Called to Create: An LDSPMA Podcast

Steven Sharp Nelson is the only cellist in history to play atop the Great Wall of China, among the Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico, in front of The Christ Redeemer Statue in Rio, at the Petra sandstone city in Jordan, near the Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina, on the grounds of the most iconic castle (Eilean Donan) in Scotland and, best of all, on the Death Star! He has written hundreds of compositions, including two full length symphonies, and sings, plays the piano, the drums, guitar, the bass, the mandolin, the ukulele, and the nose flute. Steven is considered a pioneer in a style he coined, called “cello percussion.” Steven feels grateful that he’s just barely famous enough to make a living, but plenty obscure enough to have a life. And that life, he has found, is best lived when striving to follow the teachings and example of his Best Friend and Savior, Jesus Christ. Steven’s duet with his wife https://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=1000EMNU Website https://thepianoguys.com YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@thepianoguys Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stevensharpnelson Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StevenSharpNelsonMusic Deseret Book https://deseretbook.com/t/author/steven-sharp-nelson

Jenny Doan is more than just a quilting icon. She’s a wife, mother, and popular YouTube personality. Her professional quilting journey began over 27 years ago, back when her family first moved to rural Missouri. Little did she know their random point-and-go selection of the Midwest guided them to an epic adventure atop a quilting empire. Watch this week’s podcast episode and learn how Jenny’s children led the way to the formation and exponential growth of the Missouri Star Quilt Company and its corresponding quilting channel on YouTube. Website https://www.missouriquiltco.com YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@MissouriQuiltCo Instagram https://www.instagram.com/missouriquiltco https://www.instagram.com/jennymsqc Facebook https://www.facebook.com/QuiltingDeals Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/missouriquiltco Thrift Books https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/jenny-doan/1881208

Brooke Romney, a writer, speaker, and connector, is committed to sharing real life with a hopeful twist. She is the best-selling author of three books: “52 Modern Manners for Today's Teens” Volume 1 and 2 and “I Like Me Anyway: Embracing Imperfection, Connection, and Christ”. Brooke comes from girly roots but has morphed into an outdoor adventuring, dirt loving mom of 4 boys. Meaningful connection with family, friends, strangers, and God is where she finds purpose and joy. Website https://brookeromney.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brookeromneywrites Facebook https://www.facebook.com/brookeromneywrites Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/brookeromneywrites Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brooke-Romney/author/B08L8WQN6C?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Scott Christopher is the best-selling author of People People, The Levity Effect, and The Seven UPs of Happiness. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Fox Business Channel, CNBC, National Public Radio, and BBC. Since 1995, Scott has circled the globe entertaining and motivating thousands of audiences from senior leader retreats to all-staff meetings. Applicable to all audiences in any industry, Scott’s unforgettable messages and off-the-cuff humor illustrate firsthand how levity, humor and becoming a ‘people person’ enriches lives at work and at home. Website https://scottchristopher.net Instagram https://www.instagram.com/official_scottchristopher Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scottchristopheractor

Anthony Sweat is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. He received his bachelor's degree in painting and drawing and his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction. He is the author of several articles and books dealing with the teachings and history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His most recent book is The Holy Covenants: Living our Sacred Temple Promises. Anthony is the host and producer of BYU religious education’s popular podcast, Y Religion. As a practicing artist his paintings center on religious themes, including underrepresented events in Church history Website https://www.anthonysweat.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/brotheranthonysweat Deseret Book https://deseretbook.com/products?query=anthony%2520sweat

Dave Finnegan is a seasoned “human experience collector” who dedicated an entire year to exploring the world to gain a deeper understanding of cultures and human experiences. In 2022 he traveled over 130,000 miles, setting foot on every continent including Antarctica, and navigated some of the world's largest rivers such as the Ganges, Amazon, Nile, and Mekong. He hiked iconic trails such as Kilimanjaro, the Himalayas, Patagonia, the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. As a diver, he explored some of the world's most beautiful underwater environments including the Great Barrier Reef, the Red Sea, and the Galapagos Islands. All with a carry-on-sized backpack. Overall, Dave's journey was a transformative experience. In 2013, Dave was named to the “Top 100 CIO” list by CIO Magazine and was nominated as “Innovative CIO of the Year” by Retail Information Systems magazine. He worked at the Orvis Company for seven years (2014-2021) where he was the Customer Experience Officer. Prior to Orvis, he helped to start up Build-A-Bear Workshop (1999-2014) where he served as Chief Information and Interactive Officer for the company. He was instrumental in the development of the award-winning Build-A-Bear Workshop Store of the Future: an innovative blend of digital technology and store experience. Exploring Planet Earth 2022, Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/exploringplanetearth2022 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davefinnegan The National CIO Review magazine interview - https://nationalcioreview.com/interviews-with-technology-leaders/qa-dave-finnegan-chief-experience-officer-orvis/

