Come Towards Delight

59. Adam Hedgepeth ON: Growing up with light and truth all around you but having to discover and learn for yourself. Dreams to be a Father. Connecting with God and learning to Listen.

Adam is a dear friend of mine and hero. His story is such an incredible story and example of the desire we all have within us to be free and find our own way. You will feel inspired by this good man and love hearing how finding his now wife changed his heart and life.      Adam grew up in a classic good old American town, where people are educated, make good choices (at least in the light), and crime is still fairly low in comparison. His story is a powerful example and witness that when we give people the opportunity to fail, make mistakes, and bad choices, eventually it is in those challenges and struggles that we find our ultimate strength and the very talents that God gave us and path that God intended for us to be on.      Adam is a living example that no failure is final, no mistake takes us down a path too far for the saving grace and perfect mercy of our redeemer Jesus Christ. Listen to this beautiful story of how one man found his path, and his passion, after taking many paths that led him down dark roads.      Adam, you are one of my hero's. Thank you for the faith and strength you live with. It is so incredible to see the way you live and help youth to understand that failure and mistakes are part of a Perfect plan designed by our Father in Heaven, to help us become exactly who He created us to be. You are filled with compassion for others, it took you a while to get there, but the amount of it that you spread around today is incredibly inspiring, impactful, and Delightful!     Love you brother!

58. Terry Tucker ON: This man is a giant, literally & figuratively. In a fight for his life against Cancer Terry looks for the good in all things and has gratitude even for the little things.

Terry Tucker is an incredible Human. His story will lift you up, fill you with a desire to filter out negativity and focus on the positive. I've only spoken to Terry live one time and I left our conversation feeling better about myself, and like I had known him and looked up to him for years. 

 

 

Terry shares his life journey with us and has some pretty awesome career achievements, and athletic achievements with us. He played college ball, and is a giant of a man both literally and figuratively. You will feel his joy, and love for life through his enthusiasm and optimism, and I promise you that like me you will determine in your mind to live your life on purpose. 

 

 

Years of fighting a deadly cancer disease could have made it really easy for Terry to be resentful, wondering why he fell victim to this awful disease, but just the opposite has happened and Terry is making a huge impact for good in his circles and quote frankly on the world. His goal... Be on purpose. As he wakes each morning he has truly embraced the duty he feels to be on purpose and leave this world a better place for his children and grand children. 

 

 

He shares some key items with us that have helped him to become the best Terry Tucker he can possibly be. He is a man that walks his talk as well, he has been on many podcasts and left his powerful message, and it's not easy for him due to the cancer he is battling. I hope that you too will listen to the wise counsel from Terry, and apply the principles he speaks of to your life if you haven't already. 

 

 

Check out Terry's website at www.motivationalcheck.com

If you would like to purchase Terry's book called "Sustainable Excellence", you can find it on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GLGVTVS

 

 

 

Terry, you are an incredible man and I am so grateful that I had the privilege to meet you and learn from you. Thank you for sharing your light, love, and purpose with us. God bless you and your family always my friend. 

 

57. Kristy Johnson ON: Kristy shares her journey growing up in a home with a parent addicted to drugs, going through a divorce and trauma, then beginning her journey of self discovery and worth.

