Earlier in her life, General Relief Society Council member Rebecca Mehr experienced the pain and disappointment of divorce. In this episode, Rebecca shares how the divine help available to women through priesthood power and authority has shaped her eternal perspective on trials and hope. Rebecca offers insights into the hard-earned lessons learned through her unexpected life experiences, and the ultimate joy of becoming a stepparent and grandparent through her second marriage to Daniel Mehr...

Chad Orton | “Unsung heroes of the Restoration:” Wives of Early Missionaries Description “Attention has long been focused on [early] missionaries’ sacrifices, but comparatively little attention has been paid to their faithful families. These supportive missionary wives and children are unsung heroes of the Restoration, who made sacrifices at home so that the gospel could go forth into the world.” Chad M. Orton, a curator with the Historic Sites division in the Church History Department,...

“Sometimes we get overstimulated by news, and by people talking, and by social media, and by everybody’s opinions, and maybe with all the noise we don’t always hear the Spirit and what the Lord has to teach us. If we block out all of that noise, we can allow for music to teach us what’s true.” Dr. Sonja Poulter, director of BYU Women’s Chorus and previous member of the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square, shares the powerful impact music can have on our lives and worship. As a member of the...

Barbara Thompson served as the second counselor to President Julie B. Beck in the Relief Society general presidency from 2007-2012. Barbara is known and loved for her practical, down-to-earth nature, her decades-long service as a social worker, and her wit and sense of humor. Join us as we talk with Barbara about the lessons she has learned from both general and local Church service, including the process of personal revelation, the need for unity, and the value of counseling together....

Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are teachers. Women teach formally and informally, both in large and small settings to children, teenagers, women, and to mixed groups of adult men and women. Women also teach in the home, which has been emphasized recently as the center of gospel learning. The opportunities women have to influence and strengthen others through teaching the gospel is exciting and faith-promoting, but it can also be intimidating or overwhelming. In this...

We are often quick to acknowledge God as the source of good in our lives, but we can sometimes forget the power and influence of the adversary. In this episode, Relief Society general advisory council member Lori Draper highlights some of the tactics Satan employs to distract, discourage, and isolate women from God and one another. Drawing on her professional experience as a social worker and sharing personal experiences raising a family in New York City, Lori reminds women of the goodness of...

Heaven stands ready to help us in whatever righteous role we find ourselves. This is the message newly called Primary General President Camille Neddo Johnson shares in this episode of the Latter-day Saint Women podcast. Sister Johnson gives insights into how she raised three sons and served in various church callings while also managing a successful career as a lawyer. She shares how she prioritized her family amid the chaos that can be everyday life and was blessed when she sought and...

“Our world is really divisive, and it’s really easy to think, “How are we going to fix this?” President Nelson has talked to each of us about what we can do to help gather Israel on both sides of the veil, and I believe uniting is part of that. If we each can be more intentional about the relationships in our sphere of influence and seeking to better understand the lived experiences of others, then I think that is how the world changes.” Join us this week as we talk with Liz Darger, Young...

Sherilyn Clarke Stinson, the first female Commissioner of Family Services, shares with us her journey of infertility, adoption, education, and her transition from being a stay-at-home mom to starting a career. From her personal and professional perspectives, she reminds us of the importance of navigating the various stages of marriage, and the tools and resources available when we need help. Sherilyn encourages women who may feel discouraged by what is or isn’t happening in their lives to...

“We don’t have to think the same to love people; we just have to love people.” Sister Carol McConkie, a former counselor in the Young Women general presidency, shares this and other valuable insights as she reflects on representing Latter-day Saint Charities as a missionary assigned to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Carol shares the Church’s efforts to join with other leaders and organizations around the world with the intent to do good and care for those who are suffering and at...

Through stories from her personal life, professional experiences, and Church service, Sheri Dew illustrates how we can increase our spiritual capacity to receive revelation and better understand our own unique personal mission. She shares her experience serving as the first unmarried woman in the Relief Society general presidency, and urges us to build bridges to people who may not feel, for a variety of reasons, that they belong or fit in the Church. Sheri inspires us to recognize how...

Carol Lawrence-Costley believes in the power of stories to validate experiences, change hearts, and foster unity and compassion. In this episode, Carol shares her own story: a daughter of Jamaican immigrants born in London, England who joined the Church as a young teenager in the 1970s. Now serving on the Young Women Advisory Council, Carol also shares what she has learned listening to the stories of those different from her, and how as Church members we can grow together in unity and love...

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or stressed from a Church calling, assignment, or in your efforts to live the gospel of Jesus Christ? In this episode, Andrea Veronica Munoz Spannuas, Relief Society Advisory Council Member, offers wisdom and ideas for replacing feelings of anxiety surrounding service and gospel living with joy and peace. Sharing her personal experience serving and leading in the Church as a young convert in Argentina, Andrea asserts that youth are ready and able to lead, and...

