Uncharted Waters: finding your way without a map, with Ben Schilaty & Stacey Harkey

What do you do when the life you imagined—the one your faith or culture led you to believe was inevitable, even promised—no longer feels possible? In this conversation, Diana and Mallory sit down with two beloved guests and friends, Stacey Harkey and Ben Schilaty, for a candid, thoughtful dialogue about faith, identity, purpose, and the courage it takes to walk a different path.

Stacey and Ben both come from Latter-day Saint backgrounds and identify as gay, yet their life paths, spiritual views, and experiences diverge in beautiful and complex ways. Together, they explore what it means to live a faithful life when the “trail” you were told to follow disappears—and how that absence can lead to an even deeper presence with God, self, and others.

In This Episode:

* The loneliness of being "off script" in faith communities

* Reimagining God—not as a referee, but as a guide and companion

* The power of desire as a teacher, not a temptation

* Learning to “paint the white room” and embrace spiritual messiness

* Living single with intention and purpose

* What LGBTQ+ experiences can teach all of us about spiritual maturity

* Ben’s reflections on grief, trust, and the quiet miracles of caregiving

* Why the things we never planned might become the greatest gifts

✨ Stacey Harkey is an actor, writer, inclusion trainer, fitness instructor, and founding member of Studio C and JK Studios. Follow him on Instagram at @staceyharkey.✨ Ben Schilaty is a therapist, author of A Walk in My Shoes, co-host of Questions from the Closet podcast, and a professor at UVU. Follow him at @benschilaty.

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