Join John & Margi as they interview young and spunky Brinley Jensen, a Gen Z returned missionary, as she shares her experiences growing up in the Church and the consequences she's faced at various times as she's spoken up for herself and grown into the person she is. Brinley’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brinleymaej/ Episode Show Notes: https://mormonstories.org/podcast/brinley-jensen/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro & disclaimers 00:05:00 Brinlely’s Mormon heritage & early years 00:10:30 Mother has health scare with serious miscarriage 00:12:20 Struggles with Mormon perfectionism, purity culture & constant guilt 00:36:00 Interests and testimony in High School 00:38:30 Patriarchal blessing 00:47:00 First exposure to “anti-Mormon stuff” through high school in 2019 & reaction to polygamy 00:50:00 LDS beliefs prior to mission 00:57:00 Brinley’s fears around giving birth & belief Jesus is coming soon, “last days” 01:03:00 Mission call in January 2020, to Orlando Florida, COVID MTC & depression 01:09:30 Brinley’s mission experiences with sexism & racism on her mission. 01:59:00 Unethical mental health treatment from Mission therapist. 02:04:00 Brinley realizes she doesn’t believe anymore but decides to double-down on “repentance” 02:11:00 Things get worse and Brinley becomes suicidal. Her Mission President ignores her emails until things come to a head. 02:33:00 Returning home early from mission 02:35:00 Mormon missions breed anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Systemic crisis. 02:44:00 Brinley feels her mental health struggles were used to “put on a show” instead of being empathetic during her Homecoming talk.. 02:48:00 Brinley faces even more pressure to be faithful after having come home early from the Church. It’s never enough 02:55:00 Brinley’s advice or perspective for current or future Mormon missionaries. _________________________ ABOUT US: Mormon Stories Podcast is the longest-running and most successful podcast in Mormonism - hosted by Dr. John Dehlin. 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. We also occasionally interview 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, and 3) Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions. Mormon Stories Podcast is a product of the Open Stories Foundation - a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to supporting Mormons in religious transition. 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 Amazon Smile: Be sure to select “Mormon Stories” website: https://smile.amazon.com app: https://amz.run/5r2M 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 #MormonStories #Mormon #lds