Leading Saints Podcast

Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D., is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. He is also an associate leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University, and a B.A. from Brigham Young University. As a consultant, he works with organizations to develop their leaders and improve their culture. Ryan is the author of The Elevated Leader and Success Mindsets. He has written multiple articles for Leading Saints, presented at a live event about mindsets, and is a repeat podcast guest. As Ryan reviewed leadership research, he found it primarily answered one question: “What do leaders need to do to be effective?” The focus of his work has been on “What do leaders need to be to be effective?” This podcast is a follow-up to a previous discussion about vertical development as individuals and leaders in the church. Listen to Part 1 here. Highlights 02:10 Introduction and Ryan talks about the book that he recently released 04:40 Focus on vertical development not only works in the office but within the family 06:15 Ryan breaks down vertical development and how it's different from horizontal development 09:00 Retreats are to help focus on our own character development or vertical development. It’s so much more than just gaining more knowledge. 13:00 Researchers have found that adults can develop but most don’t 16:00 We force our youth to get into uncomfortable situations where they can learn and grow. However, as adults we refuse to do things that are uncomfortable. 18:00 A heat experience. They are externally or internally driven. These are experiences that cause us to change. 19:30 Can we apply this idea of vertical development in our church meetings? 23:00 A necessary prerequisite for vertical development is vulnerability. So as church leaders it's important to be vulnerable and create a space for others to be vulnerable too. 25:20 Ryan shares some of his past trauma and what he has learned from it in his vertical development journey. He applies it to church leaders. 30:20 What makes us, as leaders? 32:40 Experiences as a child can affect us as adults and how we lead. Even if you didn’t have dramatic trauma in your past, everyone has some sort of trauma. 33:40 Kurt shares his personal experience 36:15 Look into your past. What has happened to you? What type of leadership have you experienced? What was your testimony development like? How are all these things impacting or impeding your vertical leadership development? 36:50 Ryan gives examples of how past trauma affects current leadership 41:30 The journey to becoming a more positive influence, a better leader, and more like our Savior is foundationally a healing journey 45:00 We need to stop comparing our pain and trauma. Everyone’s pain matters. 51:00 It can be helpful to look into the history of trauma in your family 54:15 Past trauma affects how we parent and connect with others 58:00 Less vertically developed leaders focus on results and outcomes. The best leaders focus on the leading indicators, not the lagging indicators. 1:00:00 Watching other people go through vertical development 1:06:20 Vertical development is a focus on elevating our being and not just focusing on our doing 1:08:40 The first step is self awareness. Take the time to learn more about vertical mindsets. Once we become self aware and learn we can take action. 1:14:00 Final encouragement that Ryan has for leaders Links Part 1: The Research Behind Becoming Christlike | An Interview with Ryan Gottfredson Success Mindsets: Your Keys to Unlocking Greater Success in Your Life, Work, & Leadership The Elevated Leader: Level Up Your Leadership Through Vertical Development ryangottfredson.com Vertical development assessments Vertical development article: Two Ways...

‏Justin Sorensen was recently released as bishop of his ward in Indiana and is now serving as stake Young Men camp director and youth Sunday School teacher. He has previously served as ward executive secretary, Young Men president, elders quorum president, and counselor in a bishopric. Justin grew up in Northern Indiana, served a mission in South Korea, and graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering. He has been an insurance agency owner for the last 14 years, married to Angela for 23 years, and they are the parents of five children. Highlights 02:30 Introduction and background of Justin Sorenson 05:00 Transitioning from being bishop and having a large role in the ward to having a much smaller role 06:30 The dynamic that the bishop has with the youth and the ward. It can be exhausting to be everything for everyone. 11:00 Justin talks about his experience as a bishop helping the youth. Things that they did. 16:30 Young men’s advisors 17:20 Principle one - Be with them (the youth). Always be communicating. 20:40 Interviews with the youth 21:30 Principle two - Let them lead. How Justin went about helping the youth lead. 23:50 Justin’s ward created a planning conference for the youth. The youth were able to plan activities for the next six months plus they got to have fun. 30:30 Trust the youth. Let them lead to unleash their power. Be willing to let the young men fulfill their responsibilities. Let them fail once or twice instead of jumping in right away to fix everything. 31:45 As a leader you need to be willing to sit back and listen and let the youth do their thing. We try to jump in way too soon and release them from that responsibility. 