MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in marriage , family , Christian parenting , and finding purpose – Details, episodes & analysis

With all the kids heading back to school, there’s always the anxiety that goes with unknowns and new beginnings. And that’s just for us as parents! Joking. 

Sissy Goff and David Thomas from Daystar Counseling are with me today, and they are bringing the heat. They are literally the wisest, kindest, and dearest people you’ll ever meet. I could go on and on, but instead I’m giving you a few of the topics we cover today:

• What your kids wish you knew

• How anxiety presents in girls vs. boys 

• Thoughts on teenage dating

• Kids friendships and the value that can come from loneliness

Sit back and take a deep breath as Sissy and David answer our back-to-school questions while simultaneously bringing us peace and perspective. And do yourself a favor, if you don’t listen to Raising Boys and Girls (their podcast), do that ASAP. Fun fact, they were unbelievably kind to allow me to be a guest on their podcast last spring—and that may have been my life highlight! 😊 

All things Cynthia Yanof

Daystar Counseling

Raising Boys and Girls 

It’s August, and Heather and I are still on our summer quest to surprise each other with cool guests on Sidetracked. Today is no exception as Heather comes in hot, surprising me with the one and the only Jess Connolly. 

Let’s be honest, it’s the end of summer and I’m guessing there’s some portion of you that’s tired physically, spiritually, or emotionally trying to do it all? Jess Connolly addresses just that as we talk about her new book and all the research behind the how, where, and why of rest. Jess’s life is full with her being an author, Bible teacher, podcaster, and coach, so she knows the challenges of finding pockets of rest in a full schedule. 

I love how we discuss that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for resting, and we are all made differently by our Creator with unique ways to recharge.  Jess reminds us that Jesus has true rest for us even in busy seasons, leading us to be more awake, alive, and present in our families, ministries, and careers.  We end the podcast by getting sidetracked and talk about everything from theology books to ice machines—join us for tons of truth and fun.

• Website:  Jess Connolly

• Facebook: Jess Connolly

• Instagram:  Jess Connolly | Author + Bible Teacher (@jessaconnolly)

• Quiz — Jess Connolly

• Tired of Being Tired: By Jess Connolly

• Breaking Free from Body Shame: By Jess Connolly

• You Are the Girl for the Job: By Jess Connolly

• Dance, Stand, Run: By Jess Connolly

• From Pentecost to Patmos: by Craig Blomberg

• Nobody's Mother: By Sandra Glahn

• Paul Behaving Badly: by E. Randolph Richards

• Nugget Countertop Ice Maker with Soft Chewable Pellet Ice

• Sun Visor Hats for Women Wide Brim Straw Roll-Up

I mentioned it last month, but as a little reminder, Heather MacFadyen of the Don’t Mom Alone podcast and I have a super fun show we do together called Sidetracked. As a part of this little venture, this summer we’ve decided to surprise each other with a guest and then release the episode on both of our shows. It’s been super fun so far, and we’d love to know how you’re liking it and if you want more of these shows! 

On today’s Sidetracked episode, Heather surprises me with author, speaker, teacher, podcaster, and enneagram expert . . . Beth McCord. We love Beth because she approaches the enneagram from a biblical perspective and helps us learn how to better navigate our personalities and figure out what makes us tick. 

I think you’ll especially love the real-life example at the beginning of our conversation about Heather firing off a frustrated email to Beth, and how their enneagram knowledge facilitated healthy conflict resolution. We also discuss how the enneagram intersects with our parenting, and the reasons not to “guess” your kids’ number and instead have your older kids take the test themselves. (Which I’m so going to have my older kids do sometime this summer!) 

Can’t wait for you to hear today’s show! Leave a review and share it with a friend pretty please.

• Website:  Your Enneagram Coach | Free Enneagram Test, Courses, and Coaching

• Facebook: Your Enneagram Coach

• Instagram: Beth McCord | (@yourenneagramcoach)

Summer . . . I love you, but you’re chaotic and expensive. 

Kids . . . I love you, but you’re chaotic and expensive. 

Vacation . . . I love you, but you’re chaotic and expensive. 

Feel free to join in on my mindless chants of summer. 

I’m super excited about today’s show and talking about ways to save a little money. To be clear, I’m not talking about it from the 401K and investment perspective for the long-haul, but literally what can I do TODAY to get the budget back on the rails. 

