WARD RADIO

Cardon Ellis, Hayden Holm, and Tanner take a tongue-in-cheek deep dive into the wild, memorable, and sometimes traumatic world of LDS (Latter-day Saint) parenting in the late '90s and early 2000s. The tone is both nostalgic and humorous as all three recount experiences that, while possibly traumatic at the time, are now looked back upon fondly (or at least with a sense of camaraderie).

Cardon Ellis welcomes Alejandro Rodriguez to discuss a recent New York Times article about "Mormon women taking over our screens," which sparks a lively—and often humorous—conversation about media portrayals of Mormon culture, women, and family life, particularly in the social media age.

Cardon Ellis chats with Hayden Holm about childhood memories, body image, and life lessons learned the hard way. The conversation opens with Hayden recounting a formative experience from growing up as an "indoor enthusiast" with a penchant for video games and home-baked treats, courtesy of his mother—a dedicated baker and firm believer in the 1990s' "clean plate rule."

In this lively, thoughtful, and often humorous episode, Cardon Ellis and Brad welcome Christopher Blyth, a folklore professor at BYU and expert on Mormon history, to explore the splintering of early Mormonism following Joseph Smith's death—often called the “succession crisis.”The episode dives deep into the aftermath of Joseph Smith’s assassination, when multiple leaders and groups claimed to be the rightful continuation of his church. Christopher Blyth describes how the church “atomized,” resulting in a variety of sects, many of which still exist in some form today.

Cardon Ellis kicks off by highlighting how gender dynamics within the church have become highly skewed, pointing out how feminist influences from past decades have seeped into religious culture, sometimes causing men to feel corrected while women go unchecked. He voices frustration about how philosophical discussions on gender are often less nuanced than those on other community concerns like criminal justice or gun control.Hayden Holm shares personal experiences and critiques the “happy wife, happy life” mantra, explaining that it turns a marriage into an unhealthy dynamic: men end up repressing their own feelings for years, leading to resentment and passive-aggressive behaviors, while wives are left unchecked, sometimes developing entitled attitudes (“rise of the Karens”).