Kaitlynn Mintz

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S2 Episode 55:  Kaitlynn Mintz

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S2 Episode 54:  @theCarliCast pt. 2

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S2 Episode 53:  @theCarliCast

Krissy Weekley

If you’re interested in taking a trip with Monthly Roamers, visit their website at www.monthlyroamers.com or their instagram @monthlyroamers.

If you’re interested in taking a trip with Monthly Roamers, visit their website at <a href="http://www.monthlyroamers.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.monthlyroamers.com</a> or their instagram @monthlyroamers.

S2 Episode 52:  @monthlyroamers w/ Krissy Weekley

Hayden Davis

Dustin Larsen

Hayden Davis and Dustin Larsen are young professionals living in new york city, they are both active members of the LDS church, openly gay and have been foundational in starting a movement toward inclusion within the church by starting and promoting a weekly scripture study group for LGBTQ members and their friends within their wards.  The program has spread like wildfire and not only strengthened testimonies, but helped people find a comfortable place where they can find common ground and help each other along their journey.   On this episode, Dustin and Hayden discuss how they came to find  and iterate this program, their life and struggle with being gay and Mormon, as well as what has helped sustain them and bring them back to their faith while still having many unanswered questions.  They discuss the future both culturally and doctrinally, mental health, pride week, and what a “grandpa gay” is.  

Hayden Davis and Dustin Larsen are young professionals living in new york city, they are both active members of the LDS church, openly gay and have been foundational in starting a movement toward inclusion within the church by starting and promoting a weekly scripture study group for LGBTQ members and their friends within their wards. The program has spread like wildfire and not only strengthened testimonies, but helped people find a comfortable place where they can find common ground and help each other along their journey. On this episode, Dustin and Hayden discuss how they came to find and iterate this program, their life and struggle with being gay and Mormon, as well as what has helped sustain them and bring them back to their faith while still having many unanswered questions. They discuss the future both culturally and doctrinally, mental health, pride week, and what a “grandpa gay” is.

S2 Episode 51:  Pride Week with Hayden Davis & Dustin Larsen

Jenn Blosil

Jenn Blosil is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter/musician based out of Orem Utah.  born in Vienna, Austria Jenn discovered her love of music at age 4 when she began playing piano.   Jenn grew up in Orem, Utah and began writing her own songs at age 12.   She took her technical training and transitioned her love of music from classical to rock and has crafted songs of a unique sound that blends every genre in between.  Initially shy about performing, Jenn was peer-pressured into her first solo performance at Velour at the age of 16 - and she knew then and there that music was her calling.   Jenn used a Kickstarter campaign to launch her first album at the age of 21, and released it days before leaving on an LDS mission to New York.  Since then she has performed all over the country, touring and working with some of the most well known artists in the industry.  She even had a stint on American Idol, placing in the top 14.   On this episode, Nate and Jenn sit down to discuss her life and the role her testimony has played in her music.  Jenn dishes on bullying, being uncompromising when you know what you want, and handling the successes and failures that come from chasing your dream.  Stay tuned to the end of the episode, where Jenn gives us a preview from her upcoming album with a live performance of the song “woman” (01:17:07). 

Jenn Blosil is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter/musician based out of Orem Utah. born in Vienna, Austria Jenn discovered her love of music at age 4 when she began playing piano. Jenn grew up in Orem, Utah and began writing her own songs at age 12. She took her technical training and transitioned her love of music from classical to rock and has crafted songs of a unique sound that blends every genre in between. Initially shy about performing, Jenn was peer-pressured into her first solo performance at Velour at the age of 16 - and she knew then and there that music was her calling. Jenn used a Kickstarter campaign to launch her first album at the age of 21, and released it days before leaving on an LDS mission to New York. Since then she has performed all over the country, touring and working with some of the most well known artists in the industry. She even had a stint on American Idol, placing in the top 14. On this episode, Nate and Jenn sit down to discuss her life and the role her testimony has played in her music. Jenn dishes on bullying, being uncompromising when you know what you want, and handling the successes and failures that come from chasing your dream. Stay tuned to the end of the episode, where Jenn gives us a preview from her upcoming album with a live performance of the song “woman” (01:17:07).

S2 Episode 50:  Jenn Blosil

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S2 Episode 49:  You Got This! Suicide Prevention through Connection 

Judy Pham is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who grew up Buddhist in Northern California as a child of Vietnamese Immigrants.   She moved to New York as a teenager and lived there for 10 years before moving back to the West Coast.  Judy has was chosen to share her experiences at the recent Mormon Studies Conference at Claremont University as part of a panel of 4 LDS people discussing Millennials and mormonism.  On today’s episode Judy and Nate discuss the fascinating statistics regarding Millennials and their influence on changes in church culture, policy, politics and more.  She provides some very thought provoking ideas that were shared regarding LDS singles, LGBTQ issues, Millennial men leaving the church, Race and socioeconomic status within the church and the differences between culture across locations.  

Judy Pham is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who grew up Buddhist in Northern California as a child of Vietnamese Immigrants. She moved to New York as a teenager and lived there for 10 years before moving back to the West Coast. Judy has was chosen to share her experiences at the recent Mormon Studies Conference at Claremont University as part of a panel of 4 LDS people discussing Millennials and mormonism. On today’s episode Judy and Nate discuss the fascinating statistics regarding Millennials and their influence on changes in church culture, policy, politics and more. She provides some very thought provoking ideas that were shared regarding LDS singles, LGBTQ issues, Millennial men leaving the church, Race and socioeconomic status within the church and the differences between culture across locations.

