Leading Saints Podcast

Crystal Hurd is an educator, poet, and researcher from Virginia. She holds a master of arts in Literature from East Tennessee State University, a master of fine arts in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from East Tennessee State University. Her doctoral research focused on C. S. Lewis as a Transformational Leader. Crystal currently serves as reviews editor for Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal. Her articles have appeared in SEVEN, Christian History Magazine, Inklings Forever, Perichoresis, and The Faithful Imagination. She serves as a visiting professor for Northwind Seminary’s Doctorate in Theology and Ministry for Inkling Studies and Romantic Theology as well as the Master's in Spirituality, Creativity, and Writing. Crystal has been happily married for over twenty years to a technology director. They have two boisterous rescue dogs. Highlights 3:30 Introduction to Kurt’s Cohost, Tyler Snow 4:40 Crystal talks about why she wrote her book about C.S. Lewis 6:45 C.S. Lewis was a servant and that’s what made him a leader. He was a mentor to many. 8:40 Summary and life scope of C.S. Lewis 17:40 Crystal wrote her dissertation on transformational leadership and she explains what it is. She explains how C.S. Lewis embodies this type of leadership and how he transformed the lives of so many. 21:40 Lewis got a lot of criticism when he wrote The Screwtape Letters. Many people thought he was giving voice and sympathy for the devil. 24:00 Lewis brought people to Christianity. He went through his own faith crisis and was an atheist for a time. Because of these experiences, he was able to understand the doubts and faith journeys that people go on. He was able to speak to so many through his own experiences. 28:30 Is C.S. Lewis relevant to modern-day Christians? 32:30 Crystal gives her advice to leaders on how they can use Lewis’ writing with their congregations 35:30 Crystal explains different leadership models 43:00 Being a leader without having a title and what we can learn from that. C.S. Lewis is a perfect example of this. 47:10 How can we find balance in serving and being there for people while still setting boundaries for ourselves? Delegation Find other people’s talents and build them up 52:30 Was C.S. Lewis radical in his beliefs? 55:00 Although C.S. Lewis was considered a saint, he had his personal struggles and he sinned just like us. 1:01:00 C.S. Lewis was a wounded healer. He was able to help people because he had experienced the same things. Links The Leadership of C.S. Lewis: Ten Traits to Encourage Change and Growth CrystalHurd.com Twitter: @doctorhurd Instagram: @doctorhurd Image: Aronsyne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

Jason Noel currently serves on his stake high council with a stewardship over missionary work. He has served previously as a bishopric counselor, elders quorum president, and as a teacher in Primary, Sunday School, and Young Men. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and developing businesses that reflect and engage his interests. He owns a hot rod shop in Arizona called Fat Fender Garage, that specializes in building custom-classic-trucks and Broncos. They have recently been awarded “Builder of the Year” for the second year in a row in addition to features and awards from numerous shows and publications. Jason and his wife, Jen, share a combined family of eight children in Gilbert, Arizona. Highlights 01:15 Introduction to Jason Noel. His work and church callings. 05:00 Jason’s approach to love, share, and Invite. He explains what it is and how he uses it in ward counsel. Ward counsel is more focused on people rather than spiritual thoughts, training, or activities. 13:10 We do not decouple love, share, invite. It is one thing. 16:30 We need to change how we do ward councils. A great question is, “Who has been on your mind this week?” “What invitation can we extend and who can extend it to?” The ward council doesn’t do all the work but they come up with the ideas and take those to the different organizations. 19:30 We need to free up some time in ward council. What can we eliminate? What traditions do we need to let go? We need more time to discuss people. 22:40 Invitations don’t have to be big. They should be small and feel natural. Think of some invitations that you can make. 24:40 Everything that Jason does in his stake comes back to love, share, and invite. It's teaching, loving, and sharing just the way that Christ did it. It’s not a missionary tool, it’s a way of life. 27:40 What does it mean to love? Love is compassion and understanding. 30:50 What is the share component? It’s what either you can contribute or what they can contribute. This is where activities come into play. Don’t have ward activities, have community activities. 34:30 Making invitations. It doesn’t have to be a spiritual invitation. Jason gives ideas on what invitations to give. 38:50 People don’t change unless an invitation is extended. 41:10 Create accountability in ward counsel. Write down what the invitations were and then follow up to see how they went. Maybe they need to be changed. 42:00 Jason shares thoughts on how being a leader has taught him how to be more like Christ. Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

