Recently I was super fortunate to sit down with reality tv stars Heather Gay and Dre Nord - who are both currently appearing on BravoTV's "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." In this three-part series, we focus on Heather and Dre's life experiences within the context of Mormonism (and Utah Mormonism).

Part 1 covers...

Heather and Dre's early years as devout Mormons.
Dre's marriage, divorce, and faith crisis as a Mormon in her early 20s. This includes how Dre navigated her life as a divorced single ex-Mormon Utah Mom without a college degree.
Heather's experiences at BYU and serving an LDS mission in France.
Heather's somewhat challenging efforts to find a faithful Mormon husband (Billy Gay).
Dre shares how she almost lost her mother to death by suicide, in part due to pressures of "perfectionism" that many Mormon women experience.
Heather shares some of the reactions she has received from members of the Mormon and ex-Mormon communities, as well as from the Utah LGBTQ community, regarding her participation in the show.

https://youtu.be/svHV0bQEHwA

Part 2 covers...

Heather's marriage to Billy Gay III, which culminated in Heather becoming Relief Society President ended in divorce.
How Heather and Dre met, and how they were able to build a successful, multi-million dollar business together (Beauty Lab Laser) as divorced Mormon single women in Utah.
Dre shares the tragic story of losing her brother to suicide last year, and how she and Heather created a 501c3 non-profit called "Don't Leave" to help "break the stigma around mental health."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtUYWOc_JOo&feature=youtu.be

Part 3 covers...

Heather's struggle to accept the end of her "Eternal Marriage," which included years of denial.
Heather's life as a divorced single Mom, which included experimentation with things she never considered trying as a devout Mormon (e.g. alcohol).
How Heather's perspective on Mormonism changed once she became dear friends with two wonderful gay Mormon men.
Heather and Dre discuss their opinions about how harmful the LDS Church's doctrine around LGBTQ members is.
Heather and Dre also discuss the ways in which the LDS Church's "Proclamation on the Famly" harms not only LGBTQ members, but also Mormon women/girls and men/boys as well.
Heather discusses her current struggle to reconcile her longstanding orthodox Mormon beliefs as they conflict with her developing beliefs about life.

This is a heartwarming, epic, and inspiring story of resilience. I was deeply moved by this vulnerability, wisdom, courage, and resilience of these inspiring women.

Please share any questions or comments you have for Heather and Dre below.

Episode 0 - Getting On the Inside Track