In this episode of Stepmomming Made Easy, I sit down with certified marriage and stepfamily life coach Heidi Farrell to unpack one of the most common challenges stepmoms face—parenting differences. We explore why discipline and household expectations can feel so personal, and how communication, empathy, and boundaries can rebuild connection with your partner. Heidi introduces her Communicate, Motivate, Separate, Celebrate framework to help couples navigate disagreements with compassion and teamwork. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider in your own home, this conversation will remind you that harmony is possible—one small shift at a time.

Heidi Farrell is a certified Marriage and Stepfamily Life Coach in Nebraska, who works with couples, adolescents and kids through the challenges of boundary-setting, emotional regulation, marriage and parenting challenges, and communication issues. Walking through her own struggles as a stepmom and of two kids, combined with adding three of her own children, led her to start writing at NotJustaStepmom.com, where she shares ways to find hope and harmony in the heart and home. Heidi has been married to Tim for 15 years. Her two stepkids are now in their 20s, and her “ours” children are 14, 12, and 10. Heidi has a coaching office in Kearney, Nebraska, where she offers in-person or Zoom options. She also offers weekend coaching intensives for couples who are serious about making deep, meaningful changes in one impactful weekend. You can read more about Heidi and her coaching at HeidiFarrellCoaching.com. Look for her upcoming book, entitled “Unexpected Stepmom," and her eBook about adding an “ours baby” to a stepfamily on her website.  

Links Mentioned: 

www.HeidiFarrellCoaching.com

www.facebook.com/notjustastepmom

www.instagram.com/notjustastepmom 

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