Mormon to Muse

What Flow Actually Is

Flow is a state of deep absorption where action and awareness merge.
Time distorts. Self-consciousness quiets. Effort feels purposeful rather than draining.

Neuroscientifically, flow is associated with reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain res...

For much of history, spirituality has been defined through a masculine lens.

Not because men are more spiritual—but because the people with power were the ones writing the rules.

Masculine spirituality has been shaped around hierarchy, obedience, endurance, and self-denial. It rewards restraint...

Episode 36 – Audacity
Stop Waiting to Be Chosen

Many of us weren’t taught to trust our inner authority—we were taught to wait for it to be assigned.
Audacity is the moment you stop waiting for the call and start responding to yourself.

What Audacity Actually Is (and Isn’t)

Audacity isn’t arroganc...

Every time the world feels like it’s unraveling, a familiar idea resurfaces:

Now is not the time for creativity.

It can sound responsible. Mature. Moral, even.
When there is suffering, violence, injustice, or uncertainty, making art can feel frivolous—or worse, selfish.

I understand why that th...

Does Self-Care Feel Like Another Thing You’re Failing At?

If self-care has started to feel like another obligation you’re not doing well enough, I have good news for you:
the problem isn’t you — it’s the way self-care has been defined.

That might sound dramatic. And to be clear, I don’t hate car...

If the idea of setting goals fills you with tension instead of motivation, you’re not broken — and you’re not failing at “mindset.”

For many women, especially those who were raised in high-demand systems like Mormonism, goals were never neutral. They were loaded with pressure, worthiness, compar...

One of the hardest things after leaving Mormonism isn’t figuring out what you believe.

It’s learning how to tell when a choice is actually yours.

I use the phrase “creating a better life than the one you had in Mormonism” a lot—and lately I’ve realized it needs more nuance than it sometimes get...

Most people don’t quit creative work because they lack talent.
They quit because no one warned them about how the learning process feels.

If you don’t know what to expect, the discomfort can feel like a sign that something has gone wrong. Like maybe you’re not cut out for this after all.

But usu...

 Have you ever picked up your phone to check one thing—only to find yourself scrolling minutes later, unsure why you opened it in the first place?

You’re not alone. Digital distraction has become such a normalized part of modern life that we rarely pause to question what it’s costing us. And yet, q...

What do Mormon prophets, Jim Jones, and modern politicians all have in common?
They all use the same psychological trick: dividing the world into us vs. them.

In this post (based on Episode 17 of Mormon to Muse), I want to show you just how powerful that trick is—and why it’s so hard to unlearn.

A lot of us are emotionally stunted—especially those raised in high-demand systems like Mormonism. From a young age, we learned to separate ourselves from our feelings, to distrust them, and to suppress them in order to fit into the framework we were given.

But here’s the truth: learning to feel...

What do you do when your painting—or your life—doesn’t turn out the way you imagined?

Every artist knows that revisions, mistakes, and surprises are part of the creative process. Sometimes the canvas takes on a life of its own, and what emerges is different—but often more beautiful—than what we ...