Girlscamp

Chase McWhorter, of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, comes to Girlscamp today to talk about his Mormon upbringing, sex shame and taking accountability for his recently revealed DUI charge. We dig into the context behind his choices (spoiler: it's mostly Mormon!) and the ripple effects they’ve had. We talk about what rebuilding looks like—as a man, a dad, and in his spiritual identity. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only a few weeks off social media and this bitch has stories to tell. Today I’m talking about my scrolling addiction and the moment I realized enough was enough. Then we’ll catch up while I read through your submissions and questions ❤️ Episode with Amy McPhie Allebest Podcast Episode with Amy McPhie Allebest YouTube Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke The Push by Ashley Audrain No Nonsense Spirituality by Brittney Hartley Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What would the story of Jesus look like if he had a wife? That’s the thought experiment Sue Monk Kidd takes on in The Book of Longings, told from the perspective of Jesus’s fictional wife, Ana. This book healed some of my Jesus trauma and helped me put words to my new kind of spirituality. It opened up conversations about the silencing of women's voices, patriarchy and power, motherhood, spiritual identity, and what autonomy and independence can look like within a marriage. You can listen to the whole episode at the Girlscamp Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If there’s one thing we’re going to do at Girlscamp, it’s talk about Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Season 3 cracked open so many conversations: toxic masculinity in patriarchal marriages, the complexity of progressive Mormonism, racism in the Book of Mormon, and intimacy issues born from purity culture. Let’s get into it. REFERENCES Jessi on Girlscamp: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3MrrfYJz5MA12g2C5tW4Fn?si=rZoTRFB4Qqqg8vLeVX4dyg Jessi on Girlscamp YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yZSxCXrDxs Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author of the viral 2016 essay Dear Mormon Man, Amy McPhie Allebest joins me to talk all things feminism in and beyond a patriarchal faith tradition. We get into how deeply patriarchy is baked into Mormonism and the wider world, why recent shifts in the church’s treatment of women can feel more harmful than helpful, and how to uproot patriarchal thinking in ourselves and our communities. We wrap with a conversation on intersectional feminism and how to keep deconstructing beyond white feminism. "Dear Mormon Man" Essay Breaking Down Patriarchy on YouTube Breaking Down Patriarchy on Instagram Breaking Down Patriarchy Podcast Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunday check-in time! I’m answering your write-ins about everything from people-pleasing and workplace self-doubt to holiday gift-giving dread, grounds for divorce, and the rage of watching Mormon rule changes get retroactively gaslit (i.e. "it was never about modesty"). We also get into financial control in relationships, mixed-faith dating, the SLOMW season 3 men, and… whether I’ve ever been to a strip club. It’s a juicy one and feels so nice to catch up. You can listen to the full episode on the Girlscamp: Unplugged Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a full-blown Mormon reality TV takeover happening! This week, Madi Murphy-West of The Bad Broadcast joins me to break down why public fascination with Mormonism keeps growing and why it translates so well to the reality TV format. We get into Utah’s pipeline feeding Dancing With the Stars, our predictions for Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 3, and our thoughts on Taylor Frankie Paul as the new Bachelorette. BYU article about Hailey Bills Alyssa Grenfell’s video on ballroom and Utah/Mormonism Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's spookier than talking about religion? Talking about politics. 👻 So let's dive right in. This week, I'm not just sharing my political opinions (though I do a bit of that)—I'm talking about talking about politics: why it feels like such a landmine, whether it’s even productive, and how I try to navigate it all. Correction: In this episode, I mistakenly said that Donald Trump was convicted of sexual assault. He has not been criminally convicted; a civil jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll case. Another note: The government shutdown wasn’t completely Trump’s fault, but the bill written by Republicans — and backed by the White House — left out the health insurance subsidies Democrats wanted, which made a shutdown much more likely. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you know what’s right when there’s no religious rulebook anymore? This week I’m talking about how I’m rebuilding my moral compass and working through a bunch of ethical dilemmas — like whether my decision to publicly call out Christian podcasters felt morally aligned, what I’d do if I found out a friend was cheating (or being cheated on), and the ethics of parents doing online sex work. I also get into cancel culture, vaccine mandates, the Whitney Leavitt hate train, and when airing dirty laundry crosses a line. Spoiler: I’m often still torn. You can finish the rest of the episode and join the book club at the Girlscamp: Unplugged Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve got another haunted episode—this time we’re diving into LDS doctrine around devils and demons. I break down the “demons in the details” of Mormon teachings about Satan, then share your stories and reflections on what learning about the devil meant for you. Meredith’s episode Conversion Therapy to Drag Diva: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversion-therapy-to-drag-diva/id1667706991?i=1000660316563 A Study of the Problem of a Personal Devil and its Relationship to Latter-Day Saint Beliefs: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4710/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20Mormons%20believe%20in%20demons.%20The%20Church,holding%20the%20Priesthood%20and%20are%20cast%20out. