“My faith life really begins with death,” explains Pam Heggie. “Meaning, the real, genuine experiences of my life that molded me, shaped me and taught me what love and empathy really are, began with deaths. Four (so far) to be exact. Five if you count my own.” In Episode 191, Pam joins Susan and Cynthia to discuss lessons she’s learned at the inter…

Our goal as parents is to raise children that can go out into the world and be successful, independent, and self-sufficient adults. But in order for this to happen, parents need to allow their children to learn the vital skill of self-advocating when they are still living at home. Coach Daelene Byam is on the podcast talking about how parents can t…

Bonus Episode 190 contains all the voicemails we couldn’t squeeze into the previous episode's discussion exploring unique complexities of being a Sister missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.By Cynthia Winward, Susan Hinckley

In Episode 189, ALSSI team member and returned missionary Katie joins Cynthia and Susan for a dive into listener voicemails about women’s experiences as sister missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From the pressures around the decision to serve to the daily realities of mission life, there’s plenty to unpack. The rigors…

We all want connection in our marriage but in order to achieve great connection it takes a significant amount of work from both partners. Coach Glenn Lovelace is sharing some key elements that every couple should include in their relationship pyramid as they strive for greater connection. From there, each couple is able to add what they value and f…

“If you lift up a prism, depending on how you slightly turn it, the light will hit different facets, refracting and coming out in different ways. That's how I like to approach the scriptures,” explains Cynthia, “Turning them just ever so slightly to see what different meanings there could be.” In Episode 188, she turns her personal prism on the sto…

We often define a relationship as a connection between two people but Coach Michele Gardemann is talking today about how we have relationships with everything around us and it is in the recognition of the relationship we have with all things that we become more like our Heavenly Parents. Michele emphasizes that it is us, through our thoughts about …

“Spiritual stretching ... makes you stronger, gives you more balance, and keeps you stable. It took me years to understand that my questions and seeking that stretch me, and are really difficult to wrestle with, are healthy and completely in line with our theology. [...] We need more stretchy saints.” Amy Watkins Jensen has plenty of hard-earned wi…

We all feel pain but when you are single and in the Church your pain can come from different areas. One major source can be the fact that you are angry at God because things haven’t turned out the way you were told they would or the way you expected. Coach Melanie Yates is talking on the podcast today about how to use that pain and anger to propel …

“Life as a member offers relatively little social time or enjoyment,” writes Candice Wendt. “Being in the ward is mostly about passive listening and being told to follow leaders and go to the temple. [...] You’re more likely to get asked to clean our very dirty building than be asked to dinner." In episode 186, Candice joins Susan and Cynthia for a…

We live in a world that is fast paced and has rules as to how things should operate and what is and isn’t acceptable. If you are neurotypical you can easily fit into this world, but if you are neurodivergent, fitting in can be difficult. The same holds true for inside the Church. We have certain ways of operating and how we like to do things. Those…

Rob Bell describes interacting with scripture like this: there’s the black ink (what’s written on the page), then there’s the white space around it (where we dance with what’s written). In Episode 185, Susan and Cynthia take on what Latter-day Saints commonly call the Parable of the Talents, from Matthew 25. It’s a conversation about grace out of h…

Goals are great things to set but all too often we let our goals be another area that we beat ourselves up and think we aren’t good enough because we aren’t accomplishing the goals fast enough or well enough. Coach Amber Winn has come up with a term she calls “Micro Focused Moments” where she helps her clients look for the small wins and accomplish…

Many of us make temple covenants as young adults. Are we expected to have the same perspectives and priorities at 80 that we had at 18? In a church that emphasizes concepts like “staying on the covenant path” and “enduring to the end,” it can be hard to know how to navigate when our life experiences invite us to grow in new directions. In Episode 1…

In the last few years have you noticed a large number of LDS women starting their own businesses? Why do you think this has been happening? Coach Bonnie Wiscombe believes that it is the result of so many of them feeling a call from God to do so and use them to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through their business endeavors. Women are pulled in m…

We asked, you answered! Of all emotions, anger might be the least acceptable for Latter-day Saint women. Many of us are not comfortable being around it, expressing it, talking about it, or even feeling it. But when we choose silence over healthy dialogue, what’s the toll on our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being? In Episode 183, Cynthia …

Anyone who has ever had to get up in front of a group either for a performance or to give a talk at church, has felt the nerves that inevitably come up. Coach Shelly Townsend coaches performers not to help them to eliminate their nerves but to help them learn how to manage them. Whether you are a seasoned performer or just someone sharing with othe…

