Grow in the Light Podcast

Emily Layton

Grow in the Light is a gathering place where women of faith can find direction, tools, support, and encouragement in their journey to grow in receiving light, magnifying light, and sharing light.

  1. Sep 29

    32. Practicing Zion: The Power of the Collective with NiCole Hale

    "It will be because we practice Zion. We'll practice it first in our hearts, and then in the collective." - NiCole Hale Are you an introvert who genuinely loves being alone? Maybe solitude is where you rest, think, pray, and recover when life feels overwhelming. But could “I'm an introvert” sometimes keep you from recognizing another kind of restoration God designed you to receive through other people? After an exhausting month caring for her father through serious illness, NiCole wanted nothing more than to stay home and recover alone. She almost skipped a simple paint night with friends. What surprised her was how healing it felt to create, laugh, and simply be in a room with people who cared that she was there. She didn't discover that her need for solitude was wrong. She discovered that connection could restore something different. In this episode, Emily and NiCole explore why personal and spiritual growth need both individual reflection and meaningful connection. NiCole shares what she has learned as an introvert, a caregiver, and a member of a Grow In the Light Growth Group about vulnerability, collective prayer, human flourishing, and allowing herself to both support and be supported by others. Together, they consider what it means to stop thinking of Zion only as something God will establish someday and begin practicing Zion in our hearts and relationships now. Expect this episode to help you: Reconsider whether identifying as an introvert sometimes keeps you from recognizing the restoration that can come through meaningful connection. Distinguish between genuinely needing solitude and automatically withdrawing from others when life feels overwhelming. Recognize why some healing, courage, and spiritual growth happen differently in community than they do alone. Notice when independence or self-protection may be keeping you from receiving support from others. Discover how vulnerability within trusted relationships can help you see yourself and your challenges with greater clarity. Understand how neuroscience, developmental psychology, and gospel principles can work together to support growth and human flourishing. Experience prayer as a meaningful way a community can hold and support one another, even when there is little else we can do. Practice building Zion through agency, trust, encouragement, prayer, and learning to both hold and be held by others. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest NiCole Hale is an instructional designer with a master's degree in educational technology and instructional design, focused on transformative learning in adult education. She loves her Savior, Jesus Christ, and strives to apply his eternal Atonement in infinite ways daily. She and her husband, David, are the parents of six amazing children and love to draw their family close. Scriptures and references Doctrine and Covenants 45:57, Receive truth, take the Holy Spirit as your guide, and be not deceived Moses 7:18, Zion as a people of one heart and one mind Truth and the Plan, Dallin H. Oaks Timestamps 00:00 Why growth isn't meant to happen alone 02:30 When an introvert wants to recover alone 05:20 Discovering unexpected healing in community 07:45 From “fix-it-myself” to collective growth 10:00 Neuroscience, gospel principles, and wise woman growth 13:00 Vulnerability and the courage to examine ourselves 14:30 From surviving to flourishing 16:00 What the collective gives us that individual growth cannot 17:00 Discovering the power of collective prayer 19:00 Holding and being held in Zion 20:00 Practicing Zion in our hearts and relationships

  2. Sep 22

    31. From Transaction to Transformation: Relationship and Presence with Stan Bennion

    "I do believe we can foundationally transform how we walk through this world." - Stan Bennion Have you spent years trying to “do the gospel right,” but still find yourself longing for more joy, peace, or connection with God? Maybe prayer doesn't feel as meaningful as you think it should. Maybe uncertainty in your family, relationships, or future leaves you anxious. Or maybe you simply sense that God is inviting you to grow, but doing more isn't bringing the transformation you seek. In this episode, Emily talks with coach and mentor Stan Bennion about the difference between transactional growth, changing our lives through discipline, action, and willpower, and transformation that happens from the inside out. Stan shares how struggles in work, parenting, and personal prayer led him to examine his relationships with God, himself, others, and the present moment. Together, they explore how Jesus Christ invites us beyond performing the right behaviors into deeper discipleship that begins with a shift in perspective. What if greater peace doesn't require getting everything figured out, but learning a different way to be with God in the life you're living right now? Expect this episode to help you: Recognize the difference between transactional and transformational spiritual growth. Understand why doing all the “right things” may not always produce the joy or connection with God you desire. Explore how performance, comparison, fear, and control can shape your spiritual life. Discover how being present can deepen your relationship with God, yourself, and others. Reconsider what it means to grow when prayer feels difficult or your spiritual life does not look the way you expected. Navigate growth when your spouse, children, or other people you love are on a different path. See the Sermon on the Mount as an invitation to transformation of the heart, not simply outward behavior. Consider whether fear or love, trust, and grace are shaping the way you live your discipleship. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Stan Bennion is an integral coach who works with individuals and executives on personal change. After a 30-year career as an HR executive, primarily in the oil and gas industry, he retired from full-time work and became certified in integral coaching. Stan lives in Alaska with his wife and has four adult children. His own spiritual journey has led him to explore meditation, transformation, and the deeper relationships that shape how we experience God, ourselves, and others. Scriptures and references Stan Bennion’s podcast The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5–7 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Centering Prayer, Thomas Keating Falling Upward by Richard Rohr “Enduring to the end means changing to the end.” “Keep the Change,” Becky Craven Timestamps 00:00 Finding greater peace through spiritual transformation 00:31 Meet Stan Bennion 03:34 Can people really change and transform? 04:08 Spiritual growth from the inside out 08:56 Why doesn't prayer feel meaningful or connecting? 11:31 Finding greater peace and connection with God through presence 14:58 Transactional vs. transformational spiritual growth 20:22 How Jesus teaches transformation in the Sermon on the Mount 23:49 Letting go of fear when parenting teens and adult children 27:10 What if your spouse doesn't want to grow or change? 32:00 Finding faith through change and an ongoing Restoration 33:07 Is fear or love guiding your spiritual life?

