A Light In the Darkness

A Light In the Darkness Episode 27 - Mindi Barker

Mindi Barker is the wife of a “ridiculously good looking man” and mother of 6 amazing children and one incredible son in law. She was raised in Sandy, Utah by the most caring parents, who instilled in her a love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She has a zest for life that is contagious, and she loves to make people laugh. She always looks for the bright side in everything she does and you will rarely see her without a smile on her face. Mindi thoroughly enjoys music, playing the piano, singing, reading, cooking, running, kayaking, speaking, teaching seminary, serving the youth, playing basketball and pickleball, playing board games and spending time with her family. She is a BYU sports fanatic and LOVES football season! She has been married for 25 years and finds joy in just about everything.

Her life hasn’t always been easy though. Mindi will share with us her journey through her father’s murder, struggle with infertility and multiple miscarriages, battle with depression and anxiety, and the heartache of watching her teenage daughter go through cancer. There have been times she truly understood why someone would want to end their life, but she is here to tell you there are ways to find peace and hope, through the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the people He puts in your life along the way.

A Light In The Darkness Episode 26 - Has the Day of Miracles Ceased?

Moroni 7:35-37 "Has the Day of Miracles Ceased?"  Carly Robison shares the literal miracle she has experienced the past couple of months, and encourages her listeners to look for miracles in their own lives.

Podcast episode about Carly's sister can be found here.

Podcast interview with Carly's therapist can be found here.

More information about EMDR can be found here.

A Light In the Darkness Episode 25 - Life Back To Normal......But Better

It’s been a long, long time since I’ve had a new podcast episode. There have been some very difficult, excruciatingly painful things going on in my life. I’m not able to talk about them at this time. But they have made it so I haven’t been able to do interviews and produce new episodes. I promise when I’m able I will be right back here, sharing inspiring stories with you. 

 

But I have been prompted for a while to do a short episode about thoughts I have had as the world starts to open back up, and we return to our “normal” lives. It's my hope and prayer that it will be our life back to normal, but better.

 

Talks Carly refers to in the Episode:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/34eyring?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/04/36nelson?lang=eng

A Light In the Darkness Episode 24 - Gratitude with Carly Robison

This week Carly talks about the power of gratitude in our lives and how it can actually help you when you are going through difficult times.  She shares her own experiences, quotes from talks she loves, and the thoughts of two of her friends.  Carly hopes that this episode can help you get through your own dark times, including as we all deal with many challenges due to COVID-19.

Here are the links for Jeanette's practice and infertility group: https://www.facebook.com/RisingLotusCounselingServices/  SLC Infertility Support Group

Here is the link to Camille Johnson's podcast: Finding the Floor

The link to the talk Carly quoted: Grateful In Any Circumstances by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

A Light In the Darkness Episode 23 - Mark Davis

Mark Davis is a husband, dad, and awesome DJ.  In this episode he shares with us his experiences of growing up with a dad who had a severe form of Multiple Sclerosis, that left him physically and eventually even mentally impaired. As an adult his worst fear was realized when he was also diagnosed with MS.  Mark tells the lessons he had learned from his dad, the tender mercies and miracles that have carried him, and the wonderful people who have supported him through this journey.

Mark talked about a new treatment that put his MS into remission.  His doctor has unfortunately since retired, but you can find more information here.  He has had friends do the same treatment here with miraculous results, just like his. https://hsctmexico.com/

If you want to contact Mark you can email him at spindoctormd@hotmail.com

A Light In the Darkness Episode 22- Gina Hansen

In this episode I talk to my friend Gina Hansen.  We talk about her life, family, and a miraculous experience that they all went through just about a year ago.

Gina Gates Hansen was born in Richfield, Utah and grew up there until she was 12 and we moved to South Jordan, Ut. Gina grew up with 3 brothers and 3 sisters.  Gina tried school and different jobs after graduating high school, and her parents and some of her family moved to St. George. She decided to I moved there and attend college at Dixie, where she met her husband Paul. He joined the Army National Guard shortly after they were married. Gina’s husband has been deployed 2 times, and has come home safe and he works so hard for us. Together Gina and Paul have 7 kids.  They have had their ups and downs, but the gospel, Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father get them through them.

