BYU Business School Dean Brigette Madrian Shares Five Gospel Truths from Harry Potter

What does a behavioral economist studying retirement savings have in common with a wizard battling darkness? More than you might think. Bridget Madrian spent 25 years at Harvard Kennedy School researching how people make financial decisions. Her work shaped pension law across America and influenced hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

But at the peak of her career, she made an unexpected choice: leave Harvard and come home to BYU as the first woman dean of the Marriott School of Business. When she asked God what He wanted instead of climbing higher, everything changed. The gospel truths she discovered woven through Harry Potter spoke to her faith in ways that transformed how she sees both leadership and discipleship.

In this episode of Why We Believe, Bridget shares why she asked "What does God want?" instead of accepting advancement at Harvard. She reveals how the temple deepened her gospel understanding exponentially. And she shows how a single scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban became a profound meditation on vision, faith, and becoming who God sees us to be.

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Read this week's story. Keep the lesson for good:The Choice at the Peak: Why a Harvard Business School Dean Left for BYU and Found Her Greatest Blessing

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