This episode is the fifth in a series designed to help parents, family members, educators, and community members better understand gender differences so we can more effectively support the children, youth, and families in our lives. The first editorial examined how boys and girls see the world, the second explored how they hear, the third focused on how they smell, and the fourth looked at what research reveals about how they engage with toys through touch. This fifth episodes turns to another essential domain—communication.

Gender differences continue to fascinate scientists across disciplines, and for good reason. Some researchers argue that sex differences in childhood may have an even greater impactthan those that emerge later in life. As children grow, many distinctions between boys and girls begin to blend. Yet other studies suggest the picture is far more complex than a simple convergence over time.

This episode of Unleashing Sister Saints is the fourth in a series designed to help you (whether a parent, family member, educator, ward, or community member) better understand gender differences so we can more effectively support the children, youth, and families in our lives The first episode examined how boys and girls differ in the way they see, the second explored how they hear, and the third focused on how they smell. This fourth installment turns to another essential sense—touch—and looks specifically at what research reveals about how boys and girls engage with toys. One more to go! Listen in.

I’m doing a series of short episodes on understanding gender – particularly some of the differences between boys, girls, men, and women. I find it so interesting to learn more about how our Heavenly Parents have created our bodies – I think there are specific reasons for these differences, but we don’t really writes or talk about differences other than what the Proclamation to the Family states – and then our assumptions that women are made for more nurturing and men for supporting families. But this goes deeper.

My first episode examined how boys and girls differ in the way they see the world, and the second explored gender differences in how girls, boys, women, and men hear. This third episode turns to another essential sense—how they experience smell differently. I have a whole course on these things here: Curriculum | Utah Women & Leadership Project | USU

In the last episode—titled “Are There Differences in the Ways that Girls and Boys See the World?” – so difference in “sight.” I started a 5-part series around differences between girls and boys - or between men and women. This is the second in the series, and this one focuses on sound or hearing. I find this fascinating! Listen in.

Conversations about the differences between girls and boys—and between women and men—often make people uneasy. Some fear that acknowledging differences will reinforce stereotypes or limit opportunities. Yet ignoring those differences may do exactly the same thing. The current cultural trend toward “gender neutrality” or “gender blindness” is often rooted in good intentions. But research increasingly suggests that erasing gender may unintentionally strengthen the very stereotypes we hope todismantle.

This is the first episode in a 5-part series to help us understand some of these differences. This episode focuses on the differences between boys and girls on "sight." I hope you find this interesting!

Although I never set out early in my career to research orwrite about sexism, the work found me. As I spent years studying how to develop girls and women into leaders, it became impossible to ignore how persistently sexism undermines that process—both from the outside and within. I’ve learned that sexist beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors shape far more than a girl’s or woman’s sense of identity; they influence her ambitions, her self‑esteem, her confidence, and even her understanding of what leadership and life can looklike in any setting.

What most people don’t know is that sexist homes, workplaces, and communities also affect the physical health of girls and women. And as new research shows, these patterns don’t stop at home or work—they extend into religious congregations, where gender hierarchy can directly shape women’s health. Are you intrigued? This episode will explore that connection. Enjoy!

In this episode I share an editorial I wrote for a statewide Utah that has applications to other states, countries, communities, and congregations. It is research-based and focused on why it is so hard to confront and change things around the issues of confronting violence against women. Listen in.

Each January offers more than a fresh calendar—it gives us a quiet invitation to rethink how we move through the world. Not through grand resolutions that fade by February, but through something far more powerful: examining the patterns of thought that shape who we are and how we show up for others. These mental habits—often invisible to us—steer our choices in our families, workplaces, communities, and faith spaces. And when we don’t recognize them, they can quietly limit us and unintentionally harm the people around us.

One of the most influential of these patterns is the tension between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset. In this episode I share my thoughts about this. These are great mindsets to think about this year!