August 31, 2025, 1pm MDT
This weekend, August 29-30, at the 2025 Utah Area Young Single Adult Conference, Breakout Room offered seven different topics.
A notable difference between this year and last year’s classes is the simplified schedule. Classes held on Friday were repeated on Saturday, with few changes to presenters.
The temporary happiness course held at the Salt Palace Convention Centre focused on filling the gap between “temporal stability and mental strength,” the conference’s website states. Presenters on this topic were BYU professors, experts in their field, and conference presenters.
Ulrike Mitchell by “Life is not a highway, it’s a beautiful winding road”
Ulrike Mitchell, professor of exercise science at BYU, spoke about life as a beautiful, winding road rather than a straight highway. She grew up in Germany and received her PhD in Exercise Science from BYU in 2005.
In her presentation, Mitchell said that temporary happiness consists of several different parts. It is about laying the foundation for the future, creating space for growth, increasing independence, navigation of life decisions, living intentionally, finding joy in the present.
She demonstrated these points by talking about different parts of her journey when these points and skills were developed. Throughout the journey, Mitchell highlighted several things that helped her, including education, good attitudes, and presence.
“Travel is the key,” she concluded. “And you’re shaping who you are – one step at a time.”
Ashley Gold, from Orem, Utah, resonated with Mitchell’s part about not postponing happiness because she sees so much in her life.
“Finding Financial Security: 8 Guide Questions” Brad Herdt
In a presentation that felt like a one-on-one consultation, Brad Herdt of Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators asked eight questions to raise to his clients when he came to him for financial advice. Herdt is a certified financial planner and holds many other similar certifications to become a financial planner for the DMBA.
What stood out from Midvale, Utah, Adam Hill was that financial security was a gift from God and not driving him out of his finances. “It’s not guaranteed, but it’s what we can own and what we can achieve with him,” Hill said.
Herdt has drawn out many publicly available church resources that help you find financial security, such as budget templates and debt calculators. He ended with teaching audience guidelines for setting financial goals. It’s about binding your goals to specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time.
“Shaped by Struggle: Adaptation to the Last Daily Stresser” Seth Bigelow
Seth Bigelow, senior manager of health services for global church employees, said he hopes the audience understands that stress is not a bad thing, but is necessary to lead a meaningful life.
“The way we feel, or how we frame the demands and difficulties of life, determines how we actually respond to it,” Bigelow said while talking about the way we think about stress. People’s abilities to stress vary, but they can improve their abilities as stress approaches health.
He left the audience with four things to consider when dealing with stress: reconstruct it, recharge it, reconnect it, and reconnect it. Bigelow emphasized the reconnection point as it was when young adults were to check in with Jesus Christ.
“You’re here for a reason,” Bigelow testified. “You have this. You were going to carry this, but you weren’t going to carry it on your own.”
“JustServe: The Transformative Power of Community Volunteerism” by JustServe – Innovation
The JustServe team had small group discussions during the presentation. They first said that the service can change volunteers in five different ways. Through their identity, their influence, their connections with others, personal and professional growth, and a sense of fulfillment.
The small group discussion reflects how their services changed them and how they viewed it with the people around them.
One member of the JustServe team said they hope that young single adults will leave the presentation knowing that they can make a difference not only in their own lives, but also in the lives of those around them.
