At Last She Said It

If faith is a moving thing, that implies change. To say you're on a journey means you're actively engaged in going somewhere. In the ALSSI community, the word faith often gets paired with the word journey, but also with deconstruction, shift, or transition. None of us are standing still, but it can feel frustrating or even lonely when we're each moving at our own pace. Fueled by recent conversations with listeners, Episode 276 is a check-in with Cynthia and Susan: an honest look at where we've been, where we are, how we've gotten here, and where we want to go.

What feels safe to say? It's a question many Latter-day Saint women weigh before speaking up. Some don't feel at liberty to say what they really think in certain settings or relationships. Some may speak up confidently for other people but struggle to champion their own needs, values, or convictions. Some self-edit to avoid being seen as difficult, selfish, contentious, negative, ungrateful, or just "too much." In Episode 275, Susan and Cynthia are joined by coach Sara Fisk to talk about how women can develop the skills to say what they need to say and help create change: at church, at home, and in personal relationships.

It's a commonly stated idea that politics and religion don't mix, but for many Latter-day Saints it seems there's no separating the two. And this fuzzy boundary extends beyond the opinions and practices of individual members: While claiming neutrality regarding political parties and candidates, Church leadership sometimes officially "addresses issues it believes to have significant moral consequences." In Episode 274, Cynthia and Susan dip a conversational toe in this charged topic—at last!—with political junkie (and ALSSI team member) Sarah Morse. Grab your popcorn and your ballot ... but also your curiosity, imagination, and personal authority. Let's talk politics!

In Episode 273, Susan and Cynthia ask Mary, Laura, and Evann, What Do You Say? It's Season 12's first installment of ALSSI's series of conversations with Latter-day Saint women inspired by their answers to questions in 3 categories: memories, insights, and beliefs.

Dr. Jana Riess of Religion News Service published an article recently asking, "Why are young women leaving Mormonism?" It's a great question, and one we could ask about every age group of Latter-day Saint women. Some answers seem very obvious; some may be harder to pin down. So how many women are actually leaving, and might institutional and/or cultural changes reverse the trend? In Episode 272, Jana joins Cynthia and Susan for a conversation about women and church, touching on 3 potential "P" (problem) areas: politics, purity culture, and powerlessness.