A Light In the Darkness Episode 21 - Heidi Swapp

Heidi Swapp is a busy wife and mom to five amazing kids ranging from 13-23 years old. She’s the creative force behind her own brand of signature craft and memory-keeping products which can be found online and in craft stores throughout the world.  In 2015 Heidi and her family suffered a devastating loss as her 16 year old son Cory died by suicide. I have been amazed at her strength and resilience as she faced this terrible heartache in the public eye, with her large social media following rallying behind her.  Heidi has continued to share and connect, becoming an advocate for suicide prevention through community events and her podcast called Light the Fight, where she talks about how important it is to have a genuine relationship with your children.  

To find resources as a parent or a teacher, or to listen to her podcast, Light the Fight, click here: https://www.lightthefight.com

To contact Heidi, learn more about her story, or find information about her memory keeping products, click here: https://www.heidiswapp.com

The website/app Heidi talked about, that is a great local to Utah resource for people who are feeling suicidal, or if you want to report anonymously that you are worried about someone: https://safeut.med.utah.edu

Click here for more resources and the national support hotline, click here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

A Light In the Darkness Episode 20 - BONUS EPISODE, Sharing About My Sister, Brooke Jarrett

This is a bonus episode of my A Light In the Darkness Podcast.  It has been 12 long years since my younger sister Brooke Jarrett left this earthly life. This episode is airing on her Angelversary. I wanted to talk about my sister’s story for a few reasons.  First of all, she suffered through mental health challenges for a lot of her life and ended up dying by suicide. Since that time I have wanted to honor her by trying to help end the stigma of people suffering from mental health issues, and also open up about how suicide affects family members, so that hopefully if I know anyone who is feeling suicidal, they can think of me and how HARD my life has been without my sister here with me, and know that they have someone in their life who would feel the same way. Secondly, I understand that each trial that I have been through has shaped me into who I am.  As I talk on this podcast, I draw upon my experiences to relate to my guests and my audience, and also offer thoughts and advice on how to face difficult things.  So by sharing my story I hope that those of you listening will be able to face the difficult things you are going through in your own lives as well.

A Light In the Darkness Episode 19 - Zach Spafford

In  this episode I talk to Zach Spafford about his pornography use, that started when he was just 8 years old and accidentally exposed to a magazine at a playground.  Zach tells us of his own experiences, but also shares insightful thoughts and tools he has learned along the way that can help us in many areas of our lives.  Zach is a veteran life coach with years of experience helping others improve their lives, their businesses and their families. 

 

As a Certified Life Coach through The Life Coach School, a Be Bold Masters Trained and Coach Incubator inaugural class coach Zach has been able to help thousands find their way past pornography use, create the healthy relationship they want and build the confidence in his clients that they have worked for their whole lives. 

 

Born in Boise, ID, Zach is a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served a two year mission in the Rome Italy Mission. Zach is married to Darcy, an amazing women’s coach in her own right and together they have eight beautiful children.  

 

Currently living near Milwaukee, WI, Zach coaches clients all over the world. You can set up a consult with him by going to zachspafford.com/workwithme to see how coaching can change your life. 

 

To read the article Zach talked about, discussing the Atonement, and get a handout about how to discuss pornography with your kids, go to my website here: https://carlyrobison.org/2020/10/28/1713/

 

Find out more about Zach's coaching a program, get some free tools, and even find extra support for wives who are dealing with a husband who is overcoming pornography use, click here: https://www.zachspafford.com

 

Listen to Zach's Podcast here: https://www.zachspafford.com/podcast

 

A Light In the Darkness Episode18 - Heidi Hamilton

Heidi was raised by wonderful parents, Dan & Patricia Potts in West Jordan, UT. She has 3 sisters, and they adopted her brother when she was about 15. Heidi went to Snow College after high school and met her husband, Jason Hamilton, who had just returned from his mission. They got married in the Salt Lake City Temple in May of 2000.  Heidi graduated from the University of Utah in 2002 with a degree in communications and business. She worked for the Forest Service for 8 years before she had my first baby, and then became a stay-at-home mom. Heidi and Jason now have 6 children. She enjoys being a mother and wife. She also enjoys reading, trail running, hiking, triathlons, family history, digital scrapbooking, and traveling.

