42: Navigating Mission Delays

LDS Missionary Moms

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I’m so grateful you’ve joined me today. In this episode, I’m continuing our important series on supporting missionaries experiencing mission delays and struggles with pornography. I believe we need all the resources we can get on this topic, so I’ve brought in a special guest, Marie Poulter, an emotional health coach who specializes in helping individuals find freedom from pornography.

Marie shares insights from her work with both teens and adults, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between habits and addiction. In her practice, she and her husband focus on working with people who want to change, offering tools to overcome habits and escape cycles without shame or guilt.

We also discuss:

• The role of parents in providing emotional safety.
• The damaging effects of shame and how it perpetuates dishonesty.
• How missionaries can manage urges using the SLAB tool: Stop, Leave, Allow, and Breathe.
• Understanding the natural challenges missionaries face, including surges of sex hormones.
• How parents can regulate their own nervous systems and create a safe space for open conversations with their children.
• Shifting perspectives: Mistakes are not failures—they’re opportunities to gather data and move forward.

Marie offers encouragement to parents and missionaries alike, sharing stories of real transformation. Together, we explore how small shifts in dialogue, empathy, and support can lead to lasting change.

Where to Find Marie Poulter
Visit Marie and her husband’s website: www.pornographyfreedom.com
Email [e-mail]
What to do with an Urge-
A Freedom From Pornography Tool:
SLAB “throw a slab to stop you from dropping down (answering the urge).
S=STOP and see what’s happening- get present in the moment
L= LEAVE - leave the bathroom, your phone, your computer.
A-ALLOW the physical symptoms of the urge.
B- BREATH through the physical symptoms of the urge. The urge WILL pass.
The more you practice SLABBING an urge, the quieter they get!

Share your missionary stories where you agree to allow me to share them:
[e-mail]
Missionary Mom Journal: https://www.amazon.com/Missionary-Mom-Chronicles-Michelle-Evans/dp/B0CFZ9GZS8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2FMSPY3SBZMDG&keywords=missionary+mom+journal&qid=1704483351&sprefix=missionary+mom+journa%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-4
Trying to decide if working with me would be a good idea? Sign up for a free one-hour consultation: https://calendly.com/michellesevans-coach/missionary-mom
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