Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family
Parenting is not a clean-cut, simple process for those who like to follow the rules. Family life is messy and unpredictable, but it is the greatest adventure you will ever have. We are Mike and Alicia Hernon, parents of 10 children with a growing number of grandchildren, and we would like to invite you into some of the conversations we have had with each other about marriage, parenting, and Catholic family life. Our hope is that our conversation sparks a dialogue between you and your spouse that leads to greater unity and intentional Christian parenting in your home. Listen in to our podcast and start the conversation as we seek to lead our families to heaven. Visit us at https:///www/MessyFamilyProject.org for resources, guides, links and show notes.
Episodes
The family is where children discover how to be human. - Archbishop Charles Chaput
Summary
In this episode, Mike and Alicia tackle some of the toughest family challenges with honesty, humor, and hope. These questions were submitted to us at the Midwest Family Conference, but we never got to them! We talk about things like how to respond to a loved one with a temper or a dysfunctional...
"Discipleship isn’t about perfection—it’s about intimacy with Jesus. He is drawn to our weakness, not our strength." - Jake Khym
Summary
In this deeply insightful episode, Jake and Heather Khym explore one of the greatest challenges facing Catholics today: true discipleship. They share how the heart of a disciple embraces God as a good Father who desires intimacy over perfection. You'l...
“If we want our children to be happy and successful, if we want them to reach their highest potential in self-transcendence, then the most important thing we can do is replace screens with activities that turn their focus outward.” —Clare Morell
Summary
It’s no secret that addictive digital technologies like smartphones and social media apps are harming a generation of kids socially, men...
Summary
Parenting teens can feel like navigating a storm. Emotions run high and mistakes are inevitable. In this updated reflection on our original 2017 episode, we dive into the art of disciplining teenagers not just to manage behavior, but to raise mature disciples of Christ.
We share what we've learned from parenting ...
“The two great commandments name the three loves – loving God, loving neighbor, and loving yourself. All three loves are necessary and central to our Faith. All three.” - Dr. Peter Malinowski
Summary
How can I learn to truly love my family? The reality is that the degree to which you love yourself will be the maximum that you can love your family. Ordered self-love is n...
Summary:
Listen in as we respond to Catholic parents seeking guidance on navigating sensitive family issues through faith. One parent is concerned about supporting her 11-year-old daughter who expressed same-sex attraction after speaking with her bisexual sister. Another couple is figuring out how to explain same-sex relationships to their young children with both compassion and clarity about Church...
“What do we feel is the first and last need of the Church? …the Spirit, the Holy Spirit…. He is her divine breath, the wind in her sails, the principle of her unity, the inner source of her light and strength.” - St. Paul VI
Summary
We can’t wait for you to hear this podcast! The week before Pentecost, we did a webinar with Dr. Sean and Nicole Tobin, a Catholic couple passionate about h...
“We need to give God room to show up. Often we try to fix and solve everything without waiting for God to act” - Jonathan and Amanda Texiera
Summary
The number one conflict in marriages, statistically, is money. How we spend our money reflects our values, but also our belief in the providence of God. Do we truly believe that God cares about all of our life, including our financial ne...
"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed." - G.K. Chesterton
Summary
Movies shape more than behavior — they form the imagination, the moral compass, and the heart. Catholic parents are not merely protecting innocence; they are cultivating virtue and wonder. In this episode, we expl...
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...
“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, ...
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 i...
'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 o...
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...
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 famil...
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 founde...
“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!...
“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 thi...
“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 ...
"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...
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