  3. Sep 12 ·  Bonus

    30. G-Force: The Science Behind Why Positive Change Can Feel So Hard

    "I used to believe fear meant I was failing. Now I understand it may be evidence that God is helping me grow." - Emily Layton Have you ever started making positive changes in your life, only to find yourself feeling more anxious, discouraged, or full of self-doubt? Maybe you're trying to strengthen your relationship with God, improve your marriage or family relationships, create healthier habits, or become more intentional in the way you live. Instead of feeling more peaceful, you're wondering if you've made things more complicated, if your growth is affecting your relationships, or if it would simply be easier to return to the status quo than keep pushing through the messy middle of change. In this episode, Emily shares a personal experience that changed the way she understands resistance. As she created a new back-to-school routine centered on living more soulfully aligned, she unexpectedly experienced fear, doubt, and emotional heaviness. Through journaling, Newton's Third Law, and Lehi's teaching that there must needs be opposition in all things, she discovered a powerful truth: resistance isn't always evidence that you're failing. Sometimes it's evidence that you're moving forward. If you've ever questioned yourself because positive change suddenly feels harder instead of easier, this episode will help you recognize resistance with greater clarity, respond with curiosity instead of shame, and continue moving forward with faith. Expect this episode to help you: Recognize why meaningful personal and spiritual growth can be accompanied by unexpected resistance. Understand why positive change can sometimes feel harder before it feels easier. Identify all-or-nothing thinking that can quietly undermine your confidence and progress. Discern the difference between truth and the fearful stories your mind may be telling you. Replace shame and self-judgment with awareness, curiosity, and compassion. Continue making positive changes even when the journey feels messy or uncomfortable. Strengthen your trust in God as you become who He created you to be. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About Emily Emily Layton is the founder of Grow In the Light. With a master's degree in Family Life Education and Human Development, a passion for combining gospel principles, brain science, and practical tools for lasting growth and development, she helps women receive light, magnify light, and share light as they become who God created them to be.  Scriptures and references 2 Nephi 2:11 - "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." Doctrine and Covenants 45:57 - "Receive the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for your guide." Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Timestamps 00:00 Recognizing anxiety and fear during positive change 04:00 Understanding resistance and the "Growth Force" 08:00 Connecting physical and spiritual laws of opposition 12:00 How the brain resists positive change 16:00 Turning G-force into Growth Force 20:00 Recognizing self-sabotage and all-or-nothing thinking 24:00 Distinguishing truth from fearful stories 28:00 Holding resistance with curiosity instead of shame 32:00 Seeing resistance as evidence of growth 36:00 More invitations to grow

