Radical Stepmoms

Christina welcomes Nancy, a poet by trade and a stepmom in life. As a newer stepmom, Nancy chats all the layers of finding your identity, dealing with societal pushback and grieving the firsts. What “mistakes” do all stepmoms have to make in order to find their footing? How do you find your purpose? Nancy shares a few poems from her new book, “Confessions of a New Stepmom” and encourages all stepm...

Christina asked her audience to submit their BM horror stories, and OH MY! Listen in for some WTF moments and to feel a little less alone in your chaos. Sending love to you all! Interested in trying Sync Botanicals Tea ? Check it out HERE and use code RADSTEPMOM to save $15 off your first month!

Christina welcomes back Cameron to chat the many struggles of being a stepmom and how it all leads back to our search for control. Cameron shares her experience in raising teens with a coparent who is very different than her. The two unpack topics like not taking things personally, knowing the difference between developmentally appropriate issues and blended family issues, fears and hopes and more...

Christina welcomes Bre to share her stepmom story of high conflict chaos, an ex that won't finalize the divorce and a 2020 pregnancy. How do you find the love and joy when it feels like everything is working against you? Bre opens up about her transition into full custody, bringing home an ours baby and the grief of not having what she thought she signed up for. What makes you stay when you ha...

Christina welcomes Carol to discuss her role as a full-time stepmom. Fulltime stepmoms take on a lot of the responsibility, but are always making space for the BM. Carol shares her feelings of resentment, gratitude and how she invests in her relationship with her stepdaughter. How do you manage loyalty binds? How do you remain open and loving when you feel vulnerable? Listen in!  So much more than...

Christina welcomes Nicole who shares her step-parenting and co-parenting journey that’s included significant adversity, including the loss of a co-parent, shaping her perspective with honesty and resilience. How did she develop her relationships with her stepkids, assist her own kids with blending, manage grief and define her role? Also, how many counselors become stepmoms? Is it destiny? Listen i...

Christina welcomes Dee to chat about her Netflix-Documentary-worthy tale of stepmotherhood. Dee strived for a peaceful co-parenting dynamic complete with joint birthdays and friendly banter with the ex…but what happened when the ex wasn’t even interested in meeting her? What happened when Dee was getting a weird vibe from the stepdad and started to do some digging on him? What do you do when you f...

Christina welcomes Shanae, a woman who fell in love, admittedly ignored all the red flags and decided the high conflict life was not for her. Shanae shares how she fell into the role of “fixer” and how she realized her partner was the one stealing her peace. Now that she’s a biomom on the other side, what would she tell her younger self? As a stepmom, we ask ourselves “is it worth it”? When did Sh...

Christina welcomes back special guest Michelle to chat stepmoms during the holidays. Stepmoms are vulnerable to feeling invisible on any day, but the holiday season adds a special zing . How do we handle the emotions of grief, comparison and guilt? How do we protect ourselves from burnout when it feels like all the magic depends on us? How do we advocate to feel seen in our families? Listen in!  A...

Christina welcomes stepmom Tarah and her husband EJ to discuss their transitions into blending. The three discuss why resentment builds in blended families and how to address it before it causes emotional distance. Where and why do many couples get stuck and what can they do to prepare and heal? Tarah and EJ offer their professional and personal experience in assisting couples out of the trenches...

Christina welcomes Lisa, a mom who divorced and is currently dating a man with kids. Many of them adults. Lisa shares her story of divorce, protecting and respecting her kids, and how she's had to grow so she doesn't fall into that high conflict category. Even when her kids are grown, how are they impacted by her new relationship? Christina also shares her personal experience of being the stepkid,...

Christina welcomes Cynthia and Mackenzie to discuss how becoming a stepmom can impact our relationships with our family and friends. As our lives evolve into parenthood, how do our own parents embrace our new identities? What happens if our friends don’t support us? Do your parents takes on the step-grandparent role? What do you do when you want to be seen in your role, but your closest loved ones...

Christina welcomes Amy who shares what it took to create her stepmom identity. In the beginning of our relationships, we’re just putting the pieces together. We’re learning about the ex, experiencing how society views stepmoms, and figuring out what parts of parenting we’re “allowed” to do. How do we form our identity without losing ourselves? Listen in as Amy shares how she survives…out of spite....

