Kayla Shields works as a Certified Personal trainer and Nutrition Coach. She earned an associate's degree from LDS Business College and is now headed back to Ensign College to finish a Finance degree. Her church callings have included Primary teacher, Activity Days leader, Relief Society counselor, and Relief Society president. She recently accepted the best calling in the Church: Primary music leader. Despite Kurt and Kayla's recommendation, we did not title this episode "When Salmonella Forms Friendships". You're welcome.

Links

“The Atonement Works for Me”: One Couple’s Recovery from Sexual Addiction

Unashamed/Unafraid

When Being Released Hurts

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Highlights

3:00 Kurt introduces his conversation with Kayla, a recently-released Relief Society president.

4:15 Kayla tells her story of getting called to be the Relief Society president, fear, imposter syndrome, and calling counselors.

9:20 Doing ministering interviews. Take the time to check in with the sisters and see how they are doing and their relationship with God and then you can get to the ministering questions.

11:00 By sharing her story and the hard things that she has been through, Kayla has been able to deepen her connection with the women in Relief Society.

12:45 Ways that Kayla has shared her and her husband’s story of sexual addiction and been vulnerable in her ward. She has decided to remove the shame from it and has found that people have been much more open with her.

15:10 Principle 1 - Acceptance of all

17:10 How Kayla and her presidency did ministering interviews and scheduled them. They decided not to meet with the companionship but have one-on-one meetings.

19:20 Principle 2 - Lean into the awkward

22:10 Working with the bishopric and elders quorum presidency

23:30 Ward counsels, correlation meetings, and personal interviews with the bishop

24:40 Doing monthly activities

27:45 The first year of being president they didn’t call any teachers and had lots of different women teach.

30:00 The overwhelm of organizing the women into ministering routes. Just start and it will work out.

32:30 The shocking grief of being released as the Relief Society president. Kurt shares some advice on ways to still connect to people and gather.

38:00 Kayla shares her final thoughts and testimony of Christ.

The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 700 episodes.

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