If you have searched to understand loved ones who have left their religious faith, this show is for you. As a mother of six out of seven children who have chosen a different path from the one they were raised in, I intimately understand the profound struggle this journey entails. On this compassionate exploration we share moments of laughter, tears, and resilience. Through insightful interviews, we unravel the personal struggles of individuals whose loved ones have ventured away from their initial beliefs, and how they emerged on the other side with newfound understanding and peace.
What happens when someone you love no longer shares your faith? For many families, those conversations quickly become emotional, painful, and sometimes relationship-changing. But they don't have to. In this episode, Shiree sits down with Joseph Grenny , New York Times bestselling author of Crucial Conversations , to discuss what actually happens when families talk about faith differences—and why even the most devoted family members often have the hardest time getting these conversations right. Joseph shares practical tools for staying emotionally grounded, recognizing the stories we tell ourselves, and responding in ways that strengthen relationships instead of damaging them. Whether you're navigating a loved one's faith transition, family conflict, or any emotionally charged conversation, this episode offers hope and practical skills you can begin using today. Connect with Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group
Family estrangement can leave behind questions that never seem to have answers. In Part 2 of this series, Shiree explores two additional reasons why someone may choose to cut off contact with family—insights that emerged after conversations with listeners who have lived this painful experience. While every situation is unique, these perspectives may help you better understand what could be happening beneath the surface. More importantly, this episode offers hope. You'll learn practical, faith-centered principles that can help you grieve, find peace, and begin healing—even when reconciliation isn't possible. If you haven't already, be sure to listen to Part 1 - When a Loved One Cuts You Off , before diving into this episode. Link to Part 1 - When a Loved One Cuts You Off Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
Have you ever wondered if you've made too many parenting mistakes? If you've ever worried that you've somehow "wired" your children wrong, this conversation is for you. Cherise Weber shares how growing up without a healthy example of parenting fueled her determination to do better for her own children. But despite her best efforts, she reached a point of deep discouragement—until a quiet, life-changing moment with God transformed the way she saw herself, her children, and parenting itself. This episode is a reminder that parenting isn't about perfection. It's about learning, repairing, and trusting that God gives us endless opportunities to love, grow, and begin again. Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
When someone you love leaves the faith, the grief can feel overwhelming—almost like losing them, even though they are still here. In this deeply personal episode, Shiree shares her own experience and how that heartbreaking journey taught her an important truth: the deepest pain does not last forever. Drawing on her experiences as the mother of children who have stepped away from the gospel, Shiree offers hope to those carrying the heavy burden of faith-related loss. She explores what we know—and don't know—about God's plan, the promises of eternal families, and why trusting the Savior can bring peace even when answers are incomplete. Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
Why do some thoughts leave us feeling trapped in fear, anxiety, worry, and confusion? According to Christian mentor, speaker, and energy coach Julie Hawkes, it's often because we've unknowingly believed lies that keep us stuck. In this powerful conversation, Julie shares five common lies that many of us tell ourselves—lies that separate us from peace, cloud our ability to hear God, and keep us living from fear rather than faith. Julie teaches practical ways to recognize these limiting beliefs, challenge them, and replace them with truth. She explains how fear disconnects us from feeling God's love and how learning to hear God's voice more clearly can help us move forward with greater confidence, clarity, and peace. If you've been carrying anxiety, overthinking, uncertainty, or fear about the future, this episode offers hope and practical tools to help you break free from what's keeping you stuck. Julie's original episode on the 5 Lies on her Laws of Peace podcast: HERE. The Laws of Peace podcast Link to sign up for Julie's Class: How to Stop Hurrying and Get Your Life Back Links to Julie on: Instagram Facebook Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
Family estrangement is becoming increasingly common, leaving many parents, siblings, and loved ones heartbroken and confused. In this episode, Shiree explores the difference between healthy boundaries that create safety and unhealthy boundaries that are used to control, punish, or cut people off. You'll learn some of the reasons family members choose distance. Shiree also shares a simple self-assessment to help you identify whether you are responding from fear, hurt, and control—or from acceptance, love, and personal responsibility. Most importantly, you'll discover practical ways to navigate estrangement with greater peace and wisdom. Learn the 3 things not to do, the 4 things that can help, and how to stay open, get curious, release control, and continue healing—regardless of someone else's choices. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
When relationships become difficult, it's easy to close our hearts in fear, frustration, or self-protection. But what if the path to greater peace and connection begins by opening our hearts instead? In this episode, I sit down with my friend Rachael Curfew to discuss how we can move from fear to curiosity, from judgment to understanding, and from trying to control outcomes to genuinely loving people where they are. Rachael shares practical insights on keeping an open heart when someone you love makes choices you wouldn't choose, approaching challenges with curiosity and problem-solving, and following the Savior's example of loving others regardless of their decisions. Connect with Rachael HERE Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
In this episode, Shiree explores a powerful framework inspired by Bryce Dunford that can transform the way we navigate relationships, especially with loved ones who have left the faith. What if "telestial," "terrestrial," and "celestial" describe more than where we end up someday? What if they also describe how we respond to people right now? A telestial response focuses on self-protection. A terrestrial response focuses on fairness. A celestial response focuses on love and asks, "What would Christ do?" Through practical examples and real-life family situations, you'll learn how to recognize your own responses, give yourself grace for where you are, and take the next step toward thinking more celestial. If you're struggling with hurt, conflict, or faith differences in your family, this episode offers a hopeful path forward—one rooted in Christlike love rather than guilt, fear, or retaliation. You'll learn: • The difference between telestial, terrestrial, and celestial responses • How these patterns show up in family relationships • What it means to "think celestial" in difficult situations • How to move forward with greater peace, grace, and love Link to Bryce Dunford's Talking Scripture episode. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com to join the Just Love Them Support Group.
