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Today I am excited to introduce to you dear friends of mine, Becky and Scott
Mackintosh and their son Xian.
Becky and I became friends through social media many years ago as she shared her
vulnerable story of being an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and her response to Xian coming out as gay to her and Scott. I was moved by
her deep love and compassion that I read most everything she would post after that.
Becky has a huge heart and a love for others which explains why she is also so
passionate about humanitarian work.
In 2023 my husband and I had the opportunity of finally meeting Becky and Scott face to
face as we joined them in a humanitarian trip to Kenya. This trip changed our lives in
many ways and lead to Doug and I in serving a full-time mission for our church in Kenya
the following year.
Becky is the author of the book Love Boldly: Embracing Your LGBTQ Loved One and
Your Faith. She is also a popular speaker known for her honest approach and open
heart. She is dedicated to her family, faith, and inspiring others.
Scott is also an author of the super cute children’s book Silly Willy, a public speaker, and
a lover of the outdoors and hunting. He also has a great sense of humor.
Xian earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from BYU Hawaii and a master’s
degree in mental health social work from the University of Hawaii. He is the 3 rd of Scott
and Becky’s 7 children.
Xian values strong family connections and has played a key role in promoting
understanding and unity with his family, following his coming out journey. He is the
founder of High Mountain Frenchies, LLC, and is an experienced beekeeper with a
deep love for anything outdoors.
It was such a joy to finally meet Xian while recording this podcast. His wisdom, love,
and insights are so powerful.
Their family’s story, featured in a video produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, has reached over 1.5 million viewers.
We are honored that they so willingly agreed to be our guests.
We thank you, our listeners, for being here and we hope you enjoy this episode of I’ll
Walk with You as much as we did when we recorded it.

Eva and I met in New York City when I lived there for a season, and we connected right away, becoming fast friends. Eva is an Episcopal Priest, a hospital chaplain working in mental health, and a person who loves people! Eva is living in New York City currently, and was raised in the Washington DC area.

In our conversation, we discuss the significance of curiosity in human connection and getting to better know and understand others who may be different from us. We talk about her experience of growing up in DC being surrounded by people of all different faiths, cultures, and political stances, and how that has made an impact on her life, particularly in her work as a chaplain. We discuss her experience being female clergy, and some of her upbringing that brought her to where she is today.

Eva is truly a beautiful person, and a wonderful example of how we can really get along regardless of difference.

I hope that you enjoy this episode of I’ll Walk With You.

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Ben Schilaty.

Ben is a social work professor at Utah Valley University. He also works part
time as a therapist specializing in working with LBGTQ Latter-Day Saints and their
families. He holds 3 degrees from Brigham Young University and earned a PhD from the University of Arizona. He is an award-winning author of "A Walk In My Shoes: Questions I am Often Asked as a Gay Latter Day Saint," and co-hosted the podcast “All Out in the Open.”

I had the opportunity to hear Ben speak at a fireside in the fall of 2024 and instantly felt of his goodness. Later that fall, Dakota and I had the opportunity to hear him speak at the Gather Conference in Provo Utah.

We were honored when Ben agreed to be a guest on our podcast and we absolutely enjoyed our conversation with him. He has such a beautiful outlook on life, and truly makes this world a better place.

Thank you again Ben for being our guest and thank you to all our listeners. We truly
believe you will enjoy this episode.

https://www.gather-conference.com/

https://www.benschilaty.com/