Essential Stepmom Podcast

My guest Maarit Miller created and published a version of the Disengaging Essay that made it famous in the stepmom world. You can read it on Maarit's blog, Blended Family Frappe. I'll be taking a break for the next while as I focus on helping the participants in Stepmom Success Lab. There's still room for you there too - come and join us and be supported with a small community of women who are lea...

Shannon Bally is the host of a podcast called The Bumpcast. Her life so far includes having 4 children and 3 stepmoms. Her husband is stepdad to her oldest 2 children and she can speak to what it looks like as a bio mom when the kids come back from visiting dad! Here's a link for Shannon's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bumpcast/id1412697251 There's just one more episode this s...

This episode is about peer support and peer advice, and how to know when to take advice from a stranger. What does that have to do with sharing cookies? A simple request for advice on social media gave me the inspiration to talk about sharing the parenting of your stepkids, and how much of that you should be doing as a stepmom. Interested in learning more about Stepmom Success Lab? We're starting...

Dr. Stacy is a Clinical Psychologist in private practise in Toronto, Canada. She specializes in helping women manage the emotional challenges of infertility. Her free guided journal is available at  http://growingforwardjournal Learn more about Stepmom Success Lab, my 6-week turbo-training program for women who want to quickly fill in the important blanks in their own knowledge about parentin...

This final episode of my 3-part series on Parental Alienation is about how to support yourself and your partner to weather the emotional wear and tear of this kind of situation. Please rate us on iTunes so other stepmoms can find us and listen along with you! EssentialStepmom Podcast on iTunes Here's my free Gratitude Journal template - join my email community and it will be sent right to your inb...

Kim Wilson describes her experience being completely alienated from her mother from age 1 to age 7, and the effect this had on her future relationships. I find it incredibly helpful to hear from adults who lived through this because they can explain to us what it felt like and how it resolved for them. My research - a survey of over 200 women who reported being alienated as children - confirms tha...

Parental Alienation might be the most difficult challenge a step-family can face. Here are 10 practical tips for helping things along. In the next episode, we'll talk about what to say to the kids, what not to say, and how to help them express whatever they may be feeling. Stepmom Success Lab is starting again on September 1, 2019! Listen to the course modules at your own pace, use the workbook to...

The loyalty bind, or loyalty conflict as it's sometimes known, is possibly the most insidious barrier to a healthy relationship between a stepmom and her partner's children. It's not always noticeable at the start of a new family and it can become a problem at any time, even years down the road. Its very hard to help by giving love, when the problem is that the child can't allow him or herself to...

Awareness, Acknowledgement, Acceptance. How do these apply to your step-parenting journey, and why are they important? I think they're all that's between you and the dreaded "70%" - the tragic majority of stepmoms who don't make it, whose families can't withstand the pressures and challenges and whose stepfamilies dissolve.  If you'd like to try out my free Gratitude Journal template, you can...

I have a personal story to share about my own journey towards embracing spirituality. It's the story of how I found my husband and became a stepmom! The three important steps on the way to true peace and happiness are Awareness, Acknowledgement and Acceptance. I used to be pretty crappy at two out of three of those and  although it made me easy for other people to be around, it wasn't very go...

Dropping the knives is a brilliant metaphor for thinking in a new way about working at the edge of your capacity (or the end of your rope, as a stepmom!) and how to get what you need to stay in "growth mode" instead of falling into "stress mode". I do provide that "outside eye" to help stepmoms creatively source the best quality support. Shoot me a message at info@essentialstepmom.com, or go ahead...

Christina Providence is an energy coach who helps high performing women recover from burnout and get back their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy so they can feel like themselves again. She shares a great metaphor about working at the limits of your capacity and how to continually stretch your zone of growth by creating and sourcing the support you need to achieve at higher and high...

Should your step kids be doing chores? If you think so and their dad doesn't, what can you do?  There's a difference between the practical reasons for giving kids chores (like, you need help!) and reasons having to do with parenting and raising responsible adults. Both of these issues can have good solutions that don't involve you being the evil stepmom! Connect with me at http://essentialste...

How can you tell the difference between random step family troubles and real "red flags" you should pay attention to? My guest Lori Wilkins Sims is the originator of the Nacho Kids concept and if you don't know her story, you won't want to miss this! Join the NachoKids Academy with this link so that they know I sent you! www.nachokidsacademy.com/theessentialstepmom Visit me at  www.essentials...

Overstepping boundaries is almost inevitable as a Stepmom. How can we recognize when we've done it, and more importantly, how do we recover from it and make things right? Download my free guide, Easy Ways to LEVEL UP  As A Stepmom : 32 Simple Tips to help you earn bonus points while saving your energy! Join my Facebook community at The Spectacular Stepmom My podcast for divorced/separated fat...