Stepmom Sanity

Whether we call it step, co, nacho, or parallel, we all parent and the children we parent manage some type of loss. None, however, is more keenly felt that loss due to the death of parent. I have experienced this in my own blended family. And so has our guest, Gayla Grace. Join us in a conversation about parenting the grieving bonus child.  Gayla's book, Stepparenting with Grace: A Devotional...

We are so excited for you to meet our inaugural Stepmom of the Year, Cassie Rogers. Cassie was nominated by the Bio-Mom of one of her children. She is a phenomenal Bonus Mom, doing all she does while battling Stage-2 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Take a moment to hear the wisdom she shares.

Cheryl chats with Canadian Stepmom Coach, Amelia Lane, about her stepmom journey and her free ebook, Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Stepmom. Live in Canada? You can find Amelia at l anestepfamilycoaching.com Grab your freebie here .

Do you ever just get to react to the craziness in your blended family the way you want to without that twinge of conviction from the Holy Spirit? I don't... but I have found that the "juice" is worth the "squeeze"! Join me in a  convo about some of what I learned while waiting on the hearts of my bonus children to respond to me loving them.

Join Cheryl and Tamara Johnson, aka, Tammy J, of Stepmom Goals as they talk about defining and cultivating intimacy in a blended couple marriage. Follow Tammy J. at Stepmom Goals on Instagram and Facebook Show your Bonus Mom fierceness and pickup your Stepmom Goals t-shirt at Amazon .

Past trauma can cause stepmoms to live in fear of future calamity. In turn, that fear,  ciphers our joy in the moments,  traps us in the present torment of harrowing circumstances, and inspires disbelief in God's promises for the future. Cheryl speaks with author, Sara Broyhill Anderson about her new book: The Best is Yet to Come: Facing the Fears of Today with God's Hope for Tomorrow. J...

Welcome back for part 2 of a conversation with Cheryl, and her friends, Author Summer Butler, Author Jennifer Elwood, Pastor Ernestine Howard, and Pastor Angela Wimberly, about soul care during this COVID Holiday season. Get Counting Up to Christmas: 24 Gifts from the Gospel of Luke, by Jennifer Elwood at Amazon or  jenniferelwood.com Pick up Summer's book, Blended: Aligning the Hierarchy of Heart...

Join Cheryl and her friends, Author Summer Butler, Author Jennifer Elwood, Pastor Ernestine Howard, and Pastor Angela Wimberly, for part one of a holiday round table sure to bless and encourage you. Tune in next week for part two. Get Counting Up to Christmas: 24 Gifts from the Gospel of Luke, by Jennifer Elwood at Amazon or   jenniferelwood.com Pick up Summer's book, Blended: Aligning the Hi...

If, beginning December 1st,  you read a chapter a day of the gospel of Luke, you will read the entire book by Christmas Eve. But, if you just read it, you might miss the gifts waiting to be discovered.  Join Cheryl and Jennifer Elwood, wife, mom, bonus mom, bonus grandma, as they discuss her new book , Counting Up to Christmas: 24 Gifts from the Gospel of Luke.  They will point you...

She’s nosy, she’s rigid, she may not want to talk to you, but is she an HCBM (High-Conflict Bio Mom)? If want to know whether or not you’re dealing with normal stepfamily dynamics or if biomom is stepping over into the war zone, listen in on the conversation between Cheryl and Judy Thurman, a Licensed MSW and Clinical Family and Youth Therapist and founder of Higher Ground Counseling Services. as...

Who are you stepmomming for? What's the measurement for determining success? Failure? If it's not "Well done" then perhaps it's time for a calibration of the heart.  Listen in on a conversation with Cheryl and author, Summer Butler about her new Bible Study for Stepfamilies titled, Blended: Aligning the Hierarchy of Heart and Home, as they chat about getting God's perspective on our approach...

Are you trapped inside a prison of comparison and measuring up? Feeling ashamed when you don't? Prideful or content when you do? Would you be surprised to know you are your prison guard. It's time to walk out the prison gates! Join me in a conversation with author Shannon Popkin as we discuss her new book, Comparison Girl: Lessons from Jesus on Me-Free Living in a Measure-Up World. 

We all have something from  which we have learned, survived, overcome.  With that survival came a deposit of strength and perspective meant to serve others in our lives. Join author Tiffany Mensah and she discusses her journey of healing from witnessing  the abuse her minister Father inflicted on her Mother and how her recovery served her role as her stepdaughter's bonus mom. Be sur...

Stepfamilies are fertile ground in which offense can thrive and grow into division, resentment, bitterness, and sin. Jesus said it's impossible for offenses to not happen.  When Jesus mentions an inevitability which could cause us to stumble He also provides the way to escape. In today's episode we're going to chat about how to guard against and recover from the inevitable offense which will...

Are you struggling with the heaviness of unforgiveness? Racked with guilt about anger you can't let go? The same Jesus who invited you to exchange His easy yoke for your heavy burden, beckons you now to know the freedom of forgiving. Listen in as Cheryl is interviewed on the subject of Forgiveness.

Are you worn out by feeling like you have to choose between your marriage and your children? Or are you struggling with playing second fiddle to the bonus children in your life? The messages are mixed. Your heart is torn. Let's talk about it with our guests, the Wimberly's: a couple with almost 30 years of blended family life. and an answer which may fill you with hope and challenge you at the sam...

Let's get real Sis. Your family was a family before you became a part of it. With its own history, tradition, language, and fun memories. It's easy to feel like an outsider. Listen in as Diane Morning helps us navigate the tension we feel when we're reliving "pre-me" history while carving out our space in our family.

Heard Cheryl's journey to stepmom life but still wondering, "What in the Sam Hill is Stepmom Sanity?" Take a listen and discover why you can thrive in your role without losing your mind!

It’s crazy hard to be the stepmom you want to be when you’re dealing with rejection, exes, and the triple Misses (misunderstood, mis-characterized, and misjudged). Journey with Cheryl Shumake, a stepmom educator and founder of Stepmom Sanity, every other Thursday, as she interviews guests who have found the secret to flourishing in the topsy-turvy world of living in step.