  4. Jul 31

    29. Living a Consecrated Life: Purifying Steps on the Path of Discipleship with Jessica Lewis

    “Consecration was never about giving things up, but about trading our tattered life for something celestial.” - Jessica Lewis Have you ever wondered what it actually means to live a consecrated life, and whether it's even possible in the middle of laundry, work, parenting, and the ordinary responsibilities of everyday life? If consecration sounds intimidating, or makes you wonder what God might ask you to give up, this episode offers a different way to understand it: not as losing yourself, but as gradually allowing Christ to purify and transform you. In this episode, Emily talks with civil engineer and mentor Jessica Lewis about a powerful gospel analogy that grew out of Jessica's work with BYU's Global Engineering Outreach program in Peru. Jessica helped develop sand filtration water filters for families living on the Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca. As she considered how layers of sand gradually purify contaminated water, she saw a parallel to the slow, refining process of consecration and discipleship. Together, they explore how small and simple choices, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the people in our lives can help us become more holy over time. They also consider what consecration looks like in different seasons of life, including the mundane work of laundry, parenting, and going to work. The goal is not perfection or dramatic change, but one faithful step at a time, trusting Christ to help us become more like Him. Expect this episode to help you: Understand what living a consecrated life can look like in ordinary work, parenting, relationships, and daily responsibilities. See consecration as a gradual process of purification rather than an intimidating demand for immediate perfection. Recognize how the Atonement of Jesus Christ gives us power to make small, refining changes along the path of discipleship. Discover why consecration is less about what you are doing and more about aligning why you do it with God's will. Value the people around you as a living community that can strengthen and protect you as you grow. Trust that small acts of faithfulness matter even when you cannot immediately see their results. Identify the next small step God may be inviting you to take rather than trying to transform everything at once. Build Zion through deeper, more truthful, Christlike relationships with the people in your stewardship. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Jessica Lewis studied civil engineering at Brigham Young University and worked as a structural engineer. She served with BYU’s Global Engineering Outreach program, including on a water-filtration project in Peru. Jessica lives in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, Ben, and their three children. Scriptures and references Doctrine and Covenants 64:32–33 Ephesians 4:15–16 Neal A. Maxwell, on consecration and the path of discipleship, “Consecrate Thy Performance” Dallin H. Oaks, “Coming Closer to Jesus Christ,” BYU devotional, February 10, 2026 Primary song: “I Will Walk with Jesus” New hymn: “Holy Places” Timestamps 00:00 What consecration can look like in ordinary life 04:00 Building a water filter in Peru 08:00 The water-filtration metaphor for consecration 12:00 Small and simple changes and the “living layer” of community 16:00 Consecration in laundry, work, and everyday responsibilities 20:00 Why consecration can feel scary 24:00 Finding your next step in a new season of life 28:00 Speaking truth in love and building Zion together 32:00 Living for God and for the good of others 36:00 Walking with Jesus on the path of discipleship

  5. Jun 30

    28. Think, Feel, Do, Record: Using AI to Enhance Gospel Study with Mindy Zeigler

    “AI can be a tool to help enhance what you are already doing, not a substitute for personal revelation.” - Mindy Zeigler Do you want your scripture study to feel more meaningful, personal, and connected to revelation, but struggle to make time for deep study or to remember the insights you have? Maybe you find yourself relying on podcasts, manuals, or other people’s interpretations before giving the Spirit a chance to teach you what you need to notice for yourself. Or maybe you are curious about using AI for gospel study but unsure how to use it without letting technology replace your own spiritual work. In this episode, Emily talks with Mindy Zeigler, a mentor in scripture study and personal revelation, about her Think, Feel, Do, Record framework for studying the scriptures. Mindy shares how she uses Gospel Library to capture and organize insights, and how she uses ChatGPT as a personal organization tool to transcribe, sort, and retrieve the thoughts and promptings she has already received. Together, they explore how scripture study can become a whole-souled practice involving body, spirit, heart, and mind. You will hear a live example using 1 Nephi 1:1, learn how to notice patterns such as “The Lord that... He will...,” and discover why recording your own thoughts and promptings can strengthen the process of personal revelation. The episode also offers practical guardrails for using AI wisely: let the Spirit teach you first, use AI to support your study rather than replace it, and verify anything AI provides before relying on it. Expect this episode to help you: Reframe scripture study as a process of thinking, feeling, doing, and recording rather than simply reading for information. Create a more personal and meaningful scripture-study practice that begins with your own relationship with the Lord. Recognize how your own thoughts, feelings, and promptings can become part of learning to receive personal revelation. Practice the Think, Feel, Do, Record framework with a familiar scripture passage. Notice patterns and phrases in scripture that may reveal how the Lord is teaching you in your own life. Use Gospel Library to preserve insights, organize them by topic, and return to them later. Explore ways AI can reduce the work of organizing your gospel-study notes without generating your spiritual insights for you. Protect your personal revelation by letting the Spirit teach you first and verifying information AI provides. Remember that scripture study does not have to look like a perfect 30-minute study session to be meaningful and spiritually transformative. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Mindy Zeigler is a pharmacist, mother, teacher, and passionate student of the scriptures. She served a two-year service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2022 to 2024, helping individuals and teachers use Gospel Library to deepen scripture study and learn to receive personal revelation. She lives in Ohio with her husband and four children and is an advocate for thoughtful, intentional gospel study. Scriptures and references 1 Nephi 1:1 1 Samuel 17:37 President Thomas S. Monson, “Learn of Me,” March 2016 President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” April 2018 Gospel Library ChatGPT Scripture Notes with Shauna and Oak Norton Timestamps 00:00 Why Think, Feel, Do, Record can deepen gospel study 00:28 Discovering Gospel Library 03:10 Letting the Spirit teach you first 04:54 Think, Feel, Do, Record 07:29 A whole-souled approach to scripture study 09:27 Practicing the framework with 1 Nephi 1:1 12:00 From scripture insight to personal revelation 14:27 Using AI to organize gospel study 16:02 Creating a ChatGPT project for scripture study 21:34 Using AI as a tool, not a source 23:11 The Lord that... He will... 27:06 Faith is built by remembering 32:00 Making scripture study your own

