In the world of politics and media, Carrie Sheffield is a veritable dynamo. She has appeared on MSNBC, Fox News, PBS, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, BBC Radio and more, as an expert on politics and the economy. Graduating with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard, she went on to do stints at Goldman Sachs and the Washington Times before settling in as a public policy analyst all over TV and radio.

But Carrie also has a Mormon story. Growing up in the church, then later leaving and exploring other faiths before finding peace with Stoicism, she is also a sort of rare breed as a post-Mormon who still clings tight to deeply conservative political values.

In this two-part series, we talk to Carrie about her background in the church, the circumstances that led to her leaving, her journey for truth after Mormonism and her thoughts about finding peace through Stoicism.

We also talk about her conservative outlook, how and why she still identifies with conservatism after leaving the church and her thoughts on Mitt Romney, the recent mid-term elections and more.