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The title of this three-part episode says quite a bit about it. Several weeks ago, Mormon Matters released a conversation,\xa0\u201cGaining Spiritual Confidence,\u201d\xa0featuring three men sharing their journeys toward and insights about a strong sense of their own spiritual connection with God/Spirit. It was terrific\u2014but as a listener pointed out, if featured three\xa0men\xa0and wondered how the conversation might have been different if it had also featured women\u2019s voices. Hence this conversation was born. Three powerful women, activists, seekers, thinkers, and Mormons\u2014Julie de Azevedo\xa0Hanks,\xa0Bryndis Roberts, and\xa0Jenne Alderks\xa0join Mormon Matters host\xa0Dan Wotherspoon\xa0for a deep and far-ranging discussion about their personal spiritual odysseys and the various obstacles\xa0that often arise in the path\xa0toward spiritual confidence that are specific to women. And Mormon women, especially. They discuss the dual messaging women receive about being confident and yet, within Mormonism, always falling under the stewardship of men, the problem of embodied Gods who are all male (though Mormon leaders are nodding more and more toward a Heavenly Mother, or the use of \u201cHeavenly Parents\u201d when speaking about God, it\u2019s not anywhere close to sufficient), about the way many LDS men prefer women to speak softly and in less-than-direct\xa0ways\xa0(think \u201cPrimary\u201d voice).\xa0

Whereas the earlier episode on spiritual confidence focused primarily on personal confidence, this conversation spends a good amount of time on confidence within \u201ccommunities,\u201d including discussions of how to speak up, act, prepare for, and what to keep in mind, when we find ourselves in conflict with others. It also includes a section on the importance of spiritual confidence\u2014a strong and clear connection with God and/or our sense of \u201ccalling\u201d\u2014when we step into an activist\u2019s shoes.

You will not be able to stop listening to this conversation. It\u2019s truly terrific, with great energy and diversity of life paths and perspectives. Tune in!