Kristy Johnson grew up with a father who was addicted to pain killers. She, her mother, and her siblings were constantly worried about him. She moved off to college at Ricks up in Idaho and after getting married and after struggling with infertility and a miscarriage, she and her husband were able to have their first child. At that time she started to realize that the home she grew up in was far from “normal”, and there was a lot of pain that came as a result of feeling like she was unable to live up to her purpose of being on this earth, she had been taught, to be a mother. Her father attempted suicide, and while in the hospital Kristy talks about the people who rushed to help her family to love and support them and the impact that had on her. They help an intervention for her father and for the next two years he stayed sober and Kristy shares how special those years were for her to see him interact with love for her kids. After two years her father relapsed, and Kristy had a feeling that this is what could take her dads life. A few short months later Kristy’s father ended his life to Suicide. Kristy shares experiences she had while attending LDS 12 steps with her sisters in an effort to help there dad before he died and the special people they were able to connect with at those meetings. As a result of all these experiences that Kristy went through, she and her husband went through a divorce, and it was at this point that she realized she had a lot of soul searching to do, she hadn’t truly found herself yet. She decided to leave the church she grew up in because of some of the shameful and hurtful feelings that she felt due to some of the things that were taught. At this point she began a journey of self discovery calling her self a spiritual hippie! Kristy shares some beautiful truths about the mine and our ability to attract and manifest what we hope for. She has done a lot of work to process the feelings and emotions that she has experienced and talks about some of the research and studying she has been doing to understand motion and frequency. Surrender is also something she discusses, and the power that we latch onto when we allow the beauty around us to reflect back to us. I truly enjoyed the conversation Kristy and I had and I learned a lot about the importance of finding the value within ourselves from her story. Kristy you are a beautiful human and I am so grateful to connect with you. You are amazing! If you would like to connect with Kristy, you can find her on Instagram. @mexiprincess89

56. Mark Miner ON: Addict Rescued by the Grace of Jesus Christ. With loaded gun in mouth ready to pull, the Lord showed up in a miraculous way!

Mark Miner is a dear friend and a hero of mine. You will not want to miss the story of Mark's life and the miraculous way the Savior showed up for Mark seconds before pulling the trigger that would have ended his life. The reality of the message Mark shares is proven by the walk he walks today, as he has done all he can to show the Savior Jesus Christ of his gratitude, by serving for multiple years in the LDS 12 steps program helping others lost in their addiction and trying to find their way back to health and peace, know that it is possible if you look to the Lord and trust in Him to show you the way. 

 

 

You will hear him tell the story in his own words and what I think is most fascinating about Marks story, is the witness that it is of the powerful and unconditional love of Jesus, and His willingness to welcome us home, like the Prodigal Son, as many times as we fall far from grace... We are never too far gone for the Savior, we are never in a place that he doesn't understand perfectly, and as soon as we make the choice to let Him in, even if we are still questioning His love, He will never fail us and will show us the way back home that He has prepared for us. 

 

 

One other key to the story is what happens when Christ shows up for Mark when he was about to end his life... The Lord does not "let us off the hook" of the prices we have to pay legally sometimes; however, He takes the Spiritual death that would be caused by our choices and turns them into opportunities to use the talents that we were given by God and use them to help others find their way back to our Savior Jesus Christ, who will take us by the hand and lead us home. 

 

 

Mark's life was highlighted on a video produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for the 12 step program. If you would like to see it, it's worth it, and the link is below. 

 

 

Mark, I love you brother. Thank you for helping me on my journey and for the unconditional love that you share with others who have lost their way during the journey hear on earth. 

 

 

Link to Mark's Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5xtixOQRCU&t=95s

 

55: Rebeca Price ON: How to respond to the Faith Crisis of your spouse, Unconditional Love, Taking accountability for the things you can control.

Rebeca Price is an amazing person! She is a Mother 4 beautiful little girls, a Wife, a Professional Photographer, and an incredible human. I hope that you feel inspired like I did listening to her story to live with more trust and Faith. Also, the way Rebeca talks about taking full accountability for what she can control is enlightening and a very important piece to the outcome of the faith crisis her Husband has had which began only a few short years after their wedding in the LDS Temple.     

 

 

Rebeca is originally from Brazil and didn’t move to the United States until she was 21 years old, with the desire to learn English and also learn about the American culture. Not long after arriving in Utah she developed a love for County Dancing, and met her husband, Brandon, as they cut up a dusty wood floor while doing the boot scootin boogie. Months later Rebeca and Brandon were married in the LDS Temple. She and her husband Brandon had a foundation of faith and love for God from the onset which was very important to them.    

