Episodes

(CW: SI, SA) Join our conversation with Jaxon and his experience growing up in a traditional LDS family and attending BYU before coming out as transgender. (Topics include: transgender, LGBTQ+, trans panic, deconstructing religion, LDS (Mormon) church, BYU, patriarchal blessing, suicidal ideation, body dysmorphia, sexual abuse, depression, anxiety, and lacrosse.) Support the show Financial contributions greatly appreciated! Join our Facebook Community and continue the conversation there with...

Every week we pass by hundreds of people we don't know. Complete strangers. Some of them. We barely notice the guy at the ATM or the woman driving the BMW. Some we may see on a more regular basis. The clerk at the local convenience store, that one ref that shows up at every lacrosse game. Some people really catch our attention like that saxophone player in the park last Saturday. What would it take to turn a casual acquaintance into a friend, a mentor, or even a new best friend? Another conver...

(Join the Conversation on our Facebook Community) Originally intended to be only a test of sound equipment, my friend Neil got a jumpstart on the podcast by turning the tables and interviewing me. There will be a follow-up interview with Neil where I return the favor but I wanted to share this conversation with you as we discuss what it means to be vulnerable and the risk of belonging vs. the reward of being true to yourself. Other topics include: the origins of this podcast, tattoos, culture ...

(CW: SI) Leaving the LDS church can cost people many valuable relationships, including family. Today's guest was actually "excommunicated from her family," which then led to a faith crisis, deconstruction, and her leaving the church, all within a very short period of time. She prefers to remain anonymous but has bravely and beautifully shared her story with others on her Instagram account, Her.Truth.Be.Told and I encourage all listeners to follow her there. (Today's Topics include: Enmeshed fami...

Amanda joins our conversation from her new home in Argentina. Originally from a small town in Utah, she grew up driven to be the "perfect girl." Devout Mormon, straight A's, and a self-proclaimed tomboy. She tells how a single question changed her life forever, opening her eyes to a world of possibilities, and instilling a strong desire to live and work abroad. After a decade of working for United Nations with UNICEF and the World Food Programme, her work has taken her to dozens of countries. He...

How did you discover who you really are and who you really want to be? Or maybe the jury is still out and you are still exploring with an open mind. It's one thing to talk about one's journey from the perspective of the finish line - quite another to share your struggles, fears, and failures when you're still in the thick of things. Join my conversation with Keegan, a former hockey player as he talks about his experiences with ice hockey, meditation, personal change, hydration, gratitude, and ps...

Charlie is an accomplished actor with an impressive list of accomplishments. He currently plays the role of Roger Davies in "Tina" on Broadway and his previous credits include: The Bridges of Madison County (Original Broadway Cast), Parade (Lincoln Center). TV credits include Shades of Blue, The Loudest Voice. But I wanted to talk with him about the time he spent in his Broadway role in The Book of Mormon (Broadway). I had a blast with this conversation and we talked about religion, acting, fea...

(Join the Conversation on our Facebook Community Group) Today, Strangers You Know goes International with my conversation with Santiago García. I spoke with him from the small city of Pergamino, Argentina, where he was raised (about two hours from Buenos Aires). Santiago attended a progressive Catholic school that, although not in favor of abortion rights, the main bishop still believed that “Abortion is a way of controlling the birth rate from poorer countries”. Join us as we discuss philosop...

DeLaney is a native Utahn who has spent the past eight years acting in NYC. (Check out the show notes for a summary of her accolades.) Our conversation covers topics from the personal to the philosophical to the mundane of composting in Manhatten. Each topic uncovers another wonderful, emotional, personal layer of our amazing guest. Topics include: Orthodox Mormonism, composting in Manhattan, board games, babysitting, the importance of supportive parents, and The Marvelous Mrs. Masel. (Join th...

Outside of our recorded conversations, I ask each of my guests to recommend someone who they think would be a good person to have on the show. Today's guest, Meg, comes from one of those blind referrals. Before recording today's conversation, I had only spent ten minutes with her on a phone call. Almost complete strangers, she and I recorded the longest conversation to date. I am thrilled with being able to get to know her during this episode, and I'm so happy we had the opportunity to connect, ...

Today's conversation with Aliyah is the Tenth Episode of the "Strangers You Know" podcast and I am so excited to share her story with you. In this episode, we talk about doubts, cognitive dissonance and deconstruction of her faith as well as the difficulty and cost of vocalizing her process and why that is so important for herself and others. Aliyah shares her concerns on parenting her daughter, managing mixed-faith relationships with friends and family, and the importance of positivity. Other ...

How tightly do we grip our core beliefs and values, and why do we provide any room for intellectual curiosity? How often do we seek to understand individuals and viewpoints that are radically different from our own? How did we come to our version of certain knowledge, and what does it really cost us to consider different perspectives and opinions? These questions make up the backbone of this podcast, and I hope today's conversation pushes us all out of our comfort zone and foregone conclusions. ...