Does devotion always require walking uphill? What’s the difference between good-hard and bad-hard? Do some Church members see the difficulty of a thing as a measure of the righteousness it requires? Has “more suffering and sacrifice” somehow come to mean “higher and holier” in the LDS narrative? In Episode 182, Valerie Hamaker of Latter-day Struggl…

There is so much excitement and anticipation leading up to someone leaving and going on a mission. There is a training center to help missionaries adjust to missionary life, but what about when they come home? Where is the training center for helping them assimilate back into everyday life? Coach Brianna Stewart is on the podcast today talking abou…

As the centerpiece of Sunday worship and an ordinance pointing directly to Jesus Christ, the sacrament holds deep meaning for many Latter-day Saints. In Episode 181, Cynthia and Susan turn their grace-peddling to a conversation about the sacrament. What matters more: worthiness, or willingness? When did this simple remembrance of Jesus become about…

We all want to be seen and valued for who we are, what we want, and the things we need. In order for that to happen in any relationship, compromise must give way to collaboration. Coach Tanya Hale is back on the podcast today teaching some great ways to engage in equal and collaborative relationships so that each person gets what they want and need…

Mary once put a vinyl motto above her kitchen door that read, “That’s What We Do!” It was a 4-word description of her life as a Latter-day Saint woman. For many years, she and her husband were “the couple who could get it done” at church. She describes looking back with grace for that younger self: “She was doing the best she could with what she kn…

Every mother wants to have a connection with their son and that pull to be connected often seems to increase as they get older and are closer to leaving the nest. Coach Heidi Allsop is a mom to five boys and coaches other moms of boys in helping them build stronger connections with their sons as well as prepare their sons to go out into the real wo…

What is spirituality? Am I doing it right? What does it look or feel like? Who decides? Episode 179 rounds out the intro of our theme with an exploration of James Finley’s idea: “The greatest teacher of God’s presence in our life is our life.” Cynthia and Susan discuss the difference between communication and communion, finding points of connection…

No one likes to get injured but when the injury is to your brain it can be a lot scarier and have a lot more unknowns. As you will hear coach Bethany Lewis is passionate about helping those who have suffered from a concussion because she is aware that there are a lot of unknowns and people often don’t get the care they need to heal properly. This i…

Like flowers in the cracks of a sidewalk, women’s spirituality has had to work its way around and through thousands of years of religious beliefs and practices established and maintained by and for men. “I have stopped trying to make my life look spiritually acceptable to men. Men have very specific criteria for what spirituality is, based on the r…

Divorce is never easy and when a spouse has not lived up to commitments and promises that were expectations going into the marriage, the loss can be even more profound. Coach Jenn Zingmark is on the podcast today discussing what she has learned having gone through a divorce and most importantly how her life has been richly blessed post divorce by t…

Sister Lisa shares the story and meaning of her first tattoo, an update on her feelings around her grad school experience, and her thoughts on reading ‘The Testaments’ by Margaret Atwood. The siblings then discuss recent thoughts around death and the treatment of remains, and their potential preferences for their own bodies. — The Common Mormon: Pa…

“There is room to honor and hold space for the precious and the meaningful even as we evolve in our beliefs, our homes, and our lives. It’s okay to bring some things with you.” These wise words from writer Sarah Bessey help shape the conversation of this Season 8 opener. Everyone who’s moved knows it can be hard to decide what to toss and what to k…

We all know our spirits came to earth to inhabit a body but the union of those two is often one that creates dissonance and opposition since they have different roles to play. But as coach Michelle Keil will share, it is when we can reconcile the body and the spirit and help them both function well is when we can progress and move forward in the fa…

In this short bonus episode, Susan and Cynthia look ahead to the upcoming season of podcast conversations. Season 8 will center on Latter-day Saint women digging and drawing from our individual spiritual wells. Hope you’ll join us!By Cynthia Winward, Susan Hinckley

While being a parent to any child brings its own unique challenges and struggles, parenting styles often vary based on the gender of a child. Boys need to be parented differently than girls. Coach Alicia Davis is a mom to four boys of her own and loves helping moms of boys learn how to better parent their sons. In today’s episode Alicia is talking …

In this bonus episode, Cynthia and Susan revisit part of an earlier discussion exploring the idea of Latter-day Saint women’s complicity in our own marginalization. Recent events have once again highlighted ways women may be the biggest obstacle to achieving greater parity of roles within the organization. It’s still an itchy topic with no easy ans…

