Episode 80 Dallas Jenkins on Hope, Hollywood, and The Herdmans
Release Date: 12/04/2024
Episode 91 The Midlife Mayhem of Night Sweats, Hormones, and Adult ADHD with Mikala Albertson, MD
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
In today’s episode, I chat with Dr. Mikala Albertson about menopause, hormone therapy, and all the things we need to know to feel better in midlife. We kick things off by debunking some common myths around hormone replacement therapy and why it's not as scary as we once thought. Mikala explains how estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect our bodies and what happens when we lose them. And as a girl who is fighting some serious night sweats, you better believe I was tuned in. We also dive into supplements, with Mikala sharing the four key ones she recommends. (I take...
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Episode 90 Kari Kampakis on Dating, Social Media, and Sending Kids to College
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
Hey Friends! Today we kick-off week number two with Kari Kampakis, and if you missed last week, you’ll definitely want to go back and listen. Today, Kari and I dive into everything from teenage relationships to exploring how crucial it is for our kids to know who they are before stepping into college life. Kari also shares a much-needed reminder about how social media, friendships, and even a dash of loneliness can fuel resilience—all wrapped up in the broader mission of instilling strong faith, family values, and personal growth. So whether you’re the household cop...
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Episode 89 Navigating the World of Daughters with Kari Kampakis
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
I’m so excited to kick off a two-week series with Kari Kampakis on raising girls! We dive into everything from the drama of friendship struggles and those classic mean girl moments to the surprisingly powerful role that loneliness plays in building resilience. These topics are just a few highlights from her new girls’ devotional, —an absolute must-have for girls from junior high through college! I couldn’t help but laugh (and sometimes cringe) as we unpacked how social media has turned even the simplest interactions into epic battlegrounds of comparison and envy. I shared my own...
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Episode 88 Perfect is Boring with Jess Johnston and Amy Weatherly
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
Happy Valentine’s Week! 💗💗💗💗💗 First, I want to say thank you for the kind words and incredible response to last week’s episode, where I went rogue with a solo show. I’m so glad it encouraged you! Yes, I’m hoping to do more episodes like this after I finish the book I’m currently working on. I’m excited for our show today, because I’m chatting with Jess Johnston and Amy Weatherly about a topic that hits home for so many of us—perfectionism, vulnerability, and the beauty of authentic friendships. We talk about the impossible standards we set for...
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Episode 87 Permission to Pivot: No Guest, No Filter
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
Hey Friends, It’s February, which means Valentine’s Day is upon us—but more importantly, it marks the one-year anniversary of my first book, ! Looking back over the past year, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the friends and family who have walked this journey with me. Whether you bought the book, shared it with a friend, left a review, hosted a book launch party, or prayed for my words to make an impact—you’ve been part of this crazy adventure, and I couldn’t be more thankful. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of this milestone, or maybe it’s just menopause...
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Episode 86 Melanie Shankle on Fighting Dragons 🐉🐉🐉
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
Happy Wednesday! Is it just me, or did January last six months? I cannot handle one more school holiday, winter illness, or ¼ inch of snow canceling school. But I digress. I’m thrilled to round out this month with an amazing conversation featuring Melanie Shankle. And yes, Amy Weatherly is still co-hosting with me, and I couldn’t be more grateful! To know me is to know that I’ve been a huge fan of Melanie’s books for years. I was so excited to hear she has a new one coming out, and—spoiler alert—it might just be my favorite yet! Today, we’re covering topics like parenting...
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Episode 85 Annie F. Downs on NYC, Body Image, and Living with Loss
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
I’m thrilled to have Amy Weatherly back co-hosting MESSmerized with me for this exciting episode, because we’re chatting with the incredible Annie F. Downs! Annie is living the dream (and the hustle) part-time in New York City, and let me tell you, she’s not just surviving; she’s thriving. For those of us who’ve dreamed of moving to NYC but stayed safely tucked away in places like North Dallas (okay, maybe that's just me), Annie made it happen. And I’m so excited to share her journey with you! On a more serious note, we dive into body image, health, and unresolutions....
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Episode 84 New Year, Same Me: Kendra Adachi Talks Time Management
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
Just in case you missed the announcement last week, Amy Weatherly is co-hosting MESSmerized with me this month, and gosh, she’s so much fun. Today, we’re continuing our commitment to un-resolutions by chatting with the amazing Kendra Adachi about time management. This conversation is absolutely not what you think it’s going to be because Kendra is flipping time management on its head. Apparently, we’ve been doing it all wrong—who knew? She talks about creating systems that actually make sense for women. This includes recognizing the beauty of both proactive and reactive time...
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Episode 83 Lowering the Bar with “Un-Resolutions” in 2025 with Guest Co-Host Amy Weatherly
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
New year, new resolutions… right? Nope, not this year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas filled with fun memories! At the beginning of today’s show, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite holiday moments, gifts, and God-moments. But I’m also super excited to let you know that the fabulous Amy Weatherly is co-hosting with me all through January, and we are going to have so much fun! Amy is a wife, mother, author, and the founder of a huge Facebook community focused on friendship, faith, and loving ourselves well. It seemed only fitting that, in our first episode together, Amy and I are...
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Episode 82 Shrubs, Sneaking, and Christmas Peace: A Holiday Chat with Lanier Ivester
MESSmerized with Cynthia Yanof - Funny faith based encouragement for marriage, family, Christian parenting, and finding purpose in the MESS.
First of all, we've had a bit of a "situation" over here, and I’ll share all the details in today’s intro. But here’s a little teaser: neighbors, overgrown shrubs, and me sneaking out in the cloak of darkness. If that doesn’t paint a picture that’ll make you want to listen, I don’t know what will! 😂😂😂 Today, I’m thrilled to have Lanier Ivester on the show, and we’re talking all things Christmas—decor, recipes, and hosting. Lanier reminds us that the holiday season can feel both joyful and overwhelming. In fact, nine out of ten people experience both emotions...
info_outlineBrace yourselves!
I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about today’s show with Dallas Jenkins. Dallas is the genius behind The Chosen and now The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. And let me just say, after this conversation, I walked away ready to ugly cry in a theater over the cigar-smoking Herdman kids finding Jesus. That’s exactly what happened over Thanksgiving, and the movie was a huge hit with our crew.
So how does Dallas go from The Chosen to a story about the most chaotic, snack-loving kids hijacking a Christmas play? Well, it turns out this book has been a part of his Christmas tradition for 20 years. Dallas told me he had to make this movie, even though Hollywood wasn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet for him. Spoiler alert: God had other plans.
But here’s the thing: A few years ago, I was in a rough spot—one of those times when you're questioning everything God’s doing in your life. I heard Dallas speak at an event, and he said, “God does impossible math.” It was like a lightning bolt. Fast forward to this interview, and I got him to retell the full story behind that phrase. It involves failure, Romanian Facebook DMs at 4 a.m., and—of course—loaves and fish. God showed Dallas (and now us) that our job isn’t to perform miracles; it’s simply to show up with whatever we have and trust God to do the rest.
So whether you’re a The Chosen fan, invested in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, or someone needing a reminder that God works best when we’re at our weakest—this episode is for you.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever