Schedule your free call here: https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

Episode 20: The Natural Man Response When Your Child Leaves The Church

What happens in the brain when your child tells you they no longer believe in the Church?

Why do loving, faithful LDS moms sometimes react from fear, urgency, panic, control, or heartbreak during hard conversations with their adult children?

And how do we stay connected without letting fear lead the relationship?

In this powerful episode, we dive into the motivational triad, the primitive brain, the higher brain, emotional regulation, and what the scriptures call the “natural man.” You’ll learn why your nervous system reacts so strongly when your child’s choices no longer align with the values you raised them with, and how to move from survival mode into peace, connection, and intentional motherhood.

This episode will help you:
• Understand why fear and emotional reactivity happen
• Learn the difference between the lower brain and higher brain
• Stop responding from panic, urgency, or control
• Feel your feelings without becoming consumed by them
• Rewrite fear-based stories and thoughts
• Stay connected to your child while honoring agency
• Strengthen relationships instead of creating distance
• Find peace even when motherhood feels heartbreaking

If you are an LDS mom struggling with an adult child leaving the Church, faith transitions, family tension, fear about eternal families, or emotional overwhelm, this episode will help you better understand your brain, your emotions, and how to respond with more love, regulation, peace, and connection.

Your story is not over.
And God is still aware of both you and your child.

If this episode touched your heart, please share it with another mom who may need it too. And if you would like personal support as you walk through these hard conversations and emotions, I would love to meet with you.

Schedule your free Connection & Peace Call here: https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

If you’re an LDS mom struggling because your child has stepped away from the Church, changed beliefs, or chosen a different path than the one you imagined this episode is for you.

Book a free coaching call with me here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84270157732

You raised your children with faith.
Family Home Evening. Seminary. Prayer. Church every Sunday.

You thought you knew what your family story would look like.

Then one day the picture changed.

In this episode, we’re talking about the grief, fear, confusion, and self-blame many Christian and LDS mothers feel when life no longer matches the picture they carried in their heads.

We’ll talk about:

• Why “families are forever” can suddenly feel complicated
• What happens when your child leaves the Church or believes differently
• Why many moms quietly feel like they failed
• The pressure LDS women often carry around creating the “perfect eternal family”
• What it actually means to trust God when life feels uncertain
• How to stop seeing your family as broken
• Finding peace when your child’s choices are different than what you planned

This episode also explores how familiar gospel truths can become so common that we stop really seeing them until something painful moves the picture.

If you’ve ever thought:
“What did I do wrong?”
“How did we get here?”
“Why does this hurt so much?”
“Can I still trust God with my family?”

You are not alone.

This conversation will help you feel more grounded, more hopeful, and less afraid while navigating faith transitions, mixed-faith families, adult children leaving religion, and the emotional pain that comes with unmet expectations.

You’ll walk away with a new perspective on eternal families, trust in God, grief, agency, and what it means to love your family without panic.

You are allowed to stop measuring your family against a picture in your head.

The picture may have changed.
The promises haven’t.

If this episode helped you, please share it with another mom who needs it today.

If you’ve ever thought that, this episode is for you.

When your child makes a choice that goes against everything you taught them, it doesn’t feel neutral. It feels heavy. It feels personal. It feels like everything is unraveling. It feels wrong.

In this episode, I’m walking you through the difference between what actually happened and the story your brain is building around it.

Because those are not the same thing.

We’re talking about real situations LDS moms face every day:

•  A daughter who is pregnant 
•  A son choosing not to serve a mission 
•  A child stepping away from church 
•  A child living with a partner 
•  A family that suddenly doesn’t look like what you pictured 

I’ll show you how your thoughts about these situations can quietly add layers of shame, fear, and suffering and how to start separating that out so you can feel more confident, more clear, and more like yourself again.

This is not about pretending things are okay.
 This is about stopping the extra pain you don’t need to carry.

You’re allowed to feel sad.
 And you’re also allowed to stay whole.

If your child’s choices are keeping you up at night or weighing on your heart, you don’t have to figure this out alone.

