devoted to marriage and family?
Challenge: Dr. Leavitt’s website features great information and resources for women on the topic of healthy, meaningful sexuality. Spend a few minutes exploring her website here: https://www.chelomleavitt.com/
Resources:
Dr. Leavitt’s website: https://www.chelomleavitt.com/
Book: A Better Way to Teach Kids About Sex: https://a.co/d/g8kr82B
Book: Sexual Wholeness In Marriage: https://a.co/d/aRztnI7
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Rebecca Dutson, President and CEO of The Children’s Center Utah, is passionate about helping children and families thrive, not just survive. As a faithful member of the Church, Rebecca believes children are our most precious resource, and wants everyone to understand that children have mental health, and that even infants, toddlers and preschoolers have mental health needs. Tune in to this week’s episode to learn more about the interrelated nature of mother and caregiver mental health and children’s mental health, and how we can best help children and families thrive.
Challenge: Learn more about children's mental health at the links below.
Resources:
The Children’s Center Utah: https://childrenscenterutah.org/
Kem C. Gardner Early Childhood Mental Health in Utah Report: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/Child-Ment-Health-Dec2020.pdf
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Today I am joined by the incomparable Robin Ritch, and extraordinary leader with a wealth of experience in tech and innovation. From the get-go, you will be inspired by Robin’s passion and excitement for life and the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this episode, she shares insights gained from interviewing several dozen Latter-day Saint women who came of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s. She shares their wrestles and how the friction these women experienced shaped their lives and testimonies. Robin also invites women to reflect on how they can bring greater light to the world around them through their own unique gifts and talents, a role she sees as divinely female.
Challenge: This week, ask a Latter-day Saint woman, maybe older than you, about her story. Reflect on what you learn from her experiences.
Resources:
Watch for Robin’s book with lessons from her interviews with Latter-day Saint women later in 2024!
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Candace Queathem is a mom of three young children who has made time and space in her life to serve the vulnerable in her community. Candace, who lives in London, England, formally serves as the community outreach specialist for the Hyde Park Stake, but her volunteer efforts began with a simple observation of need during the Afghan refugee crisis and a desire to help. Today, I talk with Candace about the value of education, the critical importance of relationship and trust building in volunteer work, and how centering her life in Christlike service has given her a firm foundation when challenges to her faith have come. She shares some great suggestions for ways women can immediately get involved in serving the needy in their communities, and why we must reach out to help. Ultimately, Candace has learned that advocacy work is the Savior’s work, breaking down man-made barriers and bringing about peace.
Challenge: How can you make your influence more felt in your community? How can you serve in ways that align with your skills and values but also move you outside your comfort zone?
Resources:
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Laurel Christensen Day believes there are many options, not just one or two, to live out our discipleship and life’s purpose. On this week’s episode, Laurel shares her unexpected journey from part-time marketing and events coordinator at Deseret Book to her current role as company president, how she’s learned from and not been paralyzed by mistakes, and the responsibility she feels to create space for everyone who wants to belong in the Church.
Challenge: Consider the vision you have for your roles, whether that is at home, at work, or at church. How can these opportunities bring you the fulfillment, joy, and meaning that you seek? Be sure to focus on the things you can control!
Resources:
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
We have been invited by senior Church leaders (and continuously in scripture by our Savior, Jesus Christ) to build Zion by creating communities of unity and belonging. On the podcast today, guest Jared Harding joins me to discuss how male allyship is critical to building Zion. Jared, who holds a master’s degree in leadership and organizational behavior, shares how his interest in allyship began as he more fully understood the doctrine of Heavenly Mother and women's divine potential. We then discuss how men can move from avoiding or even accomodating gender issues to creatively advancing women’s standing in the Church by sharing power, influence, and decision-making ability.
Challenge: Share this episode with the male leaders in your Zion community.
Resources:
“Sacred Struggle: Seeking Christ on the Path of Most Resistance” by Melissa Inouye
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1639931872/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
“At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women” edited by Kate Holbrook and Jennifer Reeder (great resource for quotes by women throughout Church history)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/church-historians-press/at-the-pulpit?lang=eng
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Today’s episode begins with the story of my friend, Heather. Heather had never planned to go to grad school, but that all changed with a “tap.” This week I talk about the power of the "tap on the shoulder,” a nudge or a bit of encouragement, especially for women. This tap can encourage positive transformational moments like going back to school, pursuing a graduate degree, asking for a promotion, or running for political office. This is a brief, but impactful episode on our capacity to influence other’s lives for good simply by recognizing other’s strengths and encouraging them forward.
Challenge: Think of five people (particularly women) you can give this “tap on the shoulder” to in the coming days and weeks. Remember, this is important for you and them!
Resources:
BYU Magazine article, “The Tap”: https://magazine.byu.edu/article/the-tap/
Harvard Business Review, “Why Women Don’t Apply for Jobs Unless They’re 100% Qualified”: https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
I believe Latter-day Saint women are perfect candidates for public service, and this week’s guest agrees. Join me for a conversation with my vibrant and passionate friend Sui Lang Panoke, a visionary leader, social entrepreneur, and international trainer and facilitator who currently serves as Senior Vice President of Culture for Zions Bank. Sui Lang shares her background in training women and minorities for public service, and why women often bring the very type of leadership that is needed in government today.
Challenge: When women feel loved and supported, they feel empowered to lead and can create positive change. Take a moment today to think about how you can lift and support a woman around you.
Resources:
BYU Studies article by Dr. Susan R. Madsen: Rise and Run: Latter-day Saint Women and Good Government: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol61/iss1/10/
Utah Women’s History article about Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, first female state senator: https://utahwomenshistory.org/2018/01/dr-martha-hughes-cannon-first-female-state-senator/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Have you ever heard of cultural master narratives? Today, Elizabeth Ostler, Ph.D., explains the role of cultural master narratives in telling us who and how we’re supposed to be in order to belong to a group. Liz, a theater-maker, researcher, artist, activist, and current Relief Society president in Brooklyn, recently completed doctoral research on Latter-day Saint women cultural master narratives. On the episode, Liz explains how gaining awareness around our culture’s ideals, distinguishing these ideals from doctrine, and seeking our own personal revelation can help us be true to ourselves and to who our Heavenly Parents need us to be. Liz is also the editor-in-chief of the LDS Women Project, and she she shares wonderful insights from producing and editing interviews with hundreds of LDS women around the world.
Challenge: Take time this week to pause, zoom out, and consider your life in relationship to who and how you believe you’re supposed to be. Are you responding to cultural narratives and ideals in a way that is serving you, or are these narratives stifling or limiting? Are they helping you reach the fullest measure of your creation? Pray and seek personal revelation to know who and how God wants and needs you to be.
Resources:
LDS Women Project: https://ldswomenproject.com/
Elizabeth Ostler dissertation, “Navigating Ideals: Latter-Day Saint Women and Latter-Day Saint Cultural Master Narratives”: https://lifesechoes.com/my-research/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Join me today for a conversation with Courtney Vander Veur Matz, an award-winning artist, wife, and mother of three. Courtney’s art was included in the Church’s International Art Competition in both 2019 and 2002, and her artwork visualizing Heavenly Mother and our Heavenly Parents has been included in several art shows and in the book, The Girls’ Guide to Heavenly Mother. In the episode, Courtney shares the process and inspiration for creating a 7ft by 4ft portrait of Heavenly Mother in 2019, and we discuss the joy that can be found as we allow for creativity in our everyday lives.
Challenge: View Courtney’s painting of Heavenly Mother, or another painting of Heavenly Mother that resonates with you, and take a few minutes to ponder and even journal about your thoughts and feelings.
Resources:
Courtney Vander Veur Matz art: https://courtneyvvmatz.com/
Courtney’s Heavenly Mother painting, “Mother Divine”: https://courtneyvvmatz.com/store/mother-divine
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf 2008 talk about creativity, “Happiness Your Heritage”: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2008/10/happiness-your-heritage?lang=eng
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week I bring back Dr. Lisa Hansen and welcome Dr. Lisa Diamond to the show to talk about creating a community of love and safety for everyone, including our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. Humans are social creatures, and we need to matter to someone in order to survive and thrive. Feeling deeply connected and protected by others, especially our own family and community, with a sense of unconditional safety, protection, and affirmation, is critical to every aspect of our health and relationships. Dr. Hansen and Dr. Diamond share years of research and expertise on social safety, and how we can more deeply love our children in a Christlike way and communicate that love more clearly, no matter our loved one’s challenges or choices. As Latter-day Saints, I truly believe this is foundational to our deepest values and principles.