S2 Episode 48:  Mormon Studies Conference 2019 w/ @judes23

Keaton Hill

Keaton Hill is a BYU student from Arizona, studying politics and living the college life in Provo, UT.  He is a member of the LDS church, and also runs the hilarious and highly popular instagram account @basicprovobro, which uses memes to parody the Peculiarities of LDS culture, particularly those of young single adults living in Utah.  His instagram account has almost 40,000 followers and, in combination with other LDS focused meme accounts, has received a lot of attention for hilarious content as well as stirring some controversy.  On tonight’s episode, Keaton sits down with Nate to discuss his “persona” as basic provo bro, along with some of the memes, moments and controversial posts that have driven conversation among his followers .  They talk about misconceptions about social media, what people are particularly offended by and why we all should learn to take ourselves a little less seriously.

Keaton Hill is a BYU student from Arizona, studying politics and living the college life in Provo, UT. He is a member of the LDS church, and also runs the hilarious and highly popular instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/basicprovobro/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@basicprovobro</a>, which uses memes to parody the Peculiarities of LDS culture, particularly those of young single adults living in Utah. His instagram account has almost 40,000 followers and, in combination with other <a href="http://www.lds.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LDS</a> focused meme accounts, has received a lot of attention for hilarious content as well as stirring some controversy. On tonight’s episode, Keaton sits down with Nate to discuss his “persona” as basic provo bro, along with some of the memes, moments and controversial posts that have driven conversation among his followers . They talk about misconceptions about social media, what people are particularly offended by and why we all should learn to take ourselves a little less seriously.

S2 Episode 47:  Keaton Hill - @basicprovobro

Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler is a 58 year old small business owner, former YSA bishop, husband and father of 6 children.  He started a podcast in February 2018 called Listen, Learn and Love which shares the stories of the LGBTQ community within the  LDS Church .  From their website, “Listen, Learn, and Love was created out of the desire to better understand our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We believe in God and in His decree to love one another, and this website is one of the ways in which we hope to foster that love and understanding”.  Richard has posted almost 100 episodes of his podcast in just over a year!  On this episode Nate sits down with Richard to discuss who he is and why he felt it was necessary to devote a website and podcast entirely to LGBTQ issues (05:00).  They discuss How his mindset is different from many of his peers (15:30), the concept of “Church Generated Pain (35:30) and Richard tells some of the stories he’s heard that have had a lasting affect on him (50:30).  They talk about the perfectionism culture in the church community and feelings of shame that can often come with sin, but how that is the beauty of the atonement and the beauty of progression (1:08:30) and then wrap up with a discussion about how great a time it is to be alive and what he foresees in the future (01:15:30). 

Richard Ostler is a 58 year old small business owner, former YSA bishop, husband and father of 6 children. He started a podcast in February 2018 called <a href="http://www.listenlearnandlove.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen, Learn and Love</a> which shares the stories of the LGBTQ community within the <a href="http://lds.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LDS Church</a> . From their website, “Listen, Learn, and Love was created out of the desire to better understand our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters. We believe in God and in His decree to love one another, and this website is one of the ways in which we hope to foster that love and understanding”. Richard has posted almost 100 episodes of his podcast in just over a year! On this episode Nate sits down with Richard to discuss who he is and why he felt it was necessary to devote a website and podcast entirely to LGBTQ issues (05:00). They discuss How his mindset is different from many of his peers (15:30), the concept of “Church Generated Pain (35:30) and Richard tells some of the stories he’s heard that have had a lasting affect on him (50:30). They talk about the perfectionism culture in the church community and feelings of shame that can often come with sin, but how that is the beauty of the atonement and the beauty of progression (1:08:30) and then wrap up with a discussion about how great a time it is to be alive and what he foresees in the future (01:15:30).

S2 episode 46:  Richard Ostler - "Listen, Learn and Love" Podcast

Every week on the Peculiar People Podcast, we highlight one of the rising generation of achievers who are influencing LDS culture whether they are Mormon or not. These are often people you have heard of, but perhaps never heard from. The Peculiar People Podcast covers everything from society and cultural stereotypes to literature, movies, relationships and everything in between, never taking itself too seriously. Introduce yourself to the Peculiar People with all of their talents and flaws - they happen to be just like you.

What a simple and good way to highlight the awesome things members are doing. Keep it up!

Simply good

Loving this podcast so far. Each guest has really interesting stories. Two thumbs up!

Love it!

Peculiar People Podcast

Al Carraway is an LDS convert, writer, multi-award-winning speaker, and author to best-selling book, "More Than the Tattooed Mormon," and "Cheers to Eternity!".  Originally from New York, she now lives in Utah with her husband, Ben, and her two kids, Gracie and Christian.  Her passion it is to tell everyone that happiness exists, and it comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She has won multiple awards for her work including the 2016 — Woman + Biz Award and the 2014 — Donald C. Sloan Speech Award.  On today's Episode, Nate and Drew chat with Al (once again from a closet) about her recent disastrous trip to the chiropractor (3:30), her day job working for the LDS church (10:00) and her backstory as a very rambunctious child (13:30).  They start to get into her conversion story before Al calls Nate out for asking the most obvious question about meeting the missionaries (16:30).  They talk about Al's life-changing moment and how she initially took the missionaries commitments as a challenge to prove them wrong (24:00).  Her move to Utah proves to be harder than she initially thought (27:00) but through adversity found her calling.  Al discusses the concept of "re-occuring thoughts" (32:00) and how they help her with decision making, and they discuss the role of faith and how it requires action and sometimes patience (38:00).  They toss around the logic of outcome vs the logic of appropriateness and how it can ease the stress of making important life choices, and how Al has become relevant through her gift to crystalize the feelings we all go through with her writing and speeches (43:00).  in our 7 seconds or less segment we learn a TON more about Al (52:00) including her take on the weirdness of Mormon culture (57:00) before finishing with our favorite hot seat question (01:00:00).   

