Best Don and Suzanne Manning Podcasts (2025)

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#304: Summer Series: Part 2 - Teaching Your Kids to Fight (Wait... What?) 25:42

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10d ago25:42

25:42

Teaching Kids to Fight (Well): How to Turn Sibling Conflict into Character Growth Summer brings more time together—and more sibling conflict. But what if the fights between your kids were actually opportunities to shape their hearts? In this episode of the Crazy Cool Family Podcast, we unpack how to teach your kids to fight well, using biblical pri…

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#303: Summer Series: Part 1 - Washing the School Year Off Our Kids 24:47

24d ago24:47

24:47

Welcome to our Summer Series! In this episode, Don and Suzanne talk about how to intentionally plan your family’s summer so it’s filled with peace, purpose, and connection—not just chaos. They introduce the powerful idea of “washing the school year off” your kids—helping them reset emotionally, mentally, and spiritually from the demands and structu…

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#302: A Summer to Remember (Feat. Sarah Paul) 33:02

1M ago33:02

33:02

Ready to build your family's best summer? Madeline Jones (formerly Manning) is back—this time with special guest and fellow summer-lover Sarah Paul—to share how families can make the most of summer through simple rhythms, intentional connection, and memory-making moments. From mission trips to popsicle-fueled pool days, this episode is packed with …

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#301: Crazy Cool Family This: Raising a Servant Hearted Child 29:30

1M ago29:30

29:30

Raising a Servant-Hearted Child Starts Right Here ❤️ Do you ever wish your kids would just share the toy... without a battle? In our latest podcast episode, we dive into one of the most powerful things we can teach our kids: how to be servant hearted. Inspired by Jesus washing His disciples' feet, we’re breaking down what it means to raise children…

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#300: See Where We've Been and Where We Are Going 29:57

1M ago29:57

29:57

Happy 300th Episode to us! In this heartfelt episode of the Crazy Cool Family Podcast, Don and Suzanne reflect on over three decades of parenting, ministry, and the launch of their brand-new resource, the Parenting Playbook. Whether you're in the thick of raising toddlers or navigating relationships with adult children, this conversation reminds yo…

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#299: Using Guilt as a Signal 46:10

2M ago46:10

46:10

Struggle with guilt when parenting? This Episode is for you...(and me!) In this heartfelt episode, each daughter shared how “mom guilt” has uniquely shown up in their motherhood journey. Macy opened up about her tendency to feel like she should be punished for both the things she does and doesn’t do as a mom. Mollie described mom guilt as a constan…

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#298: What is the Playbook? 28:37

2M ago28:37

28:37

Guess what.... we've got something new for you! Next month, our seventh child, Cade, graduates — and with that, we officially wrap up over three decades of parenting. As we step into this next season of becoming almost-empty nesters, we’ve been reflecting on the journey that brought us here… and why Crazy Cool Family exists in the first place. In o…

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#297: Crazy Cool Family This: Let's Get Real! 46:33

2M ago46:33

46:33

"What is your favorite season of parenting?" In today’s episode, we’re talking about what we’ve learned through the years raising littles, middles, and bigs — and how to parent each age with purpose and grace. We're calling this theme “Crazy Cool Family This,” where we unpack key parenting concepts and make them practical for your season of life. T…

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#296: Crazy Cool Parent This: Steps to Improve Connection 35:20

2M ago35:20

35:20

Crazy Cool Family This - Connection! We are excited to talk about this because we feel like we prioritized connections within our family and we believe it is the most important thing you can invest in - connections within family are THE MOST IMPORTANT! "Relationships build security." - Suz Here are the talking points: What is more important - obedi…

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#295: We've Never Talked about Easter.... 29:42

3M ago29:42

29:42

Let's talk Easter, cause we never have! Easter is one of the MOST important holidays within our faith and we have NEVER done a podcast on it. We’ve almost made 300 episodes and looking through them, this is the first time we’ve set aside space to talk about Easter – so let’s dive in. The goal of today's podcast is to help your family have the BEST …

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#294 In Charge Vs. In Control (Feat. Mollie Torres) 26:22

3M ago26:22

26:22

Mollie joins the podcast to talk about an insight God has been giving her about control vs. being in charge. Mollie, a mother of two boys, and the oldest Manning kid - reflects on a thought-provoking question she received from her church: "Where are you allowing the Holy Spirit to be in charge in your life?" She shares that she loves to be in charg…

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#293: Do you know how to disciple AND be a disciple (Feat. Marcus Warner) 35:57

