Leading Saints Podcast Leading Saints

Maria Duncan was raised in the San Francisco East Bay area where she learned the gospel from sister missionaries and joined the Church as she entered her teens. She moved to Cache Valley, Utah for high school and college, graduating from Utah State with a bachelor's degree in Technology Systems, then worked in the professional media market and has since transitioned to project work.



In the Church, Maria has served in Young Women and Relief Society, worked with the stake youth, and been a Public Affairs (now Communication) director for the most recent six years. She serves on boards for non-profit organizations in her community while coaching middle school sports and raising seven children with her loving husband, Tom.





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Highlights

3:10 Intro to Maria and an explanation of the role of a stake communications director



6:30 Misconceptions about the role of a stake communications director



8:50 The Global Communication Network site requires a special login. The purpose of a private site is for a private way to access marketing and PR materials before they're released to the public.



9:15 A good starting point when you are called as stake communications director



10:50 Maria’s stake’s focus is interfaith work. Bringing the church out of obscurity and serving your fellow man. It’s about getting to know your community and building connections and relationships with people from other faiths.



12:20 Maria shares some of the things that she does in her calling and the time commitment. She attends different churches in the community and builds relationships with them.



15:40 Involving youth in stake communications activities. Maria shares an experience she had taking some of the youth to a food giveaway and to another local church.



19:10 Are other pastors or church leaders skeptical when you want to work with them?



21:00 When visiting other churches cater to your audience. Dress as they dress, join them, sing with them.



23:00 How Maria involves the youth and the importance of taking youth to other churches



25:10 Attending different churches in the community and building relationships



28:40 Importance of networking and building relationships with other faith communities



30:10 Focusing on connections and relationships rather than conversion. Maria’s calling doesn’t allow her to talk about the church so her main focus is just building a relationship.



33:20 Reflection on the experience of temple open houses



36:10 Maria has 14 people that work with her on the stake communications team. There is a graphic designer, newspaper writer, youth specialist, social media manager, JustServe leaders, education specialist, interfaith leadership, a member of the stake presidency.



38:20 Advice and tips for doing a temple open house.



41:40 Gratitude for the stake communications work and its impact



42:30 How leadership in stake communications has enhanced following Jesus Christ



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at a href="...

Dan Gray is an author, licensed psychotherapist, and lecturer. He co-founded the LifeStar Network, an internationally-known program designed to help individuals, couples, and families who have been impacted by a family member’s unwanted compulsive or addictive behaviors. Dan mostly loves being a husband, dad and grandpa, while helping other men become stronger and more loving leaders and mentors in their homes.



Dave Gray has an entrepreneurial spirit and has enjoyed careers in the real estate and mental health fields. He believes in the symbiotic connection between the relationships we have with those around us, and the choices we make in our lives. He passionately cherishes his relationships with others, especially his close family and friends and specifically with his kids. Dave couldn’t be more excited to create powerful and unique opportunities for parents and their kids to make deep and meaningful connections with one another through Bridgecamp.



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Bridgecamp.com

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Highlights

4:30 Introduction to father and son Dan and Dave Gray



7:15 Dan mostly works with people struggling with pornography and other addictive behaviors.



9:24 Dan's therapy work and the genesis of Bridgecamp



13:45 Overview of Bridgecamp. A place for parents and their kids to connect.



16:01 Components of Bridgecamp: Adventuring, learning, and serving



18:45 The power of experiential activities



19:30 Dan shares how experiential activities with his dad created a strong relationship between them. These activities also gave his dad opportunities to teach him.



23:15 Experiential activities for the youth and church leaders. These activities help leaders connect with the youth and give opportunities for the kids to grow in different areas.



24:50 Bridgecamp is a one-on-one experience for kids 12 to 17. Now that the Church isn’t associated with Boy Scouts it's a great opportunity to get out and camp and be mentored.



28:00 The best way to describe Bridgecamp is that it’s a relationship-, trust-, and connection-building program. It’s not a therapy program but it is a therapeutic environment.



29:00 Bridgecamp can be an alternative to therapy for a struggling teen. An opportunity for parents to break down their teen’s walls and connect with them.



32:00 How can we be more intentional when it comes to girls camp, high adventure, or doing parent and child activities?



35:00 When you are self aware you are also aware of what’s going on in your relationships and building them.



39:20 Addressing parental issues at Bridgecamp



42:35 Discussion and learning components at Bridgecamp



45:30 The mentoring aspect of the camp is important also. The staff are there to mentor, and give examples of healthy interactions.



46:00 We were created to connect. In Genesis it says that it’s not good for man to be alone. We all long for bonding and the love and connection with others. The camp plants the seeds to create a better relationship that you can continue to develop when you go back home.



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Lead...

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Sierra Larson serves as a stake Relief Society president in Brandon, Florida, and previously served as a ward Relief Society president. She served a mission in Santiago, Dominican Republic, earned a master's degree in Social Work, and is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in trauma. She recently joined the Chaplain Corp in the United States Air Force and graduated with a second master's in Divinity, with a focus in spiritual leadership. Sierra and her husband Joe Larson have three children.





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Highlights

4:40 Sierra's background, how she met her husband, and military experience



9:45 Day to day responsibilities of a chaplain in the military



12:30 Sierra's leadership roles. She served as ward Relief Society president and then stake Relief Society president.



14:30 Praying to have a vision for the ward Relief Society and creating a vision statement. This statement has helped Sierra have a focus and communicate what they need to do and why.



