Women Zion Builders | An Interview with Robin Ritch

Robin Ritch has spent her career building things that matter. She has led teams at Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco, and most recently served as President and Publisher of Deseret News Publishing Company, where she helped transform a 172-year-old institution into a nationally recognized digital voice.

Throughout her career, Robin has had a knack for seeing around corners. She has launched new products, modernized organizations, and brought together unlikely communities around conversations that matter.

She gives back through board service at The Policy Project, WikiCharities, Social Venture Partners, and Mission Edge, organizations working to make communities stronger.

For as long as she can remember, Robin has been fascinated by women and their relationship with God. That lifelong curiosity is what led her to write “Using Friction to Grow”, her first book.

Robin examines case studies of Latter-day Saint women who navigated significant social and ecclesiastical changes during the 1970s. She discusses how these women managed friction from society, family, and the Church to develop deeper discipleship and personal sanctification.

Links

Using Friction to Grow: Stories of Strength and Resilience, LDS Women 1968-1976 Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community

Highlights Key Insights

• The Purpose of Friction: Friction is a divine design intended to slow individuals down, allowing them to refine their relationship with God and smooth away “rough edges” of character. Personal vs. Organizational Revelation: Individuals may receive personal revelation for their own lives that precedes broader organizational shifts within the Church.
• Historical Resilience: Women in the 1970s drew strength from the stories of their suffragette grandmothers, recognizing that navigating tension within a faith community is not a new phenomenon.
• Individual Agency and Revelation: The women Robin interviewed did not view Church counsel as a reason to stop their personal progression; instead, they used it as a prompt to seek their own confirmed answers through prayer and fasting.
• Grace for Diverse Paths: These women practiced deep empathy, recognizing that God provides unique answers for different individuals and that one person’s path does not dictate the “correct” path for everyone else.

Leadership Applications

• Validating the Struggle: Leaders can help members understand that feeling “friction” with a policy or teaching is not a sign of unworthiness but an opportunity for a sanctifying “wrestle” with God.
• Managing Implementation: Recognizing the gap between revelation and organizational implementation helps leaders be more patient with institutional changes and more supportive of members who see needs before the organization adapts.

00:02:00 – Robin’s Book: Using Friction to Grow 00:03:00 – The Importance of Women’s Stories 00:04:00 – The 1970s: A Time of Friction for Women 00:06:00 – The Equal Rights Amendment and Church Response 00:07:00 – Personal Stories of Friction and Faith 00:09:00 – Navigating Friction in Faith Communities 00:10:00 – The Role of Personal Revelation 00:12:00 – The Nature of Friction in Growth 00:13:00 – Engaging with Friction for Personal Growth 00:15:00 – The Evolution of Church Practices 00:17:00 – The Importance of Change and Growth 00:18:00 – Balancing Hope and Disappointment in Faith 00:20:00 – The Role of Friction in Personal Development 00:21:00 – Story of a Woman’s Experience with Church Leadership 00:24:00 – Finding Strength in Christ Amidst Friction 00:25:00 – The Impact of Personal Stories 00:27:00 – The Need for Women’s Voices in the Church 00:29:00 – Encouragement for Women in Parenting 00:30:00 – Broadening Engagement Beyond Parenting 00:32:00 – The Importance of Sharing Light 00:33:00 – The Role of Leaders in Navigating Friction 00:37:00 – Understanding Different Perspectives 00:40:00 – The Influence of Social Media on Women’s Stories 00:41:00 – The Responsibility of the Hearer in Storytelling

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