Al Carraway is an LDS convert, writer, multi-award-winning speaker, and author to best-selling book, "<a href="https://deseretbook.com/p/more-than-the-tattooed-mormon-the-story-of-al-carraway?taxon_id=10&amp;variant_id=124392-paperback" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">More Than the Tattooed Mormon</a>," and "<a href="https://deseretbook.com/p/cheers-to-eternity-lessons-weve-learned-on-dating-and-marriage?ref=product-image&amp;variant_id=153134-paperback" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cheers to Eternity!</a>".  Originally from New York, she now lives in Utah with her husband, Ben, and her two kids, Gracie and Christian.  Her passion it is to tell everyone that happiness exists, and it comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She has won multiple awards for her work including the 2016 — Woman + Biz Award and the 2014 — Donald C. Sloan Speech Award.  On today's Episode, Nate and Drew chat with Al (once again from a closet) about her recent disastrous trip to the chiropractor (3:30), her day job working for the LDS church (10:00) and her backstory as a very rambunctious child (13:30).  They start to get into her conversion story before Al calls Nate out for asking the most obvious question about meeting the missionaries (16:30).  They talk about Al's life-changing moment and how she initially took the missionaries commitments as a challenge to prove them wrong (24:00).  Her move to Utah proves to be harder than she initially thought (27:00) but through adversity found her calling.  Al discusses the concept of "re-occuring thoughts" (32:00) and how they help her with decision making, and they discuss the role of faith and how it requires action and sometimes patience (38:00).  They toss around the logic of outcome vs the logic of appropriateness and how it can ease the stress of making important life choices, and how Al has become relevant through her gift to crystalize the feelings we all go through with her writing and speeches (43:00).  in our 7 seconds or less segment we learn a TON more about Al (52:00) including her take on the weirdness of Mormon culture (57:00) before finishing with our favorite hot seat question (01:00:00).

Episode 21:  Al Carraway

Conner Castagno is a compliance analyst for American Express who lives in New York City and attends church at a Manhattan singles ward.  Matt Peterson works in marketing for a large New York City based music label and also attends a Manhattan YSA ward.  Mike Barney works in Finance in New York City and attends LDS services every other week with his boyfriend, who is Catholic.  On today's episode, Nate discusses with the guys their unique stories of who they are and how they navigate being active members of the church who are also openly gay.  They discuss what options gay members of the LDS Church feel they are presented with when it comes to living the gospel (7:00), how they navigate their desire to have a family and procreate with their desire to live faithfully (15:00) and the questions that are commonly asked by their LDS friends and family about being gay (21:00).  The guys explain to Nate how they navigate potential contradictions between lifestyle and gospel doctrine and why they choose to stay in the church (28:00).  Nate is surprised at how supportive and accepting the members of the church have been to them, and asks what changes they'd hope to see culturally in the future (32:00).  The guys offer differing views and advice for gay members of the church who are struggling to navigate the coming out process and still be active participants in the church (42:00) and how their views of having a family have evolved over time (48:00).  They finish the conversation sharing some funny stories and reactions to their coming out process (55:00) and end with a great game of hot seat (01:09:00).  Listen on iTunes

Conner Castagno is a compliance analyst for American Express who lives in New York City and attends church at a Manhattan singles ward.  Matt Peterson works in marketing for a large New York City based music label and also attends a Manhattan YSA ward.  Mike Barney works in Finance in New York City and attends LDS services every other week with his boyfriend, who is Catholic.  On today's episode, Nate discusses with the guys their unique stories of who they are and how they navigate being active members of the church who are also openly gay.  They discuss what options gay members of the LDS Church feel they are presented with when it comes to living the gospel (7:00), how they navigate their desire to have a family and procreate with their desire to live faithfully (15:00) and the questions that are commonly asked by their LDS friends and family about being gay (21:00).  The guys explain to Nate how they navigate potential contradictions between lifestyle and gospel doctrine and why they choose to stay in the church (28:00).  Nate is surprised at how supportive and accepting the members of the church have been to them, and asks what changes they'd hope to see culturally in the future (32:00).  The guys offer differing views and advice for gay members of the church who are struggling to navigate the coming out process and still be active participants in the church (42:00) and how their views of having a family have evolved over time (48:00).  They finish the conversation sharing some funny stories and reactions to their coming out process (55:00) and end with a great game of hot seat (01:09:00).  <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/peculiar-people-podcast-episode-7-gay-mormons-living/id1278472870?i=1000393622788&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on iTunes</a>

