After receiving hundreds of your questions and concerns, I sat down with Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat and Dr. Richard LeDuc from The Standard of Truth Podcast to have an honest, thoughtful conversation about one of the most complex topics in Church history: polygamy. This episode doesn’t attempt to answer every question, but the Spirit was strongly present throughout the conversation. It explores how early Saints responded to practicing polygamy, possible reasons God commanded it, and offers a closer look at complex aspects of the history; including Joseph Smith being sealed to a 14-year-old girl and Emma Smith’s experience. It also addresses what this practice could mean for eternity and the challenge of reconciling something that may feel uncomfortable while continuing to hold onto faith.

Resources for further study:

Book Recommendation

https://a.co/d/0ethk4qr

Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints?lang=eng

This overview essay establishes that monogamy is the church’s standing law of marriage but acknowledges God commanded plural marriage in biblical times and again through Joseph Smith. It covers D&C 132, the purposes of plural marriage, and the eventual cessation of the practice. 

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng

Focuses on the origins under Joseph Smith in the 1830s–1840s. Discusses the angel with a drawn sword, Joseph’s multiple wives (including polyandrous marriages to women already married to other men), the secrecy surrounding early practice, and Emma Smith’s reactions.

Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-and-families-in-early-utah?lang=eng

Covers the 1847–1890 period. Addresses demographics (20–30% of Latter-day Saint families practiced it),  daily life in plural families, financial and interpersonal challenges, women’s agency,  and U.S. government anti-polygamy legislation.

The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/the-manifesto-and-the-end-of-plural-marriage?lang=eng

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and why I’ve decided I won’t be watching anymore. I talk about the sadness I feel for the families and children affected, the uncomfortable feelings the show stirred for me, and some common online reactions about gospel living, family roles, and media portrayals of our faith. I end with a reminder this Easter season of the hope and peace we can find in our Savior, who lives!!

Is it possible to grow while raising kids? In this episode, Montana Coles and I talk about developing ourselves in motherhood, avoiding comparison, making mom friends, and partnering with Christ through the highs and the lows.

In 2016, Amy Allebest’s essay Dear Mormon Men sparked a lot of conversation inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many members, the essay feels uncomfortable—or even threatening—because it raises questions about gender, authority, and women’s experiences in the Church.

In this episode, I sit down with Amy Watkins Jensen, the voice behind Women on the Stand, to talk through some of the ideas raised in Dear Mormon Men and the real experiences of women in the Church that often sit underneath conversations like this. We discuss why women sharing their experiences matters, how culture and doctrine sometimes get tangled together, and how we can wrestle with difficult topics while staying rooted in faith in Jesus Christ.

What does it look like to stay in the Church while carrying experiences that are often misunderstood? In this episode my guest, Trevor Schoeny, shares his story of growing up gay in the Church, navigating scrupulosity and trauma, sustaining Church leadership, and discerning how he would raise his future children in the faith. My hope is that conversations like this help us build more understanding, more compassion, and stronger unity as we strive to follow Christ together.

What does it actually mean for women to have priesthood power?

Today I’m joined by Dr. Barbara Morgan Gardner to dig into priesthood power, women’s roles, and how the Church talks about both. Together, we address common misconceptions, challenge oversimplified narratives, and share personal experiences of how women access, exercise, and recognize priesthood power in their everyday lives.

If you’ve ever felt confused, curious, or even quietly frustrated by conversations around women and the priesthood….this episode is for you!

More Latter-day Saints struggle with religious OCD, or scrupulosity, than we often realize. For those who face it, obsessive anxiety can twist gospel living into a cycle of fear and toxic guilt, and many even mistake that guilt for promptings from the Spirit.

In this episode, therapist Annabella Hagen helps us understand what scrupulosity is, how it shows up in our culture, and how we can stay connected to God without letting fear take over. We also talk about how families and leaders can offer better support, when it may be time to seek professional help, and how to discern between the Spirit and anxiety.

For anyone interested in joining Annabella’s FREE Online OCD Support Group for Members of the Church or the one for All Faiths, they can request to be added to the email list by contacting [email protected]

The Faith Leaders’ Guide to Scrupulosity OCD pamphlet (PDF): https://mindsetfamilytherapy.com/books/downloads

Today we’re going through all the claims made about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the newest season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Season 3 gives us plenty to unpack! We’re going to discuss m the Book of Mormon’s racial history, how Latter-day Saints view the LGBTQ community, if we can “earn” God’s love, and what “fighting the patriarchy” doesn’t look like as a Mormon woman in 2025. Let’s talk about what they got right, what they missed, and everything in between.

Mary Alice from the What Now podcast is basically the OG “blonde apologist,” and I adore her. She’s been tackling hard gospel topics from a place of deep faith for years, and this conversation left me thinking long after we stopped recording. We talked about how she felt called to start her podcast, the shifts she hopes to see in our Church culture, and how we can build better bridges with those who have stepped away from the Church.

Checkout her podcasts (Apple podcast) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-now/id1474476293

Checkout her podcast (Spotify) https://open.spotify.com/show/2zY4GanR2iYfVgRyabNvbI?si=U6Fcg600RKm9E85A15F9qw

After losing her baby boy just one day after birth, my guest shares how she found strength, faith, and healing through unimaginable heartbreak. Together we talk about the tender mercies that carried her, how she’s learned to reconcile loss through the gospel, and the quiet ways she still feels connected to her son in heaven.