J.D. Griffith is the Vice President of Administration for BYU-Pathway Worldwide, an online higher education organization serving nearly 60,000 students from over 180 countries, and was its first employee in 2009 when he assisted with the creation of the original Pathway program. He previously worked at BYU-Idaho as a faculty member in the College of Business and as an administrator in the Division of Continuing Education. J.D. holds a bachelor’s degree in business management, and an MBA and a PhD in business administration. His previous church callings include bishop, counselor in the bishopric, high councilor, elders quorum president, Young Men president, ward clerk, Gospel Doctrine teacher, and missionary in the Ireland Dublin Mission. He currently serves as a primary activity leader. He and his wife Tasha have five children and one grandchild. Highlights 03:45 Introduction to J.D. Griffith and how Pathway began back in 2009. 05:50 How is BYU-Pathway Worldwide different from an online university? J.D. explains why this program was formed. 12:00 While the majority of BYU-Pathway is online, they meet weekly in person. 14:00 How does it work? Can you get any degree? 15:40 J.D. talks about who BYU-Pathway is for. 21:00 BYU-Pathway is so unique and possible through the Church that would not be possible through other universities. The Church has been able to subsidize tuition, use senior missionaries as volunteers, and allow access to the Church buildings to hold classes. 24:30 What to expect in BYU-Pathway Step 1 - PathwayConnect (first year) Step 2 - Certification Step 3 - Associate Degree Step 4 - Bachelor's Degree 29:30 The first year is a transition into college. It’s about coming together and helping each other on a weekly basis. The first year has life skills, university skills, and other basic classes. 32:15 BYU-Pathway is for the unemployed or underemployed. It can help them get job ready certificates. 33:40 How can leaders use BYU-Pathway in their ministry? 34:50 Leaders can help the young single adults that get left behind when everyone else is off to college by inviting them to do BYU-Pathway. It also helps these individuals get involved in institute. 37:50 Mission leaders and bishops should offer BYU-Pathway for recently returned missionaries. 41:15 BYU-Pathway is a great way for a leader to connect with individuals who are less active in the church. It’s less intimidating than inviting them to go to church. 42:20 Leaders can connect with part member families with BYU-Pathway. 44:00 BYU-Pathway can help recent converts and help continue to nurture them. 45:20 BYU-Pathway is also for non-native English speakers. They will have the opportunity to learn English along with the curriculum. 47:30 How can leaders better promote BYU-Pathway? Find the local BYU-Pathway missionaries Invite BYU-Pathway missionaries to your ward counsel Have a stake education specialist Identify individuals in your ward and talk with them 51:10 J.D. elaborates more on how special the BYU-Pathway program is and how it can serve so many different kinds of people. 53:15 Even though the costs are low there are also scholarships available to those who need it. 54:20 J.D. shares more about himself and his own education. Links BYU-Pathway Worldwide byupathway.org/churchleaders Contact service missionaries near you Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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.

Walter Franco most recently served as a bishop and has previously served as an elders quorum president, Young Men president, Sunday School teacher, ward mission leader, and as a missionary in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a principal for a boutique sports business consulting firm based out of Park City, serves on a few University of Utah boards and the KSL Community Board, and is president of a non-profit that raises college scholarship funds for DACA students in Utah. Walter and his wife have been married for 14 years, have three daughters, and currently live in Herriman, Utah. Highlights 02:30 Getting called as a Bishop in a Spanish-speaking ward and ward dynamics 10:00 There is actually a lot of diversity in a Spanish-speaking ward. They are united by language but there are a lot of different cultures. It can cause drama and cliques and Walter talks about how they created more unity. 12:40 Principle #1: See them as the Lord sees them. 16:00 Walter gives examples of how he goes about helping people in the Bishop’s office. He strives to give the individual ownership of their repentance rather than just giving them a prescription like a doctor. 19:30 Walter elaborates more on how he works with other leaders in the ward and the struggle in the Spanish-speaking ward to have strong leadership. He gives examples of how he gives feedback. It’s important to understand that it’s a process not an event. 24:45 Principle #2: Listen first and listen a lot before you speak This is the way to gain confidence and create great relationships Ask lots of questions and really understand where they are coming from and going through 30:00 Helping individuals with doctrinal questions. They might not get answers to certain questions in this lifetime but you can bring them back to core principles and doctrines. 31:15 Principle #3: My role is to lead by serving. Be the first one to extend your hand or respond 36:50 Leading a Spanish unit in an English Stake. Walter shares his view on how to address common misconceptions that English speakers have. Remember that we are united by faith and struggle with a lot of the same things. 49:00 Apps they use in the ward. Whatsapp has helped them create different groups and communicate easier. Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

