MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in marriage , family , Christian parenting , and finding purpose

I'm starting to think Sissy Goff needs to quit accepting my podcast invitations for the sake of her dogs. 😂 Last time we recorded, her beloved Lucy had just passed away. This time, her new puppy, Patches, had to have surgery on both back legs. I'm not saying there's a connection, but I'm also not saying there isn't.

Thankfully, Sissy keeps coming back because she's one of my favorite people and one of the wisest voices out there when it comes to raising our kids. Today we're talking about something none of us particularly want to...

Have you ever wanted to pray but couldn't find the words? Or wondered if reading someone else's prayer is somehow cheating? I mean, aren't we supposed to come up with our own prayers? I've definitely wrestled with that one. 😂

Today I'm talking with Doug McKelvey, author of the beautiful Every Moment Holy books, and this was a conversation I didn't realize how much I needed. We talk about finding God in the ordinary moments of life, why written prayers can be so meaningful, and his newest book, Every Moment Holy: Rites of Passage, which every parent of a t...

If you've ever convinced yourself your kindergartner's reading struggles mean he'll never get into college, hold a job, or leave your house, welcome. I've been there. 😂

After 23 years of parenting, I've learned that some of the things we worry about most aren't the things that matter most. And some of the struggles we desperately want God to take away from our kids might actually be the very things He's using to shape them.

Today we're talking about what it means to build our families on a firm foundation in a world that seems to value eve...

After 25 years of marriage, I've learned one critical thing: my husband loves a good gift, and I'd prefer someone just unload the dishwasher. And that's just one of the many things we're talking about with this week's legendary guest, Dr. Gary Chapman, the man who literally wrote the book on love languages.

We're talking about why you can know your spouse's love language and still completely miss the mark. Turns out, there are different "dialects" within each love language, and what makes one person feel loved might drive another person absolutely crazy. We get into why good...

I’ve had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Max Lucado many times over the years, and somehow it never gets old. He’s someone so many of us have admired for years and years, which means I decided it was time to ask him a few questions I’ve been saving. You’re welcome. 😊 

Today Pastor Max tells us the spiritual habit that has shaped his faith more than any other, what he wishes every 40-year-old knew, what every 70-year-old needs to remember, which Bible character he most wants to sit down with in heaven, and what he would pre...

Last week on MESSmerized, I talked about what happens when you’ve prayed and prayed . . . and nothing seems to change. You know God is good. You know He hears you. But sometimes it still feels like He’s nowhere to be found.

That’s why this week’s conversation with Tammy Trent feels so timely.

Tammy lost her husband in a tragic diving accident in Jamaica on September 11, 2001, and that loss began a very real journey of asking God where He was in the middle of unimaginable pain.

Today we’re talking about what Tammy...

Tell me I’m not alone. Have you ever prayed for something so long that you’ve started wondering, “Are You there, God? It’s me, Cynthia.”

Today we’re talking about Habakkuk and what prayer looks like when God feels silent, His answer makes no sense, or nothing seems to be changing.

Habakkuk gives us three things to hold onto:

Honesty. God can handle the real prayer—the frustrated, confused, “Where are You?” prayer.

Higher ground. Sometimes we need to get out of the weeds, quiet the noise, and let God’s Word—not our...

I recorded this interview right before meeting some friends for lunch, and I could not stop talking about it. By the time lunch was over, they had all bought the book. That’s how much this conversation got me.

And so . . . I’m thrilled to have Dr. Kathy Koch on the show today. The last time she was here, the response from you guys was incredible, and she was gracious enough to come back—even after I mistakenly called her dead one time. 😂

Today we’re talking about her book 8 Great Smarts, and I’m telling you...

WE’RE BACK! After taking August off, MESSmerized is officially back for a brand-new fall season. I’ve got lots to catch you up on in the intro, and first I just want to say thank you for giving me a little space to step away and recharge. It was so needed, and now we’re coming back firing with some incredible guests this fall.

And there was really only one way to kick things off: my dear close personal friend Candace Cameron Bure. And by “close personal friend,” I mean we’ve never actually met in person, talk...

Remember the time I accidentally killed off a guest? Me neither. 😬 Okay...so I confidently announced on another podcast that sweet Dr. Kathy Koch had been dead for years. Turns out she's very much alive, incredibly gracious, and has a fantastic sense of humor.

If you're wondering how to parent your adult children without driving them—or yourself—crazy, this episode is for you. We talk about the practical, biblical wisdom in Dr. Kathy's new book on navigating relationships with adult children. From knowing when to speak up (and when to zip it), to letting...

