Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

Motherhood changes you because it literally alters a woman's brain—structurally, functionally, and in many ways, irreversibly. - Louann Brizendine, The Female Brain   Summary Women are gifted in a way that men are not.  Women can hold many different tasks in their mind at the same time, see the needs of others, and know the needs of the household and balance them all.  Sometimes this can feel empo...

"True power is not dependent upon the invented honors of earth.  True power is that which guides, shapes, carves, and claims the souls of men.  And the souls of men are most often won and lost at the feet of mothers." - Kimberly Ells   Summary Does it feel like its harder to be a parent today than ever before? There are powers arrayed against the family - powers in secular philosophies, modern pol...

God has selected you uniquely to be the mother for these children.  He will equip you for the work He wants you to do! Summary No one feels prepared to be a parent.  Even if you were one of the oldest of 10 kids in a Catholic family (like Alicia or Katie) or a family of 7 (like Suzanne) you can never really be ready!  The key to surviving, and even thriving, is stepping fully into your identity as...

'Cause I love you more than you could know And your heart, it grows every time it breaks I know that it might sound strange But I wish you pain  - "Wish You Pain" by Andy Grammar   Summary Every parent wants to keep their kids safe, but is it possible to keep them "too safe"?  In this podcast episode we dive into the overwhelming cult of safety-ism, which makes keeping your child from all pain and...

Our vows are for life, and we need overwhelming grace to live them out - Kevin Wells   Summary If you ever thought your marriage was in such bad shape that you simply did not know what to do, this podcast is for you.  We were so blessed to be able to talk to Kevin Wells, the author of The Hermit: The Priest Who Saved a Soul, a Marriage, and a Family.  This interview is deep because Kevin and his w...

What is the rhythm of leadership in your family?   Summary Every relationship relies on communication, but when you operate as a family with many members, communication can become difficult!  Kids can get lost in the chaos, plans get forgotten, chores undone, and mom and dad are constantly putting out fires.  In comes the miracle of the Family Meeting!  Well, let's rephrase that… A family meeting...

If forgiveness isn't hard, you aren't doing it right - Dan Meola Summary   Many parents struggle with their children--not because of the kids, but because of the wounds they are carrying from their own parents.  The only path for healing those wounds is forgiveness.  But how do we forgive, especially when the hurts are deep and real?  In this podcast we sat down with Dan Meola, the founder of Life...

"If we accept that God's love is unconditional, that the Father's love cannot be bought or sold, then we will become capable of showing boundless love and forgiving others even if they have wronged us" - Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia Summary:  Becoming a husband and father is the biggest change a man goes through in his life.  There is simply no better "life-coaching" than family life!  But when...

"You're not just parenting your children… you are parenting your grandchildren"   Summary Have you ever walked through a thousand-year-old castle or along a wall built by Romans nearly a millennium ago? On a recent trip to the UK, we were struck by the longevity of these structures—and the intentionality behind them. They weren't built to last a season, but centuries. In this episode, we challenge...

"Unleashing the heart of the Father is a power the world does not know."   Summary God wants us to know Him as a father.  We as parents are to prepare the hearts of our children to know the father by acting like him.  So when our children wonder what God is like, we should be able to say to them, "God loves you as I love you, but so much better".  For us to do that, we need to know what God is lik...

"Never be embarrassed to love your wife." – Chris McMahon​   Summary What does it take to build a thriving business and a strong marriage at the same time? In this episode, Mike sits down with longtime friends Chris and Molly McMahon—financial advisors, founders, parents of five, and marriage warriors. Together, they unpack the real story behind balancing ambition with family, building a faith-fil...

The only way to not live constantly in the Urgent is to manage those things that are Important.   Summary "How are  you?" "BUSY!" Isn't that the response so many of us give when asked this question?  How did we all get so busy and how do we get off the crazy train?  Parents have as much time as anyone else (even though it doesn't feel like it!) but they need to be more conscious than anyone else r...