Episode 7:  Gay Mormons living their faith - Conner, Mike & Matt 

Morgan Jones

Morgan Jones is a journalist, blogger and editor who began writing for DeseretNews.com as an intern in 2014. She has since published more than 350 stories. Jones is a passionate storyteller and loves having the opportunity to share stories that deserve to be told.  a North Carolina Native, Jones attended BYU, graduating with a degree in Public Relations in 2012.  After a short career in Public Relations, Morgan transitioned into a career in Journalism (which is her passion) after responding to someone looking for an intern for the Des News on Facebook.  Morgan is also an accomplished Blogger.  Her website, alittlepencil.com, is her first person account and opinions based on her experiences as a faith writer for a major newspaper.  in her words, the blog allows her to be "a little pencil in god's hands".   On this episode of the podcast, Nate, Morgan and co-host Elliot discuss Morgan's upbringing in North Carolina, her love of the Tar Heels and initial hate of BYU, her passion to be a storyteller and how that got her to the Deseret News, her opinions and perceptions of BYU and Utah Mormons, giving Kelly Clarkson a Book of Mormon and much more.  They discuss her favorite stories she's told both from the lens of the Deseret News as well as on her blog, Morgan offers up some advice for aspiring writers and the crew spends some time predicting what will happen at LDS General Conference (Spoiler alert** we predicted Elder Gong to the quorom of the 12!).

Morgan Jones is a journalist, blogger and editor who began writing for <a href="http://www.deseretnews.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DeseretNews.com</a> as an intern in 2014. She has since published more than 350 stories. Jones is a passionate storyteller and loves having the opportunity to share stories that deserve to be told.  a North Carolina Native, Jones attended BYU, graduating with a degree in Public Relations in 2012.  After a short career in Public Relations, Morgan transitioned into a career in Journalism (which is her passion) after responding to someone looking for an intern for the Des News on Facebook.  Morgan is also an accomplished Blogger.  Her website, <a href="http://www.alittlepencil.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">alittlepencil.com</a>, is her first person account and opinions based on her experiences as a faith writer for a major newspaper.  in her words, the blog allows her to be "a little pencil in god's hands".   On this episode of the podcast, Nate, Morgan and co-host Elliot discuss Morgan's upbringing in North Carolina, her love of the Tar Heels and initial hate of BYU, her passion to be a storyteller and how that got her to the Deseret News, her opinions and perceptions of BYU and Utah Mormons, giving Kelly Clarkson a Book of Mormon and much more.  They discuss her favorite stories she's told both from the lens of the Deseret News as well as on her blog, Morgan offers up some advice for aspiring writers and the crew spends some time predicting what will happen at LDS General Conference (Spoiler alert** we predicted Elder Gong to the quorom of the 12!).

Episode 29:  Morgan Jones - Journalist/Blogger/web producer for DeseretNews.com

Rosie Card

Rosie Card is an Entrepreneur, author, former high fashion model and "self-proclaimed paper-doll-making master".  In 2015, Rosie created QNOOR.com  to ensure that women have dresses as special and beautiful as going to the Temple feels.  In her own words, "When shopping for my first temple dress, I felt a little disappointed with the options. The temple felt like such a special and personal experience, but I couldn't find anything that felt very special or "me" at all. As more and more of my friends entered the temple, I've observed that my temple dress experience wasn't unique to me. I created Q.NOOR to ensure that women have dresses as special and beautiful as going to the temple feels."  On this episode, Nate and Rosie sit down and discuss the founding of Q.NOOR Temple Dress and how Rosie was inspired to create her own clothing company.  They branch off on topics including what it means to be a "Stay at home YSA" (03:00), her experience in high fashion modeling (12:00),  what it was like to work for the church (17:00), and what it means to be an LDS feminist in 2017 (26:00).  Rosie discusses her upcoming book Model Mormon, which will be hitting shelves this winter (34:00),  the role of social media in her business and how she separates that from her personal life (36:00) and some of the unanticipated perks of starting your own business (41:00).  Rosie and Nate finish by chatting about how to handle negative feedback and why it's important to have positive dialogues on subjects we don't have the answers to (48:00).   

Rosie Card is an Entrepreneur, author, former high fashion model and "self-proclaimed paper-doll-making master".  In 2015, Rosie created <a href="http://www.qnoor.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QNOOR.com </a> to ensure that women have dresses as special and beautiful as going to the <a href="https://www.lds.org/temples?lang=eng" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Temple</a> feels.  In her own words, "When shopping for my first temple dress, I felt a little disappointed with the options. The temple felt like such a special and personal experience, but I couldn't find anything that felt very special or "me" at all. As more and more of my friends entered the temple, I've observed that my temple dress experience wasn't unique to me. I created Q.NOOR to ensure that women have dresses as special and beautiful as going to the temple feels."  On this episode, Nate and Rosie sit down and discuss the founding of Q.NOOR Temple Dress and how Rosie was inspired to create her own clothing company.  They branch off on topics including what it means to be a "Stay at home YSA" (03:00), her experience in high fashion modeling (12:00),  what it was like to work for the church (17:00), and what it means to be an LDS feminist in 2017 (26:00).  Rosie discusses her upcoming book Model Mormon, which will be hitting shelves this winter (34:00),  the role of social media in her business and how she separates that from her personal life (36:00) and some of the unanticipated perks of starting your own business (41:00).  Rosie and Nate finish by chatting about how to handle negative feedback and why it's important to have positive dialogues on subjects we don't have the answers to (48:00).

Episode 12: Rosie Card - Q.NOOR Temple Dress

Brittany Fisher

Brittany Frank was living the dream as a spirited 21 year old cross country runner at Utah State University when a tragic repelling accident left her paralyzed from the waist down.  In the 6 years since her accident, Brittany has chosen to share her story of resilience and finding joy in her circumstance, while at the same time getting married, working full time, becoming a dog mom and then a human mom to a very cute 8 month old son named Will.   On this episode of the podcast, Nate is joined by guest host Morgan Jones (of episode 29), a close friend of Brittany's, to tell get to the bottom of Brittany's uncanny attitude towards trials and assist in re-telling her inspiring story of healing, hope, joy and grief.    

