Y Magazine

"It's All About Love": Finding Time for Service

BYU student Paige R. Merkley (’27) is addicted to service. On Sunday afternoons she drinks root beer floats and chats with her adopted grandparent. On Tuesdays she dances with her friends at Adaptive Show Choir practice. On Thursdays she prepares the choreography for that choir. On Fridays she eats lunch with unhoused community members at the Food and Care Coalition. On Saturdays she plays basketball with the Special Olympics Collegiate Teams program. All of this while keeping a full schedule of classes. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) as she talks with Merkley and Y-Serve director Christopher J. Crippen (BS ’99) about how to fit service into your schedule. You can find service opportunities in your community by visiting justserve.org [https://www.justserve.org/]. This episode is based on the article “Do Gooding [https://magazine.byu.edu/article/byu-150-service-challenge/]” by Brooklyn Hughes Roemer from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Saving Days: Ending Period Poverty with Days for Girls [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/saving-days-ending-period-poverty-with-days-for-gi],” “Loving the Least of These: How a BYU Alum Helps the Homeless [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/loving-the-least-of-these-how-a-byu-alum-helps-the-homeless-1],” “High on a Mountain Top: Rescue Training in the Himalayas [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/high-on-a-mountain-top-rescue-training-in-the-hima],” “Life and Breath: BYU Students Improve Public Health in Nepal [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/life-and-breath-byu-students-impact-public-health],” and “Going Forth—It’s What We Do: How BYU Grads Are Making a Difference [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/going-forth-its-what-we-do-how-byu-grads-are-makin].” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey [https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaAtJvGe5fXyroq]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y-magazine/id1676318942], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/50YytMCSd0wQSF0DJTx1D2?si=GMYodGZDTBe_k-sTdPvPJg], or YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@byumagazine]. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

To All: How AI is Helping Share Gospel Messages in Other Languages

“Language is probably one of the most pervasive uses of AI,” says BYU computer science professor Steve D. Richardson (BS ’77, MA ’80). It’s prophesied in scripture that “every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue” (D&C 90:11), but, asks Richardson, “how is that going to happen when there are 7,000 languages in the world?” The Pathsay project, a collaborative effort between BYU researchers and BYU Pathway students from all over Africa, are working on a way to bridge the gap by recording audio in low-resource languages like Xhosa, Twi, and Zulu and use it to train AI translation models. Richardson joins Y Magazine podcast host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) to discuss how the origins of this project, how it’s growing, and how it will serve communities around the world. This episode is based on the article “Sounded in Every Ear” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Tech Support: Parenting Kids to Thrive in a Digital World [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/tech-support-parenting-kids-to-thrive-in-a-digital],” and “BYU’s World Campus with Kennedy Center Director Stan Benfell [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/ymag-stan-benfell-v1-1].” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey [https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaAtJvGe5fXyroq]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y-magazine/id1676318942], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/50YytMCSd0wQSF0DJTx1D2?si=GMYodGZDTBe_k-sTdPvPJg], or YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@byumagazine]. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How to Fix Youth Sports: Game-Changing BYU Researchers Have Ideas

Sports benefit kids in numerous ways: they reduce the risk of disease and mental illness, they improve performance in school, and they can even help kids do better at work later in life, says Matthew K. Seeley, a BYU biomechanics professor. But we’re also in the midst of what Seeley calls a “youth-sport culture crisis,” where kids are being pushed to specialize too early, chase scholarships, and train year-round—all things that can do more harm than good. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, listen in as Seeley talks with host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) about his initiative, the Strong Youth Project, which aims to improve youth sports, and offers advice to parents and coaches on how to help kids experience the benefits of sports without the burnout and stress. You can learn more about the Strong Youth Project and access their podcast at exsc.byu.edu [https://exsc.byu.edu/the-strong-youth-project-homepage]. This episode is based on the article “Raising Happy Athletes [https://magazine.byu.edu/article/raising-happy-athletes-youth-sports-burnout/]” from the Winter 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy “Lifelong Wellness [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/lifelong-wellness],” where BYU student wellness instructors offer personal health tips, and “Refugee Soccer: Finding Belonging Through Sport [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/refugee-soccer-finding-belonging-through-sports],” where a BYU alum shares his experience creating belonging in refugee communities through soccer. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey [https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaAtJvGe5fXyroq]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y-magazine/id1676318942], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/50YytMCSd0wQSF0DJTx1D2?si=GMYodGZDTBe_k-sTdPvPJg], or YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@byumagazine]. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Bible Backstory: Why Read Other Translations?

Which translations of the Bible should you use in your family or personal study? How did different Bible translations come about in the first place? Join host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in learning from BYU ancient scripture professor Matthew J. Grey (BA ’03) about the Church’s new policy on Bible translations, the history of those translations, and where to start your own study. Try exploring these verses using different Bible translations: Matthew 6:25–34, Matthew 5:22, John 1:1, and 1 John 2:2. You can access all of the modern translations recommended in the Church Handbook online at Bible.com [http://Bible.com]. This episode is based on the article that will publish in the Summer 2026 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “10 Tips from BYU Religion Professors to Deepen Your Book of Mormon Study [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/10-tips-from-byu-religion-professors-to-deepen-you]” and “Gospel on the Go: Three BYU Podcasts to Enrich Your Study [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/gospel-on-the-go-three-byu-podcasts-to-enrich-your].” If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey [https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaAtJvGe5fXyroq]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y-magazine/id1676318942], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/50YytMCSd0wQSF0DJTx1D2?si=GMYodGZDTBe_k-sTdPvPJg], or YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@byumagazine]. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How to Put Down the Phone and Pick Up a Conversation

In an age of digital communication, remote work, and social media, the World Health Organization recognizes social disconnection as a worldwide epidemic. What is the solution? Othello L. Richards (BA ’03, MA ’17), communications professor and former on-air reporter, has some ideas. In this episode of the Y Magazine podcast, Richards joins host Whitney Singley Archibald (BA ’01) in a conversation about conversations—how to start them, how to keep them going, and how to get better at them. This episode is based on the article “Asking Good Questions [https://magazine.byu.edu/article/asking-good-questions/]” from the Fall 2025 issue of Y Magazine. If you enjoyed this episode, you may also enjoy “Loneliness and Social Connection with Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/loneliness-and-social-connection-with-dr-julianne],” an episode exploring the physical impact of isolation, and “Disagree Without Disaster: How to Talk Politics With Family [https://omny.fm/shows/y-magazine-podcast/disagree-without-disaster-how-to-talk-politics-with-family],” where a political science professor discusses how to have better disagreements. If you’re enjoying this podcast, we’d appreciate your feedback so we can make more of the kinds of episodes you like best. Take the survey [https://byu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aaAtJvGe5fXyroq]. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y-magazine/id1676318942], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/50YytMCSd0wQSF0DJTx1D2?si=GMYodGZDTBe_k-sTdPvPJg], or YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@byumagazine]. New episodes post on the first Thursday of each month. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.