Choosing Faith

At age four, Lorin Nicholson was diagnosed with a genetic eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, and with only 10% sight, was declared legally blind.  

Today Lorin, a husband and father of four, is a record breaking cyclist, award-winning musician, successful businessman and powerful motivational speaker.  

Tune in to hear how Lorin has led a rich and fulfilling life even with very little eyesight.

For more information about Lorin go to http://lorin.com.au/.

According to BeyondBlue, one in seven Australians will experience depression in their lifetime, and more than 3,000 people die by suicide each year. In New Zealand about 150,000 people at least consider the idea of suicide each year, and 680 succeed. 

Jeremy Higgins, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife and two daughters, is no stranger to these facts. He first started having depressive thoughts as a teenager, which continued on into his adulthood, though, he didn’t quite realise what he was experiencing at the time. Three years ago, Jeremy reached breaking point. Overwhelmed by the pressures of work, church, personal expectations, and a certain traumatic event which impacted his family, he found himself on a bridge. Thankfully, Jeremy got the help he needed, and recently founded an online community called The Bright Side of Depression to help others navigate this disease.

Jeremy is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys spear-fishing, surfing and hiking. He also loves being behind the camera and has dabbled in photography and videography. Jeremy believes in a holistic approach to wellness. You will find him in the gym as much as you might find him on a yoga mat practising mindfulness and meditation.

In this episode Jeremy shares what it’s like to suffer from depression, what tools and activities helped him on his journey of recovery, and how, after feeling spiritually disconnected, he is on his way to finding God again.

Janine Oates currently lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband, and has been working consistently for the past few years to help lighten the burden for hundreds of people who travel to the UAE for work. Many of these men, who move from countries like Uganda, Nigeria and Cameroon, are exploited by agents before they even arrive. 

Through her various humanitarian efforts, Janine has not only helped a number of people find employment, but has been able to witness the miraculous growth of her ward, half of which is now made up by these faith-filled African members. She truly has, as Elder Patrick Kearon recently encouraged us to do, found a way to provide others with a "refuge from the storm".  

In this episode, I chat with Janine about her involvement with this working community, and what we can all be doing to help refugees and the vulnerable in our own country. 

Janine loves to sew, travel, workout and go for walks. She has 3 daughters and 6 amazing grandchildren, and on a Friday afternoon (the Sabbath day in the Middle East) you’ll likely find her cooking up a Ugandan bean and chicken soup with her adopted African family.

On the 26th October 2019, lightning struck the Gospers Mountain region in NSW, causing one of the first fires of what would eventually become Australia’s worst bushfire season on record. As the fire grew, Eddie and Leigh Stachowski, who own a farm in Putty NSW, travelled to their property to carry out some fire preparations. On the 11th November they were visited by a member of the local RFS. The Gospers Mountain Fire was heading their way.  

With the weather conditions at a catastrophic level, and the fire fighting resources stretched across the state, they had no choice but to leave. After farewelling his wife, and promising her that he was only an hour behind, Eddie remained to complete some last minute chores, only to discover that all the roads had since been closed. He was trapped. 

Eddie is a husband, father, grandfather and doctor, specialising in anaesthetics and intensive care. He joined the church while at university and has never looked back. In this episode, I chat with Eddie to hear how he managed to stay calm during the 11 days he spent trapped on his farm, how he worked with the local firefighters, and what he learned about the importance of being prepared, both temporally and spiritually.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are taught that motherhood is a woman’s ultimate calling. In fact, in 1935 the First Presidency issued a statement that reads “Motherhood… is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind”. These sentiments were later reflected in the family proclamation of 1995.

I have always looked forward to one day becoming a mother, but in a world that uses personal career progression as a measure of success, as a woman, it can be challenging navigating these conflicting societal and religious expectations.

The topic of motherhood was recently explored in a three-part podcast miniseries, created and produced by my friend and journalist Josie Gleave. In this episode Josie joins me to discuss what motherhood looks like in a modern world, how women contribute value even if they’re unable or choose not to become mothers, and how we can best honour the diversity and richness of womanhood overall.

In her early twenties, Emma Wikström found success in modelling and acting, and while she was taught about God as a child, the glamour of her career seemed much more exciting than going to church.

As the years unfolded Emma began to realise that something was missing, and she plucked up the courage to utter a prayer for help. What followed was sweet heavenly inspiration, which led Emma to actively choose God again, and eventually serve a mission in Sweden, where she is now living and working as a voice actress with her husband Simon. 

In this episode I chat with Emma to hear more of her journey, particularly how she acted on promptings that helped her establish a faith in Jesus Christ.

Celeste and George Kaka met in 2016 while working at the BYU cultural centre in Hawaii. After a romantic courtship, they were married in the Sydney temple, but just three short months later, Celeste noticed a lump on her leg.  

One doctor’s appointment turned into many, and before they knew it, Celeste was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that typically manifests in kids and adolescents. Goals for raising a family and having a future together melted away as they adapted to their new reality and braved multiple rounds of chemotherapy. 

In this episode I chat with both Celeste and George to hear how they battled cancer as a newlywed couple, and how despite all odds and warnings of infertility, they are now parents to three boisterous toddlers (who Celeste likes to affectionately attribute the bags under her eyes to).

Jake Mangakahia grew up in a household filled with music, dance and performance, and realised early on that he wanted to be a professional dancer. At age 10 he successfully auditioned for the Australian Ballet School, where he trained throughout his teenage years. 

While it was challenging, he managed to take some time out of his ballet career to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toronto. Since then he has been awarded the Telstra People's Choice Award twice and is now a soloist in The Australian Ballet company. 

In this episode I chat with Jake about balancing his spiritual and professional commitments, and how there’s no one size fits all approach to living the gospel.

As a young boy, my uncle Tobi Thornton was inquisitive, fearless, and always getting into mischief. 

As he grew, these boyish escapades took a darker turn, leading him down a path away from God, family and the stability of his childhood. 

In this episode Tobi shares how he overcame a number of challenges and addictions with the help of his family, the church's 12-step Addiction Recovery program, and ultimately, the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we are taught that strong, loving families are the foundation for happiness. For Holly growing up, it was not uncommon to hear that she should strive to marry someone with similar values and religious beliefs. So when an older man with no particular religious inclinations moved into the house right behind Holly’s, her first thought was not one of romance.

In this episode, Holly discusses her experience with prayer and revelation, and shares how she courageously followed the answers she received to make the most important decision of her life.