👉 Schedule a free call with me and let’s talk about what’s going on for you:
https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

I’ll help you come back to yourself… while still loving them deeply.

As Mother’s Day gets closer, there’s a question many good women carry quietly:

Am I enough?

Enough as a mom, enough for the child who struggles, enough when life didn’t turn out the way you prayed it would.

In this episode, we gently pull that question apart and replace it with something more honest, more grounded, and more healing.

You’ll hear:

• 6 clear ways to know you are enough (even when things feel messy)
• The truth about why your child’s choices are not proof of your failure
• What God actually sees when He looks at you and your family
• How to stop measuring your worth by outcomes you were never meant to control

We’ll anchor everything in powerful scriptures like Isaiah 49 and Romans 8, and a deeply moving story from President Dallin H. Oaks that will change the way you see both yourself and the people you love.

If Mother’s Day feels tender this year, if you’ve been carrying quiet guilt, worry, or disappointment or If you’ve ever wondered if you did enough…

This episode is for you.

Do you want 1:1 help, join me for a free call

 https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

Press play. 🤍

Maybe your children’s choices, struggles, distance from faith, or life decisions have left you carrying grief, confusion, worry, or even shame. And somewhere in the middle of loving them, helping them, and hurting for them you started losing you.

In this episode, we’re talking about identity and the truth that your child’s choices do not erase who you are. You are more than your role as a mother. You are more than outcomes, appearances, or expectations. You are still a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, still valuable, still growing, and still becoming.

Inside this episode we talk about:

•  Why so many moms lose themselves in motherhood 
•  How to stop tying your worth to your child’s choices 
•  The difference between true identity and “lie-dentity” 
•  What God says about your worth 
•  How to reconnect with yourself in this season 
•  Why you are still allowed to dream, grow, heal, and become 

If motherhood feels heavy right now, this episode will feel like a deep breath and a reminder that you have not lost yourself. You may simply need to come home to who you’ve always been.

Ready for more support?
If you’re tired of feeling emotionally hijacked by your child’s choices and want more peace, connection, and clarity, I’d love to help.

Book your Free Connection + Peace Call here

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another mom who needs this reminder today.

In this powerful episode, we’re talking about the silent weight so many LDS moms carry when a child chooses a different path. Maybe they stepped away from the Church. Maybe they came home early from a mission. Maybe life simply doesn’t look like the “brochure family” you thought it would.

And now church feels different.

Even when people are kind, it feels awkward.
Even when no one says anything, it feels loud.
Even when you know better, judgment feels real.

But what if the judgment you feel isn’t the truth?

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why church can feel painful when your family doesn’t look how you hoped
• The difference between real judgment and self-judgment
• How moms make their child’s choices mean something about their worth
• Why joy and sorrow can exist at the same time
• How to stop carrying pain that was never yours to carry
• What it looks like to trust God with outcomes and reclaim your peace

This episode will help you see judgment in a new way, think clearer, and remember that your worth never changes. 

If you’ve been bracing yourself every Sunday, if you feel stuck between loving your child and grieving the life you pictured, if you’re exhausted from carrying this alone, book a free Connection and Peace call with me. We’ll sort through what’s weighing you down and help you find peace, confidence, and hope again.

If you’re an LDS mom who feels the weight of your child’s choices…
 who lies awake wondering what you could have done differently…
 who loves deeply but feels like you’re slowly losing peace…

this episode is for you.

Today we’re talking about deliverance—not as something distant or dramatic, but as something deeply personal.

Deliverance is what happens when there’s a gap between what you need and what you can do… and God steps in to fill it.

And if you’ve been trying to fill that gap for your child…
 this episode will gently show you a different way.

You’ll walk away understanding:

•  Why you feel so responsible for your child’s life 
•  Why that weight was never yours to carry 
•  How deliverance is already showing up, even if you can’t see it 
•  And how to start feeling peace again… right where you are 

You don’t have to fix everything to feel whole again.

Get on a FREE call with me, where we'll talk about where you are and give you the steps to more confidence and peace. 

If you want to go deeper check out the Confident & Whole program. 

If you’ve been doing everything you know to do, praying, showing up, trying to stay strong as a mom, and it still feels heavy, this episode will meet you right where you are.

