If you are navigating Mormon faith transition, LDS faith crisis, religious trauma, mixed-faith relationships, faith expansion, spiritual awakening, or healing after high-demand religion, this conversation offers a compassionate framework for growing without needing to erase where you came from.
What happens when a Mormon faith crisis becomes an invitation to spiritual growth rather than the end of faith? Licensed therapist and Latter Day Struggles host Valerie Hamaker joins Meghan Farner to explore faith expansion, religious trauma, spiritual authority, the true self, patriarchy, and how to build a deeper relationship with God after inherited beliefs begin to change.
Valerie shares her journey from deeply committed Latter-day Saint life—including serving a mission, graduating from BYU, temple marriage, Relief Society leadership, and working as an LDS Church preferred mental health provider—to eventually resigning from the Church after being called to a disciplinary council.
Rather than framing faith transition as simple deconstruction, Valerie and Meghan explore a model of transcendence and inclusion: allowing beliefs and identities that no longer serve us to change while honoring the experiences, wisdom, and spiritual foundations that helped us grow.
They discuss why a faith crisis can feel like death, the movement from externally sourced authority toward inner spiritual discernment, and the importance of rediscovering the true divine self beneath inherited identities, shame, perfectionism, and fear.
The conversation also examines transactional images of God, masculine and feminine expressions of divinity, developmental stages of faith, healthy versus dominator hierarchies, religious shame, mysticism, and the possibility of finding a more direct experience of the divine.
Timestamps
- 00:00 - Spiritual Autonomy After Faith Change
- 00:39 - Hidden Wisdom: Faith Renovation and Spiritual Discernment
- 01:20 - Meet Valerie Hamaker, Therapist and Faith Expansion Coach
- 02:24 - From Devout Mormon Life to Counseling and Healing Work
- 05:44 - Starting the Latter-day Struggles Podcast
- 07:36 - Healing, Integration, and Personal Spiritual Authority
- 09:16 - Leaving the LDS Church and Resisting Religious Control
- 13:21 - Staying Connected to Mormon Community After Resignation
- 14:38 - Faith Expansion Through Transcendence and Inclusion
- 18:14 - Discernment, the True Self, and Inner Spiritual Trust
- 22:11 - Divine Wholeness, Masculine and Feminine Spirituality
- 25:07 - Reframing Atonement, Shame, and Healing
- 27:15 - Faith Crisis as Death, Rebirth, and Personal Growth
- 32:21 - Healing Harmful God Images and Transactional Theology
- 37:07 - Patriarchy, Hierarchy, and Compassionate Spiritual Development
- 41:55 - Mysticism, Symbolism, and Direct Experience of the Divine
- 45:18 - Finding Spiritual Possibility Beyond Traditional Mormonism
- 48:01 - There Is More: Hope for Faith Expansion
- 49:02 - Valerie Hamaker’s Faith Healing Groups and Resources
- 50:13 - Hidden Wisdom Closing Invitation
Valerie Hamaker is a licensed therapist and certified coach specializing in faith expansion, mixed-faith relationships, and recovery from high-demand religion. She is the creator and host of the Latter Day Struggles podcast, where she combines clinical expertise with lived experience to help people navigate the psychological, relational, and spiritual challenges that accompany changing belief systems. Valerie also offers coaching, online courses, live events, faith-expansion groups, and other resources for individuals and couples seeking support beyond traditional religious frameworks.
Reclaim your spiritual authority, practice discernment, and develop your spiritual gifts at the Sacred Knowing Workshop on November 13th in Huntsville UT.
Learn more at: https://meghanfarner.com
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• Instagram: @hiddenwisdompod
• YouTube: @hiddenwisdomldd
