The LDS Mission Podcast

Hey LDS missionary: have you ever noticed that when a big emotion shows up, you tend to do one of two things? Maybe you push it down, minimize it, or tell yourself you shouldn't feel that way. Or maybe you swing the other direction and suddenly the emotion feels urgent, scary, or like evidence that something has gone wrong. In this episode, I'm talking about what it looks like to put emotions in their proper place. We'll explore the difference between underpaying and overpaying attention to what you feel, why emotions can be useful information without always being perfectly accurate, and how a little calm curiosity can help you understand what's actually going on instead of immediately trying to fix, suppress, or obey the feeling. I'll also walk you through five ways to work with emotion: normalize it, get curious, stop resisting yourself, remove the morality, and listen to what the emotion is trying to tell you. My hope is that you learn to let your emotions have a voice without giving them the final decision. You don't have to leave them on the side of the road, stuff them in the trunk, or let them drive. You can give them a seat in the car and still stay in the driver's seat. As always, if you found this episode helpful, I want to invite you to subscribe if you aren't already, share this episode with your friends and missionaries you know, and write a review. I know this work will help LDS missionaries around the world and it would mean so much to me if you did. Until next week my friends. 00:00 – Introduction 02:38 – What Does It Mean to Put Emotions in Their Proper Place? 04:36 – When We Underpay Attention to Emotion 07:24 – When We Overpay Attention to Emotion 10:13 – Calm Curiosity Instead of Urgency 11:49 – Emotions Are Information 15:51 – Five Ways to Put Emotion in Its Proper Place 19:06 – Stop Resisting Yourself 21:02 – Your Feelings Are Not a Measure of Your Worth 23:20 – Give the Emotion a Voice, Not the Final Decision 27:03 – How This Builds Self-Trust and Resilience 30:20 – Give Emotions a Seat, But Keep Driving Website | Instagram | Facebook 5 Ways to Process Any Less-Than Happy Mission Memories Article: HERE Get the Full Show Notes and Text/PDF Transcripts: HERE Free PDF Download: Podcast Roadmap Free PDF Download: Preparing Missionary Cheat Sheet Free Training for Preparing Missionaries: Change Your Mission with this One Tool RM Transition Free Video Series: 3 Tools to Help RMs in Their Transition Home Free Guide: 5 Tips to Help Any Returning Missionary Schedule a Free Strategy Call: Click Here

As an LDS missionary, ave you ever had a picture in your head of how a transfer on your mission was supposed to go, only to have the actual experience look completely different? Maybe you expected a certain companion, a baptism, more confidence, better language skills, or a strong finish to your mission. And when reality doesn't match the version you imagined, it can be easy to feel disappointed, stressed, or like something has gone wrong. In this episode, I'm talking about transfer expectations and the difference between having a hope or preference and turning that preference into a requirement for you to feel okay. We'll look at the expectations we put on our companions, mission leaders, areas, outcomes, and even ourselves, and how those expectations can quietly become a measuring stick we use against the mission we're actually having. I also want to help you hold your expectations a little more loosely. You can want something without needing it to happen. You can accept the reality of your transfer without pretending you love everything about it. And you don't have to wait for the baptism, the next transfer, or the end of your mission to finally feel successful, satisfied, or at peace. Those feelings are available to you now. My hope is that you can spend a little less time comparing your mission to the one you imagined and a little more time actually living the one you have. As always, if you found this episode helpful, I want to invite you to subscribe if you aren't already, share this episode with your friends and missionaries you know, and write a review. I know this work will help LDS missionaries around the world and it would mean so much to me if you did. Until next week my friends. 00:00 – Introduction 03:56 – The Transfer You Expected vs. the Transfer You're Having 05:31 – Is Reality Disappointing, or Is the Expectation? 06:50 – When Expectations Become a Measuring Stick 09:07 – Preference vs. Requirement 10:27 – The Unwritten Scripts We Give Other People 11:57 – Expectations You Put on Yourself 13:41 – Hold the Expectation Loosely 16:12 – Acceptance Doesn't Mean You Have to Like It 18:17 – The Feeling You Want Is Available Now 19:58 – It's Okay to Feel Trunky 21:05 – Live the Transfer You're Actually Having Website | Instagram | Facebook 5 Ways to Process Any Less-Than Happy Mission Memories Article: HERE Get the Full Show Notes and Text/PDF Transcripts: HERE Free PDF Download: Podcast Roadmap Free PDF Download: Preparing Missionary Cheat Sheet Free Training for Preparing Missionaries: Change Your Mission with this One Tool RM Transition Free Video Series: 3 Tools to Help RMs in Their Transition Home Free Guide: 5 Tips to Help Any Returning Missionary Schedule a Free Strategy Call: Click Here