"God gives us our children to heal and transform us." - Kyle Wester   Summary In many ways, being a parent is less about our kids and more about our own formation!  When we lean into the vocation of parenthood, God can use every experience with our children to show us His love and to form us into the person He has created us to be.  In this podcast, we talk to Kyle and Sara Wester, counselors and...

"Lovemaking puts flesh on the vows that we exchange in marriage" - Byron and Francine Pirola   Summary A few years ago in Australia, we met an amazing couple who we immediately wanted to share with our listeners.  Byron and Francine Piroloa from Smart Loving, are on a mission to make marriages stronger all over the world and they are willing to talk about that subject that few couples will tackle...

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.  Genesis 2:24   Summary Unity between man and woman was God's original plan, but the Fall not only broke our relationship with God, it also broke our relationship with each other.  But the good news is that Jesus has given us grace in the sacrament of Matrimony so we can have a onene...

Vices are our disordered way of fulfilling our God-given good desires.    Summary So many of us thought we were good people till we had kids, right?  This is because kids expose our weaknesses and we need to be aware of them in order to overcome them.  Listen in as we reveal Satan's plan for you and lay out God's great plan of using our rightly ordered desires to develop virtues and live according...

A problem with disrespect from a child always goes back to a dysfunction in the parent-child relationship.   Summary When our sweet children enter the teen years and adolescence is upon them, something happens that tends to cause parents stress and dismay - back talk and disrespect.  Some of this is immaturity on the part of the child and some is simply lack of training in relationships.  It is ou...

A husband and wife may disagree on many things, but they must absolutely agree on this: to never, ever give up.   Summary When we did our listener survey, you asked for interviews of regular families who have raised children through to adulthood with grace and courage.  Well, we have a treat for you!  A few years ago we met Brian and Joanna Simpson of London ONT who have run the Family Foundations...

Summary Have you ever wanted to stop yelling at your kids?  Be more courteous to your spouse?  Or be more orderly at home?  Enter Super Habits!  These are not just new things for you to learn to do, these are life-changing actions that will make you happier, healthier and more successful in many areas.  In this interview, we spoke to Dr. Andrew Abela, author of the book Super Habits and his wife K...

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Eph 6:4 In this episode of the Messy Family Podcast, hosts Mike and Alicia Hernon celebrate their 10th year of the podcast and introduce the new studio, setting the stage for a discussion on fatherhood and leadership in the home. They emphasize that while fathers are called by God to lead,...

Families don't just have a mission, they ARE a mission!    Summary When we hear "missionary" many of us automatically think of a single person serving in a third world country.  Then we think, "not me!"  But the reality is that all Catholics are called by their baptism to spread the good news of Jesus throughout the world.  We do that first and foremost in our homes, through the pastoral care of o...

Summary Since 2018 we have been doing surveys of our listeners to find out who you are, how we can serve you more, and what your needs are.  We have never shared this information with our listeners until now!  Over the years we have had thousands of listeners take this survey and it's interesting to see what has remained the same and what has changed.  We thought it would be encouraging to you to...

"Catholic parenting is above all a work of grace" - Fr. Carter Griffin We often say there is no manual for being a parent, but this book comes pretty close!  In this podcast, we interview the author of Forming Families, Forming Saints Fr. Carter Griffin.  Fr. Griffin has worked for years forming young men into priests in the seminary setting.  In doing so, he saw many similarities between what he...

At the beginning of 2025 we want to challenge parents to step back and reassess their approach to family life by diving into 10 Things to Stop Doing in 2025.  Are you focusing too much on your kids? Caught up in the frantic pace of life? Trying to "fix" your spouse or juggle it all? Let us give you some heartfelt encouragement to let go of habits that create stress, disconnection, and overwhelm. W...

"Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself. I mean do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage" - St. Francis deSales   Summary What God asks of us as parents is beyond our ability.  We are all in need of God's grace and that comes through prayer! Now, before you think, "I do not have time for prayer…." take a pause and listen to this episode.  F...