Shakespeare is supposed to be electric, so why does it so often feel like homework? We start there, swapping stories about live theater, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and why great acting can beat big sets every time. Then the conversation takes a hard left in the best way: I hand the mic to Tyson and let him interview me about the parts of my story that listeners keep asking for.

We talk about growing up in Salt Lake City, bouncing between friend groups, and how rollerblading and a family divorce shaped the “rebel without a cause” energy that later turned into real curiosity. From missions and Spanish to the ex-Mormon shelf breaking in college, we get honest about faith crisis, therapy, and what it takes to leave the LDS Church without letting bitterness run your life. If you’re searching for conversations about leaving Mormonism, identity shifts, and rebuilding relationships with family, this one goes there.

Career reinvention threads through everything: Seattle as a clean break, the prestige and pressure of investment banking, getting fired, and how an ADHD diagnosis finally explains years of stress and struggle. We also talk about grief, losing a colleague, and why loss makes you question what “success” even means. From six months of van life across 36 states to divorce and starting the podcast, the big theme is simple: authenticity beats performance, and community beats networking.

If this hits home, subscribe, share it with a friend who’s at a crossroads, and leave a review with the inflection point that changed your life.

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S2, E10: Erik Nilsson - Small Lake City Podcast