Logan’s parents’ divorce during his childhood caused him to feel anxiety about both his family and religious life. This uncertainty eventually caused him to leave the church for a few years. He describes the events that caused him to reconsider and restore his relationship with both God and the church.

A well-known Swedish singer, Per Herrey is often asked why he chooses to be a faithful member of the Church. Per shares his candid and thoughtful answers to this question with both good humor and a wisdom that comes from years of experience.

Krista always expected to live a fairytale life with her husband and her growing family. But when her husband was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, she had to learn that she wouldn’t always get what she wanted even when she was being “righteous” or “good.” Krista talks about how she and her husband manage to continue on a Gospel-centered path even when the path is full of unexpected difficulties.

After his Grandmother’s death, Orjan’s questions led him to Investigate the Church deeply, to discuss difficult issues with Church members, and to read both scriptural and historical sources. Since his baptism, these deep roots have continued to grow over the years as he has raised his three children, helping him to develop mature beliefs grounded in hope.

Emma says she was raised by “nearly perfect parents,” which became both a sort of stepping stone and a stumbling block as she reached adolescence. This podcast interview contains a candid discussion about the dangers of cultural expectations in the LDS faith, especially for adolescents. With beautiful insight, Emma tells her story of how learning to navigate through the difficult years leading up to her mission helped her deal with even more difficult challenges on her mission. She talks about how the lessons she learned about how to deal with cultural pressures helped her distinguish between God’s expectations and cultural ones. Ultimately, the tensions she faced helped her recognize how to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ in order to close the gap between the ideal and the real.

For several years, Tara has been managing the almost unbearable challenge of dealing with a chronic illness every day. The cumulative weight of the daily physical and emotional pain has affected her relationships, her confidence, and her relationship with God. In this emotional interview, Tara is honest about how difficult her life is from minute to minute, but she also shares how her physical burden has caused her faith and her perspective to evolve. Even as her illness becomes more chaotic, she finds that her relationship with God becomes more settled. We’re honored to share with you Tara’s truly remarkable strength and beauty.

In this interview, Louis shares with us a variety of helpful resources and tools that he has implemented and learned to love through working in the CES Program.

James’ interest in philosophical questions began when as a missionary he had several encounters with philosophers who asked questions that he couldn’t answer. He chose to study philosophy and eventually became a university Philosophy Professor who now loves the idea that questions are, as he says, “both potent and powerful.” James shares how his philosophical leanings have helped him to have a better “sustained dialogue” with the scriptures and to appreciate that an essential part of the Plan of Happiness is learning how to navigate our way through failure and unanswered questions.

Oscar’s parents left the Church when he was only sixteen-years-old, but Oscar made a deliberate choice to stay active because attending Church gave him a “special rest.” In this interview, Oscar shares insightful connections between his personal, loving relationship with God and his loving relationships with his family members and friends who have left the Church.

As a neurosurgeon, Espen Amundsen has always been passionate about “digging into questions on his own.” He was raised in the Church, but his parents wanted him and his six siblings to create their “own personal relationship with God and to seek Christ in their own way.” Starting from a young age, Espen was proactive about creating this personal relationship, so he chose to read and study church history, but also to seek personal experiences with God. This combination of both intellectual and spiritual study gave Espen a “foundation to continue.”