We host nourishing conversations that address the rise of singleness. We hope to imagine and create a community of care that can account for seismic shifts in family formation and how we relate to each other. On our podcast, hosted by Mallory Everton and Diana Brown, we bring on a broad-range of guests to describe what it’s like dating, forming friendships, and finding community today and dig into our theological and philosophical wells for guidance through the trouble spots.

The Rise of Singleness

Unless trends shift dramatically, our future will see an unprecedented number of people remain single well into adulthood and for some, the duration of their lives. Pew reports that in 2021, 25% of 40-year-olds had never married, up form 6% in 1980. Trends are not that different among the religious. This is hitting the religious and non-religious alike. Over half of adult members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are single, for example, despite the Church’s strong emphasis on family. What will the future look like, given these trends? How will this shape our relationships and opportunities throughout the life course? Who will benefit, and who will be be made vulnerable?

The Religious Beat

We regularly bring on guests from various faith backgrounds to discuss love, family, relationships, and the role of religion in all this.

We also spend time with our own tradition, hoping to make it the best it can be for those without a traditional family setup. We both find our roots in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, where singleness can sometimes be treated a mark of personal failure. Yet life in the Church has also taught us how to build strong social networks that allow community and deep friendships to flourish. It taught us to be spiritually inquisitive, to cultivate internal resilience, and to turn outwards and consecrate our experiences for good. We try to highlight these and translate them to new contexts.

You’ll notice we love discussing the experience of being on the margins of an already-marginal religion. We believe that the places where we feel most odd, misunderstood, and rejected also offer the keys to understanding, forgiving, and finding love within it. The same is true, of course, for singleness!