Brittany Frank was living the dream as a spirited 21 year old cross country runner at Utah State University when a tragic repelling accident left her paralyzed from the waist down.  In the 6 years since her accident, Brittany has chosen to share her story of resilience and finding joy in her circumstance, while at the same time getting married, working full time, becoming a dog mom and then a human mom to a very cute 8 month old son named Will.   On this episode of the podcast, Nate is joined by guest host Morgan Jones (of episode 29), a close friend of Brittany's, to tell get to the bottom of Brittany's uncanny attitude towards trials and assist in re-telling her inspiring story of healing, hope, joy and grief.

Episode 37:  The meaning of ENDURANCE with Brittany Fisher Frank

Kirby Heyborne

Kirby Heyborne is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, narrator and comedian. He is known for his work in The Three Stooges and LDS films. Heyborne has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator.  He lives and works in Southern California with his wife and 3 children where he is acting, doing improv, narrating audiobooks and serving multiple callings in his local LDS community.  On this episode, Nate and Kirby chat about his humble beginnings at battle of the bands, meeting his wife, the spawn of LDS cinema and his role in that, the amount of work that goes into audiobook narration, the trials of auditioning in Hollywood, his "controversial" beer commercial and much, much more. 

Kirby Heyborne is an American actor, musician, singer-songwriter, narrator and comedian. He is known for his work in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Stooges_(2012_film)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Three Stooges</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDS_cinema" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LDS films</a>. Heyborne has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator.  He lives and works in Southern California with his wife and 3 children where he is acting, doing improv, narrating audiobooks and serving multiple callings in his local LDS community.  On this episode, Nate and Kirby chat about his humble beginnings at battle of the bands, meeting his wife, the spawn of LDS cinema and his role in that, the amount of work that goes into audiobook narration, the trials of auditioning in Hollywood, his "controversial" beer commercial and much, much more.

Episode 27:  Kirby Heyborne

Ryan Ogden

Ryan Ogden is from Richfield, Utah and is the Executive Director of Revive Humanity. He graduated from Utah Valley University with a communication degree and loves to do just that, COMMUNICATE. Either in Tagalog, Spanish, or English he loves to interact and be with people. After a two year mission for his Church in the Philippines he founded and became the Executive Director of Philippine Improvement Group (This is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that leads the way to improvement by teaching, healing, and increasing the stability in the Philippines). He has lead many service tours to the Philippines and other places around the world. He taught the language of Tagalog at the Missionary Training Center for 2 years. In 2011 He founded Revive Humanity, an international, non-profit, non-government, non-denominational, humanitarian organization dedicated to the pursuit of providing long-term solutions and sustainability to individuals and communities.  On this episode of the Podcast, Nate and Ryan do a deep dive on his experiences serving all around the world, and the very personal, very inspirational reason he chose to spend the last 10 years living a unique life of service instead of the more traditional path of marriage and family.  

Ryan Ogden is from Richfield, Utah and is the Executive Director of Revive Humanity. He graduated from Utah Valley University with a communication degree and loves to do just that, COMMUNICATE. Either in Tagalog, Spanish, or English he loves to interact and be with people. After a two year mission for his Church in the Philippines he founded and became the Executive Director of Philippine Improvement Group (This is a 501(c)3 charitable organization that leads the way to improvement by teaching, healing, and increasing the stability in the Philippines). He has lead many service tours to the Philippines and other places around the world. He taught the language of Tagalog at the Missionary Training Center for 2 years. In 2011 He founded Revive Humanity, an international, non-profit, non-government, non-denominational, humanitarian organization dedicated to the pursuit of providing long-term solutions and sustainability to individuals and communities.  On this episode of the Podcast, Nate and Ryan do a deep dive on his experiences serving all around the world, and the very personal, very inspirational reason he chose to spend the last 10 years living a unique life of service instead of the more traditional path of marriage and family.

Episode 35:  Ryan Ogden - Revive Humanity

Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner is a husband, father of 6 kids, Kung Fu practitioner and personal coach.  In 2017 he founded Liberateaman.com, a website dedicated to "Taking men from the pit of addiction to the heights of freedom by building a life that simply works on every possible level."  On this episode of the podcast, Nate and Co-host Gavin discover Bob's personal journey of addiction recovery, one that started when he was a teenager and persisted throughout his adult life, almost costing him his family, his marriage and even his life.  Bob explains how he turned his life around, and how he took what he learned and developed his method of coaching which he believes can take someone from being an addict for life to being cured for good.  

Bob Gardner is a husband, father of 6 kids, Kung Fu practitioner and personal coach.  In 2017 he founded <a href="http://Liberateaman.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Liberateaman.com</a>, a website dedicated to "Taking men from the pit of addiction to the heights of freedom by building a life that simply works on every possible level."  On this episode of the podcast, Nate and Co-host Gavin discover Bob's personal journey of addiction recovery, one that started when he was a teenager and persisted throughout his adult life, almost costing him his family, his marriage and even his life.  Bob explains how he turned his life around, and how he took what he learned and developed his method of coaching which he believes can take someone from being an addict for life to being cured for good.