3M ago35:57

35:57

In this episode of the Crazy Cool Family podcast, Don welcomes Marcus Warner, the president of Deeper Walk International and a renowned expert on family dynamics and discipleship. The conversation dives deep into Marcus's transformative FISH discipleship methodology, which stands for Freedom, Identity, Spirit, and Heart-Focused Community. This fram…

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#292: Crazy Cool Parent This: Q&A with Don and Suz 39:43

3M ago39:43

39:43

In Season 7 of our podcast, we are taking time to give practical parenting tips in our episodes. We are using the term, "Crazy Cool Parent This" because choosing to parent God's way is often crazy AND turns out cool. Sometimes we go deep into a specific topic and sometimes (like today) we like to throw random questions at Don and Suz and see what t…

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#291: Crazy Cool Parent This: Emotional Intelligence 1:03:21

4M ago1:03:21

1:03:21

Emotions are a God given gift inside of each of us to help navigate life. But what do we do with them? Especially in our kids...? In this podcast Suzanne, Macy, and Mckenzie explore the topic of Emotional Intelligence and how to Crazy Cool Family emotions. If emotions feel challenging to you, or if they are taking over your home - you are in the ri…

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#290: Crazy Cool Parent This: Connect During Spring Break! 26:34

4M ago26:34

26:34

Spring break is coming up and we want to start the conversation about how to invest in your kids over their break. In today's episode, we discuss how parents can make the most of the time with their kids and how to invest in them at every age. What does it look like to have CRAZY COOL CONNECTION with your kids this Spring Break? No matter what seas…

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#289: Interrupt Your Marriage (Feat. Julie Plagens) 43:41

4M ago43:41

43:41

Do you want to stay in love with your spouse? Even through conflict? Julie Plagens, a wife, mother, and author joins our podcast to talk about her new book, Marriage Interrupted. If you are wanting to invest in your marriage and learn ways to love and forgive your spouse, this podcast is for you! Julie's new book goes over so many Kingdom principle…

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#288: Crazy Cool Parent This - Building Confident Kids 32:16

4M ago32:16

32:16

As parents, we are called to deposit confidence in our kids - but how do you create a confident kid? The world wants to tear your child down and create insecurity inside of them. Family is the place where we wash off the world and send our kids out - confident, loved, and brave. Parents, we get to go first in building our kids up - here's how! Toda…

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#287: Mothers, Daughters, and Sisters TELL ALL! 37:27

5M ago37:27

37:27

What do you think is said when Suz gets ALL her daughters (and daughter-in-law) in a room and hits the record button? You'll have to listen to find out.... On Episode #287, we celebrate Suz's birthday! She is 23 years young😜 and living her best life! We unpack do's and don'ts from her parenting experience. Now that she has 4 grown daughters who are…

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#286: Love is in the Air, or is it? 39:27

5M ago39:27

39:27

Love is in the air and we are talking REAL LOVE and real struggles that come with marriage! With Valentine’s coming up – we wanted to take an episode to encourage and challenge you in your marriage. Don and Suz are talking about the good, bad, and ugly from their 33 years of marriage! They would say their marriage is "the best it's ever been" and "…

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#285: Are Men in America "Slow Quitting"? (Feat. Chris Harper) 45:07

5M ago45:07

45:07

How do we take what God is doing in the world and apply it to family? Chris Harper joins Don as they unpack the 2024 election and what we are called to do. "God has given fathers a mantle to be the chief priest of his home. His home is a reflection of the greater Kingdom." - Chris Harper Here are the main topics they discuss: People's response to t…

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#284: Do you want to have a great relationship with your son or daughter? 44:02

5M ago44:02

44:02

Do you want to have a great relationship with your son or daughter? We know the majority of parents want great relationships with their kids BUT do they actually have one? Don and Suz are focusing on the Parent to Kid and Kid to Kid relational lines this season. They have raised 7 kids and have learned a lot along the way. They are passionate about…

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#283: Season 7 Starts TODAY! 22:59

5M ago22:59

22:59

Season 7 of Crazy Cool Family kicks off today, and we’re excited to dive into another year of parenting insights! As we enter 2025, we’re focusing on the word CREATE. God, the Creator, has given us the privilege and authority to shape the culture of our homes. It’s not about grinding—it’s about daily choices of love, investment, and energy. This ye…

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#282: Season Finale! 33:46

6M ago33:46

33:46

It's the end of a good thing... Season 6 is ending and as we are taking time today to reflect on all the episodes the season holds. Season 6 is all about relationships. If you've been around CCF for awhile, you know about the Family Dashboard and the 5 Types of Relationships. In our 2024 season, we took the 5 Types of Relationships and did podcasts…

