Everything Always

Welcome to the Everything Always podcast! Summer and Michael here, and today we’re going to talk about bonding with your step-kids. The relationship with a step-kid can be a tricky one to navigate, but there are some things you can do as a step-parent to show them that you care.

You can’t force your step-kids to like you. And the journey to reach the relationship you want may be longer than you’d hoped. But what you can do is foster an environment of respect, openness and love so that, when they’re ready, they see you as an ally – and even start to like you a bit!

We’ve got some tools that will help you create a bond with your step-kid that is powerful and lasts. So, listen in, look at our checklist, and find out how to be a calm, consistent, and kind adult that your step-kids can count on.

00:45 – 05:00 - Introducing today’s topic: Bonding with your step-kids

5:00 – 15:30 - Be available, show interest, have patience, be empathetic, and be mindful

15:30 – 17:00 - Find a common interest with your step-kid

17:00 – 22:30 - Alone-dates with your biological and step kids

22:30 – 27:00 - Maintaining consistent rules and values; resisting the urge to hide

27:00 – 33:00 - Support your step-kid’s love for their other parent; the checklist

It’s another great day for the Everything Always podcast with Mike and Summer! Today we’re going to talk about a heavy topic that has been brought up often: Badmouthing your ex-spouse in front of the children.

We know this may not be the funnest topic to talk about, but we promise you, you’ll want to hear this – especially if you or your ex are guilty of doing this. Badmouthing happens a lot in blended families and, in the end, it hurts the kids most.

When you’re upset, it’s easy to forget who you should be putting first. It’s easy to forget that what you’re saying will impact your child – and their relationship with their parents (yes, you too!) – for a lifetime. Listen in to hear how to stop badmouthing, how to handle a badmouthing spouse – and finally realign with the fact that the kids are, and always should be, number one.

1:00 – 5:00 - Introducing today’s topic: Badmouthing

5:00 – 9:00 - How badmouthing starts and how it impacts the kids

9:00 – 17:00 - Understanding that your ex-spouse does things differently – and that’s ok

17:00 – 22:30 - Allowing your kids to develop their own relationships without your input

22:30 – 28:00 - Responding to your spouse’s badmouthing in a controlled way

28:00 – 31:00 - How to address badmouthing with your ex

31:00 – 37:00 - Questions to ask yourself and an example

Hi, everyone! Mike and Summer here, and welcome to the Everything Always podcast! Today, we’re talking about boundaries – specifically with your ex-partner. Clear boundaries are so important to maintaining a healthy relationship with your new partner and family.

We’ve followed three rules to keep healthy boundaries with our ex-partners. The first rule is to put your partner and family first. Always. The second is to keep your communication with your co-parent all business, and the third is to create guidelines for your communication.

The creation of these rules came through experience. Lots of it. But by following them, we’ve kept respectful relationships with our exes without crossing the line and creating uncomfortable situations at home in the process. Join us to learn more about these three rules, and see how you can implement them ASAP!

01:00 – 4:00 – Introducing the three rules to maintaining boundaries

4:00 – 9:00 - The first rule: Putting your partner and family first and an example

9:00 – 16:30 - Rule number two: Keeping it business

16:30 – 21:00 - Rule number three: Making communication rules

21:00 – 26:00 - Why boundaries are important and what happens if they aren’t exercised

26:00 – 31:00 - Summarizing today’s takeaways and some questions to ask yourself

Welcome back to the Everything Always podcast with Mike and Summer! Today, we’re opening up and sharing our story with you. Now, we know that sometimes when there are divorces and remarriages there can be some difficult parts of the story to share – so we’re going first!

We all have the opportunity to be proud of our story – no matter what – because it’s what got us here. It’s normal to feel guilt, shame, hurt, or wrongdoing, but remember that through struggle comes strength – and at some point, we’ve got to let all that go.

We believe in honoring your story, being grateful for what was, and looking forward to a future you’d like to have. To do that, we’ll share some actionable tips to improve your mindset, be grateful, and elevate your relationships at home.  So, listen in to hear our story, our backgrounds, and what we’ve done to create a family we love.

2:30 – 6:00 – Introducing the episode

6:00 – 18:30 - Our story and background  

18:30 – 19:30 – How you can submit questions

19:30 – 27:30 - Our first kiss and beyond

27:30 – 36:00 - Takeaways, tips, and goalsetting

Welcome to the very first Everything Always podcast with Summer and Michael! On the show, we talk about how to successfully manage a blended family. Why? Because it’s a challenging, fun, crazy and beautiful journey. 

We are a blended family of four. We each came into our marriage with two kids and it hasn’t always been easy. But we’ve navigated through it and are excited to share our journey and experiences with you. We look forward to your participation, too! 

Our goal is to help people navigate a healthy family dynamic, and we believe our dialogue and wisdom from incredible guests will help provide the tools to make that possible. So, get comfortable, tune in, and learn more about us, our story, and our plans for the season!  

00:45 – 03:30 - Introducing ourselves and our family

03:30 – 05:30 - The peaks and valleys of life

05:30 – 10:30 - The purpose of the podcast and what to expect this season

10:30 – 16:30 - Our beliefs and goals

16:30 – 22:00 - Having kids on the podcast and joining the Everything Always community