My friend Douglas Williams (President of the Real OCD Club and the Un Alone Club at BYU; dual-major at BYU, RM, MTC Teacher) joins us to share his journey with OCD and scrupulosity:

Understanding, managing, and accepting intrusive thoughts—not a sign of worthiness

Thoughts don’t have anything to do with our character

Undiagnosed scrupulosity entering mission field (repeated confessions to Stake President)

Difficult start to mission, medication, things got better (still misdiagnosed)

Coming home from mission, going off medication, and crashing

Finally got a correct diagnosis—path to healing

Importance of Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy

Ego-syntonic thoughts (line up with values) and ego-dystonic thoughts (don’t line up with values)—super powerful distinction

Invitation to join the Real OCD Club at BYU (focused on OCD)

Invitation to join Un-Alone Club at BYU (focused on solving porn use)

If you are working to understand and navigate OCD in yourself or help others, Douglas’ podcast will help you. Douglas—who has a gift of great communication—does an excellent job of helping us all better understand OCD/Scrupulosity and how to solve these mental health challenges.

Links:

Real OCD Club at BYU on Instagram: @readocdblub

Un Alone Club at BYU on Instagram: @un.alone.byu

My friend Gracee Purcell (BYU Psychology Grad, President of RaYnbow Collective, Activist, Engaged to be Married) joins us to share her story at BYU:

Why she choose BYU

Advice for other queer people considering Church-owned schools

Roommates (mostly positive)

Interactions with BYU administration

Interactions with BYU professors

Work of “RaYnbow Collective” to support queer BYU students

Insights on the concept of “Safe Places”

Thank you, Gracee, for being on the podcast and all your bridge building work to make this world a better place. You are doing so much good in our community and have a great life ahead of you. Congrats on your recent engagement. I encourage everyone to listen to and share this episode.

Links:

RaYnbow Collective Instagram: @raynbow.collective

** This episode talks about suicide. If you are suicidal, please call/text chat 988 **

My friend Bruce Butcher (late 50s, married father of three, active LDS) joins us in a powerful episode to share the following:

Loving and accepting people in his life who are no longer in the Church

“We don’t punish a man for his beliefs”

Losing his wonderful son Taylor to suicide in June 2024

Taylor’s prayer “bless the sick and sad, help us to be the best versions of ourselves”

Painful doctrine the Church used to teach about suicide—led to no hope

Love of a mother is the most powerful force on earth

Love of our Heavenly Mother is the most powerful force in heaven—she isn’t going to cut off any of Her children

Excluding people is not Christ’s doctrine

David Archuleta—“I’m still a fan”

Being a cafeteria Mormon

My apology to my LGBTQ friends

I deeply loved listening to and learning from Bruce. If you are looking for more hope in your life, be more like Jesus, and love/accept people walking different roads, please listen to and share Bruce’s podcast.

Thank you, Bruce, for being on the podcast. You are a good man—helping so many. I’m so sorry your good son Taylor is gone. Love Taylor's heart as reflected in the words of his prayer.

My friend Heather Sorensen (married mother of 4; grandmother of 14, early morning seminary teacher), joins us to share her story of losing her daughter Hannah in a traffic accident at age 15 in 2013. Heather talks about the initial and continued grief of her death and how she is navigating both holding her grief and her testimony of being with Hannah again. Heather talks about a dream she had before Hannah was born and that feeling returning during Hannah’s death. She also talks about losing her son Richard at birth.

Heather talks about not being active in the Church for twenty years and her journey to return to the church and the importance of creating her identity rooted in Jesus Christ and invites us to do the same. Heather talks about her son Zachary’s cancer diagnosis during home MTC, fear she would lose another child, and Zachary’s recovery and serving a mission. Heather talks about why she decided to write a book about Hannah—called Dandelion Blessings—which is Hannah’s nickname.

If you are looking for a genuine/honest story of intense grief—and finding hope/peace to move forward—please listen and share Heather’s podcast and book. Thank you, Heather, for your courage and vulnerability to be on the podcast. You are helping so many!

Links:

Dandelion Blessings (at Amazon): https://a.co/d/0eK9OYGy

My friend Mark White (professor, LMFT, aspiring ally, mid-60s, active LDS) joins us to talk about his new children’s book—which is focused on an 8-year-old’s decision about being baptized in the context of having two gay dads who attend church with her—and what we can do to be better allies/advocates to queer Latter-day Saints and their families. Mark shares the following:

* Journey to be an aspiring ally/advocate

* Clinical experience

* His publishing company (Firefly Inkworks) and new book, Indigo’s Baptism

* George Gerbner’s cultivation theory

* The power of stories

* Representation matters

* To be seen

* Future books

* Need for all kinds of queer stories, including narratives for a book on LDS Trans and gender nonconforming persons

Mark invites a discussion about how we can be a better ally/advocate (friend, parent, local leader, etc.), including asking our queer friends to let us know what they need and indicate whether we truly are an ally/advocate. The children of queer LDS parents are essentially invisible in LDS culture. Mark hopes Indigo's Baptism is a small step in increasing representation. He desires we use all the resources available to better support our queer friends.

And if you are queer or have queer parent(s), Mark prays his work will give you hope as he talks about his love for and support of the queer community. Please contact him if you are interested in publishing a book or are willing to contribute a narrative to the book he and colleagues are working on that focuses on the needs and stories of current or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are trans and gender nonconforming.

