Latter Day Struggles
The Latter Day Struggles Podcast addresses beliefs and issues within the LDS faith that are challenging to talk about but vital to discuss for those trying to navigate their relationship in or around the church. Valerie and her guests invite psychological maturity, theological health, and institutional integrity.
Episodes
403 episodes
400: Most People Don't Want a Religion that Transforms Them
Series Title: The Two Functions of Formal Religion [Part II of III]In this second episode of their series tackling the two functions of formal religion, Valerie and Nathan explore why most religions *think* they are offering true v...
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53:21
399: This Classic Episode Put Latter Day Struggles on the Map of Faith Crisis Healing
With well over a million downloads since its first drop in March of 2022, the Latter Day Struggles podcast has established itself the place to find peace, healing, community, and words to describe your Latter-day Saint faith and...
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1:11:23
398: Your Faith Crisis Means You're Ready for More
Series Title: The Two Functions of Formal Religion [Part I of III] In this three part Latter Day Struggles 2.0 Transcend + Include series, Val and explore the two distinct functions of religion: the “horizontal” pat...
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49:18
397: What Happens When Only One Kind of Latter-day Saint is Allowed to Exist in the Church
Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part III of III]In this episode Valerie welcomes back friend and researcher Jeff Strong for the third installment of their series exploring Jeff's research l...
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58:53
396: UNLOCKED for All Listeners: Shifting the Focus from Abortion to Preventing Unwanted Pregnancy!
As we begin 2026 and the fourth year of the Latter Day Struggles Podcast, we wanted to say THANK YOU to ALL supporters of the podcast and platform! So please enjoy this Office Hours recording and a podcast episode that is one that is a...
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1:00:21
395: We Need to Stop Calling Growth a Sin in the LDS Church
Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part II of III]In today's episode Valerie and guest researcher Jeff Strong explore why people in the same LDS congregation can experience church so differently, dep...
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51:34
394: Exploring Mormonism's Immortality Projects Parts 1-4
In this audiobook style 4-part series, Val & Nathan explore how human beings manage anxiety and search for meaning and immortality through external systems of belief, identity, and worthiness. They examine how w...
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3:27:11
393: Quiet Conflict: What the Research Reveals About Active LDS Members
Series title: Mormon Faith Crisis—Progression, Not Pathology [Part I of III] The data is rolling in and Wow…if you want to know what’s really on the hearts and minds of many active Latter-day Saints, this 3-part series is a G...
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1:05:48
392: The Profound Value of Outgrowing the Covenant Path
Series Title: Exploring Mormonism's Immortality Projects [Episode IV of IV]Today Valerie and Nathan break down how early-stage religions build complex worthiness systems and expectations to help people get to heaven. Even though th...
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54:40
391: Why Mental Health Workers Became the Black Sheep of the 21st Century Church
In this episode of Latter Day Struggles, Valerie and guest Maxine Hanks dive into the complexities of reform and personal wellness within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.This fascinating conversation explores the first-ha...
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50:42
390: How Fear Shapes Humanity's Gods, Buildings, and Beliefs
Series Title: Exploring Mormonism's Immortality Projects [Episode III of IV]In this episode, Valerie and Nathan continue to explore the universal impulse that humans have to sense our divinity but channel it into false-s...
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1:05:37
389: Faith & Feminism: Valerie's Vision & Maxine’s Musings
In this part one of a two-part conversation, Valerie is joined by Maxine Hanks for a deeply personal and reflective conversation exploring their parallel journeys as Latter-day Saint female thought leaders navigating faith transitions, church d...
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58:17
BONUS EPISODE: Why the LDS Church is Vulnerable to Underreporting of Child S*x Abuse & What to Do
In today's BONUS EPISODE Val breaks down some ideas around why the LDS Church is uniquely vulnerable to the underreporting of child sex abuse. While some of its issues will be vulnerabilities of all patriarchal systems, there are others t...
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1:31:53
388: What if We & our Dead Do Not Need Saving but the Temple Helps Us See This?
Series Title: Series Title: Exploring Mormonism's Immortality Projects [Episode II of IV]In this engaging episode, Valerie and Nathan dive deeper into ideas about spiritual transformation for those wanting more depth as they progre...
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46:08
387: Mission Eligibility Age Dropped to 18 for LDS Young Women: A Conversation with Dr. Julie Hanks
Join Valerie and therapist colleague Dr. Julie Hanks in this recording of a recent “Instagram Live” where they explored the recent breaking news from LDS Newsroom decreasing the eligibility age from 19 to 18 for young women interested in servin...
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55:36
386: How Every Exhausting Detour Leads Us Back to God
Series Title: Exploring Mormonism's Immortality Projects [Episode I of IV]Today Val & Nathan kick off a four-part series that you will not want to miss if you want to make more sense of your Mormon experience working reall...
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44:11
385: Honoring Relationships AND your Nervous System Over the Holidays
If Episode 384 (the one right before this one!) addresses the larger psychological question of why the holidays & family events can be extra challenging and painful for those on the LDS faith expansion journey--then this episode an...
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51:45
384: Office Hours Meets the Holiday Family Gathering (& Accompanying Emotions)
Join us for this special Office Hour edition of Latter Day Struggles, recorded right before the bustling holiday season of 2025. Our conversation dives deep into the complex world of family relationships during the holidays while on a faith jou...
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52:12
383: Why We Care So Much about Transcending & Including Mormonism
Are you curious about what has happened in the minds and hearts of the Hamakers eight months post-resignation from the LDS church due to the waves that this podcast has made throughout the world for the past couple of years? Well, ...
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49:37
382: Moving from Saviors & Sin to Remembering & Returning
In this episode of Latter Day Struggles, Valerie compares and contrasts her understanding of the 'plan of salvation' internalized from her traditional LDS upbringing with a 'plan of salvation' that aligns with ideas about humanity's awakening j...
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39:30
381: Polygamy is Having its Mormon Moment (Again) in 2025
Series Title: Unpacking LDS Polygamy Developments in 2025 [Part II of II]Join Valerie and Jana Spangler as they finish their conversation about the fascinating currents of 2025 surrounding polygamy in the Church of Jesus Chris...
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43:12
380: A 'New' Plan of Salvation for an Expanding Mormon Consciousness
In this thought-provoking episode, Valerie dives into the idea that the old plan of salvation needs an update to align with our expanding understandings of God, love, and our own awakening journey. She explores another kind of plan of sa...
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36:20
379: When Mormon Polygamy Comes to Primary in 2025
Join Valerie and her guest Jana Spangler in the next two Monday episodes as they delve into the complexities of polygamy within the Mormon church, focusing on the year 2025 when several significant events around this topic unfolded.
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1:25:00
378: The Great Ascent: Evolution as the Fingerprint of God
Are you longing to transcend the God of your earlier spiritual development while including your desire to believe in some kind of more wholistic God? We see you! Join Valerie and Nathan on this deep dive into the f...
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34:44
377: When One's Soul has the Audacity to Grow, Right there in Church
Series Title: A Two-Hundred Year Old Mirror: How the Faith Expansion Journey has Always Made Christian Leadership Sweat! [Episode II of II]In this thought-provoking episode, Valerie and guest Casey McFarland dive into part two of their s...
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51:55