Clay Olsen serves as the CEO and Founder of Impact Suite, which owns and operates a suite of award-winning self-care apps that have helped hundreds of thousands of individuals find deeper healing and recovery in over 150 countries. Early in his career, he co-founded and lead the creation of Fight the New Drug—a youth movement dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography and other forms of sexual exploitation through science, facts, and personal accounts. He now sits on the board of directors and helps guide the larger vision. Highlights 01:15 Introduction to Clay Olsen. 05:00 What are bishops/leaders missing what it comes to pornography? Most are wildly naïve to the scope of pornography. Bishops focus on boosting their spirituality but don’t help the individual get professional help. Both are needed. 10:15 Therapy is just one way to get help with addiction but for some other methods might be more helpful. 13:00 Addiction can be a huge Mount Everest. Instead of focusing on the summit, focus on the next right step. 14:00 Addiction or mental health issues boil down to a deficiency in 1 of 3 relationships. Relationship with self Relationships with others Relationship and connection to a higher power 16:00 Clay highly recommends approaching recovery through community. Having a support system is a powerful tool for recovery. 20:45 Are Sunday School lessons on pornography helpful? Clay gives his tips on how to teach it. 29:00 How can do reduce shame around pornography addiction? Guilt vs shame What drives the shame? 42:20 Fight the New Drug and other organizations have a lot of free resources that leaders can use in lessons. 46:50 Fortify is an app designed to help individuals heal and recover. Missionaries will also have access to this app. 49:15 Clay and Kurt discuss accountability. Fortify is not an accountability app. 53:40 Is pornography an addiction? It’s a spectrum of struggle. Be careful of what you call an addiction, especially when talking about young people. 1:01:40 Often times a person struggling with pornography is also struggling with their mental health. 1:06:00 We often discount the role that our lifestyles and environments have played in our collective mental health. While depression can be genetic, it is most commonly a disease of our civilization and lifestyle. Links FightTheNewDrug.org ImpactSuite.com, workplace mental health support Brain, Heart, World docuseries Let's Talk About Porn, conversation blueprint Fortify, app for quitting porn Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

In this podcast, Kurt sits down with four members of the Little Valley Stake in St. George, Utah, to talk about what happened when the stake president asked the youth (and their leaders) to plan stake conference. Guests include stake high councilor and Young Men leader Steve Chase, stake youth council member and high school sophomore Lucy Hansen, stake Young Women president Ashlie Bundy, and Brad Simister, second counselor in the stake presidency. Highlights 01:45 Introductions to the speakers. 03:20 Planning for stake conference. They felt that the stake youth committee should plan and prepare stake conference. 05:15 Lucy, from the youth council, describes how they went about planning everything. 05:45 Ashlie talks about the difficulties they encountered at first and her role as a leader to help the youth open up. 08:45 President Simister goes into how they structured the meetings. Overall, the stake president would just ask for updates but let everyone do their thing. 10:30 Lucy gives advice to other youth councils that might want to do the same thing. 11:15 The stake presidency planned the leadership meeting and youth were in charge of the adult session and general meeting. The youth committee was asked, “What do you want your parents to know?” That was the focus of the planning sessions and conference. 12:30 The benefit of having the youth help plan the conference was that they felt a part of it. It wasn’t just another adult meeting. 13:50 The youth chose the topics. They chose and wanted to hear about anxiety, mental health, how adults can connect with youth, and the second coming. 16:20 How they got the youth to open up, get engaged, and share ideas. 17:30 The leaders really stepped back and let the youth lead. 20:00 The stake president and other leaders were able to teach the youth how to create and get the agenda approved and speakers approved. 22:15 Lucy gives her perspective on how the stake conference went and how planning it changed her experience. 24:15 The youth felt special and valued by being included in the planning process. 26:10 Overall, the experience was positive for the youth and adult leaders. 26:50 There was more effort to include and work with the youth but there is power in it. It will help the youth with their future callings. Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