Thank you, Mark, for being on the podcast. You are making a difference. You give me hope.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587754991132

Mark’s publishing company: www.fireflyinkworks.com

Etsy store where you can buy Indigo’s Baptism: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FireflyInkworks?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=4459276962&from_page=listing

Instagram: fireflyinkworks

Mark’s e-mail: [email protected]

Mark’s outline: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/awvy653dh8ubvi44uxcyb/LLL.Podcast-Outline.Indigo-s-Baptism.Feb-2026.pdf?rlkey=2b6fn8xxu4e37iiiqvexk6c20&dl=0

My friend Eliza Riggs (age 22, RM/Orem Utah, UVU Student) joins us to share her story including:

Great Parents, Queer Friendly Home

Came out first to her Heavenly Parents—positive experience

Felt lots of pressure to fit in the Church as a Bishop’s daughter, wasn’t working, difficult chapter

Joined girl’s high school wrestling team—“saved my life”

Youth conference and surprising thought to serve a mission

Mom buying her rainbow sheets before coming out to her

Being called to Orem, Utah (initial disappointment—but then powerful revelation)

Great experience coming out to her Mission President

Coming out to her parents—super positive

Her queer identity is celebrated in heaven

Thank you, Eliza, for your courage to share your story which will help so many. You are awesome. Honored to have you on the podcast. Encourage everyone to listen to and share this episode.

Links:

Eliza’s Instagram: @elizariggs31

I was invited to be on my friend Tate Arnold’s show (Over___Soul) to share my story. I’ve posted that show as Episode 864 on our platform so you could listen here. Thank you, Tate, for letting me be on your show. You are a good man doing great work!

Please check out and follow Tate on Instagram @Over___Soul

In one of our most important episodes, David joins us to talk about his new book “Devout—Losing My Faith to Find Myself”. In this episode, David talks about his journey with God to find his path forward as a queer Mormon considering suicide—a path that led David to separate himself from the Church—taking God with him—and live authentically.

David gives excellent advice to younger queer people and parents to better support queer kids. I conclude with some of my thoughts on continuing to love and support those that leave our Church (not making them the hero on day for staying in the church and the villain the next day for leaving) and thanking David for his many years of service in the Church and the countless lives he has blessed.

Thank you, David, for being on our podcast and your courage to continue to share your story. You are one of my heroes—you continue to help so many find hope in their lives. I encourage everyone to listen/share this episode and consider what we can do to better support our queer friends.

Links:

David’s New Book “Devout”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJJGJSB6

David’s Book Event in SLC on Feb 24th, 2026: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/david-archuleta-devout-tickets-1981202876135?aff=oddtdtcreator#location

David’s Facebook: www.facebook.com/davidarchuleta/

David’s Instagram @davidarchie

David’s TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@davidarchie

David’s Twitter: x.com/DavidArchie

David’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC75d1FNP1qR0lCY1usRKQEw

My friend Tate Arnold (married father of two, active LDS) joins us to share the following:

* Difficult chapters including his father-in-law Paul dying by suicide

* Needed a different path forward-choosing a "path of transformation"

* Positive/life changing experience with psychedelics

* Helped him "not pass down trauma to future generations"

* Remade his career to be "aligned with eternal soul"

* Life work around helping people be aligned with how they are

* Love of and support for his transgender sister and the queer community including his former companion Matt Easton

* Why he stated "Over____Soul"

It is an honor to have Tate (who is a dear family friend and missionary companion to our son Matt in Sydney Australia) on the podcast. He is an "old soul" with incredible insights into how to love and support others.

If you are looking to find more peace and hope in your life, please listen to Tate's podcast and connect with his work-work that is so needed in our community. I encourage everyone to listen to and share this podcast.

Thank you, Tate, for being on the podcast. You are a good man and give me hope for the future!

Links:

Tate's Instagram Account: @Over____Soul

Tate’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@tateoversoul?si=9qq2CSPf81im35Nc

Tate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nskaZAhU39wHS7MHCGhM0?si=hXFVo9UbQ4-dLRAaLTMSHw

Club Officers (Douglas Williams, Madi Davis, Bohin Tenney and Brandon Pattillo) from a club at BYU (called The Un-Alone Club) join us to talk about their club's efforts to help themselves and others have better tools and support to solve porn use. In the podcast, each club officer shares their own experience with pornography usage and what has helped them to better understand their porn use and better tools/support for recovery.

If you are working to solve porn use in your own life or better tools to help others, please listen to and share this podcast. And if you are a BYU student looking for support, please check out/join their club (see show notes below).

Thank you, Doug, Madi, Bohin, and Brandon—you are some of my new heroes. Your courage to share your story and create a safe place for others is making a difference for good in so many lives.

Links:

Instagram Account: @un.alone.byu

E-mail: [email protected]

Madi Davis earlier podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-818501778/episode-622-madi-davis-byu-student-bravely-shares-her-journey-to-solve-porn-use

Madi Davis “Sisters on the Front Lines Podcast”: https://rss.com/podcasts/sistersonthefrontlines/

“7 Tips for Solving Pornography Use Liahona Article”: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2020/10/young-adults/7-tips-for-overcoming-pornography-use

Chapter from Richard Ostler’s Book about Solving Porn Use: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nrfb3jzluzrj2sp8ihrfo/Chapter-4-Ending-Pornography-Use.-Listen-Learn-and-Love-Improving-Latter-day-Saint-Culture.pdf?rlkey=dqxcrtvxcmu6u3ppkig3kh82p&dl=0