34:10 Principle three - Connect them with heaven. Connect them with the importance of the sacrament Talk about covenants and the temple. Prepare them for the future. Always being open to inspiration and what the youth need 39:40 Helping the youth plan activities. You can help give them a framework but within the framework the youth can do what they want. 40:15 Ward council is the board for the ward with a unified objective 42:50 Principles of the ward council: Principle one - As a bishop, you should be with them One meeting a month with the full agenda All other weekly meetings were about people. Only 10 minutes long. 45:20 Ward council principle two - Let them lead Everyone had very clear responsibilities Let them manage their own organization Allowing them to lead helps them have their own spiritual experiences 51:30 Justin’s final thoughts and what he has learned from being a leader Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Watch on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library

Keith Erekson is an award-winning author, teacher, and public historian who has published on topics including politics, hoaxes, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, and Church history. Keith grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, served a mission in Brazil, and earned advanced degrees in history and business. For seven years he directed the Church History Library, overseeing expanded online research access and enriched public exhibits, and now works for the Church History Department in efforts to encourage outreach and historical engagement. In this podcast, Kurt and Keith discuss receiving and engaging with patriarchal blessings. Highlights 2:00 Introduction and new book about understanding patriarchal blessings 6:00 Patriarchal blessings are so unique and a special part of our religion 8:00 The history of patriarchal blessings 11:45 Why a patriarchal blessing? Comparing baby blessings and patriarchal blessings 16:00 Apocryphal things people say about patriarchal blessings 18:15 Can we share our patriarchal blessing? 19:45 Be careful about your expectations of your blessing. Some blessings can be very specific and others very general. 23:00 How can Bishops help youth prepare for a blessing? 26:00 Is patriarch an official title? 27:00 Request your direct ancestors or direct descendants blessings 32:40 Keith’s thoughts on lineage. Sometimes we take the lineage too literally or as if it’s biological. Our lineage is a spiritual and a symbolic connection. 37:30 Mysteries of God are just things that He knows and we don’t know. Oftentimes we make it into more than it is, like something magical and spooky. 38:00 Our patriarchal blessing is an invitation from God to learn more about you and your relationship with Him. Our blessing is like a doorway to learn more. It’s not a destination. 40:40 Real vs rumor. It’s a rumor that Joseph Smith’s bloodline is a literal bloodline to Ephraim. 42:30 Keith’s book would be great for the person that just got their patriarchal blessing 45:00 Oldest and youngest blessings in history 46:00 Keith’s favorite stories of patriarchal blessings 49:50 Things that Keith is working on for church history. Joseph Smith Papers, last volume of Saints, Eliza R. Snow sermons, journals, and more. 52:15 Final thoughts on patriarchal blessings Links Incorrect Quotes, Urban Legends, and Magical Thinking at Church | An Interview with Keith Erekson Making Sense of Your Patriarchal Blessing Real vs. Rumor: How to Dispel Latter-Day Myths Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Listen on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast has ranked in the top 20 Christianity podcasts in iTunes, gets over 500,000 listens each month, and has over 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help latter-day saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, J. Devn Cornish, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, Ganel-Lyn Condie, and many more in over 500 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Kolette Hall is a Success and Self-Management Coach for Leaders. She teaches high-achieving leaders how to manage their thoughts and behavior so they can make aligned decisions in every area of their life—without having to micromanage their time. She is an educator, author, entrepreneur, mother, and widow. Her husband was a quadriplegic in a wheelchair and they were married for 27 years before he passed away suddenly. Kolette has served in a stake Primary presidency and ward Young Women program. She currently serves in her Syracuse, Utah, stake Young Women presidency, where she uses her superpower of offering realistic, simple, and powerful ways to help ward leaders implement the youth-led program. Highlights 02:30 Introduction and Kolette’s review of the Leading Saints women’s retreat 05:54 Kolette talks about the book, Messy Victories, that she wrote with her late husband, Jason Hall 10:40 Jason was a quadriplegic and she talks about the unique dynamic that it brought to being elders quorum president 12:00 What should leaders do when someone in their ward loses a loved one or is grieving? What do these people need? 19:20 Serving in the stake Young Women presidency 23:30 Things that have worked while serving in the stake Young Women leadership 25:00 "Mind the gap": Where you are as a leader vs. where you want to be. There is always a gap. It’s the same with our youth. How can we help bridge the gap? 28:40 How can we arm the youth with tools to succeed and lead? Identify everyone’s unique needs. We are all different. Figure out the ‘how.’ How to help youth get skills. Find a mentor to help them learn Leaders need to know how to teach skills to the youth 33:45 In order to help the adult leaders have the necessary skills to help the youth learn, Kolette’s stake has all the adult leaders come to the stake meetings. 35:00 Needs Kolette has seen in her stake and how they have been able to address those needs and come up with effective solutions 40:00 Kolette explains what a start to finish walk through is. Walk through each moment of an activity and make a plan. Make sure everyone knows their jobs. This increases everyone’s confidence. 45:15 Kolette’s final thoughts. We are preparing our youth for everything that happens after they turn 18. Links Messy Victories: A Story of Allowing Grief, Pursuing Joy, and Rolling Forward KoletteHall.com Young Women & Young Men Class Presidency Leadership Materials (use promo code "saints") Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Watch on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast has ranked in the top 20 Christianity podcasts in iTunes, gets over 500,000 listens each month, and has over 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help latter-day saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, J. Devn Cornish, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, Ganel-Lyn Condie, and many more in over 500 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

This is PART 2 of a 2-part podcast conversation. Listen to PART 1 Steven Croshaw is the co-founder and President of SA Lifeline Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing hope, education and resources related to sexual addiction and betrayal trauma recovery. He was instrumental in the production of Understanding Pornography and Sexual Addiction: A Resource for Families, Religious, and Community Leaders. Steven is a commercial real estate developer. He has been married to Rhyll Anne Croshaw for 49 years and they are the parents of seven children and 27 grandchildren. They are grateful to be working recovery one day at a time. Chris Raleigh grew up in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and served in the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Mission. He has a bachelor’s degree in business, a master’s degree in education, and has taught for 28 years in both public and private school settings—including 23 years as a seminary and institute instructor. Chris' church assignments have included callings in the elders quorum, Sunday School, high council, bishopric, and as a bishop and stake president. In his current assignment he serves with his wife, Peggy, on the Church’s Corrections Committee, ministering to both Church leaders and inmates in six county jails and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah. Chris and Peggy have nine children and 14 grandchildren. Chris' desire in sharing his story is to lend hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ to the many men and women who feel trapped within the grasp of the illness called addiction. Trying to reverse four generations of addiction within his family has not been easy but he knows it is possible. Steven Croshaw Chris Raleigh Highlights 0:15 Can church leaders do anything to help people be completely honest and change? 1:45 What happens when you are radically honest? 2:40 We can’t always understand God’s timing for things or why we have to go through them again and again 5:00 Leaders have to surrender too. Surrender those they are trying to help to God. You can’t mess with other people’s agency. 8:00 We can talk about recovery but they won’t know it and understand it till they go through it. Steven explains the steps and what he had to be willing to do to recover. 10:00 It’s necessary to find a safe place to be radically honest 12:00 Practicing honesty brings us closer to Christ. Addiction cannot survive the light of Christ. Without honesty you can’t get there. 15:30 Is disclosure to a bishop the best first step to recovery? 18:30 Instead of trying to decide if it’s an addiction or not, just treat it as such Create boundaries and bottom lines Be honest about all behavior Receive the help you need 21:00 Many people have an aversion to the word addiction. Call it what you want but it's a biochemical brain condition. It has a chemical hook. 23:30 Watching pornography first brings euphoria but is followed by feelings of shame and anger towards yourself 24:00 Whether you are a periodic user or a daily user it creates a feeling of unworthiness before God, unworthiness of the love from others, and self hatred 24:45 Sexual addiction deosn’t just want more it wants different. Pornography gets deeper and darker. There is a change in brain chemistry. 28:00 A lot of times bishops give advice based on their own experience however they need to keep in mind all the past history and possible family issues of the person they are trying to help 29:00 Pornography is not my problem. Pornography is my solution. So what is my real problem? 30:40 Recovery is being humble, honest, and accountable 31:30 What does it mean to surrender? 34:20 I have to set boundaries to stay safe 36:00 It has less to do with pornography and more to do with the emotions and feeling that we have. It’s very important to deal and process those emotions. For many the solution to avoiding these feeling and getting relief is pornography. 39:00 When it comes to confession there needs to be consequ...

