Welcome! I am so thrilled to be launching this podcast! My first episode is just me, my story and some tools that I have learned along the way of leaving religion. I left Mormonism in 2012. The same year that I also divorced my husband. To say that my world unraveled was an understatement. However, I felt calm in the process because I knew this was the right decision for me. Like most of you, I experienced the struggles of being a mormon. The patriarchy pieces, the aspect of being a mom and wanting to work. The guilt and the shame of "mom's number one job is to raise their children". The labels that I carried from dealing with depression, you name it. But I didn't leave mormonism because I was angry or because I felt something was fundamentally wrong. For me it was a strong knowing I received after I finished teaching my Sunday school class one day. Throughout the years since then, I have had my god die, anger for the patriarchy in the church and the family system, going down rabbit holes of all the things that are wrong with the mormon church. I have been through many layers of healing.  AND, guess what, the mormon religion is a place that a lot of people really love and find peace in. Each of us gets to choose our paths in life. Who am I to say my path is better than another? It's all such a personal choice. You can find me on my website at www.amandajoyloveland.comI referenced Michael Singer and his book The Surrender Experiment.