 

 

When one of their daughters was turning 8 years old and about to be baptized, Rebeca talks about the efforts she and her husband made to make sure their daughter understood the commitment that she was about to make, and was doing it for herself. One night sitting around discussing baptism as a family she asked her husband to share his feelings about God, and Brandon’s response was that he didn’t know that he believed anymore. Rebeca was shocked of course, but because of their history together she felt that it would just be a short question of faith and he would be able to work through it fairly quickly, however, that was not the case and Rebeca shares the journey that She and Brandon have been on to keep their love for each other and family as priority.      Rebeca shares some very important lessons that she and Brandon learned regarding how to continue to put family and love first, take ownership of what you can control, make conversations safe for each other, and that transitions of faith do not make someone bad or less faithful than someone who's faith remains consistent.     

 

 

Today they are happily married, they love each other, and the communication between the two of them has never been better. Brandon is a successful Chef, a loyal husband and incredible father. He cares so much about his wife's faith and his family that he goes to church each Sunday with them and also takes his daughters when Rebeca is out of town. That is the definition of an incredible husband and father! Way to go Brandon, thank you for setting such an amazing example for the rest of us men.     

 

 

It was Brandon’s idea to do the Mormon Message Video, which is so impressive because it witnesses his love for his wife and family and the courage he has to be vulnerable also shows he feels good and confident in the good man that he is, as he should feel. I encourage you to watch the video, link below. 

 

 

“How to cope when a loved one changes beliefs” 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w8i3BMYAXg

 

54. Weston Wride ON: How to Connect with Humanity and Increase Joy and Energy in our own lives. The importance of making time to "Play".

You will absolutely love Weston Wride, AKA the "voice of the BYU Cougars" and MC extraordinaire! His energy and passion for life and humanity will inspire you!   You know those people you meet in life that just have a way of bringing positive energy into whatever environment that they walk into? We all know one or two of them and they have away of lifting and inspiring others around them. Weston is one of those guys! You will love listening to Weston share some of the experiences he has been through that have taught him that life should be more than just "Hard Work", and "Grinding it out" everyday. We need to connect and we need to plan time to play! Make live Joyous!   

 

 

When Weston was a young man growing up in a family of 10, his parents taught him how to work hard. They didn't have much, but they knew how to work and had plenty of love. Weston, recognized however that live needed to be more than just work, and as he grew and developed he learned that life was much more complete and joyous if he made sure to "make plans to play". Plan fun, joy, and happiness!!  

 

 

He talks about his battle with Anxiety in his 30's which caused a bit of a health scare, and that as he stepped back and took audit of his life he recognized that he needed to rely on his support system, he needed to connect with people around him. He expounds on the power of overcoming our fears to connect, and lift others. In a way, connecting and lifting others... lifts ourselves to greater joy and passion for life as a consequence.   

 

 

Weston, you are an incredible human, one of my favorites! You lift, inspire, and create joy wherever you go. Thank you for bringing light into so many of our lives and sharing your delight for life with me and the audience. I love you my friend.   

 

 

If you would like to follow Weston Wride and his "Believe Mobile" you can find him on Instagram under user name: @westonwride   https://www.instagram.com/p/5GszZ7A4zg/

     

53. Drew Young ON: Battles w/ Separation Anxiety, Being bullied, Porn Addiction, Depression and Suicidal Ideation, Moment of clarity and determination changing his life. Best selling Author

Drew Young is a Husband, Father, Top Selling Author, Porn/Life/Mental Wellness Coach, and Bodyguard of Humanity (literally)!  

 

 

Drew shares his story about the struggles he has faced because of separation anxiety. The first time that he recognized it was at scout camp when he was only a young boy. When separation anxiety presented itself in Drew it caused fear and the emotional fruits that fear bears, which of course did not leave Drew with a lot of friends. When his family moved from Connecticut to Utah, he began attending a new elementary school he was bullied, teased, and picked on, actually being physically beat up on multiple occasions. Drew talks about the affect it had on him when he realized that he couldn’t trust everyone and that kids were often times mean to their peers, very different than what he expected based on the way he was raised.   The bullying mixed with the separation anxiety that Drew was feeling, was a huge blast to Drew’s self esteem, and of course it was very low.

