Pioneering Paradox: A podcast for conflicted saints

While building a wall out of stone in my backyard I began to wonder about the actual stone masons who were part of the original guilds that Freemasonry was founded upon. I took a deep dive and it changed my entire perspective on the symbols of the temple. This episode deals with how the church views freemasonry and old and new connections.

Response to recent Scripture Central series featuring Lawrence Corbridge titled Stand Forever. Corbridge challenged people leaving over church culture.I waited to post this so I had more time to think about the paradox in all this.

We discuss how we have evolved as humans since starting the podcast and instagram account. Also we get into how being public about our experiences is a projection of where we were at the time but might feel differently now.

For the past 13 years Audra Phelps has been living with her family over seas working in international schools  in Azerbaijan, Kazakstan, Kosovo, and timor-leste which is a country I didn’t know existed but is near Indonesia. 

Living abroad gave her the freedom to begin asking herself deeper questions about her faith and what she actually wanted in her own spiritual life. Naturally living abroad gave her many opportunities to meet people of other faiths which led to her questioning the idea that Latter Day Saints had a monopoly on joy. This is her story of how she eventually left the faith of her youth and then slowly found her way back to wholeness. 

We had a delightful conversation with her a day after she arrived back in the United States after a long time gone. Audra is now back in United States building a coaching practice to help women find wholeness again after the devastating loss of faith. 

Audra's Coaching: 50% off first visit

website:  https://mamaaudra.com/oneonone 

insta: @mamaaudraofficial

Guatemala Womens retreat: www.truewithinyou.com

Entering new stages of faith can be frightening but it can also be very exciting. In this convo with our good friend Blake Muir we discuss how spirituality can mean many things and ritual can expand into territory that is unique to each individual.

I was fascinated to discover that two of my good friends who are also brothers were on two ends of the political spectrum. This made me curious how two brothers that I respect see things so differently.

I am grateful they were willing to come on and discuss it in a way that was civil and respectful.

We based this discussion on the Moral Foundations Theory as proposed by Jonathan Haight.

For almost 200 years, Latter-day Saints were taught that the Book of Mormon tells the story of the Native peoples of North and South America. One Church pamphlet distributed to Native Americans of all tribes stated, and I quote: “The best source of true information that tells you who you are, where you came from, and what you can achieve is found in an important book—the Book of Mormon.”

Today we’re joined by Zander Sturgill, an active Latter-day Saint and Navajo who is thoughtfully challenging the predominant historical narrative. His approach honors both Native peoples and the Book of Mormon by allowing their stories to stand strong—separate yet respected. Zander works full-time at the Ancient America Foundation and runs the YouTube channel America Explored, where he examines little-known aspects of Native American history in Utah while honoring both pioneer and Indigenous perspectives.

Some recent scholars have described our past insistence on telling Native Americans their own story as a form of Mormon colonization. As usual on this podcast, it’s a paradox. We approach this topic with humility—exploring how Latter-day Saints can honor their sacred text while fully respecting the rich diversity of Native cultures and identities. We don’t presume to label anyone; instead, we create space for people to define themselves.

This podcast does not receive any outside funding. We’re able to keep it going thanks to periodic mentions of our international tours. If you’d like to help support the show, please visit www.reliqtravel.com We have some truly amazing tours to Italy with Mcarthur Krishna and Amy Jensen of Women on the Stand and Greece with the That's Church interfaith community, .coming in 2027. Thank you so much for listening.

Follow Zander:

@ancientamericafoundation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@zandersturgill

Meagan Skidmore is the author author of TransparentSEE: How I Learned to SEE through My Journey as a Parent of a Transgender Kiddo It's a memoir that chronicles her journey as the parent of a transgender child. Through personal stories, reflection, and spiritual exploration, Skidmore examines how her understanding of identity, faith, family, and love evolved over time. The book invites readers to move beyond fear and assumptions, embracing greater compassion, connection, and acceptance while exploring what it means to truly “see” others—and ourselves.

Meagan also has a podcast titled Living Beyond the Shadow of Doubt and is a life coach who is currently taking clients.

Melissa de Leon Mason is a therapist in Cache Valley, Utah. She is a graduate of Notre Dame University. She has amassed a following of 10k people on her insta account @quilttallthethings and has spoken on the national level

Melissa de Leon Mason is a therapist based in Cache Valley, Utah. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has built a following of over 10,000 on her Instagram account @quilttallthethings. Also a proud mother of 4 wonderful kids.

Fresh off a recent trip to Italy, we invited Melissa to join us for a conversation about travel through the lens of what Richard Rohr calls “the Cosmic Egg.” We explore how our personal and tribal stories are challenged when we leave home, and how travel helps us see that our individual stories are part of a much larger story, the universal human experience of being alive on this planet together.

We discuss how travel allows us to expand our perspectives and absorb wisdom from many different cultures. Melissa brings her insight as a therapist to the conversation, blending personal reflection with professional wisdom.

If you love travel, this is an episode for you!

As part of a roll out of our 2027 Tours we are excited to announce a tour to Southern Italy April 22-30 with McArthur Krishna and Amy Watkins Jensen. See details here: https://www.reliqtravel.com/tours/becoming