Brian Klaas is an expert on democracy, authoritarianism, US Politics, Western foreign policy, political violence, and elections. He has advised governments, US political campaigns, international politicians, the European Union, NATO, and more. Brian holds a doctorate in politics from the University of Oxford and is an associate professor in Global Politics at University College London. He is a regular commentator and political consultant to an extensive lineup of international media outlets, a Washington Post columnist, and the author of several books, including Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, a look at what power is, who gets it, and what happens when they do. Highlights 01:45 Brian tells about his background, work, and new book. 05:45 Corruption in power 10:15 A lot of the time the wrong people get into power because of their superficial charm. 12:45 The importance of having the right people in power and the consequential outcomes 14:25 Studies show that we choose leaders by how they look. 16:00 Do we have biases, based on looks, in the church when selecting leaders? 20:00 How can we pick the best leaders without letting our natural human biases get in the way? 27:00 Brian’s overall message from his book is that there are better and worse ways to select leaders. It takes a lot of self reflection. 28:00 Systems matter a lot for how humans behave. Brian explains why that matters. 29:40 As latter-day saints we are afraid to challenge the system. 30:50 We don’t always have to destroy the whole system but maybe tweak something small that could make a big difference or be more effective. 34:50 Different types of power hungry people; it isn’t always bad. There is a stigma in church that people shouldn’t want high leadership roles and power. It’s all about being humble. 40:30 Hungry to serve rather than power hungry 43:45 Does having a position of power corrupt us? 48:15 Kurt describes his experience as bishop in an inner city area that had high need. He had to balance his empathy for these people but still stay in control of the finances. 49:30 The goldilocks solution: just the right amount of emotional distance. As leaders we have to have a balance of empathy and pragmatism. 54:30 How do we deal with corrupt leaders? Links Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us BrianPKlass.com Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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 a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in June 2019. We are instructed in the General Handbook (8.1.1) that “Members of the elders quorum work together to help accomplish the work of salvation and exaltation. They serve others, fulfill priesthood duties, build unity, and learn and live doctrine.” How effective is your quorum at succeeding in this purpose? Is there more that can be done to leverage the inspired quorum structure that has been restored in these latter days? The reality is, men live lives of quiet desperation even while attending elders quorum once a week. They attend elders quorum with the hope of brotherhood, unity, and a restoration of their heart. Every man is striving to answer one question, “Do I have what it takes?” They wonder if they have what it takes to support a family, keep their job, overcome addiction, maintain their worthiness. They know the restored gospel can help them answer that question but they don’t know where to find the answer. In this episode, Kurt Francom discusses some points to consider related to the heart of men and how the adversary is winning the heart of many men in ways we may not expect. There is great opportunity to build brotherhood in our quorum in order to give more purpose in the lives of those who attend. Kurt also discusses the powerful experience he and others have had by attending a Wild at Heart Boot Camp and how it can help establish an effective model for increasing elders quorum brotherhood and unity. Next Boot Camp Details & Registration Highlights 02:45 Is Elder’s quorum a revelatory experience? 04:20 The number one thing that men would change about Elder’s Quorum, that isn’t a policy, is to have more informal meetings and get togethers. They are seeking more connection and comradery. 06:25 What is the purpose of Elders Quorum? 08:20 Never let an Elders Quorum meeting turn into another Sunday School class. 9:45 As an Elders Quorum Presidency, are you fulfilling your purpose to: Serve others Build unity and brotherhood Instruct members on doctrines, principles, and duties 11:45 Kurt quotes a blog by Sheldon Lawrence, “A Quorum of Strangers.” Mormon men live isolated and lonely lives. 14:00 Kurt quotes proverbs 12:27 “The substance of a diligent man is precious.” 14:30 What is the biggest threat to men today? The heart of men is under attack. Everyday men ask themselves, “Do I have what it takes?” 16:25 How does the adversary work? 19:25 Kurt talks about how to help the men that are struggling and the things that are probably not going to help. 23:45 Kurt describes the book Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. The main three concepts of the book are: A battle to fight An adventure to live A beauty to rescue 28:00 Kurt relates his experience of going to the Wild at Heart boot camp, which Kurt describes as a leadership conference in the woods. 33:00 Chris shares his story of healing, doubting God, and going to the Wild at Heart men’s retreat. 44:00 The thing that impressed Chris most about the retreat was how the men interacted with each other. They came together and “prayed on” each other. 46:40 One thing that Chris was introduced to at the retreat is worship music and it’s something that he has been able to take home to keep changing. 48:00 Steve shares his experience at the Wild at Heart retreat and recovery from addiction. 50:30 The biggest thing that impacted Steve was experiencing God’s love through brotherhood. 54:00 James White from Southern California shares his journey getting to boot camp and his experience there. 59:20 James from Utah shares his struggle with pornography, going through the shame cycle, and his anger with God. Boot camp changed the spiritual trajectory of his life. 1:06:35 Orin shares how going to boot camp helped him and how it strengthened his relationship with God. 1:11:40 Kurt concludes by sharing more about the retreat and how to sign up. Links