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our third annual Girlscamp scary stories roundup! Bentley joins me as we dive into tales of a haunted mission house, a temple initiatory gone wrong, a possessed Airbnb doll, and more. Consider this your Halloween campfire… inside the chapel. Last year’s scary stories episode with Bentley Return missionary speaking Spanish video Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dallin H. Oaks was just named the new Mormon prophet, which gives us a lot to talk about. We’re doing a refresher on how a prophet is chosen, breaking down who Dallin picked as his counselors, and diving into the most problematic things he’s said as a church leader so far. To listen to the entire episode, you can join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the horrific shooting at an LDS church building in Michigan, ex-Mormon content creators (myself included) have been hit with backlash and accused of ‘fueling hate.’ I break down why I think that’s mostly bullshit—while also exploring where it’s worth pausing to consider the line between ex-Mormonism and anti-Mormonism. From there, it’s a true mixed bag: Mayci Neeley’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives book tour soundbites, the downward trend of self-identified orthodox Mormons, my newfound niche interest in polygamy (thanks to Christine Brown Woolley’s new book about life on Sister Wives), and more. Christine Brown Woolley’s book Mormon Stories panel on “anti-Mormonism” Mayci Neeley’s NPR interview SL Tribune article on Mormon’s abandoning orthodox beliefs Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all heard the scary ghost stories—but what about the good ones? Today I’m sharing your stories of “good ghosts”: ancestors offering advice from the other side, an apparition stepping in after an accident, and even a friendly Scottish highlander checking in on his old home. This episode turned out surprisingly heartwarming—and yes, I cried my eyes out. You’ve been warned. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much has transpired in Mormon news these past couple weeks, leaving anyone Mormon-adjacent with plenty of thoughts and feelings. In this episode, I’m diving into the legacy of Russell M. Nelson—the LDS prophet who passed away just last week—and unpacking the tragic shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan. I also share how these events ripple into my own life and perspective as someone speaking from the ex-Mormon experience. You can listen to the whole episode on the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will #MomTok survive this? I’m not sure—but I do have a lot of thoughts about motherhood. In this episode, I’m sharing what it’s really like being a twin mom, how we’re navigating the preschool milestone, and where I’m at with the big question of whether (or not) to have more kids. I’m also responding to your questions and submissions, covering everything from tense mother-daughter dynamics to the ethics of bringing children into the world—and even how to tell if you’re obeying or rebelling against the conditioning around motherhood. If you're struggling with OCD or unrelenting intrusive thoughts, NOCD can help. Book a free 15 minute call to get started. “Girl with the list” ⁠TikTok⁠ Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here⁠ for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide and sexual assault. Please take care while listening. Ellee Duke grew up the picture-perfect Mormon girl, but after moving to Nashville for a record deal at 18, she began to question everything. Her story includes a relationship that turned abusive and the church’s poor response, family struggling to make sense of her faith transition, and a lot of processing, healing, and reclamation through music. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠here for two bonus episodes per month and more. For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Ellee Duke on Spotify Ellee Duke on Instagram Ellee Duke on TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve got plenty to rant about and plenty to rave about today ⚖️ On the rant list: the state of the world and what can be done about it, that new show The Paper, and Taylor Frankie Paul as the Bachelorette. On the rave list: my latest book obsession, a sweet motherhood milestone, Dancing With the Stars, and more. Come hang out with me while I get it all off my chest! To listen to the full episode, subscribe to the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Julie Hanks joins us to share both her professional expertise as a marriage and family therapist who has worked with women across the Mormon and ex-Mormon spectrum for over 30 years, and her personal experience of entering a new era after leaving the LDS Church, going through divorce, and embracing her true self even more. Topics we cover include: the final straw in her Mormon journey, navigating mixed-faith dynamics, finding identity after high-demand religion, and why women need more support. Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠⁠here.⁠⁠ For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠, ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Dr. Julie Hanks instagram Dr. Julie Hanks coaching services Wasatch Family Therapy To The Mothers in Zion talk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tanner and I go all the way back to third grade! We hopped on the mics this week to catch up on—first and foremost—why Diet Coke matters so much to our little ex-Mormon hearts and how we’re reevaluating our relationships with substances. From there we get into finding room for the mystical after leaving religion, “trusting your gut” both literally and figuratively, the soullessness of Freakier Friday, the TikTok-ification of art, and why we think we inherited a perfection problem from Mormonism. We hehe and haha the whole way through, and I hope you will too! “Essex Honey” by Blood Orange “Tested” podcast (on female runners who can no longer compete as women) “Shiversucker” music video Tanner’s first episode on Girlscamp Tanner’s Instagram Join the Girlscamp: After Dark Patreon account ⁠here.⁠ For more Girlscamp content follow along on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠TikTok⁠ and ⁠YouTube⁠. For ad inquiries please email girlscamppodcast@gmail.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices