Fit2Fat2Fit - Drew Manning's Mormon Story Pt. 2 | Ep. 1432

Drew Manning built a fitness empire by gaining and losing seventy-five pounds on purpose. Yet the most difficult weight he shed had nothing to do with body fat. In the second installment of his Mormon Stories Podcast interview, Manning describes how he dismantled a lifetime of religious conditioning, a process that required leaving Utah, learning to meditate, and eventually exploring psychedelic therapy. His account offers a detailed map of what happens when a believing Mormon discovers that the Church’s framework of guilt and obedience may actually obstruct genuine self-worth.

Background: From Fit2Fat2Fit to Faith Crisis

Manning first gained national attention through Fit2Fat2Fit, a project designed to help him understand obesity by experiencing it firsthand. Behind the physical transformation lay a spiritual crisis. His marriage to Lynn ended in what he describes as a painful divorce complicated by the social pressures of Mormon culture. Rather than remain in an environment where every neighbor knew his ecclesiastical status, Manning relocated his family to Hawaii. The move was not merely geographic. It represented an attempt to separate genuine trauma from the performative demands of Utah Mormonism.

In Hawaii, Manning and his then-wife attempted a hybrid existence, attending church as "semi-believers" while searching for value in the community without full doctrinal commitment. This middle ground collapsed when he recognized that Mormonism’s tools offered no vocabulary for faith transitions or psychological healing after divorce. The scriptures did not address his specific pain.

Key Claims: Reconstruction Without the Church

Manning’s reconstruction relied on three distinct practices that the Church either ignores or explicitly discourages. Meditation and Self-Love Protocols