Bonnie Lyman has a BA in Elementary Education, is the parent of five "grown up kids", and a certified life coach. She has served as a ward Relief Society, Primary, and Young Women president, as a stake Young Women president and Primary counselor, a youth Sunday School, Primary, and Relief Society teacher, and as a mission medical coordinator and a music coordinator. Bonnie and her husband served in the Kenya Nairobi Mission as service missionaries before she launched her coaching business in 2019, and she now works with women struggling in their relationships with their adult children. Highlights 02:15 Introduction to Bonnie and her mission with her husband. 04:30 Bonnie talks about what she does and navigating life with adult children. 08:15 Bonnie talks about the biggest concerns that parents have with adult children. Most parents are concerned about their children leaving the Church and how to deal with it. 11:45 As parents to adult children remember that your only job is to love them. 12:15 One of the biggest things that parents of adult children struggle with is their children’s choices. They think that their children’s choices are a reflection of their parenting. 19:00 Remember that your kids have agency. As parents we get stuck knowing what our responsibility is as a parent and when to let our kids exercise their agency. 21:30 Sometimes we have to surrender to God and remember that He is the all knowing parent. We have to stay out of God’s business. 25:30 Bonnie gives her advice on how parents can deal with different behaviors from not moving out to drugs and alcohol. 31:50 We depend too much on our adult children to meet our needs. We are responsible for fulfilling our own needs. For example: Wanting equal time for holidays Wanting your children to call you everyday 34:35 How Bonnie would coach a parent wanting their children to fulfill their needs. Identify what they were feeling and the thought that was creating that feeling 40:45 What can parents do who have children who have completely severed the relationship? 46:50 What kind of a relationship do you have with yourself? The more you accept yourself, the more you can accept others for who they are. Links BonnieLyman.com Podcast: Loving on Purpose Instagram: @bonnielymancoaching Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.

Gregory K. Stapley is the executive chairman and recently-retired chief executive officer of CareTrust REIT, a real estate investment trust investing in healthcare real estate. He received his J.D. from the University of Arizona and his B.A. in Humanities from Brigham Young University. He is a stake president and former high councilor, bishop, bishopric counselor, Gospel Doctrine teacher and missionary in the Spain Seville Mission. Deborah E. Stapley got her start in television in the late 80’s after winning a nationwide how-to video competition on ABC’s The Home Show. She spent the next 15 years appearing on The Home Show, Good Morning America, The Leeza Show, and The Better Homes and Gardens Network. She eventually hosted several craft shows on the DIY network and The Learning Channel and served as a spokesperson for Department 56 and Charles Craft. She is a Relief Society teacher and former stake Relief Society president, stake Relief Society presidency counselor, stake music chair, stake temple youth celebration director, ward Young Women president, ward Young Women adviser, ward missionary, and Primary chorister. Greg and Deborah have six children and fifteen grandchildren, and live in San Juan Capistrano, California. They have accepted the calling to serve as mission leaders over the Mexico Querétaro Mission beginning July 2022. Highlights 01:45 Introduction to Gregory and Deborah Stapley and their call to be mission leaders 06:15 Deborah talks about how they are preparing for their mission. 09:00 Deborah talks about the years where her husband was a bishop and stake president. 11:30 Greg’s work background and callings in the church 13:30 Greg talks about the different leadership dynamics in a business setting versus in a church setting. Church is about the people, not the programs. 15:15 You have to have a lot more patience with people at church than you do in business. Remember that the Lord takes care of the outcomes in church and your focus should be on helping people grow. 19:50 Deborah relates her experience as a stake Relief Society president and the biggest things that she learned 25:30 Gregory describes how he went about loving and connecting with people as a stake president and bishop. 33:15 We have a natural instinct to oversolve problems and miss the mark in both business and the church 34:50 Kurt’s story of how it could be possible to miss the mark 36:40 Greg and Deborah speak about how being a leader has made them better disciples of Jesus Christ Links Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library The Leading Saints Podcast gets over 300,000 listens each month and has nearly 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, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, DeAnna Murphy, Michael Goodman, Richard Ostler and many more in over 700 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.