Faith Matters

Listening to Women: Jared Halverson hosts Aubrey Chaves, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and Bethany Brady Spalding

Apr 1, 2025

Join hosts Jared Halverson and a trio of insightful guests: Aubrey Chaves, a regular co-host focused on women's experiences; Bethany Brady Spalding, who shares her personal insights on women's roles; and Kathryn Knight Sonntag, discussing the dynamics of gender in the church. They delve into the conversations sparked by a viral video on women leaving the church, the need for spiritual collaboration, and the significance of being heard. Their discussion provides a heartfelt call for inclusivity, vulnerability, and the reimagining of women's roles in faith contexts.

01:01:34

Episode guests

Kathryn Knight Sonntag

Bethany Brady Spalding

Aubrey Chavez

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The podcast addresses the alarming trend of women leaving the church at higher rates than men, highlighting their feelings of hurt and dismissal regarding their roles.

A theme of spiritual collaboration emerges, emphasizing the importance of women being invited to actively shape church initiatives rather than just being supporters.

The conversation advocates for radical listening and creating comfortable spaces for women to share their experiences, which is essential for healing and progress.

Deep dives

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Intro

3min

Voices of Renewal in Faith Communities

20min

Revisiting Emma Smith: Leadership and Equality in Religious Contexts

2min

The Significance of Being Heard: Personal Voices and Spiritual Guidance

2min

Reimagining Women's Roles in the Church

6min

Empowering Voices in Faith

14min

Embracing Women's Voices in Faith

16min

Today we’re bringing you a special conversation hosted by Jared Halverson, who’s joined by three women—Bethany Brady Spalding, Kathryn Knight Sonntag, and me—who’ve been part of a larger, ongoing conversation sparked by one of Jared’s recent videos on social media.

If you haven’t seen the video, here’s the context: Jared highlighted the recent trend of women leaving the Church in greater numbers than men and encouraged women to stay, he connects this to D&C 25, highlighting how much depends on them. His message, meant to be supportive and hopeful, was heard by many as hurtful and dismissive—particularly by women who feel their voices and gifts are too often sidelined or unseen. The response was overwhelming. Thousands of women responded with honesty, vulnerability, and a shared sense of grief for the ways they’ve been asked to carry the Church while too often being denied a real seat at the table.

To his credit, Jared didn’t get defensive. Just a few days later, he posted a real, heartfelt apology, then did something even more rare and brave: he asked if he could sit down, ask questions, and just listen.

That’s what this episode is.

What unfolds is a conversation about pain, power, partnership, and the potential for something more whole. We talk about what “spiritual collaboration” might really look like—not just in our doctrine, which includes the radical and often untapped vision of Heavenly Parents—but in our lived experience. We ask what it means for women to be invited not just to support the work, but to shape it. And we explore what changes when women are actually believed—when their longing to be seen, to lead, and to offer their full selves to the body of Christ is not framed as rebellion, but as righteousness.

Jared holds this space with humility and openness, and Bethany, Kathryn, and I tried to speak from our own experiences—not as representatives of all women, but as people who love this tradition and believe it can do even more to reach its highest, holiest potential. We believe, as one commenter put it, that this isn’t a crisis of belief—it’s an opportunity for renewal.

This episode is tender, and we also think it’s hopeful. We hope it models the kind of listening and learning that we need more of—at home, in our wards, and across the Church.

And with that, we’ll jump right into the conversation.

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