Search - LDS Living

Kate Holbrook

Kate Holbrook, PhD (1972-2022), was a leading voice in the study of Latter-day Saint women and Latter-day Saint foodways. She held a BA from Brigham Young University, and MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD from Boston University. Kate was a Specialist in Women's History, Managing Historian of Women's History, and Academic Outreach Director at the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With her colleagues, Kate coedited ground-breaking collections of Latter-day Saint women's history. She enjoyed reading, cooking, gardening, and talking walks with her husband and three children.

Melinda Shaha

Melinda grew up in Utah and met her Army officer husband in high school. After three kids, three years of deployments, and eleven moves since commissioning into the Army, they still jam to 90's ballads in the car, are constantly on the lookout for the world's best pizza (the winner so far is Nonna's in Peekskill, NY), and are really glad when they get to be together as a family. She loves office supplies, has never met a road trip she didn't like, is an expert power napper, and organizes her pantry when she's stressed out. Her faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been an anchor through out her life and she is so very grateful for her testimony and the peace it brings to her life.

Laryssa Wilhelm Waldron

Laryssa Waldron is originally from SLC, Utah. She is a wife and a mother of 3 beautiful daughters. Laryssa is a teacher by profession and has had several opportunities during the span of her career to teach Seminary, College English, and Religion at BYUI - just not all at the same time! She is a writer, public speaker, and lover of technology (blogging, websites, selling online books and creating with her daughters). Laryssa has a Bachelor's degree in English, a Masters in Education, and served a brief stint in the US Army's National Guard after her Church mission to Bulgaria in Eastern Europe.

Ellery Howarth

Ellery Howarth calls Holladay, Utah, home. She grew up constantly playing sports, answering trivia questions, and developing her love for popcorn, her four brothers, and her parents. After graduating high school, Ellery attended BYU for a year before serving a mission in the Guatemala City East Mission. She is currently a senior at BYU majoring in psychology. She enjoys traveling the world, watching films, and laughing every day.

Shilo Kino

Shilo Kino lives in Auckland, New Zealand, and is from the Māori tribes of Ngā Puhi and Tainui. She is an author and journalist, who works at an indigenous current affairs show called Marae and has had her work published in international media such as The Guardian and multiple media outlets in New Zealand. Shilo's debut book The Porangi Boy was released this month, which is a fictional story inspired by historical events where a Māori community protested against the government for building a prison on sacred land. Shilo became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2013 and served a mission in Hong Kong where she taught the gospel in Mandarin. Shilo loves the gospel and is grateful to Jesus Christ for all that she has been given.

Shauna Beard

Shauna recently left her life as a city girl and returned to her roots as a country girl, which includes cows, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, and various uninvited “wildlife”! Shauna is grateful to be allowed to come to earth at this time to be part of the Lord’s Battalion. She loves the work of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil.

Lisa "Love" Zollinger

Lisa, the youngest of six children, was raised in Novato, California, and New Canaan, Connecticut. Lisa and her husband, Josh, have spent the past 17 years in Ladera Ranch, California, raising their five children (their oldest just started her first year at BYU). Lisa, a credentialed elementary school teacher, left teaching to join her husband in opening a residential real estate company servicing Orange County, California. But life has seemed to tell her "not so fast" this year, causing Lisa to go back to her roots and deciding to homeschool her remaining four children at home, all while continuing to sell homes. She lives a crazy life but loves the gospel, which is sustaining her during these unusual times.

Liz Hansen

Liz Hansen is a lead writer for the Church's Book of Mormon video, director, and consultant who has gone from acting on Broadway to a Byline at the Los Angeles Times to the classrooms of Brigham Young University. She holds an MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, has won the prestigious Writers Guild Award, an EMMY nomination, and was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize for excellence in children's television programing. In addition, she has a Telly award and two Crystal Awards for excellence in corporate video writing.

Lenna Panisi Loveridge

Lenna Panisi Loveridge was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and currently lives in Colorado with her husband and six children. You may find it interesting that she has a BS in political science from the University of Utah, but it’s just as important that you know she was regularly featured on Tamara Uzelac Hall’s quote wall during those heady U of U days. Lenna is studying the Tongan language to increase fluency so she can follow up her favorite question, “Ko ho’o Alu ki fe?” (Where are you going?) with “Please bring me a sandwich and a Diet Coke before you do.” Lenna feels a deep and abiding connection to her Tongan ancestors; for their faith enough to move mountains and especially for their faith to move TO the mountains. For which she is so grateful.