Leading Saints Podcast

Loren Spendlove served as a young missionary in Brazil, then found himself speaking Portuguese again as a missionary couple with his wife Tina—this time in Mozambique. They later returned to Mozambique as mission leaders. Loren and Tina served as missionaries again in Brazil and as Kennedy Center teachers in Guangzhou, China, and Loren served as a branch president in Bethlehem, Palestine. Loren has an MA in Jewish Studies from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a PhD in Education, an MBA, and is a Certified Management Accountant and Certified in Financial Management. He has worked in corporate financial management, as a teacher in accounting and finance, and operated his own business for 20 years. Highlights 02:00 Introduction to the topic of the podcast and Loren Spendlove 03:50 Loren Spendlove, an atypical mission president and person 06:30 The unusual story of getting called as mission president to Mozambique 22:00 Loren’s first experience being a mission president with not having much leadership expe

Theron Andersen served in the Hong Kong mission and while he was out his family moved to Dixon, California and he came home to a new ward where he immediately began serving in the Young Men Presidency. He has served as Young Men secretary, assistant adviser, deacons quorum advisor, and president. He has also served as a Seminary teacher, scoutmaster, elders quorum counselor, and for the past five years as elders quorum president. He has worked for 25 years as a general building contractor, building high-end custom homes, and recently bought the company. Theron and his wife, Allison, have three daughters and live in Sacramento, California. Highlights 02:30 Introduction to the podcast episode. 04:00 Introduction to Theron and his background 05:30 Episodes from Leading Saints that impacted Theron and helped him as a leader. Learning how to help people with mental health issues and having the right resources to direct them to. 07:45 Ward demographics. 10:00 How Theron felt about becoming elders quorum presid

Richard “Rich” Watson served in the United States Air Force for 20 years and has an education in psychology, with additional degrees in education and social sciences. Since his retirement from the military in 2015, he has worked for a veteran service organization in their mental health department. He and his team provide resiliency-based retreats for individuals, couples, and families. Rich has served as a ward mission leader and elders quorum president (several times each), as a high priest group leader and branch president, in the young mens presidency and bishopric, on the stake high council, and more. He currently resides in Hope Mills, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg, has been happily married for over 22 years, and has four amazing children and one pretty-OK beagle. Highlights 1:15 Introduction 5:15 Conversion story. Joining the Church at 20 years old. 8:15 Rich’s background with the military 10:30 Rich’s education and how he got into mental health 13:40 Therapy isn’t for everyone. There are other optio

Ben Sabourin has over 25 years of experience managing people in various industries in the for-profit and nonprofit business worlds and was most recently employed by the second-largest health information management company in the U.S. as Director of Accounts Receivable. Currently, he is a Certified Life Coach, a Real Colors Certified Facilitator, and is back earning his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from BYU-Idaho through the Pathways Program. Ben has served as an assistant ward clerk, elders quorum president and counselor, and a ward mission leader. Ben served in the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo East Mission, where his love for the Spanish language, culture, and people was fostered. He is now a high counselor assigned to serve the Spanish Branch in the Green Bay, Wisconsin Stake. Ben and his wife Cindy have been married 23 years and have two children and three grandchildren. Highlights 02:30 Introduction to Ben Sabourin and his backstory 13:50 Leadership opportunities Ben has had outside t

Bronco Mendenhall has coached football for the past 34 years. The former head coach of Brigham Young University's football team, he surprised the football world when he stepped down as head coach of the University of Virginia team last year. Recently he has started co-hosting a podcast, HeadCoachU. At BYU, Bronco led the Cougars to win 99 games in eleven years—the second-most wins in school history—along with eleven consecutive bowl invitations. He has served in the Church as a Primary and Sunday School teacher, a Sunday School president and ward mission leader, Young Mens advisor, high councilor, and in a bishopric. He and his wife Holly have three sons and live in Montana. Highlights 01:20 Introduction to Bronco Mendenhall and his background 03:20 Bronco talks about what it’s like to finally have a fall where he isn’t coaching football. 07:00 Having courage and faith to step down as head coach of the University of Virginia. How Bronco knew it was time to step down. 11:45 Is it really true that fear and fait

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally published in December 2019. Jason Hunt has a PhD in endocrine physiology and teaches pre-med classes at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He has served as a family ward bishop, a Young Single Adult ward bishop, and as counselor in a Stake Presidency, but his most difficult calling was as the primary pianist. Highlights 07:15 Culture and rules are not doctrinal 09:20 Keyholder applications are different from personal applications 11:00 Elder Bednar’s concept of applications: Doctrines are statements. Principles are embedded in the doctrines and tell us what we should do. They never change. Applications change. 14:50 Keyholder applications hold true when the keyholder is saying them and would apply to those who are within their responsibility, and they do not extend beyond 18:10 Cultural norms are applications that have extended beyond their boundaries 19:00 How you view these cultural norms depends on your personal moral theory. The most common are: Consequential