Crystal Paine is with us, and she has some GREAT advice today. She’s built an entire brand called The Money Saving Mom and has the best tricks and tips for making ends meet. Her suggestions are so great that I wanted to give you a few of her points as a sneak-peak:

1. Your income is not your biggest issue; it’s your mindset

2. Your grocery budget is the best place to start saving money

There’s a lot more coming your way for saving money and changing our perspective, and it’s so so practical and necessary. 

Take a minute to listen today, and please please share the show with a friend. Heck, get crazy and even take a minute and leave a review. I’ll be forever grateful.

Today we’re talking about body image, learning to love our body, and calling out the false narratives we’ve bought into from culture and other places relating to our physical body. 

Talking about body image kinda feels like no-man's land, and I’m thinking I might as well hit politics and money while I’m at it. Joking. But having a discussion around how to love our body is something that is important, and I believe it is not discussed enough in Christian circles. So we’re doing it here today! 

Liz Rodriguez and Rebecca Carrell from the Honestly, Though podcast are with us today. Liz is currently on her own personal health journey after receiving some tough diagnoses a few years ago. She speaks honestly about the physiological aspects of losing weight and working through the well-intentioned but hard comments she receives from others. 

Rebecca is healed from an eating disorder that she struggled with for many years. She has a great word on loving and accepting our God-given bodies while also raising daughters who can hopefully do the same. 

I understand this can be a touchy topic, and I assure you that we will do our very best to encourage you wherever you are in your health journey. Take a minute to listen and also share with your friends.

Also, if you enjoy MESSmerized will you please consider rating and reviewing the show? This helps others find us and hopefully encourage people to chase after Jesus even when everything around us. 

Sign-up for the Life is Messy, God is Good summer book club!  

All things Cynthia Yanof

For more of their discussion on body image listen to Honestly, Though here.

The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg

Catch up with Rebecca and Liz below:

Rebecca Carrell

IG: @RebeccaCarrell 

Twitter: @RebeccaACarrell 

FB: Rebecca Ashbrook Carrell

Liz Rodriguez

IG: @lizannrodriguez 

FB:  Liz Rodriguez

I’m going to keep this short because, well, listen to the intro and you’ll understand. But somewhere between trying out a new spray tan and finding our trampoline in our front yard after a storm—it’s gotten kinda weird over here. 

But thankfully, on the show is one of our faves, Dr. Ken Wilgus. We’re talking about how we survive summer with teens, and below is a preview of a few points that are coming your way: 

1. Set absolute limits on screens in advance 

2. Establish household expectations

3. Require some level of outside activity

And this is just the tip of the iceberg on the wisdom coming your way on today’s show. 

Thanks for being a part of the MESSmerized community, and PLEASE take a minute and leave a review so more folks can find us.

All things Cynthia

Feeding the Mouth that Bites you by Ken Wilgus

Ken Wilgus' Podcast

Here’s a fun little podcast update for you. 

As most of you (hopefully) know, Heather MacFadyen of the Don’t Mom Alone podcast and I have a little sideshow we do once a month called Sidetracked. Basically, it’s an unfiltered conversation between the two of us discussing life’s goings on, parenting, faith, etc. It comes out the first Friday of the month on Don’t Mom Alone, and It’s been a big hit. 

So, spinning off from that concept this week, we’re doing a second episode of Sidetracked in the summer months that includes a surprise guest aired on both of our shows. And today is the day we kick it off with our friend Toni Collier. Please hear me:  You do not want to miss a second of this conversation. 

If you don’t know Toni, she’s  the author of Broken Crayons Still Color as well as a podcaster, speaker, and mom of two sweet kiddos. Toni chats with us about everything from getting tattoos with Ann Voskamp to seeing God show up through “God winks.” 😜

Next week we will be back to our “How do I _____” series that will continue through the summer. But once a month I hope you enjoy these little editions of Sidetracked with various surprise guests!

