Blended Family Breakthrough

Resources Building Love Together in Blended Families by Ron Deal and Gary Chapman Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know! We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share Ready for some extra support? We all need some extra support along the blending journey — w...

Adding an "ours baby" can be a beautiful new chapter, but it can also stir up emotions and family dynamics you didn’t expect.  We experienced that firsthand when Annika (then seven), asked Kim (who was pregnant), “Will you be closer to the baby than you are to me?” Her question revealed what many children in blended families wonder when a shared baby arrives: Where do I fit now, and do I...

Deciding whether to have an “ours baby” is deeply personal, and in a blended family, the decision can carry some unique complexities. We know because we’ve lived it. When we were building our life together, Mike felt certain that he wanted the opportunity to have a biological child, while Kim had already reached a place of contentment raising her one child. As our relationship grew, so did our con...

Resources Simple Step:  Managing Loyalties & Priorities in Your Home Episode 167. Achievable Strategies to Make Your Marriage the Foundation of Your Blended Family Episode 206. Avoid These 5 Common Pitfall to Ensure a Successful Partnership Episode 139. The Most Common, Challenging Pain Point Every Blended Couple Experiences (Trapped Teammate / Stranded Stranger dynamic) Episode 77. 3 Unique D...

It’s easy to look at the unfinished parts of your blended family and wonder if something is wrong. Maybe relationships haven’t developed as quickly as you hoped. Your stepchild still keeps their distance. A biological parent feels caught in the middle. Or shifting schedules, transitions, and circumstances outside your control continue to create tension. When reality doesn’t match the family you im...

Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know! We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share Ready for some extra support? We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see h...

Stepparenting can be deeply meaningful, but it can also leave you feeling rejected, exhausted, and unsure of your place in the family. We know how painful it is to care about a child, invest your heart, and still feel pushed away. In this episode, we sit down with Laura Petherbridge to talk honestly about the expectations that often set stepparents up for disappointment and the pressures that can...

Resources Episode 167. Achievable Strategies to Make Your Marriage the Foundation of Your Blended Family Episode 206. Avoid These 5 Common Pitfalls  to Ensure a Successful Partnership Episode 139. The Most Common, Challenging Pain Point Every Blended Couple Experiences (Trapped Teammate / Stranded Stranger dynamic) Episode 77. 3 Unique Differences That Make a Blended Family Marriage Challenging Ep...

Stepparent burnout doesn't start in a dramatic moment. It develops quietly as a stepparent keeps giving, serving, adjusting, but ends up with this increasing feeling of being invisible, rejected, or alone. A stepparent may believe that loving their family means doing more. But when healthy investment turns into over-functioning, the result is often resentment or emotional withdrawal.  Then bu...

Resources: Episode 241: Before you Take it Personally: Why the Backlash to Accept a Stepparent? Building Love Together in Blended Families by Ron Deal and Gary Chapman Episode 85. How to Uniquely Build More Love and Connection in Your Blended Family [with Ron Deal] Episode 213. Discover How to Better Understand and Connect with Children of Divorce [with Lauren Reitsema] Suggest a Topic or Ask a Qu...

When we got married, we both wanted our new family to feel safe, connected, and secure. But good intentions didn’t prepare us for the painful tension that sometimes hit between Mike and Annika (Kim's daughter). If you’re a stepparent who feels ignored, criticized, rejected, or kept at a distance, it’s easy to take your stepchild’s behavior personally. And if you’re the biological parent caugh...

We’re popping in with a short summer update before taking a brief pause from releasing new episodes throughout July 2026. But don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere! We’re using July to prepare some fun and helpful new things we’ll begin sharing August 4th, including new podcast episodes in both audio and video. Before we talk about what’s coming, we’re also taking a few minutes to reflect on somet...

Resources Episode 240. Energize Family Bonds One Meaningful Conversation at a Time [with Ashley Noelle] Order your Blended Bond Deck here: blendedbond.com (be sure to use Promo code : BREAKTHROUGH20 to receive 20% off your purchase) Episode 136. How to Intentionally Create Positive Family Time  and Reduce Relational Tension Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something...