In this episode, we’re talking directly to LDS moms who love their children deeply, but feel heartache when their child’s choices don’t align with their faith. If you’ve ever felt sadness, shame, worry, or even quiet disappointment that lingers in the background of your life, you are not alone, and nothing has gone wrong.

This conversation will gently shift the way you understand your emotions. You’ll learn why those heavy feelings are not a sign of failure, but part of your divine human experience. We talk about what it really means to feel your feelings in a way that brings you closer to God, not further away.

You’ll also learn the powerful difference between clean pain and dirty pain.

Clean pain is the natural grief, sadness, and love that comes from caring deeply. It softens you, refines you, and connects you to God. Dirty pain is the extra layer, the thoughts like “I failed,” “this shouldn’t be happening,” or “what did I do wrong?” that keep you stuck and overwhelmed.

When you understand this distinction, everything begins to change.

This episode will walk you through a simple, practical tool you can use in real time called “name it to tame it and feel it to heal it.” You’ll learn how to sit with your emotions without letting them take over, so you can feel peace even when your situation hasn’t changed.

We also anchor this conversation in faith, with powerful reminders from scripture and church leaders that nothing about your experience disqualifies you. You are still a good mom. You are still worthy. You are still doing better than you think.

If you’ve been carrying this quietly, wondering if you’re the only one who feels this way, this episode will remind you that you are not alone, and that peace is possible right here, in the middle of your real life.

You don’t need your child to change.
 You don’t need your situation to change.
 You just need a new way to experience what’s already here.

And that is something you can learn.

If you’re ready to take this work deeper, I offer free 25-minute Connection and Peace Calls where we look at your specific situation and help you start feeling relief right away.

https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

You are allowed to feel sadness and still be a good mom.
 You are allowed to feel fear and still trust God.
 You are allowed to be in the middle of this and still feel peace.

I’m so glad you’re here.

The story of Easter doesn’t end at the cross. It doesn’t end at the sealed tomb. It continues with a quiet morning when Mary Magdalene arrived expecting grief, only to discover that the stone had been rolled away and the Savior had risen.

Because He lives, the story is never finished.

For many mothers, Easter feels deeply personal. You may have raised your children in the gospel, prayed with them, taught them about Jesus Christ, and hoped their lives would unfold in a certain way. When their path looks different than you expected, it can bring worry, grief, and questions about what comes next.

But the Resurrection reminds us of something powerful.

Jesus Christ is still working.

He knows your child.
 He loves your child.
 And He is doing things we often cannot see yet.

In this episode, we talk about the hope that comes from the Resurrection and how it applies to the tender places in a mother’s heart. We explore the story of Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb, the personal way the Savior revealed Himself to her, and what that moment teaches us about how Christ works in our lives today.

You’ll also hear encouragement for mothers who are learning how to hold onto love and connection with their children even when faith journeys look different than expected.

Because Easter teaches us something beautiful:

Love is never wasted.
 Hope is never lost.
 And the Savior’s work is never finished.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child’s story is already written… this episode will remind you that God is still writing it.

If you’re a mom navigating a difficult season with your child and you want support as you learn how to trust the Savior with their journey while finding more peace in your own heart, I would love to talk with you.

You can visit my website for free resources or schedule a Free Connection & Peace Call with me here:

https://sheryleekartchner.com/

You don’t have to walk this road alone.

This sacred week reminds us of something powerful: the Savior understands love, heartbreak, hope, and faith in ways we sometimes can’t fully explain.

And if you’re carrying concern for someone you love, that matters.

In this episode, we slowly walk through the final week of the Savior’s life, from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the quiet moments before the Resurrection. As we look at each day of Holy Week, we’ll talk about what it teaches us about Christ’s love, His sacrifice, and the way He walks with us through the tender parts of motherhood.

Because the truth is, many mothers find themselves in their own kind of Gethsemane.

You pray for your children.
 You hope for them.
 You trust that the seeds you planted will matter someday.

And sometimes you simply ask Heavenly Father to help you keep loving them well while their story is still unfolding.

