Pardon the Mess Podcast

Pardon the Mess Podcast Courtney DeFeo is wife to Ron, mom of 2 wildly fun girls, an author, and host of Pardon the Mess.

Once a month we’re sharing a mentor episode—each one covering a new topic to help you grow alongside a mentor or friend ...
12/04/2025

Once a month we’re sharing a mentor episode—each one covering a new topic to help you grow alongside a mentor or friend a season ahead. 🤝

Start with the first few episodes:
• Why Mentorship Matters
• Intimacy with God
• Personalities & Temperaments

This week, I’m talking with Boyd Bailey from the National Christian Foundation about living a life of generosity. One of my favorite moments? His family tradition of giving the grandkids money at Thanksgiving and gathering at Christmas to share how they used it. I’m definitely doing this! 🎁✨

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

This week, let’s pray for our kids’ futures, and let’s also pray that our kids have a big prayer life that makes an impa...
12/01/2025

This week, let’s pray for our kids’ futures, and let’s also pray that our kids have a big prayer life that makes an impact on generations to come.

Lord, help me to have a faith like Hannah’s, holding __________ with open hands, knowing you have the best plan for their life. I pray that __________ will bring all their struggles, their hopes, their dreams, and their plans to you in prayer. Give them patience to trust in your timing, knowing that your plans are always better. And may their prayers impact generations of believers. Amen.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

11/28/2025

I had to pull this clip! It is just so perfect for this season. You all know I LOVE good deeds - but sometimes I can slip into the thinking that I’m earning or striving for my salvation.

is one of my favorite authors and reminds us this week about the story of Christmas (misconceptions and interpretations), how your generosity can impact others for Christ and how “good deeds” can factor into our faith journey.

Do NOT miss the end when he shares about seeing generosity up close as an atheist during Christmas.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

We’re already at our limit and then Christmas comes. We add traditions, expectations and more to an overcommitted schedu...
11/25/2025

We’re already at our limit and then Christmas comes. We add traditions, expectations and more to an overcommitted schedule. How can we change the focus of our holidays so that we all enjoy “being present” over “ doing it perfectly”? Niro Feliciano is my guest this week and shares some fantastic ideas on how to bring the CALM into your Christmas. Our kids will thank us one day for pulling back and setting limits.

Make sure you check out her new book - All is CALMish!

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

Let’s pray that our kids recognize Jesus’s gifts to them every day and that they move closer to him and praise him in re...
11/24/2025

Let’s pray that our kids recognize Jesus’s gifts to them every day and that they move closer to him and praise him in response!

Lord, I pray that you would remind __________ daily of your love for them, that they would practice praising you for who you are and thanking you for your many blessings on a regular basis, that you would cultivate in them a grateful heart, and that you would help me model this in our home too!

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

11/21/2025

One of our favorite family traditions is giving. There is something that just grounds us when we are thinking of others above ourselves. Niro reminds us in this week’s episode that we are wired to give - not just spiritually but physically.

Take time to think through the chaos of your Christmas schedule and consider what to delete? How could you bring more calm, more presence and more Jesus into this special season? Giving is just one way!

Thank you Niro for a very practical and encouraging episode. And thank you for helping us fight for more moments of peace in our homes.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

Does anyone else feel like the holidays keep getting crazier and crazier? Busier and busier? On the podcast this week is...
11/20/2025

Does anyone else feel like the holidays keep getting crazier and crazier? Busier and busier? On the podcast this week is . You may recognize from her regular appearances on The Today Show. She is a certified cognitive therapist, the co-founder of Integrative Counseling and Wellness Group in Wilton, CT and the author of All is CALMish. I love her professional insight and perspective on the pressure of Christmas. She reminds that the mental health of our families will benefit as we prioritize our presence over the perfection of Christmas.