Episode 39:  Beating PORNOGRAPHY addiction for good with Bob Gardner - Liberateaman.com

Andy Proctor

Andy Proctor is a Blogger, Academic and Positive Psychology activist.  For the past few years, Andy has dedicated his life to the study of Happiness and the never ending pursuit we all have to live happy lives.  Throughout his journey, he has spent time seeking out the experts in this field, attaining a deep understanding of the science behind the theories, putting them into practice in his own life and sharing his learnings with the world.  Andy's Blog, Morehappylife provides people with resources and training to empower people to live happier lives by utilizing techniques that emphasize positivity, gratitude and practicing an optimistic outlook on life.   On this episode, Nate and Andy discuss Andy's background and what got him so interested in the field of studying happiness, as well as what positive psychology means to them.  They discuss the correlations between LDS culture and happiness as well as the interesting areas where LDS enclaves score higher and lower on the happiness scale.  

Andy Proctor is a Blogger, Academic and Positive Psychology activist.  For the past few years, Andy has dedicated his life to the study of Happiness and the never ending pursuit we all have to live happy lives.  Throughout his journey, he has spent time seeking out the experts in this field, attaining a deep understanding of the science behind the theories, putting them into practice in his own life and sharing his learnings with the world.  Andy's Blog, <a href="https://linktr.ee/morehappylife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Morehappylife</a> provides people with resources and training to empower people to live happier lives by utilizing techniques that emphasize positivity, gratitude and practicing an optimistic outlook on life.   On this episode, Nate and Andy discuss Andy's background and what got him so interested in the field of studying happiness, as well as what positive psychology means to them.  They discuss the correlations between LDS culture and happiness as well as the interesting areas where LDS enclaves score higher and lower on the happiness scale.

Episode 31:  Andy Proctor @morehappylife

Zach Cordell

https://www.cordellnutrition.com/instagram: @Zachcordellrdn

<a href="https://www.cordellnutrition.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cordellnutrition.com/</a>instagram: @Zachcordellrdn

Episode 40:  Zach Cordell - The Mormon Nutritionist

Michelle Gifford

Michelle Gifford is a podcast host, entrepreneur and full time wife/mother.  Her podcast (which she co-hosts with Sarah Allred), The Women With Fire, features LDS women of influence and focuses on sharing advice on how to utilize the spiritual to inspire people to launch careers or go after their dreams.  The goal of The Women with Fire is to build "A nation of warrior women who feel guided by the Divine to build empires of truth at home, in business, and abroad." On this episode of the podcast, Nate and Michelle discuss social media, women empowerment, being inspired and what to do with that inspiration, one sentence descriptions of her favorite guests and much more!

Michelle Gifford is a podcast host, entrepreneur and full time wife/mother.  Her podcast (which she co-hosts with Sarah Allred), The Women With Fire, features LDS women of influence and focuses on sharing advice on how to utilize the spiritual to inspire people to launch careers or go after their dreams.  The goal of The Women with Fire is to build "A nation of warrior women who feel guided by the Divine to build empires of truth at home, in business, and abroad." On this episode of the podcast, Nate and Michelle discuss social media, women empowerment, being inspired and what to do with that inspiration, one sentence descriptions of her favorite guests and much more!

Episode 24:  Michelle Gifford - The Women With Fire

Olive Oatman was a 13 year old Mormon pioneer heading west when a group of Yavapai Indians ambushed her group, killed her family and took her and her sister as slaves.  She was eventually traded to a tribe of Mohave, where she was thought of as family.  They gave her a face tattoo and raised her as one of their own.  On today's Peculiar Histories episode, we explore the details of her 5 years spent living with Native Americans. Of her time in with the Mohave, she spoke lovingly and with adoration.  They took care of her needs and allowed her to fully integrate.  After a couple of years, she was traded back to white society.  We discuss the rough transition she experienced, as she was visibly marked by another culture.  By many, she was viewed as an outsider, resulting in a clash of cultures.  Having been abducted at such a young age and forced to adapt to a new life, Olive no doubt went through serious psychological strain when she re-entered white society.  The sensational story of her kidnapping and life among Native Americans struck a chord with the American public.  Olive left behind a lasting and impactful cultural legacy.  She is the first documented white American woman to bear a tattoo.  She also is the namesake of the town Oatman, Arizona.  Numerous works in literature, film, and television have used Olive Oatman's story as an inspiration. Her life as a cultural hybrid still resonates with historians, academics, and audiences today.  

Olive Oatman was a 13 year old Mormon pioneer heading west when a group of Yavapai Indians ambushed her group, killed her family and took her and her sister as slaves.  She was eventually traded to a tribe of Mohave, where she was thought of as family.  They gave her a face tattoo and raised her as one of their own.  On today's Peculiar Histories episode, we explore the details of her 5 years spent living with Native Americans. Of her time in with the Mohave, she spoke lovingly and with adoration.  They took care of her needs and allowed her to fully integrate.  After a couple of years, she was traded back to white society.  We discuss the rough transition she experienced, as she was visibly marked by another culture.  By many, she was viewed as an outsider, resulting in a clash of cultures.  Having been abducted at such a young age and forced to adapt to a new life, Olive no doubt went through serious psychological strain when she re-entered white society.  The sensational story of her kidnapping and life among Native Americans struck a chord with the American public.  Olive left behind a lasting and impactful cultural legacy.  She is the first documented white American woman to bear a tattoo.  She also is the namesake of the town Oatman, Arizona.  Numerous works in literature, film, and television have used Olive Oatman's story as an inspiration. Her life as a cultural hybrid still resonates with historians, academics, and audiences today.

