Join us today as John and Margi interview Allison Shiffler. Raised in a part-member family, Allison faced struggles with body image, bulimia, and the perfectionism in Mormon culture. She went through two disciplinary councils questioning her worthiness. Despite this, Allison broke free from Mormon patriarchy, graduated from Columbia University, raised a child as a single mother, and became a therapist. Her story is a powerful example of empowerment, breaking down patriarchy, and discovering oneself beyond Mormonism. If you want to hire Allison as your therapist, visit here: https://www.therapy-with-allison.com/ Show Notes: https://www.mormonstories.org/joy-after-mormon-dream/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:36 Allison is a therapist 00:02:35 Intentions for coming on Mormon Stories 00:05:50 The beginning of her Mormon story 00:13:45 Bishopric interview 00:21:00 “Her body is wrong” 00:29:35 Mormon teachings on women, marriage and children 00:47:20 Dating in Provo 57:05 Serving her mission 01:06:52 Sharing her testimony in Russian 01:11:40 How is the Mormon church doing in Russia? 01:26:45 She went to a disciplinary council 01:34:32 Finding out she was pregnant 01:37:17 Was there a process of deciding to keep the baby? 01:42:04 The 2015 Policy and losing her faith 02:02:10 How did she process her loss of faith? 02:08:53 Her father died of his medication 02:31:19 Exploring her sexuality 02:43:20 Parenting outside of Mormonism as a single woman 02:58:13 What her tattoos mean for her 03:02:00 Having Allison be your therapist ___________________ 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