Jeff McCullough is on a quest to learn about all things Latter-day Saints. He's not looking for a debate. He's looking to explore and learn, and to fight criticism with curiosity. Jeff is a Protestant, Evangelical Pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and the creator of the HelloSaints YouTube channel. He completed his undergraduate in Digital Media from a Free-Methodist school, Greenville University, and received a Masters in Biblical Studies from Moody Theological Seminary. Jeff is married with four children, lives in the St. Louis, Missouri area, and has worked in pastoral ministry for almost 15 years. Highlights 1:30 Introduction to Jeff and his background 3:10 Jeff is not the typical Leading Saints guest. He was born and raised Evangelical Protestant. He is now an Evangelical Pastor. 6:15 Often our doctrines and practices can become elevated to a point that we begin to major in the minors. What is most important is the spiritual reality of your soul before the one that created you. 7:55 Wha

This is Part 3 of a 3-part conversation. Listen to Part 1 and Part 2. A few weeks ago, master coach/facilitator DeAnna Murphy presented at our Gathering Saints women’s retreat and an idea was hatched! You may know DeAnna from some of the remarkable interviews she has done on the podcast. She will be leading an online intensive experience for those interested in developing individually in order to be a more-prepared leader in life. In this 3-part conversation, DeAnna and Kurt talk about some of the concepts that will be covered in this upcoming online experience that begins November 1st. This special offering of the Self-Leadership Masterclass is a holistic learning experience designed especially for followers of Leading Saints—those who are the up-and-coming difference-makers, who have a work to do and are looking for the leadership skills to help them do it. This program involves interactive classroom and peer coaching experiences, in addition to riveting online learning and self-leadership projects to incre

This is Part 2 of a 3-part conversation. Listen to Part 1 here. A few weeks ago, master coach/facilitator DeAnna Murphy presented at our Gathering Saints women’s retreat and an idea was hatched! You may know DeAnna from some of the remarkable interviews she has done on the podcast. She will be leading an online intensive experience for those interested in developing individually in order to be a more-prepared leader in life. In this 3-part conversation, DeAnna and Kurt talk about some of the concepts that will be covered in this upcoming online experience that begins November 1st. This special offering of the Self-Leadership Masterclass is a holistic learning experience designed especially for followers of Leading Saints—those who are the up-and-coming difference-makers, who have a work to do and are looking for the leadership skills to help them do it. This program involves interactive classroom and peer coaching experiences, in addition to riveting online learning and self-leadership projects to increase ma

A few weeks ago, master coach/facilitator DeAnna Murphy presented at our Gathering Saints women's retreat and an idea was hatched! You may know DeAnna from some of the remarkable interviews she has done on the podcast. She will be leading an online intensive experience for those interested in developing individually in order to be a more-prepared leader in life. In this 3-part conversation, DeAnna and Kurt talk about some of the concepts that will be covered in this upcoming online experience that begins November 1st.  This special offering of the Self-Leadership Masterclass is a holistic learning experience designed especially for followers of Leading Saints—those who are the up-and-coming difference-makers, who have a work to do and are looking for the leadership skills to help them do it. This program involves interactive classroom and peer coaching experiences, in addition to riveting online learning and self-leadership projects to increase mastery of self and strengthen self-leadership. This learning e

Murray Meszaros is originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, and joined the Church at age 21 after years of searching for peace and answers. A year later he was serving a mission in Austria. Murray worked in education for 42 years, including in elementary schools, as director/CEO of a YM/YWCA, a college administrator, a consultant, and lastly with the Utah State Board of Education. He has served in the church in most Young Men advisor positions, as Sunday School president and instructor, early morning seminary teacher, elders quorum president, bishop and bishopric member, stake clerk, and high councilor. Murray enjoys inventing board games and is married to Melanie Meszaros. They have four children and nine grandchildren and live in Ogden, Utah, where Murray currently serves both as membership clerk and (for at least the fifth time) ward mission leader. Highlights 01:40 Introduction to the podcast 02:50 Murray’s background and callings 05:00 Murray shares his conversion story and how he created new approaches fo

Ian Nishimoto’s mother and father were born and raised in Hawaii. His father served in the US Army for 30 years, giving Ian the opportunity to live in many areas and hence his place of birth is Staten Island, New York. Ian completed his master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin–Stout in Training and Development. He began his law enforcement career at the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy sheriff, then worked part-time for the U.S. Marshal Service and other municipalities as a patrol officer. He recently retired from 24 years of teaching at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College as a full-time instructor for the Criminal Justice Department. Ian has served as branch president and bishop of the Oneida Ward, on the high council and as a patriarch, and is now considered a non-functioning patriarch as he serves as first counselor in the Green Bay Wisconsin Stake. He and his wife have been married for 41 years. They have two daughters, two sons, and five grandchildren, and reside in Oneida, Wis

