This podcast started out as a self help podcast for moms trying to find balance in motherhood and business but morphed into a documentation of Crystal and Sean Escobar's journey out of the Mormon church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The Podcast has been therapeutic on so many levels for its hosts. They vulnerably share their pitfalls and triumphs as they work to deconstruct a lifetime of indoctrination from the LDS church which they exited in the Spring of 2018. Sexual shame, marriage, parenting, science, spirituality, personal development, healing, sex abuse, are some of the topics they focus on.
Together, the Escobars founded the Mormon Enlightenment community on Facebook which they started in August of 2018. One year later there was 3500 members. Participating in the community has proven to be the silver lining to an otherwise traumatic experience. Mormon Enlightement is also comprised of an Instagram page, and YouTube channel. They feel passionate about doing their part among many amazing pioneers like John Dehlin, who featured them on Mormon Stories Podcast. Their goal around all of this is to normalize leaving the church, and to make it safe and acceptable for their children to be non-Mormon in a predominantly Mormon world.
Crystal and Sean Escobar are down to earth people who grew up in the heart of Mormonism in the Salt Lake Valley. They were married in 2004 and have 4 children. In 2007, they became the youngest millionaires in Isagenix, an international health and wellness company. Having achieved unparalleled success in their industry, they were able to retire at the age of 35. Since 2011 they have divided their time between living half the year in Salt Lake and the other half in Saint George.
Crystal’s family is pioneer stock. She served a mission to Germany in 2002. What is curious is that as of 2019, the majority of her side of the family, which is quite large, is out of the Church. Crystal is the founder of the Wannabe Balanced brand, which has presence on all social media platforms, as well as an ongoing podcast, a Blog and periodic Live Events. She is also a published author of the book “My Life as a WannaBeBalanced Mom” and has been featured on many local news media stations.
Sean’s parents were both first generation converts. Sean’s family, much smaller in comparison, are all still very active and believing. In February of 2018 Sean published a recording between him and the man who had sexually abused him as a child in 1993. That same year the abuse took place, Sean’s perpetrator was offered employment at BYU and stayed on as a Professor of Film for 6 years immediately thereafter. That man enjoyed a prestigious professional career as an LDS Film maker and was also the Director of the most recent Temple Endowment Videos. Those videos were hastily abandoned by the Church one month prior to the story breaking. The 25 year old abuser story went viral and was featured on the cover of the New York Times. Another victim, a child, came forward and the perpetrator was sentenced to 6 years to life in prison in the summer of 2019. Sean has become a powerful advocate for stoping child sexual abuse by giving victims the courage to come forward.