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#281: Tips for the Holiday Craziness! 28:40

7M ago28:40

28:40

Are you up to your eyeballs in holiday things? It's our second to last episode of the season, can you believe it? We want to inspire you and give you tips on how to make this holiday season AMAZING! Things we don’t want your holiday season to be filled with.... Worry.... Stress.... Outbursts (from your or your kids)... We often look back and wonder…

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#280: God is Moving in Marriages! (Feat. Carl Caton) 33:49

7M ago33:49

33:49

Have you checked in on your marriage lately? Carl Caton is our guest and is deeply passionate about marriages. He is a husband, businessman, and founder of the San Antionio Marriage Initiative. Their vision is centered on restoration of family, by strategically investing in marriage, for the strengthening of communities and the glorification of God…

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#279: Sibling Dynamics during Holidays 35:26

7M ago35:26

35:26

Today's topic will CHANGE your holidays! Are your ready? Parents, we want to teach you how to invest in the sibling dynamics during the holidays. This podcast is so practical because we give you strategies to help with rivalry, teaching empathy, and family unity during November and December. "The reality is.... kids are selfish. We believe sibling …

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#278: Making Family Traditions 18:45

7M ago18:45

18:45

"Traditions give your kids a sense of belonging." - Don We've been asked by parents how to make the holidays meaningful. It's about more than presents, food, parties, and events. Here's our answer.... traditions! Traditions are ways to build family culture and it's really what your kids will remember. So how do you build family traditions? Don and …

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#277: Attitude of Gratitude 25:45

8M ago25:45

25:45

Is negativity killing your family’s culture? Today we are talking about gratitude and how powerful it is. Just in time for Thanksgiving (which we did on purpose) we want to talk about gratitude, gratefulness, thankfulness, and joy! As we prepare for Jesus’ birth, we need to start practicing our gratitude muscle – because this season is ALL ABOUT HI…

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#276: Empowering Your Child to be Their Best (Feat. Lee Ann Mancini) 44:23

8M ago44:23

44:23

Lee Ann Mancini found us through our Guides (which you can purchase through the link below), and we’re thrilled to have her join Don for an insightful conversation on the value of depositing truth into our children. Early in her parenting journey, Lee Ann found herself searching for Biblical materials to teach her kids. When she couldn’t find as ma…

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#275: Motherhood vs. Victimhood (Feat McKenzie Reaume and Macy Robinson) 51:54

8M ago51:54

51:54

Moms, are you living in a cycle of victimhood? McKenzie Reaume and Macy Robinson (Manning. daughters #3 and #4) join Suz on today's podcast. This topic is one we believe will impact mothers all over the world. Because let's face it.... Motherhood is hard and we are all prone to victimhood thoughts. Things we discuss in the podcast: What are the def…

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#274: The Value of Mentors 30:29

8M ago30:29

30:29

Have you ever been mentored? Discipled? Coached? Counseled? There are a lot of words for it these days but in today's episode we focus on Kingdom guidance - what does it look like and how do you access it? Here are the main questions we unpack in Episode #274: What is a mentor and how do we make sure we are getting Kingdom counsel/advice? Don and S…

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#273: Insight into Rebelling Kids 31:50

8M ago31:50

31:50

How do you Crazy Cool Parent that? This is a new phrase (maybe even a verb) we are going to start using. Our heart is to give ALL parents Kingdom tools to help them be the best parents they can be. Our topic today is... REBELLING KIDS – OH NO!!! HELP!!! Do you have a 3-year-old who throws fits and runs away? Are you at a loss of how to connect with…

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#272: Halloween - to Celebrate or Not? 23:33

9M ago23:33

23:33

How do you celebrate Halloween as a family and is it bad to do? First off, your family needs to personally seek God and obey what he is saying for your family. There is no right or wrong. Obeying God is top priority! Secondly, if you do decide to dress up and go house to house here are some mindsets you can empower your kids with. Focus on Light vs…

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#271 : Talking Every Man's Purpose and Where it is Found (Feat. Mark Lubbock) 39:40

9M ago39:40

39:40

Mark Lubbock joins us to talk about relationships. If you are a husband, or man - this podcast is for you! BUT if you are a woman or wife, this will give you insight into your spouse like never before. "Men want to earn respect and find value in life. They want an identity that is worth living in." - Mark Lubbock Don and Mark unpack manhood and wha…

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#270: God vs. Technology 30:02

9M ago30:02

30:02

Who has your child's attention - God or AI? “In today’s day and age- our kids can just ask AI “what does God look like?” and get an actual picture- is it accurate? NO! But so many things are being defined for our kids- how do we show them that following God/knowing Him is worth it and an adventure worth going on?!” - CCF Parent Don and Suz unpack t…