What happens when someone deeply rooted in faith begins to question everything they once believed? In this powerful conversation, seminary and institute teacher Tucker Boyle shares his personal journey through a faith crisis—what led him there, what he learned along the way, and how that experience now shapes the work he does helping others navigate their own spiritual questions through healing retreats. Tucker offers compassionate, practical insights for anyone who has a loved one experiencing doubts, wrestling with difficult questions, or who has stepped away from faith altogether. If someone you love is questioning, doubting, or has stepped away, this episode offers hope, perspective, and practical guidance for staying connected through it all. Here is a link for the event with Tucker and Joseph Grenny: https://luma.com/faith-morl It’s a live event but will also be recorded. Connect with Tucker on Instagram Tucker's WEBSITE Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
What if healing begins by clearing out the “dusty rooms” of our minds? In this interactive episode, Shiree shares a simple three-step exercise to help you identify painful memories, recognize your good intentions, receive God’s forgiveness, and extend grace to yourself. As we release shame and self-judgment, we create more space for God’s peace, guidance, and love—allowing us to show up more compassionately in relationships, especially with loved ones who have made different religious choices than we would have wished. This practical episode offers a path to greater self-forgiveness, emotional healing, and deeper Christlike connection. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with life coach and light therapist Alysia Humphries to talk about something many parents and loved ones quietly carry: tying our sense of peace and worth to how someone else is doing. Alysia gently shares why making our emotional well-being dependent on another person can unintentionally place a heavy burden on the relationship. We discuss the importance of remembering that we are not anyone else’s savior—that role belongs to Jesus Christ—and why our healing matters too. This conversation is a tender reminder that caring for ourselves is not selfish. There is a difference between being self-centered and honoring our own needs, emotions, and stewardship. God cares deeply not only about our loved ones, but about us as well. If you’ve been exhausted from carrying the weight of someone else’s choices or struggles, this episode offers wisdom, hope, and permission to begin healing yourself too. Free workbook pages at NurtureMyLight.com Connect with Alysia on Instagram Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
In this deeply personal episode, I share pieces of my family’s journey navigating faith differences, heartbreak, strained relationships, and the fear that things may never heal. Like many parents, my husband and I raised our children with love, faith, values, and the hope that they would embrace the beliefs that meant so much to us. Over time, many of our children chose very different paths. Some stepped away quietly. Others left dramatically. Some relationships became painful, distant, or deeply complicated. But this episode is not ultimately about loss. It is about hope. It is about learning that relationships can heal even when beliefs differ. That hearts can soften over time. That love can grow deeper when judgment fades. And that God’s love for our children never changes. Support group contact form: shireebest.com Listen to episode: Refined By My Daughter
What is the difference between being a peacekeeper and a peacemaker ? In this powerful and perspective-shifting conversation, I’m joined by Kathie Christensen—a remarkable woman, master teacher, and someone who has spent decades in the trenches of human relationships. As a mother and highly trained foster parent for the state of Utah, Kathie was entrusted with some of the most challenging children in the system. Through those experiences, she developed a deep understanding of behavior, connection, and what it really takes to create peace. In this episode, Kathie shares the profound difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking —and why that distinction matters more than we might think. While peacekeeping often looks like avoiding conflict or smoothing things over, peacemaking requires something deeper, braver, and far more transformative. Through heartfelt stories and hard-won wisdom, Kathie illustrates how true peace is not about control or silence, but about leaning into conflict with honesty, and love. Together, we explore the Savior’s invitation to “be peacemakers” and what that actually looks like in our everyday relationships—especially when things feel complicated, painful, or divided. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
In this episode, I’ve pulled together powerful quotes from recent General Conferences of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—all centered on one question: How do we stay close to people who believe differently than we do? The answers aren’t found in fixing others—but in turning more fully to Jesus Christ. These messages gently challenge us to rethink love, patience, prayer, and what it really means to be a light. If you’ve ever felt stretched in your relationships, this episode offers a perspective shift that can bring more peace than you might expect. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
When life doesn’t unfold the way you expected, where do you turn for peace? In this episode, Molly Christianson shares her journey through some deeply personal challenges—including divorce and navigating the complex emotions that come when children choose a different spiritual path. Rather than becoming bitter or fearful, Molly has learned to approach these experiences with greater compassion, perspective, and trust. In this honest conversation, she shares the hard moments, what helped her move forward, and the wisdom she’s gained along the way. If you’ve ever wondered how to hold on to love and peace when family relationships get complicated, this episode will speak to your heart. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
