The Ultimate Stepfamily Summit

Join Susan Haworth and family law attorney Ty Supancic in the 2024 Stepfamily Summit. Discover how mediation can resolve stepfamily conflicts, effective parenting plans, and tips for maintaining family harmony. Learn the importance of neutrality, how to find a skilled mediator, and cost-efficient conflict resolution strategies. Essential listening for stepmoms, stepdads, and divorced dads. Here ar...

The Impact of Social Media on Stepfamily Dynamics with Brenda Ockun Episode Summary: Brenda Ockun, founder of StepMom Magazine, dives into the complex relationship between moms and stepmoms and why they often struggle to get along. In this excerpt, Brenda highlights the significant role social media plays in shaping stepfamily dynamics—for better or worse. She shares insights on how social m...

Ali Wilks candidly shares how jealousy and competition in her stepfamily stemmed from her own wounds, rather than from the birth mom. She discusses the clash between her own wounds and that of her stepdaughter's wounds, which became more pronounced after giving birth to her own daughters. Ali connects her family history, particularly her mother's experiences, to feelings of unworthiness an...

Anna de Acosta, an intuitive guide for women who care for others, shares her personal journey as a stepmom coach and her transition into a new phase of coaching. She opens up about her relationship with her husband, their beautiful blended family, and their upcoming move from Canada back to Peru. Throughout the interview, Anna delves into the importance of navigating uncertainty, the significance...

Brittney Phillips discusses common triggers that stepmoms face in their relationships. These triggers include feeling excluded or rejected by stepchildren, as well as dealing with jealousy, resentment, and insecurity. Challenging dynamics, such as co-parenting with an ex-partner, can also be triggering. Different parenting styles and unresolved emotional issues from previous relationships can furt...

Claudette begins by sharing how her son didn’t see himself as a family and how this got her to think of different approaches to defining stepfamilies. She emphasizes the importance of explaining complex concepts in a language that children can understand. The discussion shifts to the challenges of applying a growth mindset in stepfamilies and breaking stereotypes about broken families. Claud...

Ginger Gentile, shares her personal journey of overcoming parental alienation and using her experiences to advocate for change. Motivated to create awareness and provoke discussion, Ginger made a powerful film called "Erasing Dad," which premiered in Argentina in 2014. The film sparked conversations around parental alienation, leading to the passing of joint custody legislation in Argent...

Heidi Farrell emphasizes the importance of prioritizing relationships over small issues, recounting her own journey of letting go of a long-standing driving issue with her stepson and focusing on building a strong connection instead. Heidi also highlights the importance of having a big-picture mindset, forgiveness, and grace towards oneself and others. She asserts the need for setting boundaries i...

Jason Kreidman of Dad University discusses the power of empathy in parenting. Addressing a common concern among dads, Jason explores the role of fathers as disciplinarians and provides suggestions on fulfilling this role without relying solely on the mom or stepmom. He shares personal experiences as a recovering yeller and complainer, emphasizing the importance of open communication and setting cl...

Jayna Haney discusses the importance of taking responsibility and owning our own power, rather than placing blame on others. We'll explore the concept that our thoughts create our reality. Drawing from her experience and expertise, Jayna guides us through the traits of high conflict people and the impact they can have on stepfamily and co-parenting dynamics. We'll learn how these individua...

Krista Giovara opens up about making mistakes, learning from them, and how her journey as a stepparent has been a valuable lesson. Krista delves into the challenges she faced in her blended family, including different expectations, rules, and morals between her and her partner. They sought therapy to address these issues and found new ways to connect, such as engaging in "mocktail hours"...

Laura Petherbridge, also known as the "smart stepmom," discusses the challenges of being a stepmom. Laura talks about how stepmothers struggle to balance different roles in different stages of the journey and often fear angering their partners or appearing unloving to their stepchildren. She emphasizes the need to set healthy boundaries and communicate effectively with the biological par...

David and Lori Sims of the Nacho Kids Academy, discuss the challenges faced by step-parents or non-biological parents in building a relationship with the child, and they share their personal journey of reevaluating their roles and redefining their relationship dynamics. This led to new approaches that worked well for them and inspired Lori to help other stepfamilies facing similar issues. During t...

Dr. Mary Anne Gunter discusses the challenges and dynamics of blended families. She delves into the issue of parentifying children and the impact it can have on their well-being. She emphasizes the importance of not burdening children with adult issues and instead seeking support from healthy adults. The conversation also coveres the effects of trauma on children and the need for appropriate suppo...

Mary T. Kelly, a marriage and family therapist dives into the unique challenges faced by stepmoms and how traditional therapy may not always provide adequate guidance. Mary shares the tendency for stepmoms to feel overlooked and the negative associations that come with the term "stepmom." During the interview, Mary explores various topics, including the preoccupation with exes, the impor...

Meg Burton Tudman shares her experience of prioritizing external validation over her own desires, leading her to a place of severe depression and anxiety after being fired from her job. Through introspection and therapy, she discovered the importance of mastering her mindset and finding alignment to live a life she truly loves. Meg highlights the uniqueness of perception and the power of valuing o...

Dr. Michaela Bucchianeri, shares valuable insights and strategies for navigating the challenges of stepmotherhood. Anxiety, Michaela reveals, serves a function by keeping us safe and prepared for the future. However, it can also hijack our strengths and manifest in negative ways such as rumination or excessive checking. The goal is to notice how anxiety hijacks our strengths and find ways to nurtu...

Mike Haney shares his expertise and insights on the unique challenges that stepdads face in blended families. Mike, an experienced stepfather himself, understands the complexities of navigating relationships within a stepfamily and is passionate about helping men understand their roles and improve their blended family dynamics. Throughout the interview, Mike shares the importance of the man and wo...

Monica Chaney shares her insights and personal journey as a stepmom, offering valuable advice and support to our listeners. Monica explores the dynamics within a stepfamily and the complicated emotions that can arise when attention shifts from one parent to another. Monica delves into the importance of setting boundaries, communicating expectations, and understanding the root of our beliefs and at...

Dr. Sonia Cann-Milland talks about the importance of acknowledging and challenging one's feelings and thoughts during transitions. It's okay to feel a mix of emotions, including sadness, relief, and guilt, when leaving your step/children. She emphasizes the need to examine the narrative and mindset one is operating on and reflect on what went well and what didn't go so well during the...

Susan Haworth discusses stepfamily dynamics and the importance of taking responsibility for one's own emotions and actions. We explore the common tendency to blame the bio mom for stepchildren's behavior and how both stepmoms and biomoms are often easy targets for blame in stepfamily situations. The interview highlights the need to own and process emotions to avoid negative impacts on rela...

Susan Lancaster discusses the importance of consideration and effective communication in relationships. She highlights how lack of consideration and unhealthy discourse can disrupt relationships and hinder growth. Susan delves into the impact of thoughts and emotions on our ability to listen and understand, and emphasizes the need for active listening and understanding in a relationship. She sugge...

Drawing parallels to a training ground for individuation, Tracy Poizner highlights the importance of owning one's identity without relying on external validation or comparison. While acknowledging the potential scariness of this concept, Tracy emphasizes the great opportunities that can arise. In the age of social media and societal pressures, detaching from comparison and conformity is crucia...