To all the LDS returned missionaries out there: have any of you come home from your mission and realized that some of your old relationships just don't fit quite the same anymore? You've changed. You've had new experiences, learned new ways of thinking, and maybe become more confident speaking up or trusting yourself. But the people you're coming home to may still expect you to step right back into the role you played before your mission. In this episode, I'm talking about how to navigate tough relationships as a returned missionary without feeling like you have to fix everyone around you. We'll talk about staying in your own lane, checking the "fuel" behind your actions, knowing when to speak up and when silence might actually be the more powerful choice, and remembering that even when you come from love and compassion, you still don't get to control someone else's outcome. I also want to help you think differently about boundaries, forgiveness, and trusting yourself after your mission. Loving someone doesn't require you to participate in every difficult dynamic. You can love people, forgive people, create space when you need it, and make choices that honor everyone in the story, including you. My hope is that you leave this episode feeling more confident in your ability to stand your sacred ground without shrinking, puffing up, or trying to control the people you love. As always, if you found this episode helpful, I want to invite you to subscribe if you aren't already, share this episode with your friends and missionaries you know, and write a review. I know this work will help LDS missionaries around the world and it would mean so much to me if you did. Until next week my friends. 00:00 – Introduction 01:37 – Why Relationships Can Feel Different After Your Mission 03:48 – You Changed, But Your Old Family Dynamics May Not Have 06:23 – Stay in Your Lane: There Are Two People in Every Relationship 09:14 – You Don't Get to Control Someone Else's Outcome 10:52 – Check the Fuel Behind Speaking Up 14:56 – When Not Saying Anything Can Be Powerful 18:02 – Boundaries, Forgiveness, and Knowing When to Step Away 23:09 – Boundaries Are About How You Want to Show Up 23:58 – Trust Yourself in Tough Relationships 25:15 – Don't Shrink, Don't Puff Up, Stand Your Sacred Ground Website | Instagram | Facebook 5 Ways to Process Any Less-Than Happy Mission Memories Article: HERE Get the Full Show Notes and Text/PDF Transcripts: HERE Free PDF Download: Podcast Roadmap Free PDF Download: Preparing Missionary Cheat Sheet Free Training for Preparing Missionaries: Change Your Mission with this One Tool RM Transition Free Video Series: 3 Tools to Help RMs in Their Transition Home Free Guide: 5 Tips to Help Any Returning Missionary Schedule a Free Strategy Call: Click Here