Hilary Weeks loves hearing stories and imagining what it would be like to feel and experience the things someone else does. She feels drawn to unlock and express the feelings of the heart through music. Sometimes her music collections feel a little like children in that they consume her thoughts, energy, and creativity and she hopes they add good to the world. She strives to put God first in her life because she knows He makes everything else fall into place. hilaryweeks.com facebook.com/hilaryweeks instagram.com/hilaryweeksmusic youtube.com/@HilaryWeeksMusic Best songs list https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hilary-weeks-mn0000140840/songs Limitless by Kris Krohn https://youtu.be/yU6VuEMZatg

Inspirational speaker, entertainer Jason Hewlett is the author of the Facebook post entitled, “I Saw My Wife at Target Today”, a viral post that was seen by more than 100 million people across the globe. Jason has delivered thousands of presentations and was one of the youngest speakers to be inducted into the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame. His talks inspire leadership from the perspective of a Promise while giving attendees an engaging, entertaining, and educational experience. instagram.com/jasonhewlett facebook.com/jasonhewlettentertainer linkedin.com/in/jasonhewlett youtube.com/user/jasonrhewlett twitter.com/jasonhewlett

Cali Black is an author, podcaster, speaker, and content creator who loves the scriptures. At the beginning of 2019, Cali felt called to start an Instagram account titled @ComeFollowMeStudy. Little did she know that a worldwide pandemic would hit the following year and her content would be needed more than ever. She was able to pivot her content and focus on using the Book of Mormon to share peace and joy. Cali also co-hosts the popular podcast, One Minute Scripture Study, and has co-written two Amazon best-selling books, “One Minute Scripture Study in the New Testament” and also a version of the Old Testament. Above all, Cali knows that the scriptures hold the keys to pointing us toward our Savior Jesus Christ. Website https://comefollowmestudy.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/comefollowmestudy YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@comefollowmestudywithcaliblack/videos Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1462144446/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_XYQBQ0HCG90YB203KWVK?linkCode=ml1&tag=comefollowm0f-20 One Minute Scripture Study podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/one-minute-scripture-study-a-come-follow-me-podcast/id1501755896

Lauren Walker is one of six sisters, THE Six Sisters, who have published 10 cookbooks, released cooking and freezer meal courses, and recently launched two podcasts: “Table Talk for Moms” where listeners can sit down together each week to tackle difficult topics of motherhood; “Start-up Spark” offers quick tips to help listeners take their start-up business to the next level. It all started with Lauren and her sisters sitting around a long kitchen counter watching their mother cook, and later, after they left home for college and marriage, starting a blog to stay in touch by sharing family recipes and the things they were doing to keep their children occupied. Six Sisters Stuff website: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sixsistersstuff Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SixSistersStuff YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SixSistersStuff/videos Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/SixSistersStuff Twitter: https://twitter.com/sixsistersstuff

If he can help students find joy in reading and writing by telling them the story of how he wore an eye patch in first grade and told classmates he was a pirate, then J. Scott Savage will do it. In this episode of “Called to Create: An LDSPMA Podcast” with host Connie Sokol, Scott shares insights garnered over decades of experience, telling how it took debt and two recessions for him to unearth his talent and become a popular writer of middle grade books. Now he travels all across the country inspiring youth and adults with the joy of reading. https://www.jscottsavage.com https://twitter.com/jscottsavage?lang=en https://www.instagram.com/jscottsavage/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057711893215

Award-winning journalist Jane Clayson Johnson has traveled the world covering domestic and international stories for two decades, interviewing the biggest newsmakers of the day. Widely known for her work at CBS News, ABC News, and on the nationally syndicated NPR program, On Point, she co-anchored with Bryant Gumbel, worked with Peter Jennings, and anchored coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attack and its aftermath. She is also the best-selling author of “I Am a Mother” and “Silent Souls Weeping.” Jane and her husband, Mark, are the parents of five children and grandparents of three. Website https://www.janeclaysonjohnson.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/janeclaysonjohnson Books https://deseretbook.com/t/author/jane-clayson-johnson

Fine art painter Crystal Despain wasn’t so sure she wanted to be an artist at first. As a high school student, she “thought arguing for money sounded like a good plan and wanted to be a lawyer.”1 Now a distinguished artist with many awards, Crystal credits her mentor artists but especially her persistent husband for dragging her paints out and reminding her that she wanted to do it, she wanted to paint. 1https://segullah.org/genre/interviews/a-visitation-with-crystal-despain Webpage https://www.crystaldespain.com Blog https://www.superlegitblog.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/crystal.despain.art Instagram https://www.instagram.com/crystal.despain.art YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@crystaldespain1127