Last night I had my Wednesday lunch girls over to celebrate a few birthdays, and as I looked around the table, I found myself feeling incredibly grateful. We've done life together through babies, college kids, aging parents, health scares, marriage struggles, celebrations, disappointments, and all the ordinary moments in between. It reminded me how much we were created for community. We need people who know our stories, tell us the truth, laugh with us, pray for us, and show up when life gets hard.

Which is exactly why I loved this week's conversation.

I sat d...

This week, Cynthia and Melissa catch up on everything from ambulance rides and college move-out day to porch geese, peptides, protein goals, and why neither of them can pretend to care about the World Cup anymore.

Melissa shares the story behind her recent car accident (and the surprisingly attractive ambulance crew), while Cynthia relives her own ambulance horror story involving a stretcher apparently designed for someone much smaller than either of them.

They also compare notes on life with college kids home for the summer, including questionable fashion choices, suspiciously healthy savings accounts, and the...

Well... this was supposed to be our Father's Day episode. Then summer happened. Life got a little unhinged (in the best of ways), and Father's Day came and went before we could get it out. Which, as it turns out, is fitting for a conversation about parenting, grief, family, and trusting God when things don't go according to plan.

This week I sat down with my friend Jonathan Pitts, and we talked about fatherhood, grief, remarriage, blended families, raising daughters, and the things we've learned (and unlearned) over the years as parents.

Jonathan shares what...

Welcome to MESSmerized! 🎤🎉

A quick note before we begin . . .

If you're one of the many new friends who recently joined us via email, I'm so glad you're here. Every week we talk about faith, family, relationships, and all the messy places where real life meets God's goodness. My hope is that you'll leave encouraged, challenged, and reminded that God is at work—even in the ordinary moments.

Welcome to the community. I'm so grateful you're here.

— Cynthia

Hey Friends,

What if the biggest threats to your ma...

If you've ever looked at your marriage and thought, We're fine... but this could be better, this two-part series is for you. Today, Arlene Pellicane reminds us that small actions repeated over time create big results and that healthy marriages are usually strengthened—or weakened—not by dramatic moments, but by the little things we do every day. 

Arlene shares some surprisingly doable ways to create more connection in everyday life, including the importance of putting down your phone, having realistic expectations, and learning how to cheer each other on. We also discuss the power of pre-deciding—making...

This is the last week of our Mother’s Day Month of episodes, and we’re ending with a conversation that I think so many moms need to hear. This week I’m joined by my friend Somer Colbert to talk about parenting, expectations, fear, faith, and what it looks like to trust God when the journey doesn’t unfold the way we imagined. Whether you're raising a neurodivergent child or walking closely alongside someone who is, I know you’re going to appreciate today’s show. 

Somer shares such practical wisdom about letting go of unrealistic expectations...

It’s Mother’s Day Month on Messmerized, and this week I’m bringing on one of my very favorite mom friends, Stephanie Martin. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in the middle of real life—busy schedules, motherhood, distractions, exhaustion, comparison, guilt, and all—this conversation is for you.

Stephanie is one of those people who genuinely loves being in God’s Word, and honestly, I’ve always admired that about her. So I wanted to sit down and ask her all the questions I think a lot of us wond...

If you’ve ever cried after dropping a kid at college and then immediately enjoyed the quiet house and clean kitchen… this episode is for you. I sit down with my friend, speaker, and longtime Pardon the Mess host Courtney DeFeo for a conversation that somehow covers Target boycotts, Auburn obsession, empty nesting, insecurity, friendship boundaries, and the emotional climate of your home—all while making you laugh harder than you expected.

Courtney shares why she’s stepping away from Pardon the Mess after three years hosting the show I originally launched, and we talk honestly about what it...

Happy Mother’s Day week, friends. Truly—sending you lots of love this week. 💐

Now before I say anything else… I implore you to listen to this episode. Consider this your Mother’s Day gift from me. It is that good. Like sit-in-the-car-after-it-ends-because-you-need-a-minute good.

I sat down with Sharon Mankin, and it turned into one of those conversations that stirs something in you. At the core, she reminds us: you’re not as confused or off-track as you think—you’re probably just moving too fast to hear what’s already true.

We talk parenting (and...

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I’m kicking off a month of conversations focused on moms and the people we love most—and it felt only right to start by bringing on one of my own kids.

So I sat down with Kate (my daughter) and Molly (her “great friend,”)—who showed up in matching bonnets from the Dollar Store… which honestly tells you everything you need to know about how this episode starts. If you missed these two last time they were on the show . . . you are in for some real fun today. 