Have you ever wondered whether the small, repetitive things you're doing actually matter? Maybe missionary work, school, dating, motherhood, personal growth, or simply showing up for your life has started to feel like a grind. You may not feel motivated, inspired, or especially confident, but you keep putting one foot in front of the other. In this episode, I'm sharing some tender, off-the-cuff thoughts about consistency, missionary discouragement, and the impact of continuing to show up. We'll explore why consistency doesn't have to look the same for everyone, why going through the motions can sometimes be enough, and why the "ugh" part of doing hard things doesn't mean that something has gone wrong. I want to remind you that your small efforts matter, even when you can't immediately see the results. Every lesson, conversation, workout, social event, late-night feeding, podcast episode, or seemingly insignificant act becomes another grain of sand. Over time, those grains build your character, your relationships, and your life's work. My hope is that you feel seen in whatever grind you're currently experiencing and find the strength to keep going. As always, if you found this episode helpful, I want to invite you to subscribe if you aren't already, share this episode with your friends and missionaries you know, and write a review. I know this work will help LDS missionaries around the world and it would mean so much to me if you did. Until next week my friends. 00:00 – Introduction 00:56 – Speaking from the Heart 02:19 – Restore Connect and a Podcast Request 05:10 – Consistency Can Look Different for Everyone 06:54 – Why Your Small Efforts Matter 09:21 – When Life Feels Like Groundhog Day 11:37 – Building Character and a Body of Work 12:52 – The "Ugh" Part Doesn't Go Away 14:52 – Sometimes You Have to Grind It Out 17:12 – The Grind Matters, Even When It Doesn't Feel Like It Website | Instagram | Facebook 5 Ways to Process Any Less-Than Happy Mission Memories Article: HERE Get the Full Show Notes and Text/PDF Transcripts: HERE Free PDF Download: Podcast Roadmap Free PDF Download: Preparing Missionary Cheat Sheet Free Training for Preparing Missionaries: Change Your Mission with this One Tool RM Transition Free Video Series: 3 Tools to Help RMs in Their Transition Home Free Guide: 5 Tips to Help Any Returning Missionary Schedule a Free Strategy Call: Click Here Don't forget to grab your tickets to Restore Connect 2026 put on by Faith Matters. You can use my code: JENNIE to get 10% off your ticket. https://www.faithmatters.org/p/announcing-the-restoreconnect-agenda

Have you ever wondered if becoming a more consecrated missionary means becoming less of yourself? Maybe you've started to feel like the things you love, the interests you had before your mission, or even parts of your personality need to disappear in order for you to truly be "set apart." In this episode, I want to explore the difference between laying aside worldly things and laying aside yourself. We'll talk about why your personality, creativity, interests, desires, and the things that light you up aren't necessarily distractions from missionary work. In fact, they may be part of what God gave you to help you connect, contribute, and bring your whole self to the work. I'll also walk you through some questions to help you notice what fuels you, what you may have unnecessarily labeled as "worldly," and how you can bring the essence of what you love into your mission within the mission framework. My hope is that you leave knowing that being set apart doesn't require you to become a generic version of a missionary. You can be consecrated and still be fully you. As always, if you found this episode helpful, I want to invite you to subscribe if you aren't already, share this episode with your friends and missionaries you know, and write a review. I know this work will help LDS missionaries around the world and it would mean so much to me if you did. Until next week my friends. 00:00 – Introduction 01:53 – Feeling Like You're Disappearing on Your Mission 03:42 – What Are Missionaries Actually Asked to Set Aside? 05:24 – Consecration Does Not Mean Eliminating Yourself 09:30 – What Lights You Up Is Not a Measure of Spirituality 13:29 – Discovering What Lights Your Match 16:38 – Missionary Work Requires Emotional Fuel 19:15 – Bringing Your Interests into the Mission Framework 24:32 – You Are Responsible for Creating Your Spark 27:21 – Questions to Help You Stay Set Apart and Still You Website | Instagram | Facebook 5 Ways to Process Any Less-Than Happy Mission Memories Article: HERE Get the Full Show Notes and Text/PDF Transcripts: HERE Free PDF Download: Podcast Roadmap Free PDF Download: Preparing Missionary Cheat Sheet Free Training for Preparing Missionaries: Change Your Mission with this One Tool RM Transition Free Video Series: 3 Tools to Help RMs in Their Transition Home Free Guide: 5 Tips to Help Any Returning Missionary Schedule a Free Strategy Call: Click Here