Take a Leap

Sarah Johns shares how we can be “toight” with the Lord. She talks about her work with the Êzidi people and members of the LGBTQ+ community. She also describes ways that she and her classmates at BYU took care of themselves and others while in Law school. So, pop on a face mask, make some hot chocolate, and enjoy this episode of Take a Leap.?

Sarah Johns is a recent graduate of BYU's J Reuben Clark Law School and a newly sworn member of the Utah State Bar, with a background in Law and Constitutional Studies from Utah State University. She has published widely on topics ranging from international law to lawyer wellbeing and was awarded the 2024 LGBTQ Advocacy and Service Award for her work bridging the LGBTQ+-faith divide.

Nava Esmailizadeh talks to the Take a Leap hosts about her passion for fashion and improving the world. She inspires the Take a Leap hosts to not only improve the world, but to look good doing it.

Nava Esmailizadeh is the Head of Brand at Ambercycle and creator of the cycora® brand, works to advance circularity in fashion, shaping a future where sustainability is central to design. Her work centers on driving change through powerful storytelling and purposeful design. Guided by her Bahá'í faith, she brings a service-minded approach to fostering meaningful transformation across industries and communities.

Take a Leap is a production of BYUradio.

Lia King and Josh Orton tell us about their favorite Christmas traditions, movies, and what this time of year means to them. DM us on Instagram (@takealeappodcast) if you want more of these fun and fresh bonus episodes.

Welcome to the Take a Leap podcast!

We are students searching far and wide for young people of faith. We want to know why individuals in our generation are choosing their faith, and learning how they blend their everyday life and faith life. Join us as we learn about the cool things people our age are doing to better their communities across religious traditions.

Why do we fall, Kenneth? And how can our faith help us get back up?

Olympic Silver Medalist, Kenneth Rooks, joins Take a Leap to talk about his journey to the Olympics, the role God plays in his training, and why he feels compelled to share his faith. Meanwhile, Take a Leap co-hosts are struggling to run a sub-8 minute mile.

Kenneth Rooks is originally from Walla Walla, Washington and attended College Place High School. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Uganda Kampala Mission and temporarily in the Utah Orem Mission. He won Gold in the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field Championship, 3000m steeplechase, as well as the Gold in the 2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, 3000m steeplechase. Recently, in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kenneth won the silver medal in the steeplechase.

The BYU student body President and Vice President drop knowledge on women in leadership and how their faith drives them. They talk about the women who have impacted them and how we can better support each other in our community-driven efforts to lead.

Sarah Sun is the Student Body President of BYU and was the first Asian American to be crowned Miss Utah in 2023. She was the first person in her family to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at age 17. Sarah is an accomplished musician and plays more than 10 instruments.

Tala Alnasser is the Student Body Executive Vice President of BYU, and the first Muslim VP in BYU student body leadership. She was born in Jordan, speaks three languages, and is writing an honors thesis on the Christian gaze. She went undefeated in the chess Olympiad for Jordan.

The President of the Service Council at BYU, Drew Goldston, joins us to talk about local service opportunities.

He also talks about how he got into service, and what it takes to coordinate service projects. The Take a Leap team was so inspired by the convo that we want to keep serving people with this great podcast, so please spread the word and keep on listening.

Drew is a student at BYU, majoring in Economics and minoring in Information Systems. He leads the Service Council at BYU.

Learn about this beauty product that changed the game (for the better).

Sisters and co-founders of SadieB Personal Care, Sadie and Abby Bowler combined their desire to support girls’ mental health with a passion for incredible products, and SadieB was born.

This episode discusses the importance of good hygiene (seriously, people, you need to shower), how we can be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and how God can direct us in starting a business. The Take a Leap team wishes you the best of luck on all of your endeavors, business and otherwise.

The TikTok Pastor himself helps us navigate social media and our faith. He describes the processes for writing books, responding to hate comments, and making TikTok videos. From Brandan we learn important lessons in humility and turning the other cheek.

Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted author, activist, and public theologian, working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. He serves as the Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in New York City. He’s widely known as the "TikTok Pastor", with a vast digital reach of over 250k followers and 6 million views engaging his inclusive theological digital content. He’s also the host of the Faith For the Rest of Us podcast, featuring conversations with leading progressive spiritual leaders.

Have you ever been single? Then this episode is for you!

In this episode, Mallory Everton and Diana Brown talk about their relationship statuses (everyone’s favorite topic of conversation). They explain some of the difficulties of being single in a family-oriented religion and how we can support our single friends.

Mallory Everton is a comedian, actor, and writer. Many LDS listeners will recognize her from the years she spent performing on Studio C. She has also acted in Freelancers, Stop and Go, Villians Inc, and more, and she graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s in Media Arts Studies.

Diana Brown is assistant director of interreligious engagement at Georgetown University. She earned a BA and MA in sociology from Brigham Young University and is currently the new Associate Director for Faith Matters. She and Mallory co-host the Soloists podcast.