FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

Childhood-trauma healing doesn't erase the past—but it can change your future. Worship leader Kim Walker-Smith shares how growing up through divorce, multiple stepfathers, abuse, and loss shaped her life, and how one faithful stepdad became a picture of hope. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal explores what healing can look like for anyone carrying wounds from a broken family.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch this episode on YouTube 
• Learn about Kim Walker-Smith
• Browse free blended resources
• Give a tax deductible gift

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Helping kids with big emotions starts with understanding what's really driving them. Counselor Michelle Nietert joins Ron Deal to unpack why kids in blended families often struggle with grief, overwhelm, and divided loyalties—and how parents can respond without making things worse. On FamilyLife Blended, discover practical ways to become the calm, steady presence your child needs most.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch this episode on YouTube 
• Learn about Michelle Nietert, LPC and get a copy of one of her book
• List of Christian Stepfamily Therapists
• Give a donation to help strengthen blended families

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Remarriage after the death of a spouse brings hope—but it can also uncover grief you didn't expect. Ministry leaders Rod and Rachel Faulkner Brown share the realities of building a blended family after widowhood, helping children navigate loss, and learning that love doesn't erase pain overnight. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal explores what it really takes to become family again.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch this episode on YouTube 
• Learn about Rachel's ministry
• Browse free blended resources
• Donate to FamilyLife Blended

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Many kids grieving divorce never have words for what they're carrying. Blake Hudspeth grew up through four different stepfamilies and knows how family change can shape a child's view of love, trust, and belonging. On FamilyLife Blended, Ron Deal talks with Blake about the grief parents often overlook, the questions kids rarely ask out loud, and why feeling "fine" isn't always the whole story.

Show Notes and Resources

• Watch this episode on YouTube 
• Get a free download for how to build love with your stepchild
• Read the article: Bridge Building: Strengthening Relationships with Stepchildren
• Get your copy of The Mindful Marriage
• Ministering to students tips sheet
• Send the Blended team a donation

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Blended family life can feel like walking into someone else’s story: guarded kids, mixed loyalties, no clear playbook. Montell Jordan—the artist best known for his hit, "This Is How We Do It"—and his wife Kristen join Ron Deal to unpack growing up in the chaos—and what kids wish adults understood but rarely say.

Show Notes and Resources

• Learn about Montell and Kristin's ministry
• Dozens of free blended resources for you
• Find a small group in your area
• Reserve your cabin on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise! 
• Register to receive your access link to The Smart Stepfamily on Right Now Media 

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Blending a family isn’t a Hallmark montage. It’s a minefield of hurt feelings, mixed loyalties, and second-guessing...everything. Debbie Alsdorf shares hard-won “do-overs” from 36 years as a stepmom—what she got wrong, what she’d never repeat, and what actually helped a fractured family slowly become one. From Debbie's book, Beyond the Brady Bunch, this stepmom advice skips fantasy and deals with real life.

Show Notes and Resources

• Access blended resources familylifeblended.com
• Give to Familylife Blended directly 
• Watch the show, Renewed Hope for the year, on Women & Blended Families 
• Read Debbie's article, "10 Things I Would Do Over as a Stepmom" 
• More about Debbie and her ministry 

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"God hates divorce": you’ve heard it, maybe felt crushed by it. Cheryl Shumake joins Ron Deal and Gayla Grace to pull apart what Malachi 2 really says—and what it doesn’t. If you’ve felt judged, stuck, or sidelined by church talk, this conversation meets you there and pushes toward truth, clarity, and hope without easy answers.

Show Notes and Resources

• Blended family resources familylifeblended.com
• Give to Familylife Blended directly
• Blended ministry certificate 
• Start a stepfamily ministry 

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You thought you were rebuilding after sexual betrayal—whether from this marriage or the previous—but something still feels off: Distance. Triggers. Questions you can’t shake. Authors Matthew and Joanna Raabsmith get brutally honest about how betrayal trauma, perhaps from sexual addiction, porn, affairs, or other sources, affects your brain, your body, your marriage...and why quick fixes don’t stick. From their book, Building True Intimacy, Matthew and Joanna map a slower, sturdier path forward when trust feels shattered.

Show Notes and Resources

• Find a Mindful Marriage event and small group in your state 

• Access blended resources familylifeblended.com

• Learn more about The Raabsmiths 

• Look through the list of Smart Stepfamily Therapists 

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You raised them right—so why does it feel like you’re losing them? Jim Burns steps into the ache parents don’t say out loud: regret, distance, and the fear you blew it. Drawing from When Your Adult Child Strays, he gets real about what to do when pushing harder only pushes them away—and what actually keeps the door open.

Show Notes and Resources

• Email us [email protected]
• Learn about Jim, Homeword, and get his book, When Your Adult Child Strays 
• Give a tax-deductible gift 
• Ron's speaking schedule 

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Father’s Day feels weird, or even stings, when the chair at the table is empty—or when your stepkids pull back because they’re still hurting. Ron Deal talks with the widowed and remarried Brian and Debbie Doyle--about grief, holidays, and blending families with adult children. If you’ve ever worried about stepping in or stepping too hard, this conversation gives you permission to move with patience, empathy, and faith.

Show Notes and Resources

• Free blended resources 
• Look for a live or virtual small group to join 
• Iron Sharpens Iron 
• Get the Smart Stepdad or The Smart Stepmom 
• Give a donation to help strengthen blended families 
• List of Smart Stepfamily Therapist Providers 

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