In this episode Heidi Hamilton then tells us about her sweet son Link.  She talks about all of the tender mercies that came from his short life, and shares about him ultimately passing away suddenly due to Sudden Unexplained Infant Death, or SIDS. Heidi gives us some of the strategies she uses in her life as she has dealt with grief and heartache over losing her sweet baby boy, and trying to help her family heal from such a devastating loss.

 

You can reach out to Heidi through her email at sunkist64@hotmail.com

 

To read more about Link's story read Heidi's blog here: http://jhhamiltonhappenings.blogspot.com/p/links-story.html?m=1

 

To learn more about SIDS or support their research efforts, click here: https://www.sids.org/

 

The talk Heidi shared that changed her perspective: https://devotionalarchive.byuh.edu/node/332.html

 

To learn more or donate to the Ronald McDonald house in Utah click here: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/abf36fa8-4e83-4397-b7f5-062090a878ec

 

To learn more or donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia click here: https://www.philarmh.org/donate/

 

To learn more about the Family History Work the Hampton's do on Link's angelversary click here: https://www.familysearch.org/en/

A Light In the DarknessEpisode 17 - Tiffany Jarrett

Tiffany Jarrett grew up in Orem Utah as an active member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Her dad is a convert, and her mom has 7 kids in her family and is one of only 3 active members. Tiffany feels super lucky that they were able to stay active and give her that in her life. Although Tiffany did not attend college, she did put 2 husbands through so that should count for something!

Tiffany shares with us the story of her first marriage to a BYU football player who used steroids to help him "fit in" with the other talented players, which eventually ended up with him being addicted to meth and in and out of jail.  She tells of the difficult times throughout the next 6 years, that ultimately ended in divorce.

Tiffany is currently married to an amazing man (MY BROTHER) whom she plans to keep forever. Together they have 3 miracle children that are their world, and 2 golden doodles that are part of the family too! She gets to stay at home with her kids which is a dream come true, and also does lots of designing, staging, woodworking on the side! Nick and Tiffany just built a new home in Mapleton Utah, and are loving their new area and home! 

If you want to get in tough with tiffany she can be reached at tiffanyjarrett12@gmail.com

 

The book that was life changing for Tiffany to read: He Did Deliver Me From Bondage

 

The LDS Addiction Recovery program can be found HERE

 

A Light In the Darkness Episode 16 - David Chatterton *EXTENDED EPISODE*

David Chatterton was born and raised in Murray, Utah, and is the 4th of 5 children. David is married to Lindsy Chatterton and together they have  3 children, Tate, Niya, and Zoey; with losses of baby Mack, Arie and Liam. Their family lives in South Jordan, Utah and enjoy the outdoors, yard work, managing their rental properties, and spending time together. David has worked for University of Utah Health for 18 years, with more than 15 of those years in progressive management. He is a licensed Registered Nurse and has a Master’s of Science Degree in Nursing. 

David shares with us in this extended episode a story full of heartache, fear, strength, hope, faith, and miracles.  When he was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints he was kidnapped at gunpoint and held for ransom for 3 days.  He shares lessons and strategies he has learned throughout his experiences that have shaped him into the man he is today.  

David is a humanitarian with a special interest in healthcare for the immigrant populations, and is an active board member with Healing Hands for Haiti.  He and his wife also have their own non-profit "Haiti's Heart" and together have spent over 18 years dedicating  heart, faith, time and family serving those in need. 

 

https://www.haitisheart.org

 

http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org

 

A Light In the Darkness Episode 15 - Nathan Ogden

Nathan Ogden has taught thousands how to conquer their fears and move from paralysis to progress through eliminating excuses in their lives. He is a wheelchair athlete, co-creator of the non-profit Chair The Hope, and author of the book Unfrozen and co-authored Resilience and Leadership In Trying Times, both #1 Bestsellers. Nathan is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, trainer, and coach.

