You know, women in midlife are often starting over in some respects. This time in our lives can be a period of rebirth, reinvention and (if you're Gweneth Paltrow or one of the other fancy schmancy celebs out there) "re-coupling". Regardless, building new relationships at this time in life is imperative, but not always easy.

That is an understatement! Girl, have you tried dating these days? And yes...I'm talking to you out there? EVERYBODY comes with some kind of baggage...and when I say baggage, I'm talking about those old-timey trunks they used to pack to take on a ship across the Atlantic kind of baggage. Lol and its hard to unpack THAT kind of baggage and, at the same time, show up with the kind of transparency and vulnerability it takes to forge new relationships when the stakes are high and the relationships are complex and with more than one player involved.

Forging romantic relationships not only requires navigating your potential partner's history, but the children and familial ties they bring into the relationship as well. Our guest today, Maria Natapov, is the daughter of divorced immigrants and a stepparent herself and this led her to her work now as a Stepparenting Coach and a Rapid Resolution Therapy Practitioner to help others, heal, expand and grow as she provides support to help her clients navigate these complex relationships to transform chaos into harmony.

Today, she shares with us how we can make small shifts during our most difficult seasons to work through whatever challenge we may be facing. And she reminds us that we already have all the gifts and everything we need inside of us right now to do it, it’s just about unlocking the path to it.  

Maria is an expert at helping people navigate new experiences such as stepparenting or blending a family, or building new relationships, in general, where the stakes are high, there are multiple stakeholders each with their own specific needs, and it's necessary to quickly create and build rapport and connection.  She also specializes in helping people identify and heal trauma through the Rapid Resolution Therapy modality which helps them shift unwanted or disturbing thoughts, emotions, and actions in a painless, quick, pleasant way (yes, you heard that right...pleasant) with lasting results. 

In this episode, Maria teaches us:

1. When forging new, complex relationships where there are a lot of parties involved and the stakes are high, jumping in with both feet may not be the right approach. It does take time and it is important to know this: identify and get clear on your own boundaries and values (such as how to approach discipline and parenting and what you're comfortable taking on as a step-parent) and then gain alignment with the other parties involved.
2. You are exactly where you need to be right now.
3. Building trust means being vulnerable yourself. Show up authentically, as you are, and don't pretend to be something you're not.
4. Acknowledge and embrace difficult moments and invite conversation about them so as to diffuse the negative energy. Otherwise, the tension within these moments builds and becomes amplified.
5. Our brains are wired to fill in any gaps in factual information with our own narratives and imagination and these perceptions may or may NOT be true. When navigating difficult conversations, make sure you're coming to the table in a regulated frame of mind.

To learn more about how to work with Maria, visit her website at SynergisticStepparenting.com

Website offer: https://synergisticstepparenting.com/work

LinkedIn | @synergisticstepparenting

Facebook | maria.natapov

Here’s a link to Maria's brief (under 9 min!) podcast episode on Rapid Resolution Therapy: https://synergisticstepparenting.com/what-is-rapid-resolution-therapy/

And when you're in the process of unpacking that big old trunk, honey, and need some help or support from like-minded women going through the SAME shit, we're your girls. Join our Facebook Community, make sure we're connected on Instagram and share this podcast with a friend. No one needs to navigate the messy middle alone.