Mormon Stories 1464: From EFY Singer to Ex-Mormon EFY Director - Jessie Funk

Today Mormon Stories is lucky enough to be joined by the wonderful Jessie Funk! For anyone familiar with the music of the youth seminars held by the LDS church known as “EFY”, singer Jessie Funk’s name should ring a bell. After Jessie’s career touring with the broadway musical “Footloose”, releasing several studio albums and books, starting her organization “The Ivy Foundation”, and raising her two children, she recently changed tunes, choosing to leave the Mormon church.

We are excited to speak with Jessie about her Mormon upbringing, career (in and outside of the church), her faith crisis, and her new venture “Especially for Truth”, a week-long summer seminar for post-Mormon teens. Wrapping up her first “EFT” event last week where John and Carah were invited as guest speakers, we hope powerhouse Jessie Funk joining the post-Mormon activist space will be music to your ears!

And a bonus? There are still tickets left to her Especially for Truth event for post-Mormon women in Park City this coming weekend Aug 27-29th!
Visit https://www.especiallyfortruth.com/

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Show notes:
Especially for Truth website:
​​https://www.especiallyfortruth.com/

Jessie’s Especially for Truth TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@especiallyfortruth?lang=en

Jessie’s Especially for Truth Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/especiallyfortruth/

Top Youth Speakers:
http://topyouthspeakers.com/jessie-funk.php

Clark Johnson Mormon Stories interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGUvvHe8IEU

Whitney Houston Documentary:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5740866/

Poverty Inc:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4595114/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Tom Phillips Mormon Stories interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=703yOcfvD3s

Leah and Cody Young Mormon Stories interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMTKQOZWxsA

Marriage on a Tightrope Allan and Katie Mount:
https://marriageonatightrope.org/

Encircle:
https://encircletogether.org/

7 Cups Counseling:
https://www.7cups.com/

Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis website:
https://www.mormonfaithcrisis.com/category/podcast/

Mormon Enlightenment FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1832289780190232/

Mormon Stories FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/165132026831611

Faith Journey Meetups FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1290631704424963

00:00 Introducing Jessie and her new events
09:10 Cognitive dissonance as a child and Provo upbringing
17:30 Jessie’s mom leaves the church
26:40 Being bullied and becoming a bully as a teen
33:43 Changing behavior at a leadership camp
37:20 Comment about mother estrangement
38:27 Jessie’s music career
46:30 Holding in the tension of a sexual assault
54:00 Choosing to change singing paths
1:02:24 “Heartsell” in LDS music
1:31:05 Footloose tour, LGBTQ awakening
1:39:00 Jessie’s pursuit for a balanced life
1:47:03 Traveling to Africa
1:52:00 Becoming a public speaker
2:10:00 Pressure to get married
2:15:16 Temple experience
2:19:45 Feeling like a humanist
2:28:00 Jessie’s marriage
2:31:38 Jessie’s faith started eroding
2:41:00 Choosing authenticity, speaking up for LGBTQ youth
3:01:00 Trying to believe
3:08:00 Jessie telling husband she can’t do it anymore
3:15:35 Where Jessie got her strength and resilience
3:24:17 Jessie sings “Defying Gravity”
3:36:52 Responding to criticism
3:42:44 Jessie’s shelf breakers
4:09:09 Questions
4:19:26 Faith crisis lightning round
4:27:29 Morality
4:31:00 Post-Mormon community
4:40:28 Living without religion
4:55:14 Singing a new version of EFY song
4:58:00 Youth and women’s events

Видео Mormon Stories 1464: From EFY Singer to Ex-Mormon EFY Director - Jessie Funk канала Mormon Stories Podcast