What does a behavioral economist studying retirement savings have in common with a wizard battling darkness? More than you might think. Bridget Madrian spent 25 years at Harvard Kennedy School researching how people make financial decisions. Her work shaped pension law across America and influenced hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

But at the peak of her career, she made an unexpected choice: leave Harvard and come home to BYU as the first woman dean of the Marriott School of Business. When she asked God what He wanted instead of climbing higher, everything changed. The gospel truths she discovered woven through Harry Potter spoke to her faith in ways that transformed how she sees both leadership and discipleship.

In this episode of Why We Believe, Bridget shares why she asked "What does God want?" instead of accepting advancement at Harvard. She reveals how the temple deepened her gospel understanding exponentially. And she shows how a single scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban became a profound meditation on vision, faith, and becoming who God sees us to be.

Loved this episode?Hit Follow and share it with someone who needs to know that choosing God's will leads to greater blessings than any worldly advancement. Leave a review for Why We Believe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Your support helps us bring more inspiring conversations like this to listeners everywhere!

Visit WhyWeBelieve.com to download Your FREE guide on 13 Strategies to Increase Faith in Jesus Christ, to support you as you strengthen your own testimony of Jesus Christ.

Read this week's story. Keep the lesson for good:The Choice at the Peak: Why a Harvard Business School Dean Left for BYU and Found Her Greatest Blessing

Read this week's story. Keep the lesson for good:

https://whywebelieve.com/blog/choice-at-peak-harvard-dean-byu

Follow the Why We Believe Show:

Website: https://www.whywebelieve.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WhyWeBelieveShow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/why-we-believe-show/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywebelievepodcast/

Follow Nathan Gwilliam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/

Website: https://podup.com/

Podcasts:

Why We Believe: https://www.whywebelieve.com/

Podcasting Secrets: https://podcastingsecrets.com/

Follow Brigitte Madrian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigittemadrian/

X: https://x.com/BrigitteMadrian

Website: https://marriottschool.byu.edu/brigitte-madrian/