All things Cynthia

Life is Messy, God is Good

My Amazon Must Haves

• Website:  HOME | Toni Collier

• Facebook: Toni J Collier 

• Instagram:  Toni Collier (@tonijcollier)

• PODCAST | Toni Collier

• Brave Enough to Be Broken: by Toni Collier

• Broken Crayons Still Color: by Toni Collier

• Ironman movie

We’re answering “how to” questions these days on MESSmerized, and today we’re tackling the awesome yet complex topic of friendships. I think of all the things I’m asked to talk about from my book, most often I’m asked about the topic of friendships and how to cultivate the really deep, meaningful ones. 

Thankfully the queen of friendships (I made that up on the spot by the way) is with us today. Amy Weatherly is covering the good, bad, and ugly of doing life with others, and why it’s so important we prioritize friendships. 

Amy gives us five great take-aways on friendship today, but I’m going to give you just a few below and let you listen to the rest on the show:

1. Deep friendships require time

2. Deep friendships mean creating rituals and traditions

3. (DO NOT MISS the rest of her amazing points)

I also want to mention that summer is a GREAT time to show some intentionality by gathering friends and strengthening relationships. I’ve done several book clubs in the past and always been grateful I put myself out there.  

If you’re interested in a book club this summer with friends, I’ve got an amazing idea for you. My publisher, Esther Press, has named Life is Messy, God is Good as their summer book club book, and you can join today and receive book club questions, videos for each chapter, and lots of other fun things. 

This is a great way to do a book club with either an online community, or with friends in your neighborhood that you hope to bond with this summer. So jump in today and listen to Amy’s friendship fine points today and then consider who might want to join you for a summer book club on Life is Messy, God is Good. 

So grateful for you guys!

Sign-up for the Life is Messy, God is Good summer book club!  

All things Cynthia Yanof

Here for it by Amy Weatherly and Jess Johnston

It’s week two of our new series asking “how do I _____” questions. Each week we’re bringing in amazing guests with practical advice for all areas of life. If you missed last week with Courtney DeFeo, we talked about cheering on other women, and you definitely need to go back and listen if you missed it. So so good. 🎉

This week we are tackling marriage, and I’m so excited for you to meet Dave and Ann Wilson. They are pastors, speakers, and hosts of the nationally syndicated radio show Family Life Today. But more than that, they are hilariously honest and real as they talk about marriage and how they’ve gotten it wrong over the years, and the lessons they’ve  learned along the way. 

Today Dave and Ann are giving us five tips for improving our marriage, and you don’t want to miss them. I’ll give you two of them to peak your interest (but definitely go listen to the show for all five points and lots of fun discussion around them): 

1. Don’t run away from conflict

2. Deal with your family of origin baggage

Yep, that’s just the beginning, and I promise you will leave encouraged and full of practical ways to work on your marriage this week. 

So grateful for you guys and I would be incredibly grateful if you would leave a review for the show so that others can find us!

Have a great week!

All things Cynthia Yanof

Life is Messy, God is Good

Dave and Ann Wilson

Art of Marriage by Family Life

It’s May and if you’re anything like me, you’re already tired just thinking about all of the end-of-year conferences, award ceremonies, track meets, class picnics, and everything else headed our way. But don’t worry, we will survive it all together! 

That being said, I’m SUPER EXCITED that May is finally here because TODAY is the day we start a new series on MESSmerized. (And trust me, you’re  going to LOVE it! ❤️❤️❤️)

The next few months we’re examining “how do I _______?” questions on the show. In other words, each week will be conversations with amazing guests who will give their top 5 tips for “how do I” topics like these:

• How do I save money? 

• How do I deepen my friendships? 

• How do I strengthen my marriage? 

• How do I accept my child’s hard diagnosis?

• How do I find joy? 

• How do I survive summer with teens? 

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what’s coming your way. So tune in each week for shorter, summer-friendly podcasts complete with 5 timely, practical, and biblical tips for living out the messy places of life.  

Oh, and speaking of practical and biblical, I can’t think of anyone better than my dear friend Courtney DeFeo to kick-off this series today. Courtney is host of the Pardon the Mess podcast and joins us to talk about cheering on other women in our lives. This is especially near and dear because Courtney has done this so incredibly well in my own life. 

Tune in this week as we kick-off our new series with Courtney DeFeo. Oh, and leave a review and rate MESSmerized pretty please wherever you listen to podcasts!

All things Cynthia Yanof

Order Life is Messy, God is Good

All things Courtney Defeo

Christian Parenting

Pardon the Mess Podcast