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MFP 358: Thriving, not just surviving with lots of littles

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Release Date: 11/17/2025

MFP 373: Parenting is Your Mission show art MFP 373: Parenting is Your Mission

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Summary There is so much noise in the world of parenting today, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by pressure, comparison, and fear. In this episode, Mike and Alicia remind parents that there is not just one way to raise a family well. God has given you the grace for your mission, and your job is not to control your children or guarantee outcomes. Your call is to build a strong marriage, create a healthy home, communicate your values, and allow God to use family life to make you holy. Parenting is not about perfection — it is about faithfulness. Key Takeaways There is not just one right...

info_outline MFP 372: Prayer for Beginners - Interview with the Science of Sainthood show art MFP 372: Prayer for Beginners - Interview with the Science of Sainthood

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

"Without a life of prayer, you are really not living as a Catholic" - Matt Leonard   Summary What does it really mean to “go deeper” in prayer? And what if you pray every day but don’t feel anything?  This week we’re joined by Matthew Leonard, founder of The Science of Sainthood, to talk about what real spiritual growth looks like. We break down the three modes of prayer, vocal, meditation, and contemplation, and how they form a path to holiness. Matthew shares practical steps for building a daily habit of mental prayer, handling distractions, and creating space for silence....

info_outline MFP 371: How Vulnerability Is Built in Small Moments show art MFP 371: How Vulnerability Is Built in Small Moments

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Love is not a feeling.  It's a daily choice, a habit practiced proactively.   Summary What if intimacy isn’t built in the big moments, but in the small ones you almost miss? In this episode, we explore the idea of bids for connection, the everyday ways we reach for each other through a question, a touch, a story, or even a glance across the room. We talk about what happens when those bids are noticed and met with kindness, and what slowly unfolds when they are ignored. You’ll hear how responsiveness, presence, and emotional generosity shape trust, passion, and long-term happiness...

info_outline MFP 370: The Path to Healing our Broken Hearts show art MFP 370: The Path to Healing our Broken Hearts

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

There is nothing that the power of the resurrection cannot redeem in your life. - Fr. Shawn Monahan   Summary What do we do with the wounds we carry, especially in marriage? In this powerful episode, Fr. Shawn Monahan shares a trauma-informed vision of spirituality that meets us in our real stories. We’re all wounded, some more deeply than others, and healing begins with honest self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and inviting Christ into our pain.  Fr. Shawn explains how our desires are shaped for good, how sin is seeking that good in the wrong ways, and why shame keeps us stuck....

info_outline MFP 369: Marriages Don’t Accidentally Communicate Well show art MFP 369: Marriages Don’t Accidentally Communicate Well

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

You can't have a healthy relationship if you don't develop the skill of communication.    Summary Marriage doesn’t drift into great communication. You have to make the time and practice on purpose. In this episode, we share simple, realistic tools to help couples break bad habits and start talking in ways that actually bring them closer. You’ll learn how to listen without fixing, reduce daily stress through connection and fun, and build rituals that create space for meaningful conversation. We talk about appreciation, gentle ways to start hard conversations, and why prayer...

info_outline MFP 368: The Four Horsemen in Busy Marriages show art MFP 368: The Four Horsemen in Busy Marriages

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

"Couples often ignore each other’s emotional needs out of mindlessness, not malice." - Dr. John Gottman   Summary Let's take an honest look at how communication breaks down in busy marriages and what you can do to stop it. Most couples don’t ignore each other out of malice, but out of exhaustion, distraction, and rushed daily life. In this episode, we unpack why communication is essential for growth and connection, and how unspoken assumptions quickly lead to misunderstandings. Drawing on Dr. John Gottman’s research, we break down the Four Horsemen of Communication - ...

info_outline MFP 367: The Need for Belonging in Marriage show art MFP 367: The Need for Belonging in Marriage

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

“Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 Summary In this episode, we talk about something every person longs for: belonging. At its heart, marriage is meant to be a place where you are chosen, known, and not easily walked away from. It’s a home base, the one relationship you freely choose, where staying matters more than being perfect. Belonging in marriage isn’t about constant agreement or effortless connection. It’s about knowing someone is still there when things are hard, awkward, or unfinished. Over time,...

info_outline MFP 366: God is Love show art MFP 366: God is Love

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

"Love of neighbor is a path that leads to the encounter with God… closing our eyes to our neighbour also blinds us to God." - Pope Benedict XVI, God is Love   Summary We begin with Love because marriage flows from our deepest identity and relationships, not just spousal dynamics. Created in the image of a loving, Triune God, we must first ask who God is and who we are in His eyes. Our relationship with God and with ourselves forms the foundation for loving others. Pope Benedict XVI’s God Is Love reveals that eros and agape are inseparable dimensions of love: we are made to give and...

info_outline MFP 365: Five Ways to Begin Again show art MFP 365: Five Ways to Begin Again

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

"Let us begin again, for until now we have done nothing," - Saint Francis of Assisi Summary As a new year begins, many of us focus on where we fell short instead of how we’ve grown. In this episode, Mike and Alicia invite parents and couples to reflect on the past year by celebrating the gains—not just the gaps—and to recognize the common traps that keep us stuck, like doing too much, being too busy, comparing ourselves to others, or letting our loves get out of order. From there, they share five foundational ways to begin again and make this year better—not perfect, but better:...

info_outline MFP 364: Live Intentionally in 2026 show art MFP 364: Live Intentionally in 2026

Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Summary This episode revisits one of the most helpful and down-to-earth conversations on the Messy Family Podcast: Family Board Meeting 2.0. It starts with a simple but challenging idea. We put a lot of thought into our jobs, but when it comes to family life, many of us are just trying to keep up. Between work, kids’ schedules, and everyday stress, it’s easy to drift into survival mode. A Family Board Meeting is a chance to pause, breathe, and get back on the same page. It’s not about being perfect or fixing everything. It’s about choosing to lead your family with intention. The...

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Summary

Are you exhausted, overwhelmed, or wondering whether you’re doing anything right as a parent of little ones? You’re not alone — and you’re not crazy. In this refreshed and expanded episode, Mike and Alicia revisit their classic “Survival Zone” conversation with new insights from another decade of parenting and now grandparenting. They unpack why the early years are so intense, what’s normal (hint: your exhaustion), how marriage is stretched during this season, and how moms and dads can support each other through the chaos. You’ll hear practical advice on setting realistic ideals, finding community, leaning on others for help, navigating time traps like social media, letting dads step up in their unique way, and prioritizing your marriage in the midst of diapers and dishes. Whether you’re in the trenches right now or reflecting back on that season, this episode offers encouragement, perspective, and a reminder: this won’t last forever — and it will make you stronger.

Key Takeaways

  1. Reassess ideals 

  2. Consider getting outside help - isolation hurts this

  3. Dads have to step in  - great opportunity for men to gain confidence 

  4. Get out alone together

  5. Beware of "time traps"

  6. Get some good routines going that work for you

  7. This is training for your life.  If you can do this, you can do anything

 

Couple Discussion Questions

  1. How can we support each other during this time? 

  2. What are the greatest lessons that we are learning?

 

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