In this raw and emotional deep-dive, Laurel shares her powerful story of growing up in an extremely orthodox Mormon household as the youngest of eight children. From uncovering her Danish-Mormon ancestry to dealing with abuse, purity culture, and her father's secret polygamist "revelation" that led to his excommunication, Laurel reflects on how early trauma, sexual repression, and church doctrine shaped her identity. She opens up about her mission to Poland, her battle with anxiety, shame, and identity within the church, and how the toxic dynamics of Mormon Young Single Adult (YSA) culture pushed her to the edge. Ultimately, Laurel's journey of deconstruction—triggered by political events, therapy, and research into church history—leads her to reclaim her sexuality, leave the church, and finally begin to heal. Topics include: abuse, purity culture, sexual trauma, polygamy, depression, and suicidal ideation. Viewer discretion advised. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/my-mormon-bishop-dad-was-excommunicated-for-polygamy/ Timecodes: ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117