We are amazing individuals capable of so much and yet we are often living below are privileges when we do not actively seek and bring God into our lives and allow Him to make so much more of them then we ever could on our own. Coach Jill Cleaver loves God and wants other women to come to have a greater connection with Him. One way we do this is by …

The coaching tools are something that many women have caught onto and adopted into their lives. They’ve seen amazing results by changing the way they think about the circumstances they come across. But what about their husbands? Coach Glenn Lovelace is on the podcast because he sees that while the women are changing, the men in their lives need to …

On March 17, 2024 the Church broadcast a Worldwide Relief Society Devotional featuring remarks from the RS General Presidency and President Nelson. In this bonus episode, Cynthia and Susan discuss some of the messages delivered and the social media outpouring from Latter-day Saint women in response.By Cynthia Winward, Susan Hinckley

Becoming a parent is daunting as is, but when you become a parent to children that are not biologically yours and come with previous family history, the road will have different and sometimes more difficult ups and downs in the parenting journey. Coach Bonnie Butler is on the podcast today talking about her journey adopting six siblings, how it wen…

We have all experienced pain of some sort or another. When it comes to physical pain we often attribute it to a structural abnormality. Coach Leah Davidson is on the podcast today and this episode will change the way you think about pain and its source. No matter if pain comes from a structural source or a learned source, all pain begins in the bra…

No one gets married with the belief that they will get divorced and yet divorce is a reality for so many. No matter if you are the person who was forced into divorce or the one who wanted the divorce, there are so many emotions that come up when a couple goes through this process. Coach Suzanne Platt is on the podcast today talking about the import…

We all have dreams and expectations of the relationships we will have with our children when they become adults. But far too often, they don’t follow the script we have for those dreams and we find ourselves feeling like the relationships we have with them are out of control and lacking in so many ways. Coach Brooke Oniki is on the podcast today to…

President Russell M. Nelson has asked the women of the Church to rise to their potential and be a strong force for good not only in their homes but also in the Church and in their communities. But far too often women feel like they fall short and don’t have what it takes to be an effective leader. Coach Meg Tilton is on the podcast today to talk ab…

We all have the desire to be needed and in many ways we need each other for our comfort and survival but all too often we cross the line of being emotionally dependent on others in a way that is detrimental to all involved. This is a common occurrence with mothers in relation to their children. Coach Jane Copier is a coach who works with midlife mo…

Sister Lisa shares her struggles and thoughts on her grad school experience as she prepares to be a therapist, and how her religious past informs her approach and understanding of the system. The siblings read some *fascinating* articles on tithing from the most recent issue of Liahona, and discuss how much they think about this whole Mormonism thi…

It goes against our natural instinct. The last thing we think will be effective in connecting to others is to expose our most vulnerable selves. And yet, vulnerability is the very thing that drives connection between ourselves and others. Coach Michele Gardemann is on the podcast today talking about how when she was finally willing to get vulnerabl…

Some topics come up in these podcast conversations again and again, and that gets our attention. They frustrate us but also feel like obvious opportunities: areas where the church we love could take a step forward, and even small changes might make a big difference. In Episode 173, Cynthia and Susan call out a few of their frustrations and imagine …

Addiction, especially drug addiction, is not a subject we speak of much on this podcast but Coach Becky Garner is here today sharing her journey and story of being addicted to prescription medication. This is such a powerful episode and one filled with so much hope if you or someone you love is in a similar situation. Becky not only shares her stor…

Talk a lot about guilt and shame and eventually, you'll probably crave a hefty dose of grace! The conversation in Episode 172 is just that. Cynthia and Susan focus on challenges Latter-day Saints might have decoupling works and grace. Is it possible accepting grace actually requires more faith than depending on our own good works? How might pivotin…

It’s a new year and with a new year many of us will be setting new goals. We all want to make 2024 our best year yet and many of us wonder if this will actually be the year we are able to do it. Coach Molly Claire is here to talk you through five very practical steps to make sure your goals come to fruition and that you can do it in a way that is u…

In Episode 171, Susan and Cynthia continue their discussion with therapist C.A. Larson about guilt and shame. Where are they coming from? What are some specific ways these emotions might affect Latter-day Saint women, and how can we recognize and work through them in healthy ways?By Cynthia Winward, Susan Hinckley

We live in a world that is constantly changing. The earth goes through drastic cycles of change in the course of just one year. And yet, when it comes to change in our own lives, we often resist that change because of the discomfort it will bring. Coach Jackie Swainson is on the podcast today talking about how women - especially those over forty, n…