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Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Episode 896: Jeff and Michael McLean, New Book “Stay in the Room”

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.7855 Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2026

⏱️ 93 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

My friends, Jeff McLean (same-sex marriage, nationally known performer, vocal coach, author), Michael McLean (famous LDS songwriter, composer, playwright) and Jeff’s friend Dr. Brad Reedy (Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Officer) join us to talk about their new book: “Stay in the Room: How a Gay Son and A Mormon Father Found Themselves and Each Other” In the podcast, they talk about how “Stay in the Room” tells the true story of a boy raised in Heber City, Utah, in the shadow of Mormonism and the rising AIDS crisis of the 1980s. The son of Michael McLean-Mormonism's answer to Billy Joel, Jeff sang his father's songs on stages nationwide. But behind the curtain, he struggled to reconcile his faith with his identity. After serving a Mormon mission, entering a brief marriage to his husband, and battling an addiction to crystal meth, Jeff finally found solid ground-and the courage to come home. But before healing could begin, he had to confront the two people he feared had lost him for good: his parents. Told through three voices, “Stay in the Room” is a moving, multi-perspective memoir. Jeff shares how he discovered a life where he could be fully himself and still feel the love of God. Michael recounts how the Spirit led him to stay present through his son's pain, refusing to let go. And therapist Dr. Brad Reedy offers powerful insight for families navigating the tension between faith, identity, and unconditional love. This is one of the best episodes we’ve ever recorded.. Please listen and share this episode and buy their book. Great insights on how to love and support people we love in our lives. Thank you Jeff, Michael, and Brad for being on the podcast. Links: Stay in the Room Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1969935057

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.

0:08.4

We're in the middle of a discussion right now with my guests.

0:11.3

We're going to bring you in, and then we're going to kind of go back and introduce them.

0:15.0

We have Michael McLean, Jeff McLean, and Dr. Brad Reedy to talk about a new book that they've written supporting and Jeff

0:22.5

talking about his stories being a gay Latterty Saint. But right now we're in the middle of

0:26.7

discussion with my wife talking about being at women's conference. She actually spoke there

0:32.5

and she heard this song that Michael McLean performed there for the first time. And that's what we want to bring into this discussion right now.

0:40.7

So anyway, Michael, tell us about the song or Jeff that you sing at Women's Conference.

0:46.8

Okay.

0:47.0

So I'm going to start this because, okay, this is a sun moment that I have to take over.

0:55.0

Okay, so 50 years ago, Dad's first at women's conference,

1:00.0

Dad wrote a song called You're Not Alone.

1:03.0

And you're not alone, as we know,

1:05.0

You're not alone, even though right now you're on your own,

1:09.0

was the very first song I ever sang when i was 10 or 11 when we

1:12.1

performed together so he wrote you're not alone 25 years later he wrote this song called a rise

1:18.2

and shine forth which is in my opinion i love you dad and i know your best song ever best gospel

1:24.9

best gospel song ever it ends the show and forgotten carols and i I'm like, this is a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant song. Let it add to the flame. Arise and shine forth. Let us add to the flame. And I would always sing it at women's conference. And it's a of a song to sing. It's so hard, so high, so difficult.

1:45.3

So anyway, I learned this song.

1:47.1

Of course, I'm scrouting it for dad.

1:49.0

I'm always like, why do you have to write such hard songs with 20,000 key changes?

1:52.8

But anyway, I digress.

...

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