About Lyn

Hello, I'm Lyn, and I'm delighted that you've taken an interest in my story. Perhaps you're
curious about Mormons, or you've had experience with other conservative or cult-like religions.
Maybe you're estranged from family members for various reasons, or you're simply fascinated by
religion and spirituality, like me. Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here.

Our journeys out of the world we were born into and into a new world of awareness can be
challenging. We often experience conflicting desires for separation and autonomy, as well as
connection and belonging. We face surprising grief in moving forward, the challenges of letting
go of old beliefs and indoctrination, and the loneliness in searching for truth.

I'd love to hear about your journey, your experience, and learn your story. Perhaps we share
similarities in our paths and hard choices.

I was raised in Utah in a Mormon family, related to the founder, Joseph Smith, and I spent my
childhood struggling to be perfect to avoid my violent father's wrath, the Patriarch, and to protect
the family's high-profile image in The Church and community.

When I left for college at seventeen, I was exposed to ideas that countered everything I'd been
taught and believed, particularly the history of my famous relatives and the beginnings of the
Mormon religion. Disillusioned by what I discovered, I left my faith, family, and Utah to
establish an identity separate from my past and heritage, but with repercussions I didn't expect.

While it appeared I was succeeding, having graduated magna cum laude from Utah State
University and earning my MBA from NYU, I found myself unable to escape the tsunami of
guilt and old perfection tapes that played relentlessly in my head. Eventually, I came undone and
was forced to reexamine what was true for me, my family, and find a path through this new
reality.

I'm currently writing a follow-up memoir, while seeking to publish We Were Smiths, exploring
themes of the price we pay for facades, both individually and as a family, as well as the issues of
trauma, identity and loyalty, autonomy and connection, and surviving or thriving.

I live in historic Savannah, Georgia, with my husband, Kent, and we escape to the mountains of
North Carolina during the summer. Our three children have flown the nest, but fortunately, they
return often to visit.

I'm excited to hear your story and experiences. Join me on my path to publication and be among
the first to know when We Were Smiths finds a home with a publisher. Please click on the button
below to leave me your email address.

Thank you for your interest. I’d love to hear from you!

Lyn