In this deeply moving and raw interview, Jennie shares her powerful life story—from growing up in a strict Mormon household to breaking free from the expectations that shaped her identity. She opens up about her parents’ conversions, her challenging marriage, the emotional toll of purity culture, and her gradual disillusionment with the church.Jennie also recounts the heartbreaking loss of her daughter Izzy, and how grief reshaped her spirituality and perspective on life. Through it all, she finds resilience, healing, and the courage to choose herself.A story of love, loss, faith, and transformation you won't forget.Topics Include:-Childhood in a devout LDS family-Marriage, purity culture, and incompatibilities in marriage -Crisis of faith and discovering church history-Navigating grief after the loss of her daughterSubscribe for more real stories about faith, loss, and rebuilding.

Watch this episode on YouTube here.___________________

Show Notes

YouTube

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Join us for our first live video call-in show! The topic: "What do Mormons Believe About God?"

We will be briefly reviewing my essay that can be found here: https://johndehlin.substack.com/p/what-do-mormons-believe-about-god

Then we would love some of our audience to join us to discuss any of the following topics:

• What they were taught as Mormons about God.
• What they think about the Mormon version of God.
• What they believe about God.

We will be joined by dear friends Kolby and Cam Reddish.

Show Notes

Watch this Episode YouTube

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:35 Kobly and Cami Reddish introduce themselves

00:05:00 Ground rules for these live episodes

00:09:50 John wrote an essay in substack “Understanding Mormonism”

00:12:00 Poll on beliefs of the Mormon Stories Community

00:17:30 Reading the substack article

00:19:20 Comparing the Judeo-Christian God to Mormon God

00:26:00 Differences between Judeo-Christian God to Mormon God

00:30:15 Mormons will downplay theosis, of humans becoming God’s

00:43:00 The concept of Mother God

00:53:44 Katie

01:03:40 Why Mormon women are leaving the church at higher rates

01:05:35 Maya

01:16:19 Andrew

01:22:15 Sad Heaven and where Satan fits into this

01:29:05 Karissa

01:32:55 Kendel

01:34:10 Contradictory aspects of Mormon God

01:39:25 Cultch

01:48:20 Jenn

01:55:40 Were women taught that they’d physically bear billions of children?

01:59:15 Melannie

02:12:10 Harrison Escobar

02:16:40 Cameron

02:18:50 Apocrypha Now

02:25:00 Karli Searches and Prayers

02:31:00 Closing comments

___________________

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
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Our Platforms:

• YouTube
• Patreon
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Contact us:
MormonStories@gmail.com
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• Insta: @mormstories
• TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
• Join the Discord

In this powerful continuation of our interview with Ben and Justine, we explore their raw and honest journey from deep devotion in the LDS Church to personal awakening, heartbreak, and healing.

They share how their relationship grew during Justine’s school years, navigating early marriage, financial and gender-role challenges, and the burden of trying to live up to faith-based ideals. From motherhood identity struggles to confronting doctrinal issues and discovering their voices during a faith crisis, this episode is full of vulnerable, eye-opening moments.

Highlights include:

• Gender roles & pressure in Mormonism

• The cost of silence during a faith crisis

• The CES Letter, LDS Discussions & uncovering hard truths

• Healing from betrayal, rebuilding marriage & reconnecting with family

• Their plea for empathy from believing members

Whether you're in faith, out of faith, or somewhere in between—this is a story about agency, partnership, and finding truth together.

Show Notes

Watch this episode on YouTube here.

___________________

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology
2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis
3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
• Venmo

Our Platforms:

• YouTube

• Patreon

• Spotify

• Apple Podcasts

Contact us:
MormonStories@gmail.com
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• Insta: @mormstories

• TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast

• Join the Discord

In this episode, Ben and Justine share their powerful and emotional journeys through Mormonism, immigration, family trauma, and healing. They discuss Ben's family's escape from political turmoil, their struggles with loss, and the lure of the Mormon doctrine of eternal families.

Ben faces racial and cultural challenges within the Church, battles self-worth issues, and grapples with the harm purity culture and missionary service caused.

Justine recounts her own upbringing in a strict Mormon household, the pressure of modesty culture, and the way Mormon ideals shaped her relationships and sense of self.

Together, they reflect on how they met, the impact of internalized racism, and their path toward authenticity, healing, and love — even as they confront the pain Mormonism left behind.

This is part 1 of a very special two-part Mormon Stories interview.

00:00:00 Introduction

00:06:34 Ben’s parents experience multiple infant loss/miscarriage

00:28:15 Reconnecting with the Church in Canada

00:39:00 “I left my home, my pride, mi familia.”

00:58:30 How Mormonism helps & harms at the same time

01:10:15 Justine’s Mormon childhood, youngest of 7, father a convert

01:22:11 Chosen generation trope affects relationships w/friends & family

01:38:10 Effects of purity culture

01:47:49 Justine repents for first boyfriend, first kiss at University

02:09:27 Ben & Justine become friends

02:17:13 Going on a mission causes more strife with Ben’s parents

02:38:20 Ben ignores intuition to tell gay convert not to join, ending in tragedy

02:55:45 Justine feels pressure to focus on numbers instead of people on her mission

03:20:07 How Justine & Ben start dating

03:24:15 Book of Mormon racism

03:26:30 Ben’s anguish over harm to himself & his relationship with his parents

Show Notes

YouTube

Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors!

Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today:

• One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox
• Support us on Patreon
• PayPal
• Venmo

Our Platforms:

• YouTube
• Patreon
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts

Contact us:
MormonStories@gmail.com
PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Social Media:

• Insta: @mormstories
• TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast
• Join the Discord

In this powerful follow-up conversation, Britt Hartley returns to explore 10 practical and emotional steps to take during your faith deconstruction journey. From embracing anger and grief, to rediscovering your identity, setting boundaries, and finding peace in the unknown—this episode is a guide to healing, growth, and transformation.

Whether you're newly questioning or deep in the process, these insights will help you navigate deconstruction with compassion and clarity.

Topics include:

• Grieving your old beliefs

• Embracing uncertainty

• Inner child & shadow work

• Building authentic community

• Setting loving boundaries

• Learning to just be

  
  

Join us as we unpack the deep emotional layers of deconstruction and the tools that can truly support your journey.

___________________

At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.

Our overall mission is to:

1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology

2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis

3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions

🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today

One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m

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🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes

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📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117

Jennifer Wilson shares her deeply personal journey from growing up in a devout Mormon family to questioning, deconstructing, and ultimately leaving her faith. She opens up about her family's polygamist history, her mission experience, marriage, leadership roles in the church, and the struggles that came with navigating faith transitions. From grappling with church expectations to finding newfound freedom and clarity, Jennifer reflects on how this journey has reshaped her identity, marriage, and parenting.Key Topics Covered: Growing up in a Mormon household & family history, missionary experiences & gender expectations in the church, marriage, motherhood & church leadership roles, doubts, faith crisis & leaving the church, Raising kids outside of Mormonism & rediscovering identity.Join us for an honest, heartfelt conversation about faith, change, and self-discovery. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts in the comments!___________________At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor todayOne-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/joinOur Platforms:🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us:📧 MormonStories@gmail.com📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117