Peculiar Histories: "The Girl with the Blue Tattoo"

Brooke Romney

Brooke Romney is a professional blogger, columnist and author who is known for her passionate and personal blog, Brooke Romney Writes.  Via her website brookeromney.com , Brooke blogs about Marriage, Parenting, Holidays, Travel, Food, Books, Love and Life. Aside from blogging, Brooke is a speaker and freelance writer who resides in Kaysville, UT with her husband and 4 boys. One of Brooke's recent and most popular posts is titled, "Why we are taking the FUN out of life."  Brooke also has a monthly column that is published in the Deseret News.  On this episode, Nate jumps outside his comfort zone to chat with Brooke on topics including reading, writing and finding your calling in life.  They chat about her influences, how she met her husband and started her family and how experiencing hardships re-shaped her writing style in a more meaningful and personal way.  Brooke explains how her blog has slowly grown over time and some of the articles she is most proud of.  She gives Nate some future parenting advice and discusses her ideas for the future, including penning her first novel!

Brooke Romney is a professional blogger, columnist and author who is known for her passionate and personal blog, Brooke Romney Writes.  Via her website <a href="http://brookeromney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">brookeromney.com</a> , Brooke blogs about Marriage, Parenting, Holidays, Travel, Food, Books, Love and Life. Aside from blogging, Brooke is a speaker and freelance writer who resides in Kaysville, UT with her husband and 4 boys. One of Brooke's recent and most popular posts is titled, "<a href="http://brookeromney.com/2014/01/why-we-are-taking-the-fun-out-of-life/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">W</a><a href="http://brookeromney.com/2014/01/why-we-are-taking-the-fun-out-of-life/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hy we are taking the FUN out of life</a>."  Brooke also has a monthly column that is published in the Deseret News.  On this episode, Nate jumps outside his comfort zone to chat with Brooke on topics including reading, writing and finding your calling in life.  They chat about her influences, how she met her husband and started her family and how experiencing hardships re-shaped her writing style in a more meaningful and personal way.  Brooke explains how her blog has slowly grown over time and some of the articles she is most proud of.  She gives Nate some future parenting advice and discusses her ideas for the future, including penning her first novel!

Episode 13:  Brooke Romney

We are officially back!  What a crazy first year we had.  Gavin Johnson drops by to discuss whats happening at thepeculiarppl.com and with our community of friends (2:30), then we deep dive with Morgan Jones of LDS Living on 2018 the year of change (10:30)!  We discuss some of the impact to the culture that changes in procedure have caused - whether it be 2 hour church or Prophets on social media.  Then, we makes some bold prefictions for 2019 and beyond...  

We are officially back! What a crazy first year we had. Gavin Johnson drops by to discuss whats happening at <a href="http://thepeculiarppl.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thepeculiarppl.com</a> and with our community of friends (2:30), then we deep dive with Morgan Jones of LDS Living on 2018 the year of change (10:30)! We discuss some of the impact to the culture that changes in procedure have caused - whether it be 2 hour church or Prophets on social media. Then, we makes some bold prefictions for 2019 and beyond...

Episode 42: Season 2 - Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! 2018 year in review with Morgan Jones

Charlie Williams

Charlie Williams is a recent convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Having grown up in a religious family in New York City, this smart, thoughtful young college graduate enjoyed years of success in modeling while pursuing her professional goals.  After moving back from Miami and taking a job in Manhattan,  a series of coincidences and chance meetings led her to reach out to the LDS missionaries, and eventually to baptism.  Her story is one of the most interesting and inspiring you will ever hear!  she has been featured on Saints Unscripted  , podcasts and from many a pulpit.   On this episode Nate and Charlie (with cameo’s from her friend and fellow YSA Julie Brooks) discuss her life story, her family and upbringing, their chance meeting in Chelsea Market and the many small instances of fate that led to her  finding the gospel.  Then they discuss her life since joining the church, and Charlie offers a lot of wisdom regarding what keeps her testimony strong and what gives her doubts.  

Charlie Williams is a recent convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Having grown up in a religious family in New York City, this smart, thoughtful young college graduate enjoyed years of success in modeling while pursuing her professional goals. After moving back from Miami and taking a job in Manhattan, a series of coincidences and chance meetings led her to reach out to the LDS missionaries, and eventually to baptism. Her story is one of the most interesting and inspiring you will ever hear! she has been featured on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LBmYIOq6Eu_ZC14i_YkIg/videos" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saints Unscripted </a> , podcasts and from many a pulpit. On this episode Nate and Charlie (with cameo’s from her friend and fellow YSA Julie Brooks) discuss her life story, her family and upbringing, their chance meeting in Chelsea Market and the many small instances of fate that led to her finding the gospel. Then they discuss her life since joining the church, and Charlie offers a lot of wisdom regarding what keeps her testimony strong and what gives her doubts.