Steven Croshaw is the co-founder and President of SA Lifeline Foundation, a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing hope, education and resources related to sexual addiction and betrayal trauma recovery. He was instrumental in the production of Understanding Pornography and Sexual Addiction: A Resource for Families, Religious, and Community Leaders. Steven is a commercial real estate developer. He has been married to Rhyll Anne Croshaw for 49 years and they are the parents of seven children and 27 grandchildren. They are grateful to be working recovery one day at a time. Chris Raleigh grew up in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and served in the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Mission. He has a bachelor’s degree in business, a master’s degree in education, and has taught for 28 years in both public and private school settings—including 23 years as a seminary and institute instructor. Chris' church assignments have included callings in the elders quorum, Sunday School, high council, bishopric, and as a bishop and stake president. In his current assignment, he serves with his wife, Peggy, on the Church’s Corrections Committee, ministering to both Church leaders and inmates in six county jails and the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah. Chris and Peggy have nine children and 14 grandchildren. Chris' desire in sharing his story is to lend hope through the Atonement of Jesus Christ to the many men and women who feel trapped within the grasp of the illness called addiction. Trying to reverse four generations of addiction within his family has not been easy but he knows it is possible. This is PART 1 of a 2-part podcast conversation. Steven Croshaw Chris Raleigh Highlights 02:15 Introduction to the episode and the topic of sexual addiction and the speakers, Steven and Chris 05:30 Chris talks more about his story of dealing with pornography and how it has inspired others as he has been willing to be honest and tell his story 10:30 Steven tells his story of how he got into pornography and how he and Chris met in recovery. 19:00 Betrayal trauma is equally important to address as pornography addiction. Wives need to be brought into the recovery process. They need support and resources to get through the process too. 25:00 You can’t just stop the behavior. You can’t do it by yourself. 27:00 While Steven’s leaders cared and were loving, they didn’t give him the right advice and resources that he needed 27:30 Steven’s first experience with a sexaholics 12-step meeting. He walked away from it because he couldn’t relate. 28:40 Steven’s life-changing experience of getting arrested for picking up a prostitute. It was a turning point for him. 32:00 Through all of his recovery, Steven now understands that recovery is based on total and complete honesty. 33:00 Steven describes his third disciplinary council as a positive experience even though he got excommunicated 34:50 Anyone struggling with sexual addiction needs to know that you are responsible for your own recovery. Bishops and stake presidents don’t know how to help you. 35:45 The steps Steven took to find the proper help 37:15 How can I trust my husband after so much betrayal? How do I know my husband is truly in recovery? 39:30 Steven and his wife have created a foundation to help others recover from sexual addiction and betrayal trauma 40:00 What does recovery take and what does it look like? Radical honesty Willingness Links Listen to PART 2 When the Stake President Struggles with Pornography | An Interview with Chris Raleigh How to Help the Spouse of an Addict | Interview with Steven & Rhyll Croshaw Facebook Group: I Am Finally Free Iamfinallyfree.com Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, by Anna Lemke S.A. Lifeline Foundation SAL 12-Step What Can I Do About Me? He Restoreth My Soul Understanding Pornography Addiction and Betrayal Trauma Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Listen on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Libra...

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in September 2021. Listen to the follow-up conversation here: Part 2: The Research Behind Becoming Christlike. Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D., is a cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders primarily through a focus on mindsets. He is also an associate leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State University-Fullerton. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana University, and a B.A. from Brigham Young University. As a consultant, he works with organizations to develop their leaders and improve their culture. Ryan is the author of The Elevated Leader and Success Mindsets. He has written multiple articles for Leading Saints, presented at a live event about mindsets, and is a repeat podcast guest. As Ryan reviewed leadership research, he found it primarily answered one question: “What do leaders need to do to be effective?” The focus of his work has been on “What do leaders need to be to be effective?” In this podcast, Ryan and Kurt discuss the concept of vertical development and how it applies to individuals and leadership. Highlights 06:25 Vertical development is the next topic Ryan has been studying and writing about. It applies to us emotionally and spiritually, and possibly even physically. 07:40 Overview of mindsets: Mindsets are the mental lenses we wear that shape how we view the world 09:10 What vertical development is Three adult developmental stages that are a function of effort, both horizontally and vertically Elevating our ability to make meaning of our world in more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated ways 12:00 Examples of how people in different levels respond to constructive criticism 13:45 The three different levels Mind 1.0: Focused on our comfort, safety, and belonging. Self-protective. Dependent thinkers, exchanging power and independence for these needs. Mind 2.0: Focused on being seen, advanced, and getting ahead. Independent thinkers, in self-reward mode. Mind 3.0: Focused on contributing and adding value, externally focused on lifting and elevating others. Interdependent thinkers, able to see from different perspectives and sit with complexity. Only 1% of adults get to this place. 20:00 Becoming more like the Savior happens through vertical development Example of Mind 1.0 recommendation for seeking information Approaching teaching from the perspective of vertical vs. horizontal development 25:15 The tension between safety and truth Example of people protecting the safety of beliefs in a Sunday School lesson Being a seeker of truth and learning to sit with complexity instead of becoming defensive It is in the interpreting that we connect with God 31:05 Leaders operate differently depending on their vertical development Do we even allow for a conversation about interpretation? “Aspiring” fits into Mind 2.0 Mind 3.0 leaders are focused on creating a culture that is inclusive and allows for growth and development 37:25 The culture of aspiring to leadership 39:00 How do we go about developing vertically? What makes meaning for us are our mindsets Example of an inward vs. outward mindset and how it helps us become more like Jesus Christ Seeing others as doing their best: “What has happened to you?” vs. “What is wrong with you?” 46:20 Learning acceptance: Healing from our own traumas as we recognize Christ accepting us Vertical development involves calming our response so we have a greater tolerance The new “Sunday School answer”: get to where you can have 100% acceptance before doing anything 51:35 When we help people repent we help them change their hearts and how they make meaning with their world, not their behaviors and actions 55:00 Where to start 57:55 Our vertical development is about hea...

