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PODCAST

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

Welcome to Cynthia Yanof’s newest podcast, MESSmerized. Each week you’ll hear funny, authentic, and vulnerable conversations around everyday life, parenting, and following Jesus. A variety of guests will challenge us to pursue a life filled with the things that really do matter. Cynthia Yanof is the host as well as an author, speaker, wife, and mother. She’s relatable, funny, and dead-set on never taking herself too seriously. Whatever mess you’re walking through, odds are she’s right there with

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

36:48

Episode 143: Stop Putting It Off: Jon Acuff on...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/04/08

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 hear this

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45:22

Episode 142: Hosanna, Easter Ham, and Reframing Holy...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/04/01

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

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53:07

Episode 141: Messmerized Gets a Little Sidetracked

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/03/25

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 a fresh episode

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32:40

Episode 140: Stop Spiraling: A Much-Needed Reminder...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/03/18

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 conversations with

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45:34

Episode 139: Wrestling with God through Loss and...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/03/11

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

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49:20

Episode 138: Dating Advice We Wish Our Parents Had...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/03/04

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

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43:11

Episode 137: The Soft Skills Nobody Teaches (But...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/02/25

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

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43:21

Episode 136: Underestimated, Overthinking, and...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/02/18

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

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39:42

Episode 135: What Stirs Your Affections? with Matt...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/02/11

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

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32:51

Episode 134: How’d I Miss That? Blue Church Vans,...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/02/06

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

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49:02

Episode 133: How’d I Miss That? Marriage, Meningitis,...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/02/03

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

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48:33

Episode 132: How’d I Miss That? Melissa Radke Talks...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/01/28

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

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41:59

Episode 131: How’d I Miss That? My Mom Talks...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/01/21

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

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46:08

Episode 130: How’d I Miss that? Friendship and...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/01/14

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

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27:56

Episode 129: How'd I Miss That? - Cynthia Goes Solo

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2026/01/07

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 that looks like in Luke 10 with the story of the Good

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43:07

Episode 128: Resetting Your Soul for a New Year with...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2025/12/31

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 last one of 2025 on

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35:32

Episode 127: A Compassionate Jesus in a Chaotic...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2025/12/10

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

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34:12

Episode 126: Chain-Smoked Christmas Gifts and Finding...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2025/12/03

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

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45:51

Episode 125: A Jesus, Walmart, and Paper Plates...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2025/11/19

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

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43:29

Episode 124: Turkeys, Traditions, and Facelifts in...

MESSmerized - Funny and faith based encouragement in... ·

2025/11/12

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

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