S2 Episode 43: Charlie Williams

Clay Olsen

Listen on itunesClay Olsen is the President and Co-Founder of Fight The New Drug, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography.  Founded in 2009, FTND uses scientific research, personal accounts and social commentary to shed light on the effects of pornography consumption on the human brain.  He and his team are known for affecting presentations in schools as well as for the popular slogan "Porn Kills Love".  On this episode, Our relationships editor Whitney Van Wagoner co-hosts with Nate and they talk to Clay about how FTND started and why its so important just to get people talking about pornography (05:00), the term "addiction" and why we should use it with caution when it comes dealing with pornography consumption (13:30), some staggering statistics regarding children's exposure to porn (16:30), is all porn bad? or how much is too much? (21:30),  how fast pornography consumption is growing among women (29:00), the humble beginnings of FTND and the exponential growth of the movement (34:30) and how Clay became a successful Entrepreneur by simply never giving up on his dream (43:00).  We finish with Clay providing ways people can get involved (49:00) and end of course, with Hot Seat (53:00)Podcasts

<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/peculiar-people-podcast-episode-1-chelsie-hightower/id1278472870?i=1000391884802&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on itunes</a>Clay Olsen is the President and Co-Founder of <a href="http://ftnd.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fight The New Drug</a>, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography.  Founded in 2009, FTND uses scientific research, personal accounts and social commentary to shed light on the effects of pornography consumption on the human brain.  He and his team are known for affecting presentations in schools as well as for the popular slogan "Porn Kills Love".  On this episode, Our relationships editor Whitney Van Wagoner co-hosts with Nate and they talk to Clay about how FTND started and why its so important just to get people talking about pornography (05:00), the term "addiction" and why we should use it with caution when it comes dealing with pornography consumption (13:30), some staggering statistics regarding children's exposure to porn (16:30), is all porn bad? or how much is too much? (21:30),  how fast pornography consumption is growing among women (29:00), the humble beginnings of FTND and the exponential growth of the movement (34:30) and how Clay became a successful Entrepreneur by simply never giving up on his dream (43:00).  We finish with Clay providing ways people can get involved (49:00) and end of course, with Hot Seat (53:00)<a href="https://www.thepeculiarppl.com/podcasts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcasts</a>

Episode 3:  Clay Olsen

listen on itunesKC Wilson Clyde is an actor and producer, known for Everybody Loves Somebody (2017), Do No Harm(2013) and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006). He may be most widely recognized for his leading role as Elder Rogers in The Best Two Years (2004).  On this episode, Nate, Gav and KC dive in to what it's like to be a Hallmark Movie star (10:00), catching his first big break as an actor (17:00), the cultural phenomenon that was The Best Two Years (24:00), what it's like to be a Mormon actor in Hollywood (37:00) and KC's run-in with one of the biggest movie stars of all time (53:00).  The guy's get some constructive criticism from KC after re-enacting scenes from his movies (1:03:00), then finish with the funniest round of rapid fire ever (1:15:00), read a few fan questions (1:22:00) and as always, end with a game of Hot Seat (01:27:00)Podcasts

<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/peculiar-people-podcast-episode-1-chelsie-hightower/id1278472870?i=1000391884802&amp;mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">listen on itunes</a>KC Wilson Clyde is an actor and producer, known for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5537228?ref_=nmbio_mbio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Everybody Loves Somebody</a> (2017), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2184980?ref_=nmbio_mbio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Do No Harm</a>(2013) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469111?ref_=nmbio_mbio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer</a> (2006). He may be most widely recognized for his leading role as Elder Rogers in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377038/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Best Two Years (2004)</a>.  On this episode, Nate, Gav and KC dive in to what it's like to be a Hallmark Movie star (10:00), catching his first big break as an actor (17:00), the cultural phenomenon that was The Best Two Years (24:00), what it's like to be a Mormon actor in Hollywood (37:00) and KC's run-in with one of the biggest movie stars of all time (53:00).  The guy's get some constructive criticism from KC after re-enacting scenes from his movies (1:03:00), then finish with the funniest round of rapid fire ever (1:15:00), read a few fan questions (1:22:00) and as always, end with a game of Hot Seat (01:27:00)<a href="https://www.thepeculiarppl.com/podcasts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Podcasts</a>

Episode 2: KC Clyde

James Brandt Curran is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. James is more commonly known by his stage name 'James The Mormon'. Although he doesn't make religious music, he believes in being open and true to who you are hence the moniker James The Mormon.  On this episode of the Podcast, Nate, Gavin and Daniel sit down with James in his office and discuss the turning point that inspired him to coin the nickname "James the Mormon" (9:00), How a video blog gone viral on YouTube sent his life in a new direction (12:30), His first foray into Hip Hop music and how he literally fought the inspiration to "rap to share the gospel" (18:00).  James recounts how his hobby of rapping and creating hip hop music with a positive message blew up into an overnight success (21:00) and with that overnight success James is caught off guard by all of the haters thinking he was using the moniker to make money off of Mormonism (24:00).  We then get a glimpse into what James is working on now (30:00), how he turned his fear of public speaking into motivation to share his testimony through regular firesides in LDS meetinghouses (37:00), and we finish with an inspiring hot seat question (43:00).Listen on Itunes

James Brandt Curran is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. James is more commonly known by his stage name 'James The Mormon'. Although he doesn't make religious music, he believes in being open and true to who you are hence the moniker James The Mormon.  On this episode of the Podcast, Nate, Gavin and Daniel sit down with James in his office and discuss the turning point that inspired him to coin the nickname "James the Mormon" (9:00), How a video blog gone viral on YouTube sent his life in a new direction (12:30), His first foray into Hip Hop music and how he literally fought the inspiration to "rap to share the gospel" (18:00).  James recounts how his hobby of rapping and creating hip hop music with a positive message blew up into an overnight success (21:00) and with that overnight success James is caught off guard by all of the haters thinking he was using the moniker to make money off of Mormonism (24:00).  We then get a glimpse into what James is working on now (30:00), how he turned his fear of public speaking into motivation to share his testimony through regular firesides in LDS meetinghouses (37:00), and we finish with an inspiring hot seat question (43:00).<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/peculiar-people-podcast/id1278472870?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen on Itunes</a>

Episode 5:  James The Mormon

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