In today's conversation, Jed and I talk about the painful, wonderful, lonely, scary journey of deconstruction. Jed was in his fourth of six years serving as bishop of his ward when his faith crisis began. Beginning with his deconstruction of God before he began deconstructing the church, both while serving as Bishop and without being able to talk with anyone about it, including his wife. For a period of time, Jed talks of his many years of sacrifice and his immediate rejection by what he once co...

First of two parts. It is impossible to summarize any of these amazing conversations into a few, simple paragraphs. My meeting with Meg ran so long that I had to break it into two episodes. And I still feel that we were just scratching the surface. Part two will air next week. In the meantime, I could tell you that our topics included: butchering chickens, long-term illness, sexuality, trauma dumping, feminism, and trying to fit in. But that leaves dozens of topics unmentioned and still do...

Welcome back. In part two of my conversation with Meg, we dove a little deeper into her area of expertise, namely relationships, preventative care of relationships, and high-risk factors that challenge relationships. We also talk about awakening, especially to privilege as well as the importance of exploring self, including sexual identity. Other topics include self-care, intersectionality, our relationship with anger, and how our feelings lead us to action, both for better and for worse. Oh, an...

Is life, the universe and everything calling out to you. And are you too anxious or too busy working on your daily to do list to hear it? How would you react if you had spent the last 15 years of your life meticulously achieving one goal after another until you finally reached the pinnacle of success? Then you heard the message You need to quit. This is no longer for you. Would you trust the inner voice you'd been cultivating for years, or would your reptilian fear based brain talk you out of it...

This episode is a testament to the human spirit. Today’s guest talks about overcoming darkness, rejection, and multiple traumatic events. Kauri bravely shares her experiences with racism, sexual abuse, incarceration of a loved one, and even death. At times, she felt very alone as she struggled to make sense of her world with little or no support. Sometimes not being believed by those around her. Sometimes the trauma being caused by those who professed to support her. Kauri’s story is dark, gu...

Finally, today is part two of the conversation I had with Neal over three months ago. In this episode, we talk about waking up, putting off the pretender within each of us and the necessity and cost of advocating for others. We consider the importance of love as an overall part of health and fitness. Pulling no punches, we may even rattle a few emotions on today's episode of Strangers You Know. Other Topics: LGBTQ+, Love, Advocate, Support, Alienation, Deconstruction, open conversations, waking...

What do you do when a traumatic brain injury takes away your health, your personality, and your sense of life's purpose? I first met Pierre in Japan when we were both serving LDS missions. We were companions in the Mission Home for quite a while and we both thought we would be close friends forever. He came to my wedding shortly after he returned, and then we simply drifted apart with no interaction whatsoever. Life happened to both of us. A few weeks ago, Pierre found my podcast and reached o...

This interview breaks one of my early, probably unnecessarily arbitrary rules. Keyan is an architect who works in New York City. He is an immersive hobbyist who loves motocross. A deep thinker who loves deep, meaningful conversations. He's also my son in law, and I've told myself I wouldn't interview family. So much for rules. In our conversation, we talk about gripping things too tightly versus just being present. We talk about discovering slash, creating your best self, and how Keyan changed...

Elizabeth Gale grew up in the perfect Scientology family. For many years, she and her brother were the organization's poster children. But as she struggled to remain on the one true path, she started to see several cracks in the teachings and practices, experiencing firsthand what it was doing to her family, their relationships and her overall happiness. These concerns became red flags, which ultimately led her to look for a way out. Her journey identifies thought loops, shame and conviction,...

Every week we pass by hundreds of people we don't know. Complete strangers. Some of them we barely notice. Like the guy driving the semi-truck. Some we may see on a more regular basis. Like that one umpire that works every Little League game. Some people really catch our attention, like the guy dressed up as Santa Claus. In this episode, you will meet Mark, a wonderful human that fits all three of the above roles. Our conversation talks about help slowing down to enjoy life. The Upside and downs...

KEY LINKS NomadAlliance.org – Includes post-interview conversation with Kseniya StrangersYouKnowPodcast.com – Includes additional photos, Additional Bonus conversation with Silence, Brian, and Kseniya that includes Silence talking about his given name and how he can track God’s love for him through a sequence of peanut-butter sandwiches. FaceBook Community Page – Includes pre-interview setup video. CONTENT WARNING: Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Drugs, Suicidal Ideation ...

I could have spent this entire episode talking about the many amazing things that Lance already has experienced in his life. He was the first deaf player to play in the NBA. His family escaped polygamy and an FLDS act that his own grandfather created. And the TED Talk he gave in Salt Lake City, where he challenged his audience to think about their thought, patterns and beliefs that they may have adopted without question. But that would have completely missed the point. Instead, today, we get to ...