Holy Week reminds us that Jesus Christ understands that kind of love.

He understands the prayers whispered late at night.

He understands the ache of caring deeply for someone and trusting God with their journey.

And because of Him, hope is never lost.

If you’re a mom learning how to hold onto faith, love your child well, and find peace in the middle of uncertainty, I would love to support you.

You can schedule a free Connection & Peace Call here: 

https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

The kind that reminds us that the story isn’t over yet.

If you’re a mom who raised your children in the gospel but some of their life choices have taken a different path than you expected, this season can stir up a lot of emotions. Love. Hope. Worry. Faith.

In this episode, we talk about preparing our hearts for Easter by remembering the Savior who understands what it means to love deeply.

We’ll look at powerful moments from the New Testament where Christ showed compassion, even for those who chose differently than He hoped. And we’ll talk about how His Atonement brings comfort to mothers who are learning to trust God with their children’s story.

You’ll be reminded that:

• Christ understands a mother’s heart
 • Your love for your child is not a mistake
 • And the Savior is still working in ways we cannot yet see

If Easter has ever felt especially personal to you as a mother, this episode will meet you right where you are.

And if you’d like support learning how to hold onto faith, love your child well, and find peace in the middle of the unknown, I’d love to talk with you.

You can schedule a free Connection & Peace Call here: https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

Did I do something wrong?
Did I miss something?
Am I somehow responsible for my child’s choices?

When adult children make decisions that don’t align with what they were taught, it can feel like someone has to pay for it… and many moms quietly take that burden on themselves.

In this episode, we explore the powerful doctrine of mercy and justice and what it really means for mothers whose hearts are aching for their children.

Through a simple story about a broken window, we unpack how the Atonement of Jesus Christ resolves the tension between mercy and justice—and why that truth can bring deep peace to parents who feel responsible for things they cannot control.

You’ll also learn how the stories we tell ourselves about our children’s choices shape our emotions, our peace, and the way we show up in our relationships.

If you’ve ever replayed the past, wondered if you failed somewhere, or felt like you’re carrying a weight you were never meant to carry, this conversation will help you see your role—and the Savior’s role—more clearly.

Because Christ already satisfied justice.

You don’t have to.

And when you understand that truth, you can love your child deeply without losing your peace.

Free Connected & Peace Call

More FREE Helps

If this episode speaks to you, schedule a free Clarity Call and let’s talk.

https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

When your child’s choices feel uncertain, answers feel slow, or the future feels heavy, it’s easy to slip into scarcity thinking. Not enough peace. Not enough direction. Not enough hope.

In this episode, we talk about how to live in abundance even when circumstances haven’t changed.

You’ll learn how to shift from fear to faith, how to recognize the difference between scarcity thinking and an eternal perspective, and how to trust a limitless God when life feels tight, uncertain, or out of your control.

If you’ve been carrying worry about your family, your future, or your faith journey, this conversation will help you breathe again, think differently, and reconnect to the truth that God is not working with limits, and neither are you.

Because sometimes the miracle isn’t a change in your situation.
 Sometimes the miracle is learning to see abundance where you are.

If this episode spoke to you and you would like personal support as you navigate your family situation, your faith, or the emotional weight you’ve been carrying, I offer a free 25-minute Clarity Call.

This is a calm, no-pressure conversation designed to help you feel lighter, more grounded, and clear about your next step.

You don’t have to carry this alone.

Schedule your free Clarity Call here: https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

In this episode, we walk through the official Gospel Topics essay “Mother in Heaven” and explore what Latter-day Saint women can confidently know about their divine identity. We discuss Heavenly Parents, the Plan of Salvation, being created in the image of a Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, and why love in heaven was never singular.

You’ll hear scripture, prophetic teachings, and why this doctrine matters deeply for LDS women navigating faith, motherhood, and identity today.

