Valerie Hamaker, Latter Day Struggles Podcast

I’m so proud of the series that Jeff Strong and I just finished dropping featuring his book

TORN: Why People are leaving the church and what we can learn from them.

We’re both trying with all of our hearts to help our LDS and surrounding community move beyond polarizing at the extremes.

Turns out psychological growth brings an increased capacity to hold the perspective of others—even if we do not see the world as they do.

When we can stay engaged with others, we all grow.

Check out today’s episode. It’s a keeper if you care about someone having a different experience with the LDS church than you—no matter rust that experience is❤️

Here’s the link!

http://podcasts.helloaudio.fm/podcast/d18e896a-8482-42b0-9490-3fbe1b3e8343/1Pi8ZBoPoA

The Stories of Healing event is a space to step into connection. The kind where you don’t have to explain your entire history to be understood, and where your experience is met with presence rather than judgment.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore this work, finding your way back after time away, or continuing a longer journey of growth and integration, you’re welcome here. This is a place for real stories, real relationships, and the kind of healing that happens when we stop doing it alone.

If something in you is longing for community in your process, I hope you’ll consider joining us.

Tickets for Stories of Healing 2026 is open now and seats are filling fast. We’d love to see you there. Reserve you spot at the link in bio.

For years, this community has existed through headphones, screens, Zoom calls, and comment sections. Now we finally get to gather in person.

The Stories of Healing event will create space for honest stories, meaningful connection, and the reminder that transformation is possible. I’ll be sharing alongside others whose faith crises became catalysts for deeper growth, and I have a feeling we’ll all leave a little more hopeful than we arrived.

Whether you’re just beginning to question, have been on this path for years, or you’ve found community through Friday Fellowship, Live Fellowship, or the podcast, I’d love the chance to meet you!

And if you’ve been listening since the early days of Latter-day Struggles...thank you. It would mean so much to thank you in person.

📍 Stories of Healing
🗓️ Wednesday, July 30
📍 Salt Lake City Public Library

Can’t make it to Utah? Virtual tickets are available too.

I hope you’ll join us. 🤍

Reading Second-Class Saints left me reflecting on the role ordinary people play in creating change.

What stood out to me was the many individuals, scholars, leaders, advocates, and everyday members, who were willing push for a more expansive vision of belonging.

It raises questions that feel just as relevant today:

What issues are calling for our attention now? How do meaningful shifts happen within communities and institutions? And what responsibility do we each have to help create a world where more people are seen, valued, and included?

PS: Coming soon on the podcast! Author of Second Class Saints Matt Harris joins me on the podcast for a deep dive into his process and the history around the LDS church’s fraught history reconciling racism within the LDS church.

This is a NOT-to-be-missed series as our LDS and surrounding community continues to grow in knowledge and accountability around our authentic, messy, and very human history. Isn’t it wonderful to be open, transparent, and accountable for our humanness? And healing for all parties involved?

THIS is what healthy communities do!!

Stay tuned!

I’ve found myself thinking less about who gets to be called a prophet and more about what it means to live prophetically.

Maybe prophecy isn’t reserved for a select few. I believe it manifests whenever someone has the courage to bring more truth, compassion, healing, and light into the world.

In Episodes 443 and 445, I talk with someone whose work reminded me of exactly that. His commitment to supporting missionaries’ mental health is a beautiful example of how ordinary people can become extraordinary sources of goodness.

If these questions about spirituality and human development intrigue you, I think you’ll enjoy this conversation and perhaps Friday Fellowship as well.

Visit the link in bio to join the Friday Fellowship community.

One of my favorite parts of Friday Fellowship is Office Hours, a members-only Q&A where we get to wrestle with real-life questions together.

This week’s Friday episode is a recording from one of those sessions, where we explore a tender question from a mother whose adult children feel they were emotionally neglected because of the size of their family. It’s a compassionate conversation about parenting, guilt, repair, and making space for everyone’s lived experience.

Are you working through sensitive questions yourself as you navigate your LDS faith expansion and just want a landing place to ask these questions?

I’m here for you!

Some of the most common struggles missionaries face are also some of the least understood.

Anxiety. Depression. Homesickness. Companion conflict. Shame. Perfectionism.

For many missionaries and their families, these challenges can feel overwhelming—and it’s not always clear where to turn for support.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Bryson Ensign, a former LDS missionary and psychiatrist in training who created the kind of mental health resource he wishes had existed during his own mission.

Together, we explore the realities of missionary mental health and discuss tools, insights, and support that can make a meaningful difference for both missionaries and the people who love them.

If the LDS mission experience has touched your life in any way, I think you’ll find this conversation incredibly valuable.

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 💛