Nathan loves to live life and has experienced snow skiing, snorkeling, skydiving, completing a half triathlon, rappelling off a 150-foot cliff, and morerecently riding a hand-powered bicycle 1,200 miles with his family raising money for, and personally delivering wheelchairs needed in underdeveloped countries. Nathan lives in Boise, Idaho, and is married to a beautiful wife with four children. His courage and determination give hope and power to all who know him and hear his messages.

If you want to contact Nathan for a speaking engagement, or to speak with him personally, you can connect with him at https://nathanogden.com

If you want to learn more about, or donate to, his nonprofit organization Chair The Hope, you can find information here: https://chairthehope.org

A Light In the Darkness Episode 14 - Laura Woodruff

Today we are doing things a little differently.  I am speaking with Laura Woodruff, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, about the importance of taking our mental health seriously, and how to deal with grief and trauma in our lives. Laura got her Bachelors and Masters Degree in Social Work from Brigham Young University and has been a therapist for 22 years. She specializes in working with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and grief work and works with teens, couples, individuals and families. Laura has been trained in EMDR, and has enjoyed utilizing this tool to help people with PTSD. For the first ten years of her career Laura worked with teens and families at a crisis center for youth, as well as various residential treatment centers for youth. Then for ten years she worked at Family Services for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and for the last 2-3 years Laura has had her own practice situated in West Jordan, Utah. Laura has been married for 24 years, and has five kids.  In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, photography, and spending time with her family and two dogs.

The talk Laura shared from President Russell M. Nelson:  Drawing the Power Of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives

A Light in the Darkness Episode 13 - Brandie Paterakis

Brandie Paterakis graduated from the University of Utah with her Masters Degree in Social work.  She has a true love for life and it is apparent in her larger than life positive attitude, and her ability to make her home an energetic environment. Brandie enjoys spending time with her husband of 22 years, and her four dramatic teenage daughters. They enjoy being fun and crazy, while always looking for projects and activities to do together as a family. 

Brandie shares with us the story of her father, Fire Fighter Robin L. Pilcher.  Captain Pilcher passed away due to pancreatic cancer, which he got due to breathing in toxins while being a part of Utah's Task Force 1, who were sent to New York to help with recovery efforts after September 11th.  Brandie talks about how her dad taught her to use humor and laughter to get through difficult times. She shares amazing stories from his experiences, and really helps us to remember there are people who are STILL suffering from the effects of the attacks that day.

You can learn more about Captain Pilcher and other heroes here: https://heroslastcall.wordpress.com

You can contact Brandie at South Point Counseling Services, or on social media @BrandiePilcherPaterakis

You can learn more about the FealGood Foundation and how to help other first responders here: https://fealgoodfoundation.com

You can see the pictures Brandie mentioned of her father and their family in a blog post I wrote about this episode here:

A Light In the Darkness Episode 12 - Becky Kemp

Driven by the desire to spread and inspire goodness, Becky Kemp is dedicated to sharing the power found in positive words. From the onset of her clothing brand, Becoming Threads, to speaking and coaching others about the how Words Matter, Becky’s message of empowerment and finding joy and purpose in the journey resonates with individuals across all ages and walks of life. She is married to her high school sweetheart, mother of 5 incredible boys and an active volunteer in her church and community, Becky is no stranger to hard work. Over the past several years she has extended that dedication into the professional realm, helping others recognize that change is possible and each of us are capable of creating it in our own lives. Awaken your own potential as you learn to transform your thinking, live with intention, and implement the power of positive words in your own life. Everybody has a story. Take accountability for your story and let it be one

of becoming!

You can find more information about coaching, speaking, or more info at: www.becomingwithbecky.com

You can reach Becky on social media @becomingwithbecky

A Light In the Darkness Episode 11 - Heidi Totten

Heidi Totten is an eclectic wife and mother of two relatively normal children. She spent her early career building technical teams around the world during the dot com era, and ten years ago launched her own business helping entrepreneurs and small businesses go global by embracing social media and online marketing.