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#269: Celebrating Don’s 60th with 60 Second Relational-Parenting Tips! 35:40

9M ago35:40

35:40

Today’s episode is special – we are celebrating Don’s 60th birthday! We are going to reminisce and share a few practical parenting tips in 60 seconds or less! We believe God will inspire you with the values Don and Suz have learned over his 60 years of life! Here we go! Relationship with God Suz: Matt. 6:33 invites us to seek first his kingdom and …

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#268: A Day in the Life of a Mom (Feat. Macy Robinson) 26:31

10M ago26:31

26:31

Today's episode targets a day in the life of a mom BUT even if you are a dad- this episode will still inspire and challenge you! Suz is talking about her wheelhouse today. She has done thousands of hours at home with littles, middles, and bigs AND she has been in the workplace full time. The goal of today's episode is to inspire moms to thrive in t…

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#267: Tackling Your Family's Core Issues (Feat. Abby Shields and Alicia Stickles) 47:27

10M ago47:27

47:27

We are so excited to have Abby and Alicia from No Heart Left Behind on the podcast today. A good podcast with lots of good insight. They really have a focus -- like us -- of getting to the core issues in the heart of the parent and the heart of a child. We talked a lot first about the parent and then about the child. With the parent, we also talked…

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#266: 3 Ways to WIN at Family this Fall 25:11

10M ago25:11

25:11

It’s the end of summer BUT the beginning of Fall! As we start the Fall, we wanted to highlight the 2024 Olympics and how it brings family together. The inspiration of hard work and celebration of wins is exciting! Our family loves competition and it has unified us throughout the years. Sports, we believe, are a way to win at family –it brings out o…

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#265: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in Your Family this Summer - Living Out His Mission 37:38

10M ago37:38

37:38

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#264: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in Your Family this Summer - Building Our Faith 36:42

11M ago36:42

36:42

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#263: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer - Hearing His Voice 32:28

11M ago32:28

32:28

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#262: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer - Walking With Him 37:15

12M ago37:15

37:15

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#261: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer - Engaging His Word 33:41

1y ago33:41

33:41

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#260: 6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer - Encountering HIS Presence 28:30

1y ago28:30

28:30

6 Ways to Spark Faith in your Family this Summer Welcome to summer 2024 – there will never be another summer like this one. Your kids will never be this age, your family season will never be like this again and we want to use this special summer season to do some building. We are devoting the summer to building faith, connecting with family, and ma…

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#259: Capturing Your Child’s Heart this Summer 33:17

1y ago33:17

33:17

It’s summertime and we cannot wait to help you make the most of your summer! Parents, this season is not made to survive- It's made for investment! “Summer is a special time. It’s set apart and different. There is a bit of a break and a great chance for kids to be at home and with their parents. It’s needed in a lot of ways for your child’s heart.”…

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#258: Cultivating Harmony Between Parents & Grandparents 31:30

1y ago31:30

31:30

Let's continue with the grandparent conversation! We have 8 grandchildren (4 boys and 4 girls) and are learning so much about grand parenting! We wanted to bring the relational line to the front and talk about how to have harmony between parents and grandparents! Main topics of this podcast: Parenting vs. Grandparent leadership dynamics How grandpa…

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#257: Calling All Grandparents! (Feat. Larry Fowler) 31:14

1y ago31:14

31:14

Calling All Grandparents!!! Larry Fowler joins us. He is the founder of the Legacy Coalition which invests specifically in grandparents. He has been in ministry for over 40 years and really cares about the role of grandparents within family. Legacy Coalition started in 2016 and is designed with grandparents in mind. Larry Fowler and his wife felt a…

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#256: Need a Better Chore System? (Feat. Macy Robinson) 44:46

1y ago44:46

44:46

Today's Topic = Do’s and Don’ts of House Cleaning Systems We got a great question from a Crazy Cool Parent recently and we decided to make it a podcast! Here is what he asked, "What is your advice about chores & rewards/allowance? We have 6 kids (ages 2-9) and we're really struggling with getting a workable chore plan.....Would love any resources y…

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#255: Parenting & Play Therapy (Feat. McKenzie Reaume) 47:08

1y ago47:08

47:08

“Play is their language; toy is their words.” - Kenzie Our 4th daughter, McKenzie joins the podcast today and PARENTS- YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE. There are so many valuable tools, mindsets, and words of wisdom shared by Kenzie. She is passionate about giving kids language and helping parents strengthen family relationships. “If you play w…

Don And Suzanne Manning Podcasts