  6. Apr 12

    27. Being a Wise Woman in a War Zone with Karen Young

    “It’s okay to cry. Wise women cry.” - Karen Young What do you do when life suddenly changes in ways you never expected? How do you stay grounded, trust God, and care for your whole self when uncertainty, fear, and grief are part of everyday life? In this episode, Emily talks with her friend and mentor Karen Young about what happened when war broke out in the Middle East while Karen and her husband, Rob, were serving in Qatar. Karen describes living through missile alarms, sheltering in place, and being unexpectedly evacuated to Morocco. Her experience offers a candid look at faith, emotional resilience, preparation, and what it means to keep moving forward when God's plan looks very different from your own. Together, they explore what it means to have oil in your lamp before a crisis arrives, to recognize the difference between faith and emotional suppression, and to let tears, grief, and other physical responses move through the body without shame. Karen's story invites women to trust the Savior, keep their covenants, remain open to God's direction, and develop the spiritual, emotional, and relational capacity to meet life's unpredictable turns with greater equanimity. Expect this episode to help you: Recognize that spiritual resilience does not mean never feeling fear, grief, or stress. Prepare your body, spirit, heart, and mind for unexpected challenges before you think you need those skills. Understand why crying and other physical expressions of emotion can be part of resilience rather than evidence that your faith is failing. Trust God when your plans change and the path ahead is uncertain. Practice equanimity as the ability to let emotions move through you while continuing to act with faith. Strengthen your willingness to say yes to God's will, even when obedience takes you somewhere you would not have chosen. Find greater compassion for refugees and others whose lives have been disrupted by war, displacement, or conflict. Build your own “oil in the lamp” through daily spiritual preparation, covenant living, and a deeper reliance on Jesus Christ. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be.  Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Karen Young is a mentor to Emily in saying yes to God's will, in covenant living, and in wise-woman resilience. In this episode, Karen reflects on her experience serving with her husband, Rob, in Qatar, where they lived through the outbreak of war and were later evacuated to Morocco. Her story is grounded in a lifetime of faith, service, and learning to trust God when life does not unfold as expected. Scriptures and references Matthew 25:1–13, The Parable of the Ten Virgins John 11:35, “Jesus wept” “Best Days and Worst Days,” Emily Belle Freeman, April 2026 general conference Timestamps 00:00 War begins in Doha 02:11 Alarms and shelter routine 03:41 Ordered to evacuate 07:27 Tears on the way out 10:34 Oil in the lamp and resilience 16:31 Signs of the times 21:24 Leaving her heart in Doha 23:06 Equanimity means crying