17:00 When beginning a new calling, Sierra suggests that the most important things are seeking revelation and reading the handbook. She then created templates to make sure that she was covering all her bases.



18:20 Sierra’s ward and stake demographics



19:30 Sierra’s routine as a stake Relief Society president and how she works with her counselors



23:00 Sierra's stake Relief Society conference. Their conference with focus on 3 values:



* Authenticity and vulnerability

* Inclusion and loving everyone when we are all so different

* Women’s strength and drawing down power from heaven to do God’s work



25:40 Getting together all the Relief Society presidents for an informal gathering just to get to know each other and minister to them



27:40 * Leadership principle: Lead yourself to Christ and rely on Him to accomplish His work



29:10 * Leadership principle: Be a servant leader



29:45 Sierra shares an experience she had and how she applies the leadership principle of being a servant leader. Serving in the way that Christ would and being humble enough to do anything that’s needed.



33:20 * Leadership principle: Have an inspired vision and plan



36:00 Sierra’s final thoughts on being a leader and the way she leads



The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, a href="https://leadingsaints.org/what-to-do-when-the-bishop-is-an-accidental-diminishe...

Todd McLauchlin served a mission to Japan and studied philosophy at Brigham Young University. In this conversation, Todd and Kurt delve into the concept of magnifying one's calling in the priesthood, emphasizing the importance of sacrifice and obedience, and discuss how leaders can magnify redemption to others.





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Shattering Triangles YouTube channel

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Scriptures related to this podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 88, 112, 109, 61, 1 Nephi 12, Mosiah 2-5 (King Benjamin's address), 2 Nephi 9, Jacob 1-2

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Highlights

3:40 Todd’s background



6:20 Exploring the intersection of leadership, theology, and priesthood



7:40 A question that has always pounded Todd is do you REALLY believe what you believe? Why do I believe this?



10:30 Being Christ-like is more than just being a nicer person. How can I be a much more truthful person and what am I willing to sacrifice for it? Bring the darkness out of you into the light.



12:00 What is the dread of the holy? If you really want to pursue holiness and Jesus Christ you will most likely face dread in that path. You will have to encounter your demons to feel that sanctifying light.



13:00 Even the person that seems like they have everything together and is temple worthy has a lot of work to do on himself.



17:00 We need to humble ourselves without being compelled. We can go to the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit to know the depth of our weakness and insufficiency so that we can know the power and salvational abilities of Jesus Christ. It will be a radically transformational experience.



18:50 The temple endowment is an endowment of the priesthood. The significance of the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.



22:00 The order of the priesthood is a group of people that are obtaining covenantal relationship intimacy with the Lord in degrees of intimacy. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ share their power with you as you become sanctified and fulfill their purposes.



23:00 The meaning of the order of the priesthood. The ordination is the authoritative invitation to enter into the order of the priesthood but you must do much more to sanctify yourself to share the power of God. That is the difference between being called and chosen.

Over the last 45 years, Jim Ritchie has been the founder or principal of multiple business adventures, including serving as senior vice president for Franklin Quest (now Franklin Covey). He is a member of the Brigham Young University President’s Leadership Council for both Provo and Hawaii campuses, a member of the National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Business, and has served as an adjunct professor at Provo. He has also served as a board member and NAC advisor to Southern Virginia University.



Jim and his wife Carolyn Orton have spent over 20 years serving full time in Church service on four continents, including as bishop, stake president in Simi Valley, mission president in Roanoke, Missionary Training Center president in Ghana, Institute director in New Zealand, CES area director in Africa, regional representative in the Provo Region, director of the Willes Center at BYU-Hawaii, and most recently as the young single adult specialists for the Washington DC South Mission. The Ritchies have eight children and forty grandchildren. He is also the principal founder of the Ritchie Enterprises LLC which began in the late '60's, and part of The Ritchie Group, of which he says he is "the gray hair".





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Launching a Rising Generation of Leaders | An Interview with Steven Hitz and Michael Leonard

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Highlights

1:45 Jim shares his story. He got polio when he was 1 year old. When he started talking at two he had a stutter. Despite his impediments and inadequacies he was able to laugh it off and was in student leadership growing up.



4:45 He thought because of his problems that he wouldn’t serve a mission. He tried to run away but thanks to church leaders stepping in he ended up serving in Scotland.



6:30 Jim thought he would fail on his mission because of his stutter. He was the missionary that didn't speak until he got a companion that changed his life.



11:40 When Jim was about to come home from his mission in Scotland Elder David B. Haight gave him some advice. The formula for happiness and success is:



* Get up early

* Work hard

* Get your education

* Find your oil

* Make your mark in life

* Give back and serve others



13:05 The work ethic of Elder Haight



14:15 He was a limping, stuttering, chicken-farmer kid. In his patriarchal blessing it said that he would travel for the Church, have friends all over the world, and witness before many. Heavenly Father knows who we are and what we can become.



17:20 The organization of the mission. Jim was a mission president and applied a lot from what he learned from Elder Haight.



20:20 Give a kid a position, explain to him what it means to live up to it, and let him rise up to it and become a leader. Jim shares his leadership journey.



25:40 How can we be better mentors? Look at the story of Moses.



29:45 When Jim got home from his mission and went to BYU, got married, and had children. He started 27 businesses.



35:10 If he could go back in time and mentor himself as a new bishop. Jim shares what he learned from David Haight on his mission in Scotland and how it impacted his leadership in the Church.