Dr. Tyler Johnson is is a medical oncologist, author, and a clinical assistant professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He also serves as a leader of the Stanford inpatient oncology services, including supervising the oncology housestaff service. Tyler has served as Bishop in the Stanford Ward and taught institute. He co-hosts The Doctor's Art podcast and writes on the intersection of medicine, ethics, and spirituality. Tyler's writings has been featured by Religion News Service, the Salt Lake Tribune, BYU Studies, Dialogue, and The San Jose Mercury News, where he is a regular contributor. Highlights 02:00 Introduction to the episode and Tyler Johnson 03:30 Tyler’s background as an oncologist and professor 09:30 Teaching experience in the church and at the institute at Stanford 14:00 Many youth are leaving the church. We can do a better job at teaching them. 18:20 Where do we fail to teach the power of the gospel to youth and others? 20:00 Us vs them dynamic when it comes to people who leave the church and those who stay 22:30 As a leader, how do we avoid the us vs them dynamic at church and in our classes 25:45 Tyler breaks down the four parts of America and why it’s important to understanding and helping our youth today Free America Real America Smart America Just (justice) America 36:30 Most youth today belong to "just America." They value justice and fairness and have lots of concerns. Understanding these values is really important as a leader. 39:30 How can leaders best help and guide the youth (just America)? 41:20 When someone comes to you with a deeply felt question, it's better to recognize the virtuous impulse behind the question before dealing with the content of the question 47:00 Empathy before certainty or ambiguity. Productive discussions are going to come from showing empathy for people’s concerns. Show them you are on their team. 52:00 The different types of Americans and these mindsets in the church. People that belong to just America don’t feel like they belong in the church. 59:00 Tyler talks to people that feel they are part of just America 1:05:30 We all need space and grace. Even the highest leaders of our church. 1:06:45 We hold back empathy from our leaders because they are the ones in power 1:08:00 Why the past 10 years of American life have been uniquely stupid. Social media makes it so easy for us to shoot people down who value different things than us. 1:13:00 A lot of us grew up with the fairytale version of the gospel when in reality church history was really messy. This is what young people are struggling with today. We need to let go of the fairytale and embrace the messiness. 1:22:00 The defining virtue of the Savior's atonement is his perfect empathy. We are joining the Savior in His work when we show empathy to those that we lead. 1:23:30 Tyler’s final thoughts and testimony Links How America Fractured into Four Parts, by George Packer Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid, by Jonathan Haidt The God Who Weeps The Other Prodigal, talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland The Doctor's Art podcast Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Listen on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast has ranked in the top 20 Christianity podcasts in iTunes, gets over 500,000 listens each month, and has over 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help latter-day saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, J. Devn Cornish, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner,

Rick Bennett currently serves as family history leader in his ward and as a temple worker at the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple for the past ten years. He has served previously as ward mission leader, elders quorum counselor, membership clerk, Gospel Doctrine teacher, Primary teacher, and missionary in South Carolina/Georgia. He has a masters degree in biostatistics from the University of Utah and teaches at Utah Valley University and Western Governors University. For the past seven years, Rick has hosted Gospel Tangents, a podcast and YouTube channel focusing on Mormon history, science, and theology, where he interviews not only Latter-day Saint scholars and leaders, but Restoration leaders from other offshoots like Community of Christ, Strangites, Bickertonites, and even fundamentalist Mormon cousins in the Restoration Movement. Rick loves not only family history but Mormon history as well. Highlights 02:40 Introduction to Rick Bennett 04:40 Rick talks about his podcast, which focuses on Church history, science, and theology 21:30 How Rick got into family history 23:30 Roots Magic, a tool for family history 27:15 Family history tools and programs 27:50 If family history doesn’t excite you then that's ok. Do what you can do. Take the time to record your own history and your parents' or grandparents' history. 30:15 Doing a ward podcast can be another way to record people’s history 34:30 Do what you want to do in family history. Some people love uploading photos or interviewing family. 