  7. Mar 12

    26. Meditation as a Way to Be with Jesus with Shauna Norton

    “Meditation is a powerful tool for you to not only become like Jesus Christ, but to connect with Jesus Christ.” - Shauna Norton Have you ever felt like you are doing all the right things, but still aren’t experiencing the peace or connection with God you desire? Maybe prayer, scripture study, service, and Church responsibilities are all part of your life, yet you still long to feel more present with Jesus Christ. In this episode, Emily talks with meditation mentor Shauna Norton about gospel-centered meditation as a way to be with Jesus Christ, not simply another thing to do. Shauna shares how unexpected turns in her life, including divorce and remarriage, led her to meditation and eventually to creating Refill My Soul when she could not find meditations centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ. The conversation explores stillness, breathwork, revelation, and learning to recognize God’s assurances and “divine signatures.” Together, Emily and Shauna explore how meditation can help us become more present like the Savior, calm our nervous systems, open space for revelation, and experience a deeper connection with God. The episode closes with a guided meditation inviting you to abide in Christ. Expect this episode to help you: Understand meditation as a way of being with Jesus Christ, not simply another spiritual practice to accomplish. Explore how stillness and presence can create space to hear, feel, and receive guidance from God. Use intention, breath, and silence to prepare your body, heart, and mind for meditation and prayer. Connect gospel-centered meditation with personal revelation and the invitation to ask, seek, and knock. Recognize how God may reassure you through feelings, circumstances, people, and other “divine signatures.” Notice how meditation can help you become more present, peaceful, and Christlike when life does not go according to plan. Begin developing your own practice of stillness without worrying about doing meditation perfectly. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be.  Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Shauna Norton is a meditation mentor and the creator of Refill My Soul, a gospel-centered meditation app designed to help members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints be still, ponder truth, and strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. She describes herself as a wife, mother, and grandmother and has experienced significant “Plan B” turns in her life, including divorce and remarriage. Her own search for spiritually nourishing meditation led to the creation of Refill My Soul. Scriptures and references Doctrine and Covenants 101:16, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” 2 Timothy 3:14, “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of” John 15:4, “Abide in me, and I in you.” Matthew 26:38, “Tarry ye here, and watch with me.” President David O. McKay, "Meditation is the language of the soul." Shauna Norton, meditation resource: Refill My Soul  Oak Norton, scripture resource: Scripture Notes Timestamps 00:28 Meet Shauna Norton 03:10 Why I started meditating 04:54 From doing to being 07:29 Learning stillness 09:27 Refill My Soul 12:00 Ask, seek, knock 14:27 Breathwork basics 16:02 A God of assurances 21:34 Divine signatures 23:11 Frequency of heaven 24:00 Guided meditation: Abide in Christ

  8. Feb 16

    25. The Sunday Pantry: How Food Nourishes Community with Shelli Spotts

    “Food is to be shared. Our lives are to be shared.” - Shelli Spotts Have you ever wished for stronger community, deeper friendships, or a greater sense of belonging, but wondered how to create it in everyday life? Maybe you want to know your neighbors better, make your home more welcoming, or find simple ways to help people feel seen and cared for. In this episode, Emily talks with writer and BYU writing teacher Shelli Spotts about how something as ordinary as food can nourish more than our bodies. Drawing from Shelli’s essay “I Call It Community: Ponderings on the Sunday Pantry,” they explore how sharing ingredients, recipes, meals, traditions, and acts of service can create belonging and strengthen relationships. Together, they explore the difference between a transactional exchange and a gift economy, and how small acts of sharing can teach us to rely on one another, receive help, and contribute what we have. Food becomes a beautiful metaphor for community: no one person has every ingredient, but when we share what we have, we can create something none of us could make alone. Expect this episode to help you: Recognize how food, hospitality, and shared traditions can build community and belonging. Notice simple opportunities to strengthen relationships with neighbors, friends, family, and people around you. Understand how sharing what you have can create connection without turning every interaction into a transaction. Explore the idea of a gift economy and what it can teach us about relying on one another. See how meeting physical needs can also nourish the heart, spirit, and mind. Create small habits of generosity, such as making an extra loaf of bread, sharing an ingredient, or opening your home to others. Discover how food can carry culture, memory, identity, vulnerability, and love from one generation to another. Consider how your everyday choices can help create the kind of connected, generous community you want to live in. More invitations to grow If you're walking through the messy middle of personal growth, you don't have to do it alone. Grow In the Light Growth Groups provide Christ-centered community, practical tools, and supportive coaching to help you continue becoming who God created you to be. Learn more at www.GrowInTheLight.com. About the guest Shelli Spotts is a writer and writing teacher at Brigham Young University, where she has taught since 2013. She earned an MFA in creative writing from BYU. Shelli and Emily also work together on communications for Big Ocean Women. She lives in a close-knit neighborhood where everyday experiences with food, neighbors, and shared resources have shaped her thinking about community. Connect with Shelli Read Shelli’s essay “I Call It Community: Ponderings on the Sunday Pantry” Timestamps 00:00 Introduction: How food nourishes community 00:36 Meet Shelli Spotts 03:21 Food, belonging, and the symbolism of sharing 07:55 Food as our common ground 10:19 How the Sunday Pantry began 14:00 From transactions to a gift economy 15:45 When a neighborhood rallies around a new baby 19:20 Food nourishes more than the body 23:45 Sharing food, traditions, and ourselves 27:45 Defying darkness through collective good 30:05 Look for who needs to be fed

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Grow in the Light is a gathering place where women of faith can find direction, tools, support, and encouragement in their journey to grow in receiving light, magnifying light, and sharing light.

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