They’re both...

Today’s episode starts with my youngest… accidentally macing the entire second floor of our house. If you haven’t heard this story, you’re missing out.

And then, naturally, we pivot to: are we raising kids who can actually handle life?

I sat down with my friends from Raising Boys & Girls, David Thomas and Sissy Goff, and we talked about why so many kids today feel overwhelmed, anxious, and honestly… kind of incapable. Not because they’re not smart or talented—but because somewhere along the way, we started rescuing more than we were equipping.

Today’s show is an important one—and we’re covering a topic I’ve never brought on the podcast before.

I sat down with Sallye Clark, a licensed counselor who specializes in eating disorders, to talk about something that touches so many families. We unpack the difference between eating disorders and disordered eating, and why that distinction matters. What struck me is how often this isn’t really about food at all—it’s about control, anxiety, perfectionism, and the deeper things going on underneath.

Sallye does a beautiful job explaining the early signs that something...

I think we need a drum roll . . . like seriously. 🥁🥁🥁🥁

Today on the show we have Jon Acuff. And let me just start by saying—I’m a HUGE Jon Acuff fan. And today’s show feels a little bit like a redemption story for me, because the first time I had him on, I didn’t fully know who I was talking to (which still makes me laugh/cry a little). Since then, I’ve read the books, listened to his podcast, made my family listen to the podcast… and now I’m all in. So truly—I cannot wait for you to hea...

Hey Friends, Happy Easter Week! 🐣🌷✝️

I hope you’re enjoying this week and finding a few quiet moments to slow down and really consider all that Jesus has done for us. I know how easy it is to rush right past it—we’ve heard the story, we know how it ends—but I hope we’re all pausing and stepping back to consider Holy Week again with fresh eyes.

On the podcast today is one of my faves—a pastor from my church, Steve Frissell. We’re covering everything from workout routines that involve picking things up and pu...

As you know, I’m taking a little time away this week for spring break with my family—which means slower mornings, later nights, and me pretending I’m a fun, flexible person who doesn’t actually need a routine to survive.

So today, I’m dropping a recent episode from one of my other podcasts, Sidetracked, with my co-host Heather MacFadyen.

If you’ve never listened, just know this: there is no outline, no real plan, and absolutely no guarantee we stay on topic. I’ll be back next week with...

Spring break is happening at the Yanof house, which means I’m headed to San Diego with some of my crew. And yes, we’re going to the zoo. I want the record to reflect I’m selflessly going to walk 12 miles, wonder why every creature in the entire park seems to be either asleep or hiding behind a rock, and question my life decisions (while also holding my nose). But it’s all in the name of being a good mom. So here we are.

Because of travel, today we’re re-releasing one of my favorite conversati...

Tiffany Stein joins me on the podcast today for a vulnerable and thoughtful conversation about grief, disappointment, and what it looks like to keep wrestling toward God when life falls apart. Tiffany shares the heartbreaking story behind her book Mourning God after losing her infant son, David, and how that loss led her into not only grief over what she had lost, but also grief over the God she thought she knew.

Today’s conversation isn’t just for someone who has experienced the death of a loved one. We talk about the many forms loss can take...

Kari and I are back for week two—and this time we’re talking dating from the girl-mom vs. boy-mom perspective. We start by admitting the obvious: most of us got approximately zero dating advice from our parents, so we learned “the hard way”…plus a sprinkle of questionable magazine wisdom.

We get into what we hope our kids look for—without turning dating into an interview process: someone pursuing Jesus, someone kind to people who can’t do anything for them, someone consistent when the “camera is off,” and the importance of paying attention to red flags (including t...

Well, I went to A&M last weekend to see Brett and speak to the loveliest group of women, and let me just say: visiting girls in college versus boys is a completely different experience. Completely. Different. More on that on today’s show.

Today’s guest is Kari Kampakis—or the “raising girls whisperer,” as I like to call her. She is so wise, steady, and incredibly helpful when it comes to understanding girls, and I loved getting to go to Birmingham last fall to tape a few shows with her in person at her home. She’s just...

Mary Marantz joins me on MESSmerized today, and this was such a thoughtful, encouraging conversation. We talk about how we both went to law school and ultimately chose paths that didn’t necessarily make sense on paper, but aligned much more with how God wired us. Mary shares about growing up in a single-wide trailer in West Virginia and how that background shaped her grit, her work ethic, and also her tendency to tie achievement to worth.

