Is there a link between "being good" and "being happy?" Author Natalie Brown writes that for Latter-day Saints, "Again and again, happiness is scripted as the result of making the right choices, keeping the commandments, or following the proper path." In Episode 277, Natalie joins Susan and Cynthia for a conversation about happiness: what that word might mean (or not), what we're taught about where and how to find it, and trusting ourselves to pursue happiness in our own ways and places. Natalie asks, "How do we find the courage to make visible our own desires and claim our spiritual authority in a culture that has so many techniques for discouraging yearnings that fall outside the sanctioned formulas for happiness?"

If faith is a moving thing, that implies change. To say you're on a journey means you're actively engaged in going somewhere. In the ALSSI community, the word faith often gets paired with the word journey, but also with deconstruction, shift, or transition. None of us are standing still, but it can feel frustrating or even lonely when we're each moving at our own pace. Fueled by recent conversations with listeners, Episode 276 is a check-in with Cynthia and Susan: an honest look at where we've been, where we are, how we've gotten here, and where we want to go.

What feels safe to say? It's a question many Latter-day Saint women weigh before speaking up. Some don't feel at liberty to say what they really think in certain settings or relationships. Some may speak up confidently for other people but struggle to champion their own needs, values, or convictions. Some self-edit to avoid being seen as difficult, selfish, contentious, negative, ungrateful, or just "too much." In Episode 275, Susan and Cynthia are joined by coach Sara Fisk to talk about how women can develop the skills to say what they need to say and help create change: at church, at home, and in personal relationships.