Latter Day Struggles

Send us a Positive Review!Join Valerie and Nathan this week as they riff about obedience to rules as opposed to obedience to conscience and highlight how even those who are considered the most evolved are held hostage to their own culture's anxieties, fears, and quirks. The good news is that maybe we are all just beautifully messy and in need of self and other compassion and an increase in "chill". Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Join Valerie and guest host Brannon as they talk about a struggle brought into Valerie's therapy practice where a bride and groom are working on making the hard choice to be true to themselves even if that means devastating extended family about their desire to not marry in the temple.  Is it possible that their greatest act of integrity and growth is to do what feels right to them even in the face of massive social and spiritual pressures? Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: The Sanctity of Dissent [Part V of V]In this final episode on Valerie and Nathan's series on the sacred nature of dissent, they talk about how paradoxically, dissent is the foundation of true peace.  What?  Yes, it is.  True peace can only be attained through complex dialogue amongst parties whose ideas are all considered and welcomed.  They also address how the ability to dissent safeguards all communities from eventual disintegration (walking away) and finally and most importantly how dissent is truly holy because it requires each of us to ultimately be accountable not to any earthly authority, but to our divine parents directly.  Don't miss this one!Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Join Brannon and Val in this comical and true-to-life (and perhaps familiar sounding) struggle between two spouses juggling the needs of their primary-aged children, less-active older children, and their own messy faith questions...all at the same time.  How can couples authentically have their own very different journeys while also trying to cultivate faith in their kids?  And not have a nervous breakdown in the process?Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Join Valerie and Nathan as they talk about recent incidents related to their talking about dissent in the LDS faith.   Their 5 Part "sacred nature of dissent" series (which is rudely interrupted by this episode...there IS one more episode left in this series) has brought up some angst in "concerned" listeners (because...dissent) and Valerie and Nathan share their experience processing through why they keep at this podcast, why you might be too anxious to share it but maybe still should :), and why we are all being extraordinarily brave in challenging the status quo by having these "taboo" kinds of sacred conversations.Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: The Sanctity of Dissent [Part IV of V]Join therapist Valerie Hamaker and her husband Nathan as they tackle the tendency to shame dissent and worship consent in the LDS faith. In this episode it is all about dissent and its power to heal blindness.  They start with how a "consent only" culture develops people who are not introspective, curious, or challenging to systems and programs that ought to be thought about, challenged, and innovated.…for the betterment of all. Then they move on to how institutions of ALL KINDS [all churches and all large organizations] are vulnerable to becoming blind to their weaknesses as they reward validation of the status quo and punish most different, complicating, or innovating ideas. They also delve into how large institutions of all kinds have a tendency to reinforce the values, ideas and opinions of those at the top by promoting lower level admins who look, act, and feel just like their superiors...thereby reinforcing systemic sickness and ongoing blindness. Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: The Sanctity of Dissent [Part III of V]In this episode Val and Nathan address the consent/dissent idea as core to developing our own powers of personal revelation and then go on to discuss how a "consent only" church is one that get lost in the weeds of irrelevancies and blind to true worship of God.  And when we are not worshipping God but are worshipping anything or anyone else...that's called idolatry.Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: The Sanctity of Dissent [Part II of V] In this episode they break how dissent is sacred as it is essential to our personal salvation projects and because it is the backbone of spiritual maturation and personal responsibility.  They highlight the need for us to both notice and gain personal courage as we engage in dissent as a an essential part of our spiritual journey while sometimes pushing up against a system that discourages or even punishes this beautiful and sacred process.Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Series Title: The Sanctity of Dissent [Part I of V]Do you want fast-food-like religion, quick, simple, uncomplicated, black-and-white, and complete with all of the thinking and revelation done elsewhere?  In this series Valerie will explore the temptation to worship the idea of consent and demonize the idea of dissent.  Valerie will use the beautiful book titled "The Sanctity of Dissent" to argue that only through the ability to dissent can an individual or a faith community truly come closer to God.Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website

Send us a Positive Review!Join Val and Brannon this week as they talk about the gift of agency and how in principle it is taught as a concept fundamental to our faith tradition but how in actuality it is often not overly encouraged.  They share personal examples of growing in their own capacities to practice agency and how when practiced it can become a principle that really moves us from fearful to fearless in our life's choices, relationships, and in coming closer to our divine heritage. Support the showListen, Share, Rate & Review EPISODES Friday Episodes Annual Subscription $89 Friday Episodes Monthly Subscription $10 Valerie’s Support & Processing Groups Donate: ⁠Venmo or Patreon⁠ Visit our Website