Challenge: This week, consider how explicitly you share your unconditional love to your children, family members, or others in your community. Consider ways you could clearly communicate that love on a consistent basis. Also, listen! Whether you agree or disagree with your child or loved one’s choices or opinions, simply listen to their experiences and perspectives.
Resources:
Flourish Therapy: https://www.flourishtherapy.org/
Dr. Lisa Diamond research, Mattering Matters: https://www.matteringmatters.net/
Utah Women and Leadership Policy Brief: Social Safety: The Health Implications of Social Belonging Among Utah Women: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/files/briefs/50-health-implications-social-belonging-utah-women.pdf
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Do you remember that in 2019, President Russell M. Nelson specifically invited women in the Church to study all the truths they could find about priesthood power? If you’ve taken that invitation to heart, what have you learned? On today’s episode, Wendy Ulrich, a psychologist and author of “Live Up to Our Privileges: Women, Power, and Priesthood”, joins me to share what she has learned in her study of women and priesthood power. Wendy, a former mission leader and Relief Society general council member, shares beautiful insights on how understanding priesthood power can elevate every area of our life, from our personal and professional endeavors to our relationships and engagement with others at church and in the community. I especially loved Wendy’s examination of the Savior’s use of priesthood power during his earthly ministry, and how it parallels the work we as women can do to love, serve, and lift others, including our children and families.
“As a righteous, endowed Latter-day Saint woman, you speak and teach with power and authority from God. … I entreat you to study prayerfully all the truths you can find about priesthood power.”
-President Russell M. Nelson, Spiritual Treasures
Challenge: As you consider how better understanding and drawing on priesthood power could improve your personal life and your relationships, take a moment to consider your desires. What do you want most and why? Is it something the Lord will support you in?
Resources:
President Russell M. Nelson October 2019 General Conference talk, “Spiritual Treasures”: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2019/11/36nelson?lang=eng
Book: “Live Up to Our Privileges: Women, Power, and Priesthood”: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Up-Our-Privileges-Priesthood/dp/1629725811
Gospel Topic Essay: “Joseph Smith’s Teachings about Priesthood, Temple, and Women” (essay that outlines women’s participation in healing blessings in Church history): https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/joseph-smiths-teachings-about-priesthood-temple-and-women?lang=eng
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
On today's episode I discuss fixed mindset vs. growth mindset, and how it relates to women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Do you have a tendency to believe your qualities are carved in stone, with an urgency to prove yourself over and over? Do you limit your achievement and feel the need to constantly try to prove you are better than others? Do you have a perception that effort is only for people with deficiencies? If so, you may be stuck in a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset. We can all experience this type of fixed mindset from time to time, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about growth! On this week’s episode I share some thoughts of how we can shift to a growth mindset, and how our Heavenly Parents can best help us and guide us when we move toward growth and learning instead of being caught in a trap of perfectionism.
Challenge: Take a few minutes to think about yourself and your life— in what areas of your life are you stuck in a fixed mindset? In what areas do you have a growth mindset? How can you shift to a growth mindset in more parts of your life?
Resources:
“Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carole Dweck: https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Today I am joined by Kelleen Potter and Dr. Lisa Hansen to talk about loving our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and their families more and judging them less. Kelleen Potter shares her own experience as the mother of a gay son and transgender daughter, something she says she couldn’t have believed or understood if she hadn’t experienced herself. Lisa Hansen adds clinical insights as a PhD marriage and family therapist and director of Flourish Therapy, a behavioral health clinic in Provo aimed at supporting LGBTQ individuals and their families. I had so many great ah-hah moments during our conversation, in particular the idea that the very things that limit us or can’t be easily changed may in fact be conduits to lead us to God and teach us about his love. Kelleen and Lisa remind us of the Savior’s example of loving and reaching out to those on the margins, and his invitation for us not to judge but to simply follow His example of generous love.
“It was something I didn’t anticipate, but my heart has grown a thousand times to less judgment, more love, more understanding, (and) more realization that just because it’s not my experience doesn’t mean it’s not someone else’s. And it’s such an easier path for me to just choose love and acceptance than it ever was to navigate who is right and wrong and in and out and how to handle those relationships.”
- Kelleen Potter
Challenge: Take time this week to listen to the story of someone in the LGBTQ community and try to hear their heart. Use the resources below to listen to a story online, or reach out to someone you know to hear their story. If possible, identify a story or talk with a person who has stepped away from the Churchand really listen to what they felt and experienced as they went through this journey.
Resources:
Flourish Therapy: https://www.flourishtherapy.org/
Listen Learn and Love website and podcast: https://www.listenlearnandlove.org/
I’ll Walk With You Website: https://illwalkwithyou.org/
Mama Dragons Parachute Programs: https://www.mamadragons.org/parachute
Family Acceptance Project LDS Pamphlet: https://familyproject.sfsu.edu/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
What is the road less traveled today, as a Latter-day Saint woman? Right now, I believe it is to remain as a committed, covenant-keeping sister in this Church. And, preparing to lead, particularly for Latter-day Saint women, can be a road less traveled. Join me today as I invite sisters to take the road less traveled, and as I share four methods of assistance available to us as we work to become the women our Heavenly Parents intend for us to be.
“Today...we need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world. We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation; women who know how to receive personal revelation, who understand the power and peace of the temple endowment; women who know how to call upon the powers of heaven to protect and strengthen children and families; women who teach fearlessly.” - President Russell M. Nelson
“(As) you join with other women of covenant in unity and harmony, there is no limit to your influence for good...Your efforts to nurture in the family, the Church, the school, the community, and in the professional world have been a blessing to many...Once you know the Lord's will, you can then move forward in faith to fulfill your individual purpose.”
- President M. Russell Ballard
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Have you ever considered your own innate desires for good could be personal revelation? Join me this week for an insightful conversation with Dr. Julie Hanks as we discuss aspirational shame and personal revelation as it relates to women and our desires for family, careers, and/or education. Dr. Hanks discusses how we can learn to trust ourselves and not discount our good desires and aspirations, as they can be potential personal revelation or inspiration from loving Heavenly Parents. We also discuss why it is so common for women to judge one another for their decisions, and how we can lessen our judgment for others and increase in love and understanding.
“I believe if our desires are good, that is personal revelation. I believe our Heavenly Parents use our desires to inform us about what we need to do. And so, instead of not trusting our desires, (assume) that they’re good and will lead to good fruits.”
“Women in general have been taught not to trust ourselves, and I think learning how to trust yourself, your intuition, the Spirit, your desires… that is so important for knowing what’s next for you. And no one else can know that.”
-Dr. Julie Hanks
Challenge: Consider a time when you have judged another woman and her decisions. Do some analysis— what were you judging and what were you really afraid of? Take time to think through these feelings and journal about some of your fears.
Resources:
Dr. Julie Hanks website: https://www.drjuliehanks.com/
Aspiring Mormon Women Blogpost- “Healing Aspirational Shame”: https://aspiringmormonwomen.org/healing-aspirational-shame/
President Ballard 2015 Women’s Conference address: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://womensconference.ce.byu.edu/sites/womensconference.ce.byu.edu/files/elder_m_russell_ballard_0.pdf
Elder Ulisses Soares’ October 2022 general conference talk- “In Partnership with the Lord”: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/25soares?lang=eng
Julie Hanks Partnership Families website and resources: https://www.partnershipfamilies.com/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This can be a busy and hectic time of year, but I hope you can pause for a moment and feel the peace of our Savior Jesus Christ as you listen to this week’s brief podcast episode. I first recorded and shared this episode back in April 2023, but the message feels relevant to this Christmas season. I discuss President Henry B. Eyring’s April 2023 conference message, “Finding Personal Peace,” and share thoughts on developing greater trust, hope, and faith in Jesus Christ, allowing peace to settle into our souls regardless of our situation or challenges.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” - John 14:27
Challenge: Listen to President Eyring’s April 2023 talk, “Finding Personal Peace” and consider how you can invite greater peace into your life.
