
BYU student Paige R. Merkley (’27) is addicted to service. On Sunday afternoons she drinks root beer floats and chats with her adopted grandparent. On Tuesdays she dances with her friends at Adaptive Show Choir practice. On Thursdays she prepares the choreography for that choir. On Fridays she eats lunch with unhoused community members at the Food and Care Coalition. On Saturdays she plays basketball with the Special Olympics Collegiate Teams program. All of this while keeping a full schedule of classes. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks with Merkley and Y-Serve director Christopher J. Crippen (BS ’99) about how to fit service into your schedule. You can find service opportunities in your community by visiting justserve.org. This episode is based on the article “Do Gooding” by Brooklyn Hughes Roemer from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls,” “Loving the Least of These: How a BYU Alum Helps the Homeless,” “High on a Mountain Top: Rescue Training in the Himalayas,” “Life and Breath: BYU Students Improve Public Health in Nepal,” and “Going Forth—It’s What We Do: How BYU Grads Are Making a Difference.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 7
20 min

“Language is probably one of the most pervasive uses of AI,” says BYU computer science professor Steve D. Richardson (BS ’77, MA ’80). It’s prophesied in scripture that “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue” (D&C 90:11), but, asks Richardson, “how is that going to happen when there are 7,000 languages in the world?” The Pathsay project, a collaborative effort between BYU researchers and BYU Pathway students from all over Africa, are working on a way to bridge the gap by recording audio in low-resource languages like Xhosa, Twi, and Zulu and use it to train AI translation models. Richardson joins Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss how the origins of this project, how it’s growing, and how it will serve communities around the world. This episode is based on the article “Sounded in Every Ear” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Tech Support: Parenting Kids to Thrive in a Digital World,” and “BYU’s World Campus with Kennedy Center Director Stan Benfell.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 2
26 min

Sports benefit kids in numerous ways: they reduce the risk of disease and mental illness, they improve performance in school, and they can even help kids do better at work later in life, says Matthew K. Seeley, a BYU biomechanics professor. But we’re also in the midst of what Seeley calls a “youth-sport culture crisis,” where kids are being pushed to specialize too early, chase scholarships, and train year-round—all things that can do more harm than good. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, listen in as Seeley talks with host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) about his initiative, the Strong Youth Project, which aims to improve youth sports, and offers advice to parents and coaches on how to help kids experience the benefits of sports without the burnout and stress. You can learn more about the Strong Youth Project and access their podcast at exsc.byu.edu. This episode is based on the article “Raising Happy Athletes” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Lifelong Wellness,” where BYU student wellness instructors offer personal health tips, and “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his experience creating belonging in refugee communities through soccer. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 12
30 min

Which translations of the Bible should you use in your family or personal study? How did different Bible translations come about in the first place? Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in learning from BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew J. Grey (BA ’03) about the Church’s new policy on Bible translations, the history of those translations, and where to start your own study. Try exploring these verses using different Bible translations: Matthew 6:25–34, Matthew 5:22, John 1:1, and 1 John 2:2. You can access all of the modern translations recommended in the Church Handbook online at Bible.com. This episode is based on the article that will publish in the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “10 Tips from BYU Religion Professors to Deepen Your Book of Mormon Study” and “Gospel on the Go: Three BYU Podcasts to Enrich Your Study.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 5
39 min

In an age of digital communication, remote work, and social media, the World Health Organization recognizes social disconnection as a worldwide epidemic. What is the solution? Othello L. Richards (BA ’03, MA ’17), communications professor and former on-air reporter, has some ideas. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Richards joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in a conversation about conversations—how to start them, how to keep them going, and how to get better at them. This episode is based on the article “Asking Good Questions” from the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad,” an episode exploring the physical impact of isolation, and “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics With Family,” where a political science professor discusses how to have better disagreements. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 22
21 min

For Brent S. Crane (BS ’93), caring for individuals living in poverty or without homes is about more than just providing food. As executive director of Provo’s Food & Care Coalition, Crane helps provide meals, hot showers, clean clothes, hygiene products, and healthcare services every day—and the mission of each service is to provide dignity and care to individuals, no matter the circumstances they’re coming from. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Crane joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss the power of humanizing unhoused and low-income populations, and how the community has come together to serve those in need. This episode is based on the article “Opening Opportunities” in the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. You can learn more about the Food & Care Coalition and look for volunteer opportunities at foodandcare.org. You can also watch a video about BYU’s hydroponics partnership here. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport,” where a BYU alum shares his efforts to help refugees find belonging in the US through soccer. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 4, 2025
25 min

How do you include raising a family and managing a home on a resume? What’s the business term for “stay-at-home mom”? When Heather Nemelka faced a sudden divorce and had to find a job after years of dedicating herself to her kids, she had to tackle these questions head-on. Now, as the founder of Elavare, a company that supports women who are re-entering the workforce, Nemelka joins Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in an empowering conversation about how women—whether young mothers, or empty nesters—can seek education, develop their talents, and apply homemaking skills toward employment opportunities. This episode accompanies an article about Heather Nemelka in the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “BYU’s Pioneers in Chaplaincy,” an episode about the first women in BYU’s chaplaincy program, and “Cake by Courtney: Baking, Business, and Faith,” an episode about another alumni entrepreneur. You might also enjoy “In Good Company: Students Build Real Businesses in Two Semesters.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 6, 2025
30 min

When journalist and BYU alum McKay Coppins received news of the tragic attack on a Latter-day Saint chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, he’d already been planning an article for The Atlantic in memory of President Russell M. Nelson, who had died the day before. Now Coppins wondered, “How would [President Nelson] have responded to the horrific violence in Michigan if he’d lived one more day?” In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Coppins about the interplay between his faith and his journalism career—and how that relationship was shaped in part by advice from President Nelson himself. The episode is based on a feature article in the upcoming Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. Check out Coppins’s articles discussed in the episode: “A Prophet’s Diagnosis” (2025) and “The Most American Religion” (2020). If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like “Write It Down: Advice from the New Deseret News Editor on Recording Your Life,” a conversation with Deseret News editor Sarah Jane Weaver (BA ’94). You can learn more about talking politics peacefully by listening to “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics with Family.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 9, 2025
39 min

Caring for an aging loved one can be challenging—it makes demands on time and resources that can strain relationships. Despite the challenge, it can also be an “angelic and special time,” says BYU family life professor Jeremy B. Yorgason (BS ’97). In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks with Yorgason about both the blessings and the burdens of being a caregiver for aging loved ones. This episode is based on the article “Prepare to Care” by Tyler Stahle in the Winter 2024 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may enjoy other episodes about having difficult conversations, like “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics with Family” and “Making Peace: How to Mediate Conflict in Our Families.” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 4, 2025
25 min

Whether you prefer the energy of football in LaVell Edwards Stadium, the roar of the Marriott Center during a basketball game, or the thrill of a women’s volleyball match in the Smith Fieldhouse, one thing’s for sure: it’s an exciting time to be a BYU fan. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) talks all things BYU athletics with BYU Sports Nation hosts Jarom T. Jordan (BA ’09) and Spencer K. Linton (BA ’07). This episode accompanies the Summer 2025 issue of Y Magazine, an issue entirely dedicated to 150 years of BYU history in honor of the university’s sesquicentennial anniversary. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like our episode with retired BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, “A Vic’try Story” and our conversation with Olympians Conner Mantz and Clayton Young in “Fast Friends.” You may also enjoy the episode “BYU Joins the Big 12” with coaches Jennifer Rockwood, Diljeet Taylor, and Mark Pope. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 7, 2025
27 min
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