Join us today for a unique Mormon Stories episode! Gabriella Zelaya shares her story of growing up amidst Mormon culture in Farmington, Utah as a non-member. Surrounded by an LDS-dominated community and extended family, Gabby navigated social pressure, exclusion, and judgment by the members that surrounded her. From feeling like an outsider in school to eventually converting to Mormonism as a teenager for a sense of belonging, Gabby opens up about the emotional toll of purity culture, “love bombing,” and the struggle to find self-worth. She recounts her journey through mental health challenges, her eventual disaffection from the Church, and the healing work she’s done to break cycles of shame and rebuild her life on her own terms. Topics Include: -Growing up non-Mormon in a Mormon world -Conversion for community and survival -Love bombing and disillusionment -Breaking free and healing from trauma Join us for this raw and inspiring conversation. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/baptized-in-utah-to-fit-in-gabrielle-zelaya-ep-2044/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:14 Gabi’s Mormon story begins 00:04:37 All of her extended family are still active Mormons 00:09:16 Being the only non-members in their family - pressure from grandparents 00:22:00 She was always asked “Are you Mormon?” 00:29:59 What were her interests as a teen? 00:40:24 How did she feel when her boyfriend was sent away? 00:57:06 Told a friend she was interested in being baptized, and met with missionaries behind her mom’s back 01:06:45 Discussing “Love Bombing” 01:22:03 Did she feel “clean” and “new” after her baptism? 01:31:54 What was it like at home with her mom after converting? 01:48:00 Starting EMDR therapy 01:56:31 “In my life, the church created more harm than good” 02:05:10 Lack of separation between church and state in Utah 02:02:47 Deciding if she want to stay in Salt Lake or raise their son elsewhere 02:09:11 Final thoughts ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117