Resources:
President Henry B. Eyring April 2023 general conference talk “Finding Personal Peace”: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/17eyring?lang=eng
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
I am delighted to welcome Elaine Dalton, former Young Women general president, to the show this week. She shares her characteristic and timeless love, enthusiasm, and encouragement for all women, particularly young mothers and single mothers. Sharing her firm belief of each woman’s divine nature and destiny, Elaine encourages women to learn for themselves of their divine worth to our Heavenly Parents. She warns us not to compare ourselves to others and to instead work to be the best version of ourselves. Finally, Elaine talks about her work with the Stella Oaks Foundation, a fantastic organization that provides scholarships to single mothers.
Challenge: Listen to Elaine Dalton’s 2010 general conference talk, “Remember Who You Are,” and take a few notes in journal.
Resources:
Elaine Dalton’s April 2010 general conference talk, “Remember Who You Are”
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2010/04/remember-who-you-are?lang=eng
Doctrine and Covenants Section 25
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/25?lang=eng
Unleashing Sister Saints episode 53: “How Motherhood Prepares Women to Lead”
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/susan-r-madsen/episodes/53--How-Motherhood-Prepares-Women-To-Lead-e286j3v
Stella Oaks Foundation
https://www.stellahoaks.org/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
In this week’s episode, I share some recent thoughts about seeking personal revelation. Personal revelation has been a rock for me through the years. I have learned about it, yearned for it, asked for it, depended on it, followed it, and found peace because of it. The insights and confirmations I have received from God have been foundational in my decisions—whether minor or substantial—and in my life in general. I hope these thoughts will provide understanding of how you might strengthen your own revelation-receiving efforts and capabilities.
“If we were born to lead in these latter days (and we were), then we need to understand how God makes His power available to us, what it takes to qualify to receive that power, and how we gain access to that power.” - Sheri Dew
“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’” - President Russell M. Nelson
“...Most spiritual growth, most revelation, most answers to difficult questions requires us to wrestle spiritually… Asking inspired questions leads to knowledge. It leads to revelation. It leads to greater faith. And it leads to peace. Not asking questions, on the other hand, closes off revelation, growth, learning, progression, and the ministering of the Holy Ghost.” She also declared, “It is worth wrestling to learn the language of revelation.” - Sheri Dew
“I believe the Spirit of the Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world. It can be more mind-expanding and can make us have a better sense of well-being than any chemical or other earthly substance. It will calm nerves; it will breathe peace to our souls. This Comforter can be with us as we seek to improve. It can function as a source of revelation to warn us of impending danger and also keep us from making mistakes. It can enhance our natural sense so that we can see more clearly, hear more keenly, and remember what we should remember. It is a way of maximizing our happiness.” - President James E. Faust
“Your call began when you were placed into mortality, in a place and time chosen for you by a God who knows you perfectly and loves you as His daughter.” - President Henry B. Eyring
"(You have a) sacred obligation to seek after the power of God and then to use that power as He directs,” … “(no) spiritual privileges are withheld today from the faithful who seek them repeatedly and diligently.” - Sheri Dew
Challenge: Create some space a few times this upcoming week to intentionally receive revelation. Create space in your mind and heart by pausing and listening.
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
In the United States, 37% of women will experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking in her lifetime. Abuse and domestic violence are a widespread societal problem, including among Latter-day Saints—no group of people or area of the country or the world is exempt. Domestic violence is a threat to the safety and well-being of women, and thought it's not easy to talk about, it's something we must talk about, become educated about, and be vigilant to watch for and prevent.
Today I am honored to welcome my friend, Leah Moses, to the podcast to discuss this critically important topic. In May of this year, Leah suffered the unspeakable loss of her oldest child, Om Moses Gandhi, who was murdered by his father, Leah’s ex-husband. Despite Leah’s efforts for 15 years to protect her own son, in the end she was not believed. Leah has so bravely spoken up about her experience with the goal that this tragic moment results in systemic change for Utah and beyond, and I’m grateful she is willing to share her experience with other Latter-day Saint women.
“Perhaps some of you, however, consider the accounts of survivors, and your soul cries out that you are living a survival story right now as a victim of abuse, neglect, bullying, domestic violence, or any suffering of this kind. You are in the midst of your own desperate attempt to survive a situation that feels very much like a disastrous shipwreck or a promising mission suddenly aborted. Will you ever be rescued; will you make it through your own survival story?
The answer is yes. You can survive. You have in fact already been rescued; you have already been saved—by the One who has suffered the very torment you are suffering and endured the very agony you are enduring.1 Jesus has overcome the abuses of this world2 to give you power to not only survive but one day, through Him, to overcome and even conquer—to completely rise above the pain, the misery, the anguish, and see them replaced by peace.”
- Elder Patrick Kearon, April 2022 general conference
Challenge: This week I challenge you to first read, learn, and understand more about domestic violence (see resources linked below!). Next, I challenge you to BELIEVE. Believe the women, children, and others who talk to you and tell you about their experiences with physical, emotional, sexual, and/or other abuse.
Resources:
Power and Control Wheel: https://www.thehotline.org/identify-abuse/power-and-control/
National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
See “Violence Against Women" Utah Women and Leadership Toolkit: https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/resources/toolkits
Domestic Violence Among Utah Women Snapshot: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/files/snapshot/46.pdf
Susan Madsen Deseret News Op-Ed: “Opinion: These mothers have to send their children into abusive situations. We can change that.” https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2023/5/23/23733054/prevent-child-abuse-utah
April 2022 Elder Patrick Kearon General Conference Talk: “He Is Risen with Healing in His Wings: We Can Be More Than Conquerors” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/24kearon?lang=eng
Official Church Resources: Abuse.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Join me this week as I share three profound quotes from prophets of the Lord about women's potential impact to bring light, hope, and peace to the world. When I use the phrase “unleashing sister saints,” this is what I mean! How can we as women be the force the Lord needs to lift millions who suffer and need the hope of the Savior on our planet? This "Hidden Pearl" was one of my earliest episodes (#4) and has become a listener favorite.
“Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different—in happy ways—from the women of the world.” - Spencer W. Kimball
“I have often thought that if great numbers of the women of all nations were to unite and lift their voices in the cause of peace, there would develop a worldwide will for peace which could save our civilization and avoid untold suffering, misery, plague, starvation, and the death of millions.” -Gordon B. Hinckley
“It is not for you to be led by the women of the world; it is for you to lead the … women of the world, in everything that is praise-worthy, everything that is God-like, everything that is uplifting and … purifying to the children of men” -Joseph F. Smith
Challenge: Consider these prophetic quotes, perhaps praying or journaling about them. How can you use your head, heart, and hands to fulfill these prophetic words?
Resources:
Book: A Future Only God Can See For You
What Now Podcast: Becoming A Leader
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Episode Description: Nubia Peña has spent the past 20 years working as a community organizer and policy advocate for underrepresented populations. She attributes her passion for serving the needy to the example of her mother, a woman filled with faith and compassion, and Nubia’s own deep faith and trust in God. While not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nubia’s faith and inexhaustible energy to "be proximate" to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the impoverished, and the incarcerated will uplift and inspire you. She is an example to me of the power that can be unleashed when we respond with faith and charity to our "righteous indignation" and "holy fire," and choose to be God's hand and feet and share the light of our Savior to all within our circle of influence.
"Regardless of where we are and where we are planted, we are God's hand and feet, we are His light, and we are tasked to bring that light to whoever we exchange with." - Nubia Peña
“Ask yourself: what is your righteous indignation; your holy fire? ...that’s God knocking on your heart telling you stand up, step up, and do the work.” - Nubia Peña
Challenge: Find three people who do not practice your faith that you can engage in a service experience with. As we serve with others, we will build bonds, recognize we are more alike than not, and lead people to Jesus. Next, model kindness each day to all you come in contact with!
Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week I continue my conversation with McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding as they discuss their important thought piece, “Why Heavenly Mother is Essential for Women Understanding their Eternal Destiny.” If you haven't already, tune in to part I of the discussion in last week's episode (episode 64).