Christina welcomes back Michelle to talk about real and tactical tips for navigating the chaos of summer—when there’s no school or camp buffer, exchanges get messy, routines fall apart, and stepmoms often end up managing more than they expected. Michelle and Christiina talk about boundaries, managing expectations with partners, and keeping your sanity when everything feels unpredictable. What can...

Christina welcomes Aimee to chat about her long-term decision to not have children, and then falling in love with a man who has 2 kids. PLOT TWIST! Aimee shares how she jumped right in, then needed to find her boundaries before she lost herself. How do you manage the guilt while disengaging? How do you find your role when you never wanted to “mother”? Christina and Aimee discuss parenting with int...

Christina chats with Shayla about how dynamics are just different when your partner was never married to the mom. There was no wedding, no long history... what unique issues does this bring up? Shayla shares about the custody loss for 50/50, feeling protective of your partner and the frustration with “single” moms. Why do exes get more upset after you're married? How do you “love them like you...

Christina welcomes Katherine to share her story of blending into an interracial family. What happens when your mother-in-law isn’t happy you’re white? How do you find confidence in your stepmom role when it’s clear you’re not the mom? Christina and Katherine discuss positive relationships with the ex, bringing home an ours baby and so much more. Listen in! So much more than a podcast! Instagram: @...

Christina welcomes Nicole to chat about the dynamics of being in a queer blended family and balancing boundaries with compassion. Nicole shares when her optimism for a peace was confronted with the reality of conflict and how she remains authentic even when the other co-parent is watching. How does her stepdaughter feel about having 4 moms? What is Nicole striving for now? Listen in!  About My Gue...

Christina welcomes Courtney who shares her reflections on stepmotherhood. Courtney, a BM and stepmom, discusses the red flags she didn’t see in her relationship, the thresholds of bullshit she uncovered and when she realized it was time to leave. What is a non-negotiable when it comes to blending a family? How do you forgive yourself for not seeing it sooner? Listen in!   So much more than a podca...

Christina welcomes Kelly to discuss stepmom identity and finding your voice. We’ve all experienced situations that have made us feel small or ignored. Did your SK not include you in their family project? Does the ex completely ignore you? What do your stepkids call you and how does it make you feel? Kelly and Christina chat about it all and more! Listen in! About My Guest:  Kelly Christ is a write...

Sensitive Content: This episode talks about pregnancy and loss. Please care for yourselves as you need.  Christina welcomes Carly to share her story of falling in love, pursuing friendship with the ex, and navigating loss alongside stepmotherhood. As we all know, stepmotherhood doesn’t pause to acknowledge your happiest moments, and it won’t for your deepest moments of grief. Listen in as Carly sh...

Christina welcomes back Courtney and introduces Courtney’s husband, Mark. Courtney and Mark have been through a lot together and share their experience in dealing with high conflict, endless court battles, false allegations and how they managed to preserve their marriage in the process. Courtney speaks about her newly published book, “Uncaged” and gives her words of support and wisdom to other wom...

Christina welcomes Jessica to hear her perspective on being a full-time stepmom, mom and having an ours baby. What have been her own challenges and areas for growth sharing custody of her kids? How has she adapted to full time stepmom life, and what advice does she give others? Christina and Jessica chat about “fairness” between siblings, being called “mom”. In this episode we talk about the messy...

Christina welcomes Nathalie who shares her story of finding love and KIDS in her early 20’s. Young stepmoms have a unique journey. Nathalie shares how her friendships evolved or dissolved after taking on the stepmom role, having a partner in the military and managing custody schedules and oh-yes, high conflict situations. What can new, young stepmoms learn from Nathalie? Listen in!  About My Guest...

Christina welcomes Alexandra Nolan to chat how to create harmony within your blended family. Establishing a new family system takes time, so what can we do as parents and stepmoms to foster security, love and respect? Listen in as Alexandra and Christina talk loyalty binds, family identity and finding your footing as a stepmom. About My Guest  Alexandra Nolan is a dynamic parenting educator, aspir...