Read the official Gospel Topics essay “Mother in Heaven” here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/mother-in-heaven?lang=eng
 

Explore the book Mother in Heaven: A Gospel Topics Essay Study Guide referenced in this episode:
https://amzn.to/4aT8R13

If this conversation resonates with you and you want a calm, grounded space to talk through faith, identity, or motherhood, schedule your free 25-minute clarity call here:
https://calendly.com/sherylee-kartchner/25min

In this episode, you will learn how to stop overthinking after hard conversations by understanding what is actually happening in your brain and nervous system. I share a simple coaching tool that helps calm emotional spirals, regulate your emotions, and bring your mind back to a grounded, steady place.

This episode is especially for LDS moms who feel emotionally unsettled after conversations with their spouse, adult children, or family members. We talk about why overthinking happens, how emotional activation affects your thoughts, and how to use your higher brain instead of letting fear, self doubt, or anxiety take over.

You will learn how to calm your mind after difficult conversations, stop replaying conversations on repeat, and support yourself emotionally without judgment or shame. Feeling emotional after a hard conversation does not mean you are failing. It means your body is asking for support.

If you want more peace, clarity, and confidence after hard conversations, this episode will give you practical tools you can use right away. I also share how coaching can help if you want support applying this in real life.

You aren't meant to do it alone. Let's talk, you will feel better after one call. 

Check this out. 

Loving your adult child can feel emotionally exhausting, especially when their choices do not align with your values or how you raised them. Many LDS moms find themselves deeply connected while quietly carrying worry, anxiety, and responsibility that was never meant to be theirs.

In this episode, we talk about how to love your adult child without losing yourself. You will learn how to stay connected without confusing love with agreement, and how to stop carrying your child’s choices in your nervous system.

This conversation explores faith, agency, boundaries, and emotional entanglement, and what it looks like to love your adult child while staying grounded, faithful, and at peace.

If you are an LDS mom navigating relationships with adult children and want more clarity and peace, I offer free clarity calls. Schedule yours through the link in the show notes or visit my website to learn more.

Want more. Look here. 

Let's Talk, you will feel more peace after a FREE call

In this episode, we talk about how to trust God without controlling everything, especially as an LDS mom navigating adult children, marriage, faith, and uncertain outcomes. Many faithful women feel anxious not because they lack faith, but because they believe trusting God also means managing results.

You will learn the difference between surrender and control, why letting go can feel uncomfortable, and how faith does not remove uncertainty but helps you feel grounded while you move through it. This episode offers encouragement for releasing emotional pressure without losing your love, integrity, or devotion to God.

If you are tired of overthinking, replaying conversations, and carrying outcomes that were never meant to be yours, this conversation will help you find more peace, confidence, and spiritual calm.

sheryleekartchner.com

Schedule a FREE 25 Minute call 

In this episode of Open Conversations for LDS Moms, we talk honestly about what it means to experience real joy when your adult child’s choices break your heart. Not fake joy. Not pretending everything is fine. But grounded, faithful joy that can exist alongside sorrow, uncertainty, and unanswered prayers.

You’ll learn why your happiness does not betray your love, how tying your emotional wellbeing to your child’s feelings actually adds more pressure, and how joy can be strength, stability, and faith in action. This episode offers reassurance, perspective, and permission for moms who love deeply and hurt quietly.

You are allowed to live a joyful life. Even when your family feels messy.

https://sheryleekartchner.com/

Visit Sherylee Kartchner Coaching
Schedule a FREE 25 minute Clarity Call

If you’ve ever lain awake wondering Did I mess this up? or What does this mean for my family and our future? — this episode is for you.

In this very first episode of Open Conversations for LDS Moms, life coach Sherylee Kartchner speaks honestly to the quiet fears faithful mothers carry when their adult children make choices that don’t align with what they were taught. With warmth, faith, and real-life stories, she gently reframes the idea that a “messy” family story means failure — and shows why messiness is actually part of God’s plan for growth.

You’ll hear reassurance, scripture-based perspective, light moments you’ll recognize, and powerful reminders that:

• There are no perfect moms — but there are millions of really good ones
• Your love, effort, and faith were never wasted
• You are already whole, right now
• You can trust God without having all the answers

If church feels hard, shame feels heavy, or you’re tired of second-guessing yourself as a mother, this episode will help you feel lighter, steadier, and less alone.

You are a good mom.
 You always have been.
 And you always will be.