Challenge: If we cherish the doctrine of a Heavenly Mother, how can we better act on this doctrine? Consider how you can apply the principles and doctrine outlined in the gospel topic essay, "Mother in Heaven."
Resources:
Matrix: “Why Heavenly Mother is Essential for Women Understanding their Eternal Destiny” by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding
Gospel Topic Essay: Mother in Heaven
Elder Dale G. Renlund April 2022 general conference talk: “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny”
McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding books: https://deseretbook.com/t/author/mcarthur-krishna
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Church leaders and an authoritative gospel topic essay have affirmed that as Latter-day Saints, we believe in the beautiful and cherished doctrine of a Heavenly Mother. However, do we really live and apply this doctrine? Today, I’m grateful to welcome McArthur Krishna and her co-author Bethany Brady Spalding to the show to expound upon established doctrine of Heavenly Mother and discuss their important thought piece, “Why Heavenly Mother is Essential for Women Understanding their Eternal Destiny.” I appreciate McArthur and Bethany’s vision, passion, and excitement to help Church members understand and apply our true doctrine of a Heavenly Mother. Review their thought piece and matrix linked below, and stay tuned for part II next week!
“Our theology begins with our heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.”
- President Dallin H. Oaks
“We don’t need more revelation (about Heavenly Mother); we need to apply the truths and teachings we already have. (Those truths) are beautiful, they’re enriching, and they’re so tender and important.”
- Bethany Brady Spalding
“The power of women would be unleashed if we would apply the teachings in the gospel topics essay on Heavenly Mother. We would unleash so much power and potential, it would be extraordinary."
- Bethany Brady Spalding
"While I can become like my Heavenly Father, I will become a Heavenly Mother in the heavens. If we don’t think that’s important, then we’re telling women that they’re not important; that their destiny is not important."
- McArthur Krishna
Challenge: Read the Church’s gospel topic essay, Mother in Heaven. Think, ponder, and pray about what you read and determine what you can do to better live and apply the doctrine in your life.
Resources:
Matrix: “Why Heavenly Mother is Essential for Women Understanding their Eternal Destiny” by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding
Gospel Topic Essay: Mother in Heaven
Elder Dale G. Renlund April 2022 general conference talk: “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny”
McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding books: https://deseretbook.com/t/author/mcarthur-krishna
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Though it isn’t always natural or intuitive, when we choose to be grateful in times of chaos or hardship we can usually identify blessings and tender mercies from the Lord. Today I share about an especially crazy day recently when I was reminded of the many blessings and miracles we experience from day to day, including the blessing of strong and righteous men in our lives.
Challenge: Are you having a busy day? A crazy week or month? Pause for just a minute and think of or record the ways the Lord has blessed you despite the chaos. Also, consider the ways God has made men and women differently. How have faithful, gentle, and righteous men been a blessing in your life?
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
I think our listeners are going to love this week’s conversation with storyteller and artist McArthur Krishna. McArthur is full of energy, passion, patience, grace, and hope, and I learned so much as we talked about her efforts to co-publish a series of books with Bethany Brady Spalding on both women in the scriptures and our Heavenly Mother. From discussing the value of studying the stories of women in scripture to sharing her hopeful perspective on gender inequities in the Church or in society, McArthur encourages women to keep making choices that bring them closer to God. She also urges women to not be afraid of a “wild idea,” and to focus on soul growth with an eternal, not just earthly, perspective.
Thank you to listeners who took time to review and rate the podcast last week! If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to rate and review the podcast. We appreciate your support!
Challenge: Take a few minutes to journal about one of your favorite women in scripture, or go and study a woman in scripture who may be less familiar to you. Then, look inward and think of something you can do to bring more goodness, faith, and hope into the world because of what you learned.
Resources:
McArthur Krishna website
McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding books: https://deseretbook.com/t/author/mcarthur-krishna
Mother in Heaven Gospel Topic Essay
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Help me reach my goal of TEN new reviews this week on Apple Podcasts! If you have been enjoying Unleashing Sister Saints, please take one minute to leave a rating and a review. Thank you!
This week I am delighted to share my conversation with Reyna Aburto and her daughter, Elena Aburto, on the topic of mental and emotional wellbeing. You will recognize Reyna as the former second counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, where she served with President Jean B. Bingham and Sharon Eubank from 2017-2022. In the October 2019 general conference, Sister Aburto spoke powerfully about mental illness, sharing some of her daughter Elena’s experience with depression and anxiety. Reyna and Elena join me today to discuss the origins of Sister Aburto’s conference message, Elena’s experience with depression and social anxiety, and how perfectionism and emotional wellbeing relate. Reyna and Elena close by sharing how participation in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ can ease the anguish of those with mental and emotional suffering.
Challenge: Review Sister Aburto’s beautiful October 2019 general conference talk, “Thru Cloud and Sunshine, Lord, Abide With Me!”
Resources:
Official Church website on Mental Illness
Consecrating Your Life Podcast hosted by Elena and Reyna Aburto
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
On this week’s episode, we welcome back Dr. Christy Kane, PsyD, CMHC, to discuss the topic of loneliness among Latter-day Saint women and young women.
When we envision loneliness, we may think of a single sister or an elderly woman living alone, but loneliness affects women in a variety of backgrounds and family situations, and can be severe in our modern world so deeply affected by comparison and social media. Tune in to learn more about the causes of loneliness, the relationship between social media and loneliness, and how to decrease loneliness and increase authentic connection in our modern world. Dr. Kane reminds us of the many women in the New Testament who sought healing from Jesus Christ, and explains how we can navigate our loneliness and sadness by coming to Him and connecting with others.
“The key is to learn to navigate loneliness through the light of Jesus Christ, guided by the Comforter, within the gospel of Jesus Christ, as sisters united to lift, comfort and offer understanding.” - Dr. Christy Kane
Challenge: Take some time to consider Dr. Kane’s message about loneliness. If you are experiencing loneliness, what can you do to reach out to others and increase connection? If you're not experiencing loneliness, what can you do for others who may be feeling isolated or disconnected?
Resources:
Dr. Christy Kane BYU Women's Conference Address: That We May Not Be Alone
April 2023 Utah Women and Leadership Panel: Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence: A Discussion with Utah Experts
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This weekend is general conference, the worldwide gathering of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am excited to feel God’s love and peace during the conference and to listen for messages from the Spirit especially for me. With conference in mind, this week I'm replaying an episode first released before the April 2023 general conference that highlights Eliza Wells’ recent scholarly article, “Quoted at the Pulpit: Male Rhetoric and Female Authority in Fifty Years of General Conference.”
Unfortunately, Wells’ research outlines that women have been quoted less, acknowledged less, and are seen as less authoritative than men in talks from general conference. There is a lot to learn from this data, despite it being discouraging. I share interesting takeaways from the research, as well as my feelings about general conference and what I hope to learn and how I want to listen.
Challenge: I 100% believe God speaks to me and you. I challenge you to pray for a soft heart to feel the Spirit this weekend during general conference. Listen actively and record personal revelation you receive through concepts shared as well as impressions and feelings that may come to you.
Resources:
2022 Dialogue Journal Article: Quoted at the Pulpit: Male Rhetoric and Female Authority in Fifty Years of General Conference
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Did you know there are more single adult members of the Church than married? According to an April 2021 general conference address by President Russell M. Ballard, more than half the adults in the Church are single, divorced, or not yet married. Join me for this week's episode with special guest Dr. Christy Kane, a psychologist and previously divorced sister, to discuss how we can be more aware and inclusive of our single sisters in the Church.
Challenge: Try not to assume the single women in your ward and neighborhood are “taken care of” -- reach out! Whether you are in a leadership calling or not, do your part to make sure single women in your circle of influence have opportunities to serve, be invited, and be heard and seen.
Resources:
April 2021 General Conference address by President Russell M. Ballard: “Hope in Christ”
Dr. Christy Kane website
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
When exploring a business idea she thought had potential, Emily Bell McCormick found herself asking, “If no one else is doing this, why not me?” Knowing failure was possible but that learning and growth were guaranteed, Emily jumped on the idea and founded the successful clothing company, Shabby Apple. On this week’s episode, Emily discusses lessons learned from starting her business, growing her family through birth and adoption, and later founding The Policy Project, a nonprofit public policy group. Emily shares openly about her journey navigating motherhood and her own needs and interests, as well as discussing how she was shaped by growing up in a home with a terminally ill mother. Throughout the interview, Emily affirms her strong testimony of Jesus Christ and of our Heavenly Parents’ loving involvement in the details of our lives.
