The Holiest Hustle: The Mormon Church and Free Labor.

The Holiest Hustle: The Mormon Church and Free Labor.

Claire and Mel reunite in person after months apart and catch up on summer. stuff. They swap bleak dating-app observations from Australia and New Zealand, mock “still figuring it out” middle-aged profiles, and dissect a man who tried to reject Claire after she politely ended a mismatch. Mel then recounts a Bumble date that devolved into a near two-hour political monologue, guaranteeing no second date. The episode’s main topic is “free labor” in the LDS/Mormon Church: unpaid callings, gendered leadership, lack of training and mishandling of abuse, heavy tithing pressure despite wealthy leadership stipends and vast church assets, and time burdens like moving help and missions that function to lock members in via sunk-cost fallacy.

00:00 Reunited In Person

01:22 Summer Catch Up

03:31 Cat Cameo

03:56 Tinder Abroad Blues

05:42 Still Figuring It Out Rant

07:12 The 21 Miles Guy

10:54 Dating Burnout And ROI

14:05 Bumble Date Disaster

26:18 Talking Yourself Into Dates

27:22 Topic Intro Free Labor

28:47 Callings And Lay Ministry

29:22 Tithing Salaries And Wealth

35:22 Tithing Pressure Trap

36:35 Pre Tax Tithing Debate

38:29 Where Tithing Really Goes

39:54 Callings Explained

41:04 Patriarchy In Leadership

44:06 Safety And Abuse Reporting

46:55 Bishop Burden At Home

57:53 Ward Labor And Lost Weekends

01:01:55 Missions Pay To Serve

01:12:45 Sunk Cost Keeps You In

01:16:09 Airport Missionary Culture

01:18:22 Final Thoughts And Wrap Up

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