 

 

In this Dark time, Drew found a way to breakaway from the pain and anxiety by turning to Pornography as a young 12 to 13 year old boy. As he was passing through this dark period Drew discusses how he turned to adult’s who were in charge of some of the activities he was being bullied at, and the response they received was “Boys will be boys” or “I’m sure they didn’t mean it that way”, and the leaders were unwilling to take him seriously. This had a profound affect on Drew and he know longer wanted to attend School, Church, or Scouts because of the constant bullying. As a result of these experiences Drew and his parents decided to do homeschooling from 7th to 10th grade.    During his sophomore year after deciding to go back to public school, Drew had an incredible experience that shows the power of our spirits and his will to overcome this challenge. He looked himself in the mirror and promised to never allow bullying to happen to himself or anyone else again.

 

 

This is where Drew’s story begins…   Even though this time of Drew’s life was so dark and difficult, often pushing him to the breaking point, Drew talks about the connection he has developed with God as a result. Looking back on his youth, Drew is not able to see that God allowed him to experience all that he went through so that Drew could be prepared to be a friend, voice, and supporter of any and all ostracized groups and people who are treated as if they don’t belong by others. “It was as if God was coaching me”.  

 

 

Drew has written multiple books sharing the lessons he has learned and his love for all of humanity unconditionally. Titles and links to books below. 

 

 

1. The meaning of your mission: https://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Your-Mission-Lessons-Principles/dp/B08QL1H8H6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+meaning+of+your+mission&qid=1623710403&s=books&sr=1-1

 

 

2. Stand guard at the door of your mind: Releases on August 10th (Preorder available) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=stand+guard+at+the+door+of+your+mind&crid=2TTBD9EMYVCUX&sprefix=stand+guard+at+%2Caudible%2C185&ref=nb_sb_ss_fb_1_15_ts-doa-p

 

 

Instragram: @mrdrewbyoung Facebook:   Drew Young   Please reach out to Drew, he would love to hear from you.   

 

 

“People start to heal when they feel heard” -Drew Young

52. Kurt Nielsen ON: Finding the courage as a married man and father of 3 to come out Gay to friends and family and continuing to hold onto God, faith, and family.

Kurt Nielsen is a cousin of mine from California that I have never met until he reached out to me after I appeared on an episode of Richard Ostler’s podcast, “Listen, Learn, Love”, building bridges for LGBTQ Latter-day Saints.   Kurt calls in from Yorba Linda California to bravely share his story as a gay Latter-day Saint. Kurt has been following deep impressions his whole life to live with the courage needed to come out to his wife and 3 kids and now feels called to be a voice for those silent sufferers who are to afraid to live with the authenticity they have always felt inside.  

 

 

Kurt shares his journey as a gay man growing up in Northern Utah, serving a mission, getting married and having a family. Unlike our younger LGBTQ members who have some support networks, Kurt really had very little (until the last few years) causing him to develop a deep relationship with Heavenly Father and the subsequent personal revelation he received.   At first you can only imagine the pain and questions his wife and kids had, in fact his Wife needed counseling; however, in love they have stood by his side in love and embraced him for who he truly is, and Kurt and his wife remain married.   When he was young he knew that he was different, but like mainstream society believed back in the 80’s he believed he had to change himself. He went to counseling and took his feelings to God, but he didn’t change. Kurt was married in the LDS temple and after trying for years to change himself, to no avail, he began to feel God encouraging him to accept who he was created as, so at 44 years old Kurt told his family. Before coming out at 44, he had never spoken of his true nature to his wife, children, or even people close to him.  