Niro reflects on the significance of holiday celebrations and the importance of meaningful connections of superficial interactions. She shares her journey of reevaluating how she celebrates the holidays, empathizing with the need for deeper connections with loved ones and a more intentional approach to social gatherings.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

This week, let’s pray that our kids always follow God and honor him. But if they make mistakes or walk away, let’s pray ...
11/17/2025

This week, let’s pray that our kids always follow God and honor him. But if they make mistakes or walk away, let’s pray that they turn back to God, ask for mercy, and experience God’s amazing redemption.

Jesus, thank you for your amazing grace that restores us back to God. I pray that __________ will follow you all their life. But if they fall away, may they experience your redemption in a powerful way. Redeem the pain that they experience in their life, and even the mistakes they will make. Remind them that you are bigger than everything! I pray they are always confident in your goodness and in your desire to be in right relationship with them. Amen.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

11/14/2025

The church hasn’t always done a great job with helping Christians survive divorce. There are a lot of harmful narratives and misunderstandings of scripture that cause great shame. shares her heart today about surviving an unwanted divorce. She also shares about how much she loves marriage and appreciates God’s design for it. This was one of my favorite parts of our chat. Her distinction is really important about God’s design for marriage vs a destructive marriage where your actual life is on the line.

If you are going through an unwanted divorce or have a friend going through this - I pray this will meet you in a really profound way. You are so very loved.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

Are you going through an unwanted divorce? Or have a friend or family member going through an unwanted divorce? This pow...
11/13/2025

Are you going through an unwanted divorce? Or have a friend or family member going through an unwanted divorce? This powerful episode with is for you. I’m so thankful that Lysa is using her own divorce experience, healing journey and biblical understanding to encourage other women.

Lysa shares about the significant challenges of an unwanted divorce. She shares about the unhelpful comments and verses thrown at people that choose divorce. She walks us through the powerful combination of theology and therapy and how those two things were key in her healing journey.

This episode isn’t really for the person trying to determine IF they should divorce, it’s really for those that are already walking through the divorce from a destructive marriage and how to move forward.

My favorite part is at the very end when she talks directly to the woman walking through an unwanted divorce. Her words are so tender and so encouraging. I am praying you will feel so seen.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

If you have kids, you can’t imagine taking time to take personality tests. However, I want to remind you what’s at stake...
11/11/2025

If you have kids, you can’t imagine taking time to take personality tests. However, I want to remind you what’s at stake. What if we spent 20 years being married and parenting kids and our love didn’t resonate? That’s a lot of wasted time.

Each of us have a language, a wiring, a temperament and it is WORTH it to do this work. It is worth it to study ourselves, our spouses and our kids.. As Karen Stubbs shares on this podcast, “to be understood is a game changer.”

My challenge is for you to just take one person in your family -and maybe you even start with yourself. Spend this month learning that person more deeply. In the show notes, I link to all kinds of tests and ways to do that.

Let me know what you discover! Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

This week, let’s pray that our kids love and serve their current and future families with loyal hearts.Father God, you a...
11/10/2025

This week, let’s pray that our kids love and serve their current and future families with loyal hearts.

Father God, you are the perfect father. Help __________ to love and serve their family. May they be loyal, kind, and faithful. May they trust in my guidance as a parent. And most importantly, may they trust in you as their perfect parent and stay faithfully devoted to you all the days of their life. May they never know a day without being in your presence. Amen.

Listen to the full episode: https://lnk.to/pardonthemess

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Pardon the Mess Podcast

Parenting can be messy. There’s lots of amazing moments followed by some really hard times that make it easy to be discouraged if we aren’t careful. That’s why we want to invite you to listen to our podcast, Pardon the Mess. Each week you’ll hear honest discussions from real people about the ups and downs of parenting, and the lessons God has taught them along the way. It’s fun, it’s real, it’s biblical, and it’s for everyone!

Cynthia Yanof is a wife, mom, blogger, and the host of the Pardon the Mess podcast. She has a relaxed style of interviewing, combining her quick wit and sense of humor with a firm commitment to never taking herself too seriously. She loves Jesus, her family, foster care, and having lots of friends around her as often as possible. Cynthia is relatable, real, and a friend to all of us just trying to walk the road of life in a meaningful way that’s pleasing to the Lord.