Mike Novakovich currently serves as elders quorum president in his ward in Orem, Utah. He has served in the bishopric, as a gospel doctrine teacher "more times than I have fingers on my hand", and has taught Seminary and Institute for many years. He claims to have been fired as a membership clerk after the bishop realized his talent was in teaching and not keeping records. Mike is originally from Alaska and works as a consultant for commercial roofing systems and enjoys marching to the beat of a different drummer in entrepreneurial endeavors. He has served as president of various school boards on local, county, and state levels, and has a passion for finding what doesn’t work and thinking outside the box to make it function. He believes change always requires someone to stand up and face the headwinds—usually alone—until others see the positive results and rise to join them. Highlights 02:15 Introduction and Mike’s background 04:30 How Leading Saints has impacted Mike and helped him in his calling. 08:10

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in November 2019. Robert Millet, Ph.D., is an author, speaker, and professor of Ancient Scripture and emeritus dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University. Author of more than 75 published works, he has been involved in BYU Education Week for many years and is well-known as a commentator on the BYUTV Scripture Discussions program. He is also manager of Outreach and Interfaith Relations for the Church’s Public Affairs department. Brother Millet chose to write his book The Holy Spirit: His Identity, Mission, and Ministry because the Spirit is so frequently referred to and discussed, but we might not appreciate all that it is. Highlights 03:00 Strategy for covering topics: he makes a list and works on it daily, narrowing it down over a period of weeks/months to develop the book. Work on prophetic statements that relate and continue narrowing the information. Also asking “what experiences have I had with this”. He wanted to cover the topics of sons of

For over thirty years, Shawn Moon has worked with clients across the globe, from Fortune 500 to governmental organizations. His deep knowledge and robust experience inspire others to improve their own leadership capabilities and to achieve remarkable results. Shawn is a Wall Street Journal best-selling author and a highly sought-after speaker. He has served in several leadership capacities in the Church, including as a bishop and member of a stake presidency. Highlights 01:45 Introduction 02:50 Shawn talks about why he wrote his book, Learning Leadership from the Scriptures 06:00 Shawn gives tips on studying the scriptures. He has found that studying by topic allows you to go very deep. 08:50 Shawn explains how to study leadership in the scriptures and what topics to look up 11:00 Leadership is a lot of things. It’s a very complex topic. Each one of us has the responsibility to be a leader in our lives. 14:00 “Leadership is a choice, not a position.”—Stephen Covey 15:20 If you are leading a ward the

Kathy Marler and her husband Kurt live in Escondido, California. Their family consists of their five children, their spouses, and their 20 grandchildren. Kathy has served as regional director of public affairs for San Diego County, California, as a mission leader with her husband in Trujillo Peru, and as a Relief Society and a Young Women president. Kathy and Kurt currently serve as young service mission leaders in the Newport Beach Service Mission. Highlights 02:15 Introduction and background to Kathy Marler 04:20 How has leadership been a blessing and a sacrifice for your family? 08:40 Kathy describes family and ward dynamics from when her husband was bishop 10:00 Kathy's calling as Director of Public Affairs and what the calling entailed 11:00 Kathy's opportunity taking part in interfaith efforts and taking people to Utah for a three day tour and temple open house 15:10 Taking the opportunity to invite people/neighbors to big events like temple open houses 16:50 Being the bishop’s wife 18:40 Getting called

Noelle McBride is a professional motivational speaker and teacher with over 20 years of experience counseling and teaching women in groups and individually. She currently leads women in gospel-based workshops that are focused on overcoming the trials and hardships of divorce. She also serves as an ordinance worker in the Seattle Temple and in her stake Relief Society presidency. After having been blessed with three children during a 17-year marriage, Noelle went through a difficult and heartbreaking divorce. Notwithstanding this hardship, she experienced much healing and hope in her personal life, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Desiring to help other women navigate the same trial, Noelle shares the promises and peace of the gospel in her first published book, Beauty for Ashes: Divorce and the Latter-day Saint Woman. Highlights 03:15 Noelle explains why she wrote her book and what led her to write it 04:30 Noelle shares her story of marriage, divorce, being single, and getting remarried 06:40 What was

John Deacon lives in Durham, England with his wife of 23 years, Debbie, and their two teenage children. He runs a finance company based in the UK. John has most recently served for nine years on the Sunderland Stake Presidency and is currently serving on the British Pageant Presidency, a unique and unexpected calling. Highlights 02:30 John’s background and previous callings 11:00 After getting released from the Stake Presidency, John was called to lead in the Pageant Presidency 16:45 What is the purpose and mission of having pageants? The pageant is a vehicle to bring people to Christ. 20:20 Is this something that is going to be transformational? What can we do to make pageants, church meetings, and activities transformational experiences? 22:40 John summarizes what the British pageant is about. The story is taken from the journals of 2 to 3 families. 25:00 John gives behind the scenes details. The cast members apply and are set apart to participate, similarly to a calling. 30:00 Allow people to fulfill their