Heidi has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs over the past 3 years. She runs Heidi Totten Consulting (www.heiditotten.com) and The Eclectic Entrepreneurs (www.eclecticentrepreneurs.com) as a way to help the most people possible during her one crazy life. In her spare time, she is the Executive Director of 100 Humanitarians International, (www.100humanitarians.com) a grassroots non-profit that focuses on mentoring families in economic development in Kenya, Africa. She has taken over 200 people on 18 expeditions. 

Her happy place is hauling down roads in Kenya in dusty jeeps, but she is also known for her love of tacos, guacamole, and chocolate. 

A Light In the Darkness Episode 10 - Carrie Johnson

Carrie Larson Johnson was raised in South Jordan, Utah, where she was taught by the example of her parents to love and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her life has been a series of detours on a joyous journey full of tender mercies. Carrie’s greatest passion is talking about and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In December of 2015, Carrie was injured in a car accident, which resulted in major physical injuries and learning to walk and talk again. In this episode we talk about the things Carrie has learned through that experience. She knows, without a doubt, she was saved to testify of God’s goodness, that miracles have not ceased, and that joy can be found in the darkest places.  Carrie enjoys life! She finds humor in nearly everything and loves to laugh.  Carrie is married to “the man of her dreams,” the mother of a beautiful, sassy-pants daughter, and a hilarious son-in-law, none of whom she could ever do without.

 

Carrie can be found on social media at Carrie Larson Johnson.

 

Carrie's blog/website: Joy Cometh In the Mourning

 

A blog post I wrote about Carrie and her JOY: Finding Joy In My Journey

A Light In the Darkness Episode 9 - Heather Doney

Heather was raised in Riverton, Ut, and is the 4th of 8 kids. She graduated from high school and married her high school sweetheart, Dan Doney, in March 2000. They have 4 pretty cool kids ages 17, 15, 13, and 11. Heather loves to entertain, make new friends, and make people laugh. She's loved to dance since she was little and has learned to enjoy working out. She decided to combine the two things, and she became a certified Zumba instructor in 2011. She taught for almost 7 years when she had to quit because she was experiencing a lot of health challenges which led her in many different directions trying to figure out what was causing her health problems. Heather was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in January 2018 and it's been quite the journey for her - but she's since made social media accounts sharing the "happy habits" she's adopted into her life over the years. Since doing some treatments to combat the Lyme, Heather is doing well. She's continued to try and stay active and recently fulfilled a dream of having a viral video of her teaching Zumba in her backyard to all of her neighbors while they socially distanced during the quarantine. It's been viewed over 30 million times, featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hours, local news stations, and even interviewed with Instagram guru Jay Shetty, and caught the attention of celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Demi Lovato and The Kelly Clarkson Show. It's been a fun few months as she's learned the ins and outs of having a viral video. She hopes to inspire others to not give up when challenges seem unbearable, all while laughing along the way.

If you want to contact Heather you can find her on Facebook at "Happy Habits With Heather D." and on Instagram @heathers_happy_habits

You can also find her viral video here. 

A Light In the Darkness Episode 8 - Williamson Sintyl

As a survivor from the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Williamson takes advantage of every moment, experience, and opportunity he is given in life. Those 27 hours under the rubble caused him to search for God, and he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 6 months later. He served a mission in his own country, and then moved to the U.S. to study in 2015. While studying here he also met the love of his life. He has shared his near death experience in many schools and functions all over Utah and Haiti. His passion is to empower youth all over the world to believe in themselves.  Through a lot of hard work - he now owns his own small business, and is the founder of a non-profit organization ARISE Project for Humanity. Arise empowers youth in Haïti to believe in themselves and change their own community. He continues to take trips back to his home country with his organization. They are now building the first Mentoring Center in the Southern Haiti.  Williamson is also a husband and father of 3 and lives with his family in Bountiful, Utah. In all of life's challenges, Williamson searches for a way to remain positive and hopeful.

 

Blog post Carly wrote using Williamson's story as inspiration: https://carlyrobison.org/2018/07/15/i-will-not-shrink/

 

ARISE website: https://www.ariseprojectforhumanity.com