What do you do when your deeply held beliefs seem to clash with the way you want to love and honor others? In this episode, we explore the tension that can arise between knowing eternal truths—especially those taught in scripture about returning to God—and navigating relationships with people whose choices or values differ from our own. How do we stay grounded in what we believe without becoming rigid, judgmental, or disconnected? In this episode, we dive into the delicate balance between justice and mercy, and what it really means to embody both. While justice often feels clear and defined, mercy invites us into a more nuanced, compassionate space—one that requires humility and trust. A central theme of this conversation is remembering that God is the only one who sees the full picture. He alone understands each person’s heart, journey, and circumstances. When we release the need to “figure out” where others stand, we create more room for love, connection, and peace. Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com Episodes with Misha Baca: Mom, It's Gonna Be Okay, Part 1
In last week’s episode, we heard from Michael McLean. This week, we continue the conversation with his son, Jeff McLean — and you will not want to miss it. Jeff shares his deeply personal story of growing up in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while quietly carrying a truth he didn’t yet feel safe to live: he is gay. For years, Jeff tried to fit into a framework that didn’t align with who he knew himself to be. He talks openly about the exhaustion of pretending… the ache of wanting to belong… and the internal conflict of loving his faith, his family, and yet feeling there was no space for his whole self. Eventually, Jeff reached a breaking point. He made the courageous decision to stop hiding. In this powerful conversation, Jeff shares: What it was like growing up in a well-known Latter-day Saint family The emotional toll of suppressing his identity The fear and freedom that came with coming out The rocky early years with his parents, and what he has learned about unconditional love How their relationship slowly shifted from pain and misunderstanding to love and acceptance Today, Jeff and his parents are not only close in their relationship — they are collaborators. Together, they have written a new book, "Stay in the Room", about what it means to remain present with each other through disagreement, hurt, faith transitions, and identity differences. This episode is tender. Honest. Hope-filled. It’s about truth-telling. It’s about staying. It’s about love that grows. Whether you are a parent of a child who has left your faith, someone navigating your own identity, or simply a human wanting to build deeper connection across difference — this conversation will move you. Jeff’s vulnerability is a gift. And his story is one that will stay with you. 🎧 Listen now to this brave and beautiful episode of Just Love Them . Link to "Stay in the Room" on Amazon Link to "Stay in the Room" on Simon and Schuster Link to song, "Broken Healer" by Jeff McLean Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
What happens when the story you’ve built your life around begins to unravel? In this deeply personal and courageous episode, beloved singer-songwriter, performer, filmmaker, and author Michael McLean opens up about one of the most painful and transformative chapters of his life. Known for his inspiring music and messages of faith, Michael shares what happened behind the scenes when his son left the Church and came out as gay. What followed were years of confusion, heartache, distance, and a faith crisis Michael never expected. He vulnerably walks us through: The strain that entered their father-son relationship His own spiritual questioning and internal turmoil The turning point that began healing their relationship The truth he ultimately discovered about faith, love, and family This is not a polished stage story. It is raw. It is real. And it is hopeful. If you have a loved one who has left your faith… If someone you love has come out and you don’t know how to navigate it… If your relationship feels fragile or broken… This conversation will meet you in that tender space. Michael’s journey reminds us that healing doesn’t come through control, fear, or winning arguments—it comes through humility, listening, and a deeper kind of love. This is a rare look into a very private struggle—and a powerful testimony of what can happen when love becomes bigger than fear. Song: Safe Harbors Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
You’ve apologized. You’ve repented. They’ve forgiven you. So why are you still punishing yourself? In this episode, we explore: Why we get stuck in cycles of guilt and ruminationThe difference between healing guilt and destructive shameHow the adversary uses the past to keep us stuckWhy your power is only in the present momentWhat it actually looks like to receive Christ’s grace How to finally let go of the “dark closet” of past mistakes This episode might change the way you see your past—and your worth—forever. Apply for the support group at shireebest.com Send the message "interested". Link to episode: God's Guilt vs. Satan's Guilt Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
What happens when four of your five children leave the religion you raised them in? In this powerful conversation, Joy Allen shares how turning to God brought a profound spiritual shift in the way she views agency, motherhood, and faith. Instead of clinging tighter in fear, she learned to lean into love. Grounded in her mother’s simple wisdom — “Love is the answer. Now what was your question?” — this episode offers hope, perspective, and peace for parents navigating faith differences in their families. Gratitude Challenge: Rachaelcurfew.com Connect with Shiree at shireebest.com Join the "Just Love Them" Facebook group Email Shiree at imlivinginjoy@gmail.com