Adassa exudes a zest for life. She’s fiery and confident and speaks with a passion that makes you want to eat whatever salsa she’s eating. Above all her fame, she knows what’s important and how to stay in an eternal lane. A proud descendant of Latin ancestors who sacrificed dreams and pleasures, Adassa is a talented musician of world-class renown who is the voice of Delores in Disney’s “Encanto.” She is wildly popular for her rendition of We Don’t Talk About Bruno. Her creative journey is inspiring and eventful and laced with hot sauce. Website https://adassa-official.com Twitter https://twitter.com/adassaofficial @adassaofficial TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@adassaofficial @adassaofficial Instagram https://www.instagram.com/adassaofficial @adassaofficial Facebook https://www.facebook.com/adassaofficialpage @adassaofficialpage YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kPz6xSxBDGOYc_triQn1w

Ganel-Lyn Condie, popular speaker and author, pulls back the curtain on what it's like to be a creative who feels a passion to share principles that empower others. Through her own challenges of contracting lupus when newly married and later in life the suicide death of a sister, Ganel-Lyn shares what it is like to "throw every dart at the board" to find answers. In the crowded media swimming pool where spiritual creatives often bump into each other, Ganel-Lyn shares how focusing on the "one" allows heaven to amplify each unique voice. Website https://ganellyn.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ganellyn/ @ganellyn Instgram https://www.instagram.com/ganellyn/?hl=en @ganellyn YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ganel-lyncondie1064 LDSLiving articles https://www.ldsliving.com/ganel-lyn-condie Deseret Book https://deseretbook.com/t/author/ganel-lyn-condie

Mauli Junior Bonner is an energetic, joyful member of the Bonner family, a beloved Latter-day Saint family of talented singers. As a young man, Mauli traded his college football scholarship for airline tickets to Los Angeles, without his parents' knowledge, to start his career in the music industry. He now writes music for top pop artists and is a much sought-after vocal director. In this LDSPMA podcast Called to Create, Mauli shares how he felt a need to tell the history of enslaved black members of the Church. With faith and the help of heaven, he created the highly acclaimed documentary His Name Is Green Flake which details the life of a 19-year-old enslaved young man who drives the first wagon into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Green Flake Movie website https://www.greenflakemovie.com Shadow Mountain https://shadowmountain.com/author-book/mauli-junior-bonner-and-chantel-bonner/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mauli.bonner.7 @maulibonner Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maulib/ @maulib

Jon Heder, best known for his acting debut role as Napoleon Dynamite in the movie of the same name, is also a filmmaker and voice actor of a number of films and television shows including the voice of Napoleon Bonafrog in an episode of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Jon performed at the Children’s Educational Theater in Salem, Oregon from fourth grade to eighth. Later he filmed homemade movies with his brothers on their dad’s video camera and went on to study film and computer animation, graduating from BYU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He and his wife, Kirsten, are the parents of four children. https://www.instagram.com/hederjon/?hl=en https://twitter.com/hederjon?lang=en https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1417647

Steve Young, best known for his 15-season NFL professional football career as quarterback, first for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then the San Francisco 49ers, previously set school and NCAA records playing college football for Brigham Young University (BYU). While playing for the NFL, Young received a graduate law degree from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School and later co-founded successful private equity firm Huntsman Gay Global Capital (HGGC). Young and his wife, Barb, co-founded the Forever Young Foundation which seeks to lift up underserved communities and children around the world. He is the best-selling author of “QB: My Life Behind the Spiral” and released his second book, “The Law of Love,” in 2022. Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/steveyoungqb @SteveYoungQB Forever Young Foundation ~ http://foreveryoung.org/ Linkedin ~ https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-young-26131a38 Huntsman Gay Global Capital (HGGC) ~ https://www.hggc.com/about Contact Steve ~ https://www.hggc.com/team/j-steven-young

A fine arts painter best known for his award-winning contemporary religious art, J. Kirk Richards urges creators to exercise faith and take the next step forward. In his early teens, Kirk decided to put aside the music lessons he’d been taking his “whole life” and follow a persistent tug toward visual arts. Illustrating the book “The Carpenter of Galilee and the Welcoming Door,” solidified his preference for painting scenes he envisions and feels strongly about. Website- https://www.jkirkrichards.com/ Instagram - https://instagram.com/jkirkrichards Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/jkirkrichards Twitter - https://twitter.com/jkirkrichards YouTube - https://youtube.com/user/jkirkrichards Deseret Book- https://deseretbook.com/t/author/j-kirk-richards MyShopify - https://jkirkrichards.myshopify.com/

Jackson VanDerwerken knew he didn’t fit the casting criteria for the role of Nephi in the Church’s new Book of Mormon video series, but his mother urged him to send in his audition video anyway, even if a day late. Despite his lack of screen acting experience and being “skinny as a string bean”, he was chosen for the part out of a thousand applicants. Portraying young Nephi helped Jackson better understand what Nephi went through and taught him how to relate his life to the experiences of Nephi and his family. Instagram: @jackson_vanderwerken https://www.instagram.com/jackson_vanderwerken/ Facebook: @jacksonvanderwerken https://www.facebook.com/JacksonVanDerwerken Link to the Church’s Book of Mormon Videos page: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/collection/book-of-mormon-videos?lang=eng