Small Gestures of Kindness

Small gestures of kindness have the power to change lives! Carmen welcomes cousins Haley and Jenny and discusses their mission of spreading and joy through their nonprofit, Smile at the People, inspired by the legacy of their grandmother Geraldine.

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Utah Governor Spencer Cox Learns to Disagree Better

Our “Stick With It” series on the Top of Mind podcast continues with several stories from Utah Governor Spencer Cox about staying open and curious during intense political disagreements. As the new chair of the National Governors Association, Cox has made “Disagree Better” his signature initiative for the year. In this podcast episode, the Republican Governor of Utah explains how engaging with political opponents (including President Joe Biden) in a civil manner has led to better outcomes for his state. He also shares the story of a time when he fell short and went viral for calling members of Congress “imbeciles.” It got him a lot of praise supporters, but Cox quickly apologized and committed to do better. The “Disagree Better” initiative aims to use the unique influence of state governors to encourage healthier approaches to conflict in American politics and public life.

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Philippians; Colossians

In this episode we'll talk about the Books of Philippians and Colossians. These epistles were written while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. I've always found that inspiring, that he was thinking about others even in the midst of his own distress. There were several principles taught in these writings which emphasize the role of self-compassion in our lives. We'll talk about the importance of having positive self-talk, and how self-talk can influence our mood for good and bad. We'll also talk about the need to give ourselves grace, similar to how the Savior treats us.

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Ottomans and the Imam

In this episode, we explore Islam in Turkey, a country that is now 97% Muslim, but for over a millennium was pre-dominantly Christian. We'll discuss how that transition took place, well into the rule of the Ottomans, with Professor Christine Isom-Verhaaren, and we'll meet a former Imam, Cemil Usta, who founded an afterschool program to teach girls how to recite the Koran. That recitation is like a performance, almost a song, and we'll hear Cemil Usta recite a section of the Koran as well.

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All Things New

For this week’s episode, we’re sharing a conversation we had originally released almost three years ago — before many of you had started listening to the podcast! It’s the discussion we had with Fiona and Terryl Givens about the ground-shifting book they published in 2020 through Faith Matters Publishing, called All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between.When this book was first published, we knew it had the potential to truly change lives, and change how Latter-day Saints see the world. It certainly did for us.

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Aurelia Rogers, Founder of Primary

Emily Cushing was raised in South Jordan, Utah, and met her husband in their middle school math class. Her love of learning led her to become a teacher. She earned a master's degree in Teaching and Learning at Brigham Young University and has taught—among other places—in Tonga, England, and Myrtle Beach. She currently teaches in the Education Department at Utah Valley University. She has served as a Relief Society president, Primary president, and stake Primary president, and currently teaches the Emotional Resilience course to a remarkable group of teens. Emily enjoys reading, running, traveling, living in foreign places, and above all, spending time with her family. Links

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