37:15 Rick shares some of his family history and talks about how he has found some of his family records 42:45 Tips for improving family history in your ward Find the computer guy Connect to your in-laws by helping them with their history Get people excited about finding stories 43:20 Another way to help with family history is to take pictures of grave stones and put them on findagrave.com 49:00 Cancel Sunday school and do family history. Get people excited by going to the church history center. 56:45 Creating groups as families or wards to help give people names for the temple Links Gospel Tangents Podcast Gospel Tangents podcast interviews with Kurt Francom Why Your Ward Needs a Podcast Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Listen on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast has ranked in the top 20 Christianity podcasts in iTunes, gets over 500,000 listens each month, and has over 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help latter-day saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, J. Devn Cornish, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler, Ganel-Lyn Condie, and many more in over 500 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Brooke Rasmussen is completing her masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and is an intern at Partners with Families and Children, a social safety net for families facing neglect and abuse. Brooke is passionate about helping clients find personal and relational growth in their marriages and teaches Gottman Institute Marriage Courses online with her husband, Scott. Her research at Whitworth focuses on pornography use and its connections to emotional intelligence. Brooke and Scott traveled the world through his career as a diplomat, living in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East before putting down roots in Spokane with their eight children. Brooke's experience as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is fundamental to her development as a leader and thinker. Highlights 02:15 Introduction to Brooke and the topic of personal development 05:30 Brooke’s process of preparing for the Leading Saints Women’s Conference 07:45 What is a vertical relationship? 10:00 In a vertical relationship, there are only winners and losers. You are one up or one down. It can lead to pulling rank, shaming, and others feeling less than. 14:30 Identifying our own behaviors of trying to one up someone else 16:30 Kurt gives examples of one-up situations 18:40 We go one down in a vertical relationship when we are playing a victim role. When we are minimizing our choices and acting like we are forced into things. When we hide our needs or desires. 20:00 A one-down mindset can be when we let others emotionally protect us or we try to protect them. This happens a lot in families. Brooke gives examples of what this looks like. 22:00 Playing small can be deflecting or self deprecating. It’s ok to want to aspire. 24:30 Historically women use the one-down spot for power. There is a victim power. 26:00 It gets tricky with the one-down position by saying it's a Christlike position 26:30 Brooke explains what it really means to turn the other cheek 28:30 Christ invites us to have horizontal relationships, where we are all on equal ground 29:40 The call of Christianity isn’t a call to be a victim. It’s a call to step into power. 30:40 If someone tries to one-up you then what does it look like to bring them back down to a horizontal relationship? 31:30 Brooke shares her own personal experience of a marriage fight and stopping the dynamic of trying to one-up each other 34:15 What to do in a church meeting when you feel like you got bulldozed. Learn to speak up for yourself and bring a meeting back to horizontal. 37:20 What can you do or say when someone else is playing the one-down card and acting like they are fine? You know they are trying to be accommodating. You can invite them to equal ground. 38:15 How anxiety plays into the horizontal and vertical relationship dynamics 41:00 God has established horizontal relationships and plans since the beginning of time. It’s not meant to be a power struggle, that is why He established councils. 42:00 If you are receiving as much as you are giving then you aren’t going to get burned out in your calling. It has to be a team effort and a horizontal experience in our wards. 46:20 We shouldn’t abolish all authority and priesthood keys but it's all about inner intention. As a leader you can take the time to listen to everyone and put yourself on equal ground with others. 49:30 What to do when you have a tyrannical leader? Some people will refuse to step down. 51:30 There are real victims and perpetrators. We can still find dignity in our situation and show respect for ourselves. Links The Courage to Be Disliked, by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga Jennifer Finlayson Fife Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast WATCH on YouTube Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast has ranked in the top 20 Christianity podcasts in iTunes, gets over 500,000 listens each month, and has over 10 million total downloads as part of nonprofit Leading...