“I knew my future rested squarely upon my own shoulders. If I wanted to do something… (it) was going to be on me to do (it).”
“If no one else is doing it, why not me?”
-Emily Bell McCormick
Challenge: Think about key life experiences/influences that have shaped you and your interests, including small nudges or transformational moments. Record one in your journal this week.
Resources:
The Policy Project
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week I’m stepping outside my comfort zone and sharing more about my background and life experience for new listeners and those less familiar with my story.
Join us as my friend, Karlie Guymon, takes the interviewer seat to ask me about growing up the only girl with SIX brothers, serving as a young missionary in Tampa, Florida, and pursuing masters and doctorate degrees as a young mother. I reflect on the one thing I would change looking back: I wish I had given myself more grace!
I also encourage listeners not to be afraid of hard things (which can be the source of the best life lessons), to use their gifts and talents to find greater meaning and purpose in life, and to support and lift other women, especially those who choose a different path in life than you.
Challenge: How can you lean in to better identify and develop your unique talents and gifts instead of hanging back or waiting for a “better time”? Consider that this may also include developing or strengthening your testimony of Jesus Christ and the restored gospel. What can you do to lean in and engage in the gospel?
If you haven't already, will you please take a moment to rate and review this episode? Ratings and reviews help new listeners find the show. Thank you so much!
Resources:
Episode 6: The Box
Episode 53: How Motherhood Prepares Women to Lead
Episode 43: A Bolder Way Forward
Book: A Future Only God Can See For You
Utah Women and Leadership website
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Several years ago, Kristin Andrus and her husband sold a portion of their extremely successful business, Traeger Grills. But instead of feeling relieved or celebratory, she immediately felt a heavy weight of responsibility and a strong spiritual prompting to choose the path less traveled, give back, and get out of her “bubble.”
In this week’s episode, Kristin joins me to talk about the ways she and her family, including their six children, are thinking outside the box to serve and volunteer in their community, as well as change public policy through her work with The Policy Project.
Kristin, who has a large following on social media, is down to earth and quick to acknowledge that “philanthropy is not about money,” but rather about a willingness to share our unique talents, gifts, energy, and resources as we are able, just as Christ taught. She offers relevant and needed advice to women on creating a healthier relationship with social media (create > consume), and reminds women to prioritize investing in and developing themselves in order to reach our full potential as daughters of Heavenly Parents.
“When I go out in our daily efforts I ask, ‘where would Christ be?’ He would be outside of my bubble. ...He is absolutely my first and foremost example of how to spend my time, where to spend my time, and who to spend my time with.”
- Kristin Andrus
Challenge: Think about what talents and skills you have been blessed with and have been developing already. Consider how you already do or could to engage as advocate for individual, group or family, something you haven’t done before, even just a few sentences in your journal.
Resources:
@KristinAndrus on Instagram
The Policy Project
Episode 31: The Potential Impacts of Social Media
Episode 32: A Few More Social Media Thoughts
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
This week we’re replaying a listener favorite, Episode 28: “Distractors and Strategies for Discovering Gifts, Talents, and Strengths.” In this episode I talk about three things that distract us from understanding, embracing, and utilizing our gifts, talents, and strengths in the Church and in the world. I briefly talk about three distractors, and then I mention five approaches I recommend to help women discover their unique gifts, talents and strengths. In our busy lives, pausing and taking the time to consider what may be limiting us from reaching our full potential as well as considering our own strengths and gifts is so important.
“When you know your distinct gifts, talents, and strengths, you can contribute in better, more meaningful ways in this world. ...Humility just means being teachable, it does not mean you should be small or insignificant.” - Dr. Susan R. Madsen
“I urge you, with all the hope of my heart, to pray to understand your spiritual gifts—to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so.” -President Russell M. Nelson, Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel
“You are daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent you into the world with unique gifts that you promised to use to bless others.” -President Henry B. Eyring, Sisters In Zion
“Women give of their talents and abilities in incredible and diverse ways. They make a huge difference in the lives of all those around them—in their families, their places of work, church, school, or wherever else they spend their time.” - President Jean B. Bingham, former Relief Society general president, Women and Covenant Power
Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to create a list of your talents and strengths and to consider what others have told you in the past about your gifts. Seek for spiritual guidance and be open to seeing and learning about more of the gifts you have been given and how they relate to expanding your talents and strengths.
Resources:
Book: A Future Only God Can See For You
USS Episode 27: Understanding our Gifts, Talents, and Strengths
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Does motherhood take women away from learning, growth, and professional development, or is motherhood an effective school for becoming a better human, influencer, and leader?
Join me as I share stories as well as an extensive list of what I learned talking to leading women around the world about the skills and capacities they have learned as mothers. It is clear to me that motherhood prepares women to lead.
Parenting is anything but easy, and research tells us challenging experiences are some of the most effective leadership development experiences. From learning balance and prioritization to negotiation and mediation skills, the things we learn as mothers help us become better leaders and disciples of Jesus Christ.
“Motherhood can help us develop so many things that are linked to becoming a better human, influencer, and leader. Motherhood has helped me learn so much more about love.”
-Dr. Susan B. Madsen
Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to spend a little time journaling about what motherhood, fatherhood, or other types of unpaid work roles–to help you develop skills and attributes that make you better serve our Heavenly Parents. Write some thoughts down in your journal, and feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
Center for Creative Leadership Article: The 70-20-10 Rule for Leadership Development
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
I'm sure you've heard of the gender pay gap, but did you know there is a connection between lower pay for women and religiosity? The gender wage gap is a complicated issue, but research shows religion affects the individual choices, organizational practices, and societal norms that impact the gap in pay between men and women. Today I share from a study that compared the pay gap in religious and non-religious states and countries, talk about my own personal experience with wage discrimination, and extend a challenge to learn more about the wage gap in order to lessen discrimination within our own communities.
Challenge: Read some of the editorials and articles I’ve written on the gender pay gap (see links below). The pay gap is real, and society cannot explain it all away. We need to lessen the discrimination factor within our own spheres of influence! Write some thoughts down in your journal, and feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
LinkedIn Article: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap
Forbes Article: Understanding the Gender Pay Gap: A Framework That May Help
Deseret News Article: Opinion: Yes, Utah, The Gender Pay Gap Is Real
Square Two Article: The Gender Wage Gap and Unpaid Care Work in Utah
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
In this episode I briefly honor Sister Patricia T. Holland, who passed away on July 20, 2023, and share one of my favorite quotes from her about her honest hatred for sewing. (Isn’t that great?!) Then, I share some thoughts about the truly incredible gift we have to choose what we believe. After a recent trip to Eastern Europe, I have reflected often on the freedom we have today to choose our religion and our beliefs, and how billions of people before us never had that choice. We must not take this gift for granted! I challenge listeners to consider what they are doing with their freedom to choose what and how they believe, and offer encouragement to keep ourselves in a place where God can use us to further His work.
“For three-fourths of my life I felt threatened to the core because I hated to sew. Now, I can sew; if it is absolutely necessary, I will sew—but I hate it. Can you imagine my burden over the last twenty-five or thirty years, “faking it” in Relief Society sessions and trying to smile when six little girls walk into church all pinafored and laced and ribboned and petticoated—in identical, hand-sewn dresses, all trooping ahead of their mother, who has a similar outfit? I don’t necessarily consider my attitude virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, but I’m honest in my antipathy toward sewing.”
-Sister Patricia T. Holland, “One Thing Is Needful” talk
"We can choose to believe. We can choose to righteously push as we are inspired to do. We can choose so many things. Yes, there are still limitations and things we must wrestle with and things that need to be changed, but we need to have our testimonies cemented in the Doctrine of Christ and His Gospel. This will make all of the difference in our lives. We must keep ourselves in a place where God can use us to further His work.”