In blended family life, it’s easy for kids, parents, and stepparents to feel unsure, unseen, or disconnected as everyone adjusts to new relationships, new rhythms, and new expectations. We know how hard it can be to want deeper connection, but not know what questions to ask or how to create the kind of safe space where honest conversations can happen. In this episode, we talk with Ashley Noelle, t...

Resources Click here to schedule your FREE COACHING CALL 239.  Feeling Responsible for Everyone? How Codependency Hinders Family Relationships and How to Heal [with Michelle Farris] To connect with Michelle Farris, CLICK HERE   Episode 138. How Relational Dysfunction Plagued our Marriage and How We Finally Broke Free Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something specif...

Codependency can be tricky to recognize because it often looks like love, generosity, or “just trying to help.” But when our giving turns into fixing, rescuing, controlling, or sacrificing ourselves to earn love and approval, it can quietly create tension in our marriage, parenting, co-parenting, and stepfamily relationships. In this episode, we’re joined by therapist Michelle Farris for a practic...

Resources Episode 50. How to Openly Communicate What You Really Want  Episode 179. Conquer Fear and Embrace Your Blend with Confidence and Clarity  Episode 98. Is fear of being vulnerable keeping you from loving your spouse wholeheartedly? Episode 180. Break Free from Guilt and Blend with Authenticity and Security Episode 187. Basics for Blending:  How to Tolerate and Manage Discomfort and Distres...

Co-parenting conversations can escalate fast, especially when an ex is reactive, manipulative, dismissive, or unreasonable. It’s tempting to defend yourself, fire back, or make a quick decision just to escape the pressure. But that kind of response rarely moves things forward, and it can leave kids carrying the emotional weight of adult conflict. In this episode, we share practical tools to help y...

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in our 25 years of marriage, parenting, and blended family life, it’s this: communication problems aren’t about bad intentions more often, they’re about lacking the right tools.  In this episode, we share the painful, unproductive patterns we got stuck in and the communication shifts that changed everything for us, helping us strengthen our marriage and build a h...

Resources Episode 236. Does it Ever Get Easier? How to Stay Hopeful by Playing the Long Game [with Gayla Grace] Episode 157. 3 Seasoned Stepmoms Share How They've Survived and Thrived in Their Blended Family Journey Women & Blended Families: Mother's Day/Stepmother's Day   (Gayla's interview with Laura Petherbridge) CLICK HERE  Mother's Day Tips for Husbands Suggest a...

In this episode, we sit down with our friend Gayla Grace for a deeply encouraging conversation about what it really takes to build a strong blended family over time. Gayla candidly shares about the challenges she and her husband faced while blending "hers", "his", and "ours". From parenting conflict to grief and unexpected setbacks, Gayla shares how those hard seasons...

Resources from this episode Episode 235. Stepparenting Takes Two: How to Build Connection and Avoid Common Wrong Turns Episode 103. 4 Revealing Myths About 1 on 1 Time Between Parents and their Bio-Kids (Part 1 of 2) Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know! We've made it easy.  Just click here:  http...

When we got married, we stepped into blended family life with a lot of hope, but also a lot of unrealistic expectations. We thought connection would come quickly, parenting would feel natural, and our new family would settle into place easily. Instead, we ran into disappointment, resistance, and the painful realization that blended family life does not work like a first family experience.   In thi...

Resources Episode 234. Caught in the Negative?  How to Reframe Painful Moments and Regain Hope  Episode 106. How to Avoid "Outlaw Words" [with Mark Warren] Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question   Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know! We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share Ready f...

The reality is, blended family life gives us plenty of painful moments to get caught up in: tension with an ex, a hard interaction with a stepchild, a family activity that goes sideways, or marital conflict. And it is easy for one negative moment to become the headline. In this episode, we unpack negativity bias, our tendency to notice the negative faster, feel it deeper, and replay it longer. Whe...