The Baddest Mormon: A Conversation with Heather Gay

In this VERY special episode, Ellie and Carrie speak with The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Heather Gay about her brave and beautiful new memoir “Bad Mormon.” The book chronicles Heather’s journey from a devout Mormon to a disillusioned apostate to an ass-kicking mother, businesswoman and reality star. Born in the covenant—a Mormon flex—Gay grew up determined to prove she was a “good girl” worthy of a spot in the celestial kingdom. But time and time again, her big personality and even bigger ambitions conflicted with the expectations of Mormon womanhood. A BYU education, a mission in Marseille, and a temple marriage to “Mormon royalty” should have strengthened her commitment to the church and its expectations of her. But at long last, Sister Gay came to realize that the church’s love was conditional on her being someone she wasn’t. After her divorce, she found a new “community of misfits” that brought this dissonance into sharp resolve. She was done “performing reality” on the straight and narrow and ready to value her own inherent worth. And that, dear listeners, was Heather’s true destiny.