-Dr. Susan R. Madsen
Challenge: My challenge to you this week is to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy wherever we live, particularly our freedom of religion. Let’s remember that this freedom is a gift that billions of people throughout time have not been able to enjoy. What are we doing to do with that gift? Make a few notes in your journal. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
Church News Release: Sister Patricia Terry Holland Passes Away
Sister Holland Talk: “One Needful Thing”
Official Church Statement on Religious Freedom
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Join me for a few reflections on feeling seen and loved by Jesus Christ after studying and teaching about His resurrection to my local congregation. I share the differing biblical accounts of women witnessing His resurrection, and relate it to the way we as women today are sometimes still invisible or not acknowledged by our fellow men and women. I affirm my testimony that we are each loved and known by name by our Savior, no matter our situation, marital or family status, or job title, and I share a few personal experiences that taught me this vital principle.
“Our lives matter, no matter our situation—whether we have children or not, work for pay or not, or we have a combination or whatever it might be. He truly knows our name. He knows our struggles; he knows our hearts. It is up to us to feel him and KNOW him. He is always there. It is our responsibility to be in the head space and heart space to feel him.”
-Dr. Susan R. Madsen
Challenge: Write down how you feel you are “seen” by Jesus Christ. Do you believe He knows you? And, how? If not, what can you do this week to change that? Feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
June 26- July 2, 2023 Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families: “He Is Risen”
April 2017 General Conference talk by President Linda K. Burton: "Certain Women”
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Have you ever thought about how cultivating a more equal partnership in the home can better invite the Holy Ghost to teach, inspire, and uplift a family? Join me for part two of my conversation with Tim Willden, my younger brother, as we discuss ways men and women can work together to create a more equal partnership in the home, resulting in a more Spirit-filled, loving, and safe home and family life.
Tim shares the critical importance of husbands and wives talking together openly and frequently about the roles and responsibilities within the home, including those Church culture or broader society has traditionally assigned to just men or just women. In situations where abuse of any kind is present, we discuss the need for women to seek for safe places where they can feel and receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I also share research about the positive effect of equal partnerships in the home on children and future generations.
“The prophet has been teaching us to ‘Hear Him.’ He’s been teaching us that we can’t make it through this if we don’t have the Holy Ghost, if we don’t have that relationship. And as a father, I think it comes upon me and my wife, as the nurturers and caregivers of our children, to help foster an environment where they can hear him better, and teaching them how to “hear him.”
-Tim Willden
Challenge: Think about what equal partnership in the home looks like for you. Talk about that with your spouse, boyfriend, a family member, or whomever might feel appropriate to you. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
May 2020 Harvard Business Review article: “Gender Equity Starts in the Home”
October 2022 General Conference talk by Elder Ulisses S. Soares: “In Partnership with the Lord”
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
As members of the church, we live in a culture that literally and metaphorically puts men on the stand. On this week's episode, I invite my younger brother, Tim Willden, to share his experiences as a bishop and stake president learning and striving to allow women in his stake to be more equal partners in the work of salvation. Tim shares ways his wife Danai was a more active partner throughout his service as stake president, including in ministering to departing and returning missionaries, as well as ways he encouraged the stake Relief Society, Young Women and Primary leaders to speak up and share revelation they received in more gender-balanced settings. Tim shares the revelation he received repeatedly to simply close his mouth (“shut up!”) and listen to what women were thinking and feeling. I hope this episode gives you encouragement and ideas for what can be done on the local level to help women and young women be heard, recognized and included.
“Quite often we focus too much on the leaders that are sitting on the stand, and not enough on the sacrifice that everyone is making.”
-Tim Willden
Challenge: Think about the types of things bishops, stake presidents or other men in the church have done that have impacted you positively and why. Share them with me at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com or on social media @UnleashingSisterSaints (see links below).
Resources:
March 2019 Ensign Article by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “Connecting Daughters of God with His Priesthood Power"
Book by Barbara Morgan Gardner: “The Priesthood Power of Women: In the Temple, Church, and Family”
Spring 2020 BYU Magazine article highlighting research from Chrisopher F. Karpowitz, Jessica R. Preece, and Olga Stoddard: “When Women Don’t Speak Up”
Learn More:
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
Contact Me:
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Join me for a conversation with special guest Dr. Valerie Hudson to learn about her work on international security and gender and why she chooses to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Valerie shares how she was initially drawn to the sensible and practical nature of the gospel as a young teenage convert, and why she believes that sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is “the most feminist act one can commit.” Valerie believes the hallmark of the true church of Jesus Christ is the doctrine of equal partnership between men and women, and she offers insights into how she has grounded herself in true and pure principals regarding the divinity of females as a member of the Church, a scholar, and a wife and mother.
“When I consider what’s happening here on earth, I can cling to the heavenly vision and know there is a place where women are fully equal before God; where women’s talents and skills are viewed as a contribution not as a distraction, and where men and women jointly and unanimously make all decisions concerning the human family; where there is no violence at all or coercion between men and women. I think that vision helps me do the work I do as a scholar.” -Dr. Valerie Hudson
Challenge: Read Dr. Valerie Hudson’s fantastic 2013 Ensign (now Liahona) article, “Equal Partnership in Marriage.”
Resources:
Dr. Valerie Hudson full bio
Square Two Online Journal
April 2013 Ensign Article: “Equal Partnership in Marriage”
Book: Women in Eternity, Women in Zion
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
I love hearing from listeners! Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Does giving clear and direct feedback at home, church, or work make you feel uncomfortable or nervous? Girls and women are often socialized to be less direct in giving feedback, and I have found that women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can sometimes be ineffective in giving feedback in an effort to be more warm, kind, or compassionate. However, feedback is critical in helping others begin, stop, or continue certain behaviors, and learning to give effective feedback is an important skill. On this week’s episode, I share common mistakes made when giving feedback and explain the research on how to give more effective feedback in your personal relationships, in the workplace, at church, and beyond.
Challenge:
Practice the SBI Feedback Model! Give specific, situational feedback about behaviors, indicating how the behavior impacts you. Practice this skill by giving using this model to give positive feedback to your loved ones.
Resources:
Center for Creative Leadership Article: Use Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ to Understand Intent
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen about updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Follow Unleashing Sister Saints on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnleashingSisterSaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unleashingsistersaints/
We love hearing from our listeners! Email us with questions, comments, or suggestions at unleashingsistersaints@gmail.com.
Getting a better job or making more money are good reasons for women to pursue higher education, but are they the only reasons? Join me this week as I discuss the vast benefits and uses of higher education, from living a longer and healthier life to improving your self-understanding and critical thinking. I share inspiring stories of women who are “showing up” to complete or advance their education, and offer a challenge to consider where you are in your lifelong educational journey.
Quotes:
“[P]repare to do work of real worth for your fellowmen... The critical difference between your just hoping for good things for mankind and your being able to do good things for mankind is education.” ~ President Russell M. Nelson, 1990 BYU Devotional
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason but no morals. . . . We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” ~Martin Luther King Jr., 1947 Morehouse College
Challenge:
Consider and reflect on where you are in your educational journey. What higher degree will prepare you for a future only God can see for you?
Resources:
A Future Only God Can See For You (Book):https://www.amazon.com/Future-Only-God-Can-See/dp/1462140521/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=eIsMW&content-id=amzn1.sym.dba1a2d0-88dc-4504-a5d7-10259373e587&pf_rd_p=dba1a2d0-88dc-4504-a5d7-10259373e587&pf_rd_r=CM8NRC54QX9DVW3YNZ2P&pd_rd_wg=WjwlE&pd_rd_r=bd79c311-201e-4c6a-8a6f-0fecca394434&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m
More information on the benefits of college degrees for women: https://www.usu.edu/uwlp/files/whywomenshouldgraduatefromcollege.pdf
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen to see updated research, resources, and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at www.susanrmadsen.com
Young women today are struggling, and the research is discouraging. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report discussed some disturbing findings that teen girls are experiencing record high levels of violence, sadness, and suicide risk. On this week's episode I discuss the serious mental health and safety challenges today’s young women face, and how as parents, sisters, aunts, friends, and Church leaders we each have the opportunity to profoundly influence the lives of girls and young women. I share three important tips for lifting the young women in your life, and issue a challenge to educate yourself on these important issues.