We spend a lot of time unpacking fear and the ways women quietly underestimate themselves—perfectionism, overthinking, proc...

First, THANK YOU. My new book is officially out in the world—woohoo! I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the encouragement, the screenshots, the texts, the DMs, and the stories you’ve already shared. It means more than you know. If you’ve read How’d I Miss That?, I would be so thankful if you’d leave a quick review on Amazon (or wherever you purchased it). Reviews really do help more people find the book, and I’m incredibly grateful for every single one.

Matt Chandler is back on Messmerized...

In today's episode, I’m joined by Rob Boyd—my former youth minister and an actual blast from my past. We take a walk down memory lane filled with blue church vans, lock-ins, Bible drills, questionable music debates, and the kind of church memories that are funny now… and formative forever.

Rob shares what it was like pastoring teenagers (including a very opinionated teenage me), why spiritual disciplines don’t have to be complicated (hello, seven minutes), and why faith is more about being than doing. We talk scripture memory, quiet time, raising kids, waiting...

Woohoo! It’s officially the release of How’d I Miss That? TODAY, and we’re dropping this episode on Tuesday instead of our usual Wednesday to celebrate. 

It felt only right to bring on the man who edited every.single.chapter, fixed approximately 9,000 commas, and has final veto power over any story that’s too much—which is really saying something, considering he grew up in locker rooms: Mike Yanof.

We talk marriage—“slow and low” brisket theology, why “spark” is overrated (Mike explains so I don’t get canceled), and why...

Melissa Radke is back, and within the first sixty seconds she’s handing out compliments like she’s trying to earn a commission. (I try to redirect. She refuses. You’ll hear it.)

We start by processing the fact that I had just returned from Disney World and realized—some adults have completely lost their sense of embarrassment. From sexy castle selfies to fashion choices that raise concerns, Melissa and I pitch a new show idea called What Are We Doing Here? Honestly, it might be our best work yet.

From there, we talk about why funn...

This week we’ve got a legend of a guest. Someone who needs no introduction (even though I’m about to). This week my mom, Dorothy, joins us on the podcast—after restarting the recording three times, which Dorothy is fairly certain is a sign the ratings are about to tank. She also arrives with a formal complaint: I have repeatedly thrown the family under the bus in my books, most recently by claiming our family has “no culture.” Dorothy would like to go on record that cardboard sledding, border-town adventures, and extremely questionable beauty decisions absolutely count as culture.<...

It’s week two of our new series where I’m bringing on people I love, people from my past, and the very people who show up in my new book How’d I Miss That? Today my dear friend Stephanie Martin is back, which means equal parts laughter, honesty, and the occasional, “Cynthia… maybe that story didn’t need to live forever in print.”

We start by revisiting our short-lived triathlon era—because some of us were made for marching band, not athletic competitions—and then move into a conversation about friendship. Why we need it, how it shapes us...

Hey friends—welcome to a New Year and a new How’d I Miss That? series. Over the next few weeks, we’re leaning into conversations I love, people I love, and a message that shaped me as I wrote book two, How’d I Miss That?. (Oh—and we’re going to laugh a lot too.)

There’s a quote that became the backbone of this book:

“There’s very little difference between people—but it’s the little difference that makes a big difference.”

Jesus shows us exactly what th...

Before we dive in, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all the things! I took the last two weeks off to spend time with all the kids and it’s been a glorious time of renewal. Just kidding—I’ve been running around like a crazy person just like everyone else! Either way, I happy to be back and I’m so grateful for you—every listen, every message, every time you invited me into your day this year. What a gift this community has been. Truly, thank you.

I saved today’s show for the...

Today I got to sit down with Sherri Hughes-Gragg—author, mom of five, and someone who speaks about God’s heart with beautiful clarity. 

We talked Christmas traditions—the Yanof Family Book Exchange (which started because I refused to let Mike buy himself a full-price book in December), and Sherri’s Santa Soccer, which involved antlers, Santa hats, sugar, and absolute chaos in her yard.

Then we went deep.

Sherri talked about raising five kids, including daughters adopted from Haiti, and how she moved from pare...

Today I pulled in one of my closest friends, Stephanie Martin, because nothing says “professional podcast” like asking a bestie 24 hours before recording to jump on the show. We kicked off with Thanksgiving—where Stephanie described having college kids home as “being held hostage in the best way,” which perfectly sums up the chaos of adult children wandering in and out of your kitchen like feral cats. 

We swapped childhood Christmas memories (her patriotic tree covered in American flags, my chain-smoked Barbie RV) and confessed our modern traditions—like how I make my family decorate the...