 

 

We had a great conversation about “the body of Christ”, and I loved what he had to say about Gods diverse family. God does not create us all to be identical, but He gives each one of us unique gifts, talents, and abilities that are very personal to us. After struggling through these feeling for years Kurt was able to overcome his fears and live as the man that God intended him to be, because of his love for God and trust in Him. Kurt shares experiences where others, who believe in God, truly showed up for him in Christlike love and how that had an impact on his life causing him to feel heard, seen, and worthy of love. As this happened and he embraced his true authenticity he has felt more peace in his life and had many experiences to be a voice for others that are facing abuse, bullying, and ostracism from family, friends, and the societies they live in.     

 

 

The percentage of people who identify as LGBTQ. at BYU, the church owned school is 4%, which is hundreds of kids. Kurt talks about the necessity to make it safe for these kids and to love and accept them for the beautiful children of God they are.  

 

 

Kurt did a podcast episode on Richard Ostlers podcast prior to talking with me, if you are interested in listening I would highly recommend it.

 

 

Here is the link:   https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/episode-147-kurt-nielsen-age-59-rm-active-lds-gay-married/id1347971725?i=1000443255688

   

51. Nate Moore ON: Service Leadership, Finding Purpose and focusing on the Tactics, Living your Value System, Making Love your undertone in all you do.

Nate Moore, is someone that lifts others in every environment, setting, and place that he chooses to be in. Sometimes in life we have the unique opportunity to meet someone that is a natural born leader, to me this is Nate, he is someone I look to as an example of servant leadership.

 

 

When I first met Nate, he was serving as a Market Sales Leader for the Western Mountain Pacific area in the United States for Marriott International. This is a high ranking position and very quickly I was able to recognize that the reason that Nate was as successful as he is as a leader is due to the way he serves. With God, his family, fellowmen, and country in mind, Nate lives a life focused on service and what he can do to lift another.  Currently Nate serves as the Director of Sales and Marketing up in Seattle at the W hotel. Both he and his wife have served in the military for years and got their start in the Army reserves. They met in High School while living on a military base as their fathers both served in the military.

 

 

He and his wife have 4 kids, and when they had 2 and decided to add one more to make it 3, God had other plans and they were blessed with twins. In 2008, Nate was deployed to Mosel Iraq, as a Military Intelligence Lieutenant,  and served there for over a year. At the same time while fulfilling his military service he has led a successful career with Marriott for over 25 years. Both Nate and his wife come from a family with along line of history serving the Country. Nate speaks about the feeling he grew up with knowing at some point that he needed to serve our country. He was able to find a company in Marriott who supports and celebrates employees that serve which enabled Nate to excel in his professional career and Military service.  “Every time I put the uniform on, I am humbled to serve, I have a mindset to serve”.

 

 

Nate has 300 soldiers in the battalion he is over and he reminds them often that they have the awesome opportunity to be citizen/soldiers and “you are a soldier with the uniform on and off, we have to be ready to serve always”. That mindset allows you to be ready to serve at any moment.  Nate takes a few minutes to speak something we all work hard to find in our lives, purpose. Often times after working long and hard to find it we feel satisfied, but there is more we need to do once we find it, we then have the opportunity to determine the tactics needed to fulfill our purpose. Those tactics can be weaknesses and strengths of ours which give us the opportunity to grow and develop our character based on the purpose we believe in. Nate says, “Find your purpose, and then define the tactical pieces of your purpose. This will help us utilize our strengths and develop our weaknesses. The tactical approach on the small pieces will help us achieve our bigger goals.”

 

 

The two practices Nate has learned and held onto that help him be an effective leader are “Respond” and “Follow Up”. Responding is telling those you lead you hear them and see them, and then you have to follow up to show them they can trust you to lead. Once trust is established, you then have the ability to lead without asking others to follow you. Earning trust put’s you in a leadership position automatically. “Putting Response and Follow up as a daily priority, will make you a great leader” If you want to build trust do these two things. 

