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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

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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36:13

Episode 123 A Show About Nothing — and Everything...

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

2025/11/05

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

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32:40

Episode 122 Winning the Battle in Your Mind with...

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

2025/10/29

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

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42:36

Episode 121 A Conversation About Divorce We All Need...

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

2025/10/22

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

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35:05

Episode 120 Weddings, Grown Kids & Finding Rest with...

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

2025/10/15

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

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42:01

Episode 119 Candace Cameron Bure: Something Blue and...

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

2025/10/08

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

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22:39

Episode 118 A College Minister’s Advice to Parents...

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

2025/10/01

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

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39:42

Episode 117 The God Who Never Stops Chasing You with...

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

2025/09/24

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

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