Resources:
CDC Report: U.S. Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0213-yrbs.html
“Girls On The Brink” Book: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Brink-Daughters-Increased-Depression/dp/0593233077/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1TIIVCYNLSATW&keywords=on+the+brink+girls&qid=1686489962&sprefix=on+the+brink+girls%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1
Panel Discussion: Teen Girls Experiencing Increased Sadness and Violence: A Discussion with Utah Experts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Qq3Lvdsz0&feature=youtu.be
Sign up to receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen to see updated research, resources and events at www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Learn more about Dr. Susan Madsen at https://susanrmadsen.com/.
Join me for Episode 43 as I talk about a movement that is taking much of my time these days. I’ve felt very moved this week to discuss “A Bolder Way Forward” that was formally launched the past Friday. Although it is focused on Utah, I feel inspired to tell you about it as an example of how one person can follow personal revelation, including when it is big, bold, uncertain, and scary! I truly believe that these are the kinds of things—whether you are in Utah, another US state, or in any country around the world—that we can help with or lead (in big or small ways). Each of us may engage in different efforts, in different ways, and in different settings—but if our efforts are lifting and helping others (including our own families)—they are important! Please share.
Resources:
A Bolder Way Forward: www.abolderwayforward.org
Utah Women & Leadership Project: www.utwomen.org
Receive monthly emails from Dr. Madsen to see updated research, resources, and events: www.utwomen.org. These can be helpful whether you are in Utah or beyond.
Join me as re-release an episode that I really liked from the beginning of this podcast. I discuss what I call “The Box.” Within the Church, we can hear messages from Church leaders, local leaders, or from members in our wards and stakes that can influence us in positive ways—but occasionally there are messages than can influence girls and women in negative ways. Many of these are engrained in what I call “The Box.” I believe that each of us has an invisible box in our minds that contains what we think the “good” or “ideal” Latter-day Saint woman should look like or should embody. In this episode, I will describe “The Box” and share examples and insights.
Join me in this episode for a quick review of who I am, the purpose of this podcast, and why I named it “Unleashing Sister Saints.” I then close the loop on the last few episodes (39 and 40) where I shared research related to sexist comments at Church. In this episode I want to share a few ideas or tips on how we might respond in ways that could be helpful in both giving ourselves a few minutes to think and also to help others understand how their comments might be perceived. I don’t have all of the answers, but this could give you a few ideas at least!
Join me in this episode as I continue my discussion around sexist comments at church. I will share the results of some research we did on this topic and focus specifically on defining benevolent sexism and provide examples of comments made related to undervaluing women’s contributions, sexualization/objectification, and priesthood. I’ll share some of my own insights as well. Overall, the goal of this study was to educate the public on the many forms of conscious and unconscious sexist comments made by individuals (both men and women), and to equip women with effective responses that could reduce sexism in all settings. I know that some comments may seem harmless, but I truly believe that some of the struggles we as women have in the Church are from seemly harmless comments. Enjoy!
Join me in this episode as I share some of the research my team and I at the Utah Women & Leadership Project did in the state of Utah when we gathered sexist comments from nearly 1000 women. Robbyn Scribner, Allie Barnes, and I analyzed the specific comments focused on Latter-day Saint settings and published a piece on it last year in the Square Two Journal. It was titled “Sexist Comments in Latter-day Saint Settings.” Sexism takes many forms, from blatant and aggressive to unintentional and subtle. Gender-related societal attitudes, social norms, unconscious biases, and microaggressions all contribute to the sexist behaviors and attitudes that are partially responsible for much of the inequity women face every day in a variety of settings—including in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Join me in this episode of the “Unleashing Sister Saints” podcast as I talked about some of the content of the 25-minute speech I gave at BYU Women’s Conference yesterday. I recorded the episode when I had just finished preparing and had a lot of thoughts in my mind. I was asked to speak about the essential role of women in ward and stake councils. Of course I discuss why women need to “lean in” and use their voices, but also how our male leaders need to understand and value women’s voices too!
In the last episode I started talking about why I believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, particularly asa women, mother, scholar, teacher, author, and daughter of God. I talked about believing because I was raised in a believing family, that I was blessed with abelieving heart, and that I have children and grandchildren who need me to believe. In this episode I discuss other reasons that I continue to believe including because I know my gifts and strengths, feel a purpose and calling to do so, have felt angels, and forgive myself and others. I believe because I seek learning andgrowth, wrestle righteously, know the Doctrine of Christ, and because the world needs more light.
Weekly I have someone ask me about the Church and why I believe. I’ve thought about this a lot through the years, and I wanted to share some of my answers inthis episode called “Why I Believe.” Last fall, I spoke to a large audience at the Washington, DC Temple Visitor’s Center and called my fireside speech, “Why I believe as a women, mother, scholar, teacher, author, and daughter of God.” Join me for Part 1 of this discussion about why I believe.
I recorded this episode a few days after General Conference in April 2023, and I share some of my learnings and insights. It is always amazing to me that each of us has different ahahs depending on here are heads, hearts, and hands are as we are listening—and I should say as we listen and read to talks after conference as well. Join me as I share a few insights I gained from 6 different talks.
Join me as talk about some insights about peace from the first session of General Conference, particularly with President Henry B. Eyring’s talk about finding peace. We can have faith and peace amidst the uncertainty, the storms, the challenges, the violence, the meanness around us, the fear of what is happening in this world, the impact of media and social media on our children and youth, and so much more. If we have trust, hope, and faith, we can then let peace settle into to the essence of who we are—Daughters of Heavenly Parents who love us.
General Conference is around the corner, and I want to get a lot out of it. In this episode of the “Unleashing Sister Saints” podcast, I discuss two things. The first is to highlight some findings from a scholarly article I read a few weeks ago titled “Quoted at the Pulpit: Male Rhetoric and Female Authority in Fifty Years ofGeneral Conference” by Eliza Wells. Second, I share some of my feelings about General Conference and what I hope to learn and how I want to listen.
Join me in Episode 32 as I continue my discussion of social media. In the last episode I talked about some of the negative impacts of social media, and inthis episode, I want to finish that discussion with a little more data and some of my thoughts. My thoughts are more around girls and young women, but I dothink the impacts of social media on the way we look at ourselves—externally and internally—also relates to women as we age as well.
In the last episode I spoke a little about the recent CDC data and the state of young women right now in the United States (and most likely many countries in the world). I’ve been thinking a lot about the challenges that girls and women face that are leading to high levels of the feelings of sadness, discouragement, anddepression. Of course, we all know that one of the causes of these high levels related to social media use and engagement. In this episode I’ll share a few ofthese findings to get us to think about our lives and how we influence girls and young women.
This past month I’ve been thinking a lot about what is happening in this world today with girls, young women, and women. With the release of a new CDC report that came out this past month on the state of young women in the US, I feel a heavier weight on my shoulders in different ways to do more. God expects up todo things differently as sisters in His Church moving forward. In this episode I discuss some of this data and also share some of my personal insights on how we as sisters in the church really need to rise up now in new ways! We can no longer live ordinary lives.
A few weeks ago, I read a book/workbook titled “In the Image of Our Heavenly Parents; A Couples Guide to Creating a More Divine Marriage” that was compiled by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding. Although I’m not an expert in creating better marriages, I wanted to share some quotes from the book and then insights I had as I read it. There were some quotes about our Heavenly Parents that I had not heard before, which I love.
In this episode, I finish the discussion I started last week on gifts, talents, and strengths. There are many things that distract us from understanding, embracing, and utilizing our gifts, talents, and strengths in the Church and in the world. I briefly talk about three, and then I mention five approaches that I recommend that can help women discover their unique distinctness. This is so important in strengthening sister saints!
Join me for Episode 27, titled “Understanding Our Gifts, Talents, and Strengths.” Something that continues to surprise me are the thousands of amazing and gifted women I’ve personally met through the years who have no clue how remarkable they are. Yet, we know that every individual born on this earth is unlike anyone else. Each is a unique, gifted, extraordinary human being who is distinct from every individual throughout the history of the world. Yet, I have found that most girls and women struggle to see their distinct uniqueness and how they can use their combination of strengths in ways no one else can. This is the first of two episodes where I’ll dive in and discuss this topic.