 

 

The hard days and tough lessons have taught Nate that a new day will come tomorrow. Prepare for tomorrow, pack your lunch, iron your clothes, and trust that tomorrow will bring with it new life, new energy, and new opportunity. Show up and be ready for the next day. 

 

 

Nate, you are an amazing man. I am grateful to know you, and have learned so much from you over the years. The way you lead through love and service is a powerful witness of the love and gratitude you have for God and the incredible country we live in. Keep shinning brother! Love watching you do it!

50. Halee Beckstead Watters ON: Reuniting with her mother years after she had given up custody. She shares a powerful story of Survival and Forgiveness. Halee and Mom Cori are now best of Friends!

Halee is an incredibly strong woman who faced more as a young girl than most do in a full length lifetime. This is a really neat episode as her mother, Cori Valdez, was on Episode 35, and her wife Chelsea Watters was on Episode 25, so if you would like to here the version on both sides of the story it is absolutely worth it listening to both of them share.

 

 

Both Halee and Cori share their experiences with their very own Pain, Shame, and Challenges that their separation brought into their lives.  She is an incredibly strong woman and has had to be even as a little girl to survive what she has been through. As you listen in to her share her experiences you will see clearly that she had no choice but to "roll with the punches" for the majority of her youth. Moving from apartment to apartment, never really having a place of her own to call home, and the divorce of her parents at an early age, didn't provide Halee with much opportunity for security and structure in her life.

 

 

This is when Tragedy struck... Halee's mother Cori was beaten nearly to death in a church parking lot by her Step Father, who left her to die. By the Grace of God a Father and Son out for a walk later that night saw Cori laying on the ground and called 911. You can imagine the Trauma this would bring not only to Cori, but also to Halee. Because of this event and the pain Cori endured she became addicted to drugs to help her cope, and her life became unmanageable to the point that she felt she had to sign away her rights to Halee and her little sister. Halee describes the last time that she ever saw her mother as a young girl and how she watched her walkaway for what could have easily been forever. Halee was so young she didn't know how to process feelings of abandonment and as young children do, she held onto hope that one day she would be with her mom again, but the pain was there and it was real as she often wondered why she wasn't good enough for her mother to return into her life.

 

 

Hearing Cori's Episode and being able to feel and understand the pain that she was going through, and feeling unaccepted even by her own family, makes this story incredibly compelling. It is nothing short of a miracle that Halee and Cori were able to reunite years later. After hearing both sides to the story, I believe that both of them manifested hope that they would be reunited one day even though they didn't know how it was possible. Never doubt the faith and hope of a little child. Years later as Halee's grandmother was in the hospital nearing death and as she went to the hospital to say her goodbye's, her mother Cori, out of respect, communicated to Halee through a family member that she would leave out of respect, and Halee's empathetic response to that truly shows that she had wisdom beyond her years as a result of enduring so many heavy and difficult things. She let her family know that her mom should stay and that she would come anyway. A short time later Haylee found herself standing face to face with her mother, and the feeling that overwhelmed her and her mother was love and a sense of longing to be together again. Haylee said Forgiveness came immediately, and she didn't even have to think about it. Cori and Halee are now best of friends, they truly love each other and have each others backs always. They have been able to hear each others stories, process the pain they both dealt with, and come together in love to be a family again.

 

 

I am so grateful to know Halee. She is an incredible person and has such a kind, good, and compassionate heart, that said, this is another of the countless examples I have seen in my life, how a persons trials, challenges, and pain create a tender heart and an empathetic soul capable of showing up for others when they are hurting.

 

 

Halee, you are incredible, I am inspired by your strength, your faith to keep going. We live in a world that tells us "Nice people finish last", but your story is a witness that this idea is completely false... You are as kind a person as I have met, and because you held onto hope and love rather than bitterness and anger, things shifted in your world causing miracles to happen around you, bringing healing into you and your mothers life, love into your own, and the sense of belonging that we all hope for during our lives on earth. Way to go! Thank you for sharing your story with us and for inspiring me and so many. I am better because of the opportunity to learn from you.