Leading Saints Podcast

Leading Saints Podcast

Helping Latter-day Saints be Better Prepared to Lead

Transform Sacrament Meeting with a Youth Focus | An Interview with Todd Hillyard
Leading Saints Podcast
Transform Sacrament Meeting with a Youth Focus | An Interview with Todd Hillyard

Recent Episodes

Oct. 26, 2026

Transform Sacrament Meeting with a Youth Focus | An Interview with Todd Hillyard

Todd Hillyard shares practical ideas his ward has used to increase youth engagement in sacrament meeting. He discusses how youth feedback reframed his ward’s approach to sacrament meeting, including shorter talks, youth-focused speaker assignments, auxiliary-centered Sundays, and meaningful ways to involve young women and young men in ushering, music, prelude, organ, and testimony sharing. Todd currently serves as a bishop in Washington, having previously served in Young Men presidencies, on th
Oct. 23, 2026

October Zion Lab Live: Conversations on Mental Health, Missionary Work, and More

The first Friday of each month in Zion Lab, Kurt Francom hosts a livestream where we review the latest happenings and conversations taking place in Zion Lab and across our online community. In this Zion Lab Live, Kurt reviews recent community discussions from the Zion Lab platform, focusing on member missionary engagement, teaching culture, and church administration. Rather than conducting a traditional interview, Kurt highlights insights posted by community members around appointment cancellat
Oct. 21, 2026

The Leadership Shift Every Bishop Needs Now | An Interview with James Fletcher

James Fletcher is the founder and chief investment officer of Ethos Investment Management, and has been investing professionally in emerging markets for 20 years. He is also the founder of the global non-profit Young Investors Society, which provides lessons to teens on investing and financial literacy in over 3,000 high schools and 80 countries around the world. James has a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Brigham Young University and also teaches as a BYU adjunct professor in Finance. He has
Sept. 26, 2026

Second-Guessing Someone Else’s Revelation | An Interview with Christopher Blythe

Brigham Young University professor and religious folklorist Christopher Blythe discusses the nature of revelation, spiritual manifestations, and claims to mysticism within Latter-day Saint history and culture. The conversation examines how members and leaders can evaluate personal spiritual experiences, navigate claims of revelation that exceed proper authority, and guard against deceptive influences or speculative practices. Dr. Christopher Blythe is an assistant professor of English at BYU, w
Sept. 18, 2026

How Leaders Eliminate Distraction | An Interview with Shawn Vanderhoven

Shawn Vanderhoven is the author of the USA Today bestseller Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World and a Partner at The Wiseman Group, where he leads the executive development practice for senior leaders and rising talent. A collaborator on the New York Times bestseller Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter (Second Edition), Shawn co-designs strategies that help organizations amplify their people, advising leaders at companies like Amazon, Alphabet, Adobe, Microsoft,
Sept. 12, 2026

Encouraging Returned Missionaries for the Next 10 Years | An Interview with Davis Smith

Davis Smith is the founder, chairman, and emeritus CEO of Cotopaxi, a Salt Lake City–based outdoor gear brand dedicated to poverty alleviation. Raised throughout Latin America, he developed a lifelong commitment to social impact after witnessing economic inequality firsthand. A serial e-commerce entrepreneur, Davis founded several successful ventures, including Brazil’s 2012 “Startup of the Year,” before building Cotopaxi into a global brand that has assisted millions living in poverty. He has s