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

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...

Today I got to sit down with my new friend Abby Kuykendall, author of Let the Biscuits Burn, and y’all… this girl brought the hospitality revival I didn’t know we needed before Thanksgiving week. Abby has a toddler, another baby due in January, and somehow also managed to write a book in the fog of postpartum life. Meanwhile I once forgot to defrost a turkey until Thanksgiving morning, so we are clearly operating at different skill levels.

Abby and I talked about real biblical hospitality—not entertaining, not “tour my pristine home while I pa...

Here’s part two of our shows with my hilarious friend Melissa Radke. This week we pregame the holidays: Texas “sweater weather” that isn’t, Spanx leggings that are life-changing, and crowning Thanksgiving’s Best in Show (Honey Baked Ham, spinach salad, corn casserole—made by the right cousin). We confess our family wild cards (Melissa and her zany mom vs. my husband the political pot-stirrer), share one thing we’re grateful for (her: Remy thriving at college; me: surviving another book), and give 10-second writing advice: write daily, say it out loud, pray, hold the path loosely.

Then we hit...

Today’s episode is pure delight and zero agenda, which honestly might be my favorite combination. My friend Melissa Radke is here — author of Chicken Fried Women, host of The Radke Show, queen of honest humor, and possessor of my favorite character quality . . . calling it like it is. I invited her on for one reason and one reason only: she makes me laugh. No outline, no topic list, no heavy message — just two friends, two microphones, and a commitment to talk about everything and absolutely nothing at the same time. Think Seinfeld (a show about nothing), but with menopausal commen...

Can we possibly begin with a few “important” announcements today?

First, I just got back from Las Vegas last night, and let’s just say the flight was so bumpy I was fully convinced I’d be meeting Jesus before we touched down in Dallas. By God’s grace, I lived to tell the tale. ✈️🙌 We were in Vegas because Mike ran a marathon (woop woop!) and I… well, did not. I did, however, put $20 in a slot machine and walked away with $100—so there’s that. 

Second, and probably more importantly, if you’re not following me on social...

This week I got to sit down with Lysa TerKeurst and Joel Muddamalle—and we tackled a topic the church doesn’t always handle well: divorce.

Lysa has a powerful new book coming out, Surviving an Unwanted Divorce, and Joel, who serves as Director of Theology and Research at Proverbs 31 Ministries, brings clarity and depth to what Scripture really says (and doesn’t say) about this hard subject. Lysa shares her personal and painful journey through an unwanted divorce and what it means to face the reality that it takes two people to make a marriage work.

W...

I just got back from the State Fair of Texas where I spent approximately a small mortgage and walked what felt like the entire Oregon Trail. My feet are tired, my bank account is wheezing, and I’m convinced Fletcher’s corn dogs are God’s reward for doing hard things.

But speaking of big adventures… This week I got to sit down with the amazing Christy Nockels. We kicked things off talking weddings (because hello—her son is getting married in the wedding capital of Texas, naturally) and laughed about wedding dress codes. To this day, I still ha...

Y’all!!! Candace Cameron Bure is back with us today and we cover all the things: weddings, Bible reading plans, Christmas movies, and why the chicken dance might be the best first dance. We start with Natasha’s wedding (cue mom tears). Candace shares the sweetest “something blue” story and the best M.O.B. tip of all time: bring a Mary Poppins bag stocked with everything from boob tape to breakable ice packs. I confess I’d show up with tweezers and duct tape, so she kindly offers a real checklist.

Somewhere between wedding cake and parenting...

This week we’re back with Part 2 of my conversation with Yusuf Agoro, associate pastor at The Well in Austin. If you heard last week’s episode, you know how powerful his story is—Yusuf shared his journey from growing up in a devout Muslim home to finding faith in Jesus. If you missed it, go back and listen first because it’s so amazing. 

In today’s episode we pick up right where we left off, diving into his work with college students and the lessons he’s learning about authenticity, parenting, and the reality o...

Today’s show opens with a little prayer of frustration I’ve been praying—and God’s gentle reminder that He’s in every detail. That theme runs through our entire conversation: whether you’re praying for a prodigal, aching for a child who feels unreachable, or wondering if those tiny seeds of faith you’ve planted will ever take root, there is hope. God’s pursuit is relentless, and His timing is never wasted.

I recently sat down with Yusuf Agoro expecting a good story, and instead witnessed a front-row display of God’s pursuit of His children. Yusu...

This week we’re back with part two of my conversation with my friend Natalie Runion, and if you missed part one—go listen first! In this episode we get practical about raising kind daughters, building sacred sisterhood, and navigating the everyday challenges that get in the way of healthy friendships.

Natalie and I laughed about our own high school mean-girl days (yes, we both had them!) and how God redeems even that, teaching us to champion one another instead of competing. We also talked about why women need a why-to more than a how...