Today on Mormon Stories Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Brad Reedy, therapist, author, and founder of “Finding You Intensives”, to discuss his remarkable journey through faith, spirituality, addiction, and personal growth. We are also very glad to be joined by Samantha Shelly (from Zelph on the Shelf) for this uplifting conversation. Raised outside of religion, Brad spent much of his youth searching for meaning and belonging. After struggling with substance abuse as a teenager and surviving a near-fatal overdose, he encountered Mormonism and found the structure, community, and spiritual direction had been missing from his life. As his understanding of faith evolved, Brad found himself wrestling with questions about spirituality, identity, parenting, relationships, and what it means to live authentically. Together, we explore the tension between religion and spirituality, the challenges of faith transitions, and why something that once helped a person thrive may no longer fit later in life. Brad shares his experience as a passionate convert, missionary, BYU student, and later a marriage and family therapist. Along the way, he reflects on the strengths and limitations of high-demand religions, the role that structure can play in healing and growth, and the difference between living from guilt versus living from love. This conversation is a thoughtful exploration of transformation, self-discovery, and the ongoing search for meaning beyond certainty. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/how-a-mormon-therapist-lost-his-faith/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:03 - Brad’s story begins 00:11:10 - Marijuana and LSD 00:15:36 - High School years 00:18:52 - Overdose at 17 00:20:55 - Psychedelics 00:25:40 - Converted to Mormonism 00:31:10 - Firesides with Donny Osmond 00:33:22 - Mission service 00:36:22 - Pros and cons mission structure 00:45:13 - Engaged at BYU 00:57:00 - Marriage and Family Therapy 01:05:25 - BYU rules 01:08:29 - Faith Crisis 01:18:17 - Gold told him to leave 01:22:28 - Second marriage 01:33:36 - Eastern Gods vs Christian God 02:00:50 - Healthy Mormonism 02:08:05 - Parenting 02:24:10 - Co-dependency 02:29:35 - Leaving the church 02:38:26 - Life since leaving 02:47:15 - Samatha’s final thoughts 02:49:05 - Brad’s final thoughts 02:56:57 - Conclusion ___________________ 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