“The young women who are now the young adult women and the mothers and the leaders in the church are doing and becoming exactly what I prayed they would become and do. It is such a joy for me to see that and to see these valiant young women taking their place and shaping this dispensation.” In this episode, Sister Elaine S. Dalton, 13th president of the Young Women organization, provides ongoing encouragement to “her” young women in the various roles they have. She shares her thoughts about...

"The gospel takes us out of the moment that we’re in and gives us a bigger picture of the purpose of life, of why we’re here, the bigger picture of immortality and eternity, and the bigger picture of relationships.” On this episode, we talk with Wendy Ulrich, a member of the Relief Society general advisory council, an author, and a psychologist. Wendy brings her years of experience and various perspectives to discuss the topic of uncertainty. While navigating everyday feelings of uncertainty...

Can you name five women from Church History? In this episode, Church historian and Harvard PhD Melissa Inouye shares the intentional effort to include Latter-day Saint women in the Church’s Global Histories project, with a goal that more will know and learn their names and stories. She reminds listeners that because the majority of Church members live outside the United States, most of our history as a Church is also outside the United States. Sharing the stories of six faithful Latter-day...

Can you name five women from Church History? In this episode, Church historian and Harvard PhD Melissa Inouye shares the intentional effort to include Latter-day Saint women in the Church’s Global Histories project, with a goal that more will know and learn their names and stories. She reminds listeners that because the majority of Church members live outside the United States, most of our history as a Church is also outside the United States. Sharing the stories of six faithful Latter-day...

Raising four children in New York City, Janet Nelson had many opportunities to step out of her comfort zone to serve and learn from others of different backgrounds and beliefs. In this episode, Janet, a former Young Women advisory council member and high school math teacher, reflects on how she found her best self and some of her best friends through ministering, getting to know her neighbors, tutoring refugees, and other service opportunities. Janet also teaches how the Lord has helped her...

“This isn’t a story about cancer, it’s a story about coming to know our Savior.” In this episode, Sister Amy Wright, the new second counselor in the Primary general presidency, teaches how we can rely on the sanctifying, healing and enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ to endure our own individual journeys. She shares her experience battling stage 4 ovarian cancer and how she found joy through service in a time of overwhelming pain and fear. “When I focused on myself, when my...

“Sometimes things don’t turn out the way we think they should, but that’s ok because we can rework things, we can be flexible, we can walk through the mud a little bit, we can cross a frozen river, we can do anything that the Lord asks us to do because we know that He is with us and we too can cleave unto our covenants...This is what Emma would have done, and what she did, and what she would want us to do.” On this episode, we welcome back Church historian and author Jenny Reeder, who helps...

How do you move forward with faith and hope when your righteous desires go unmet? How do you find belonging and meaning when your life path doesn’t fit “the mold” or what you anticipated or expected? In this episode, we talk with Mindy Booth Baxter, a member of the Relief Society Advisory Council, about the “revelation-led leaps of faith” that led her away from a successful career in New York City to culinary school, new opportunities to serve, and marriage in her 40s. Sister Baxter...

Born in mainland China and raised in Hong Kong, Annie Wong was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after meeting missionaries as a teenager. Annie now works as the Church Communication Director over the entire Asia Area, the first native Chinese woman to serve in this position. In this episode, Annie shares how the influence of missionaries, friends, and gospel mentors helped deepen her personal conversion to the gospel and prepare her for important...

Colleen Terry Scoresby, a beloved seminary and institute teacher, shares some of the many lessons she’s learned through her trials--that God is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving. From her years as a single member of the Church to her diagnosis and treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer, she’s put her trust in God’s timing, knowing that He always keeps His promises. She urges listeners to move forward in faith, be the best version of themselves, and not wait to feel joy. Resources:...

Salote Tukuafu from Tonga, a member of the Primary General Advisory Council, shares lessons she learned from her childhood about being faithful, being kind, and being generous. She tells the inspiring story of her grandfather’s conversion to the restored gospel and the legacy of faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ he built for his family. Sister Tukuafu describes her responsibilities on the advisory council, and the interfaith efforts she’s been involved with to address various social...

“Your life isn’t going to be what you thought it was going to be and how you planned, but it’s going to be better than you could ever imagine.” Rosemary Thackeray is a public health professor, a BYU administrator, and the current BYU Women’s Conference Chair. In this episode, we talk with Rosemary about her decision to earn a Ph.D. and how she drew upon her professional expertise as a Young Women General Board member. She shares how she was comforted and guided by personal revelation when...