Join me in Episode 26 as I share my thoughts about a recent editorial I wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune. It was titled “Helping those at a disadvantage doesn’t cost anything”, with the subtitled of “One group making progress does not hold other groups back.” I use the term “Hogwash” in it a few times. I challenge the “scarcity” or “zero-sum” mentality.
Join me in Episode 25 as I share my thoughts on forgiveness. Our attitudes, tendencies, and habits toward becoming a generous and relentless forgiver can impact our life journeys and specifically our leadership development journey. Learning to better forgive ourselves and others is a powerful practice that can change lives, particularly our own.
Join me in Episode 24 as I share some information that helps us as women learn more about ourselves by thinking more deeply about our mindsets, and I’ll provide some details about both the fixed and growth mindsets. Norman Vincent Peale once said, “One of the greatest moments in anybody’s developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is.” Understanding our own mindsets helps us do this.
In Episode 23, I continue my conversation from the last episode on higher education. In this one I share Church teachings on the topic of attending and completing colleges and university, and I also share some background about my own educational journey. Education is critical important in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!
Join me in Episode 22 as I discuss my insights about higher education and why it is so important for women to attend and complete college. I love this quote by President Russell M. Nelson: “[P]repare to do work of real worth for your fellowmen… The critical difference between your just hoping for good things for mankind and your being able to do good things for mankind is education.”
Join me in Episode 21 as I wrestle with this question: Are Latter-day Saints more passive-aggressive than other people? I’ve been thinking about this recently as I’ve been in many conversations where this has come up—particularly how Utah has such a passive-aggressive culture. Some research even says that women could use slightly more passive-aggression than men. I wanted to explore this in more depth, so I’ll let you know what I founded out.
Join me in episode 20 as I share the contents of one email (I asked for permission) I received from a sister wrestling with issues around “women’s equality” in the Church (I’ve received many like this). I’ll read and discuss how I responded to her as well. I’m using the term “women’s equality”, but it could be women’s representation in the Church or other things. Frankly, I have more questions than answers, but I’ll at least share some of the ways I wrestle with this topic while also staying active and faithful within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A team of researchers at BYU—Amber Majeske, Sarah Coyne, Chelom Leavitt, and Alice Long— just published an article titled “Your Mother and Mine: Perceptions of Heavenly Mother Among Latter-day Saints” in the online journal, SquareTwo. You can find the article at squaretwo.org. In this episode, I wanted to share some of their findings and a few of my own insights. It is interesting research.
Join me in this episode as I share some of my learnings and thoughts from reading a book from a Christian writer, Alice Fryling, titled “Aging Faithfully.” This author said, “Now, in our senior years, we have the responsibility (or opportunity) to practice all that we have learned”, and she cited a Rabbi that wrote that “if we viewed elderhood as the crowning achievement of our lives, we would open the door with reverence and anticipation.” I really found this book insightful and want to share some of my ah-hahs.
Join me in Episode 17 as I share some thoughts about calling and purpose for sisters in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Sometimes it feels like we as women are constantly looking for and hopefully discovering new calling and purpose as we navigate so many transitions in our lives. So many sisters I’ve talked to feel lost during these transitions and need support in navigating them. I share some of my thoughts in hopes they are helpful.
Join me in Episode 16 as I go out on a limb a little and tell you about my struggles with a few words we use in the Church: “preside” and “patriarchy.” Although I don’t struggle with my testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God’s church on earth, I do cringle a little when we continue to use words from past decades and centuries that mean other things today.
Join me in Episode 15 as I finish my discussion of women and confidence, which I started in episode 14. I meet so many women who are not confident, even though there is no reason in the world they should be! They are wonderful, smart, and competent, yet this lack of confidence is so common. In this episode, I talk specifically about limiting behaviors and strategies we can use to strengthen our confidence as women.
Join me in Episode 14 as I discuss women and confidence and how it relates to sisters in the Church. Particularly related to my last episode on God needing us to influence differently moving forward, I think understanding confidence is more important than ever before. In fact, I believe that our Heavenly Parents needs sisters to be covenant-keeping, committed, and confident! In this episode I’ll start the conversation by talking about what confidence is and then expand on some of the gender differences.
Join me in Episode 13 as I share more of my thoughts around why I believe that God needs us as sisters to influence and lead. I know I’ve talked about this before, but I want to focus more on a few specific elements today. I will share 3 of my favorite Church leader quotes related to women being needed differently moving forward. Being on a purposeful path of preparation is so critical for women in the Church moving forward.
Join me in Episode 12 as I share some of my thoughts around choosing to stand with the Lord and fold in a little about raising girls and young women to be strong. I share some research, along with drawing from some of the words of Sister Michelle D. Craig (First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency) who gave a recent talk in General Conference titled “Wholehearted.”
Join me in Episode 11 as I focus on how missions prepare sisters to lead. Through the years I’ve had so many sisters in the Church tell me they are not leaders and are not prepared to lead. I wanted to do a study to capture the leadership development that sister missionaries gained so others can understand that they are much more prepared to lead than they may think! I will share some of the interesting findings from research some colleagues and I conducted a few years ago of the leadership development gained by women serving full-time missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint.
Join me in episode 10 as I continue to discuss why change is needed in terms of representation in leadership roles at the local, area, and beyond. I see so many amazing opportunities we have as a Church to shift policies and practices in terms of representation at least in some domains that can propel the Lord’s work forward. Research continues to tell us that women are amazing leaders, who often lead differently than men in terms of styles, attributes, skills, and characteristics. Having differences is the point. It is powerful!
Join me as I talk about some of the changes that have been made in the Church in the last decade that directly impact women in the Church, and why we need more changes. Although doctrines remain consistent, policies and practices are changing more quickly than ever before. I also discuss why having more women representation matters in the Church and beyond.
Join me in episode 8 as I continue my discussion about identity as sisters and share some thoughts about how our “Mother in Heaven” is critical to our heavenly identity as women. Since “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose,” our eternal identity is gendered. To see ourselves as future “heavenly women,” envisioning the mother of all humankind is foundational.
Join me as I share some of my thoughts around “identity” as sisters in the Church. As we know, “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” And gender research tells us that gender influences nearly everything. In fact, we have been taught that our premortal and mortal identity is deeply connected to our gender, and what we see women doing around us strongly impacts what we see ourselves doing in the future. I wrestle through some of the nuances within the Church in terms of identity formation and the need for more women in leadership roles.
Join me as I discuss what I call “The Box.” Within the Church, we can hear messages from Church leaders, local leaders, or from members in our wards and stakes that can influence us in positive ways—but occasionally there are messages that can influence girls and women in negative ways. Many of these are engrained in what I call “The Box.” I believe that each of us has an invisible box in our minds that contains what we think the “good” or “ideal” Latter-day Saint woman should look like or should embody. In this episode, I will describe “The Box” and share examples and insights.
Join me as I discuss unleashing sisters—particularly what it means to me and how to do it. I talk about different categories, such as unleashing ourselves, feeling unleashed in our homes, perceiving “unleashness” in our own wards and stakes and as sisters in the Church, and even more broadly in our communities and world. Finally, I share a few thoughts about the internal and external elements of unleashing sister saints.
Join me as I share and discuss three of my favorite quotes on how the Lord needs women in His Church to make an impact in more profound ways in our communities and societies. Sometimes as sisters see our role residing in very specific—and sometimes limited—spheres of influence. However, I believe we are being asked to use our heads, hearts, and hands in more visible and powerful ways moving forward.
Join me as I share my recent thoughts and “ahahs” about repentance. Because I feel like many of us as women think differently about repentance than do men, it can feel like drudgery as well as a weight or burden on our shoulders. I’ve recently had some breakthroughs in my thinking and understanding that I discuss in this third episode.
Join me as I talk about the challenge we often have as girls and women in the Church with believing we are truly “daughters of heavenly parents.” I discuss the wrestle many of us have with letting that message sink deeply within our souls, so we focus on developing internal attributes more than worrying continuously about our external appearance. I also start a discussion on how to better let God prevail.
Join me as I provide some background on my new podcast, which is titled, “Unleashing Sister Saints.” I’ll be introducing myself and briefly discussing the purpose of the podcast, why I’m starting it, why I named it “Unleashing Sister Saints,” and what I hope to accomplish with it.