Stepmomming Made Easy

In today's episode, I'm chatting with Mindy Kyle, and we are delving into the complexities of loyalty binds and betrayal blindness in blended families. Mindy defines loyalty binds as emotional conflicts where children feel compelled to side with one parent over another. Why do our stepchildren feel this way, and what we can we do about it? We talk about all this and more!

Mindy is an LCS Certified, Positive Parenting Certified, and Blended Family Certified life coach with over 15 years of experience specializing in the stepmom experience. Having become a stepmom to four at the age of 24, Mindy understands the unique challenges and complexities that come with the role. Drawing from her own personal struggles and her specialized education, Mindy is dedicated to helping other stepmoms navigate their journey, offering them tools and insights to move beyond their struggles.

Links Mentioned:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindykylecoaching/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindykyle.coaching

Website: https://www.mindykylecoaching.com/

Ready to start setting boundaries, stepmom? Grab my FREE GUIDE Basics of a Boundary: https://stepmomming.com/boundaries-basics-guide/

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

In order to be a happy, successful stepmom, you MUST stop acting like you are in a nuclear family. In today's episode, I'm making my case with 5 specific reasons: 

1) Your role and position in the family are often unclear, unlike in a nuclear family. 

2) Stepfamilies lack the time to develop shared norms, rules and culture. 

3) Not all parents in a stepfamily back each other up. 

4) Stepchildren don't need another original parent; as a stepmom, you should find a unique role. 

5) Your partner has different emotional layers and feelings compared to a nuclear family. 

I share personal stories and client examples to illustrate these points, emphasizing the need for stepmoms to reframe their mindset and approach, to create the stepmom life they deserve.

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

I have learned a LOT of lessons the hard way as a stepmom. And today, we're shaking this up a bit from the typical episode. I'm sharing five of those lessons with you. Through my personal stories, I hope to validate and normalize the full range of emotions and struggles that stepmoms face, providing comfort in the knowledge that you are not alone on this journey.

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

Co-parenting with someone who is chaotic, uncooperative, and/or high-conflict can be challenging, to put it lightly. Today, I'm joined by fan-favorite Naja Hall, and we are sharing personal experiences and insights on how to maintain peace and find solutions, when co-parenting just won't work! We're discussing why parallel parenting is a positive alternative to co-parenting, including the impact on everyone's mental health. You deserve a stepmom life you love, stepmom.

Naja is the founder of VIPStepmom and Blended and Black. As a Certified Coach and Educator, she understands that the family is THE MOST influential entity of human development, and her work centers around helping individuals, couples, and families navigate some of life’s toughest transitions. As the host of the popular podcast, I know I’m Crazy with Naja Hall and author of the Amazon best-seller Girl, Bye! Book series, Naja’s life’s work is to teach empathy, accountability, and emotional intelligence through the art of story-telling and genuine human connections. She’s a Stepmom of 3. 

Links Mentioned:

blendedandblack.com

VIPStepmom.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/vipstepmom

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@vipstepmom

Girl, Bye! book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3WF7F9b

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

In today's episode, Kristen and guest Jessica Frew discuss the harmful habit of "shoulding" on ourselves as stepmoms, and provide practical steps to overcome this by reconnecting with our intuition, setting boundaries, and taking small actions to prioritize our own needs. Jessica shares her personal journey of rediscovering herself after nearly losing her sense of identity in stepmotherhood, emphasizing the importance of belonging to ourselves first before trying to belong in our families. This is a conversation you absolutely can't miss!

Jessica Frew is a wife, ex-wife, mom, stepmom, and BOLD action taker.  She believes that we find true peace, connection and confidence by making the next right decision.  Jessica helps you make clear, confident, and concise decisions to lead a BOLD life that feels in alignment with who you were created to be through her Triple B Decision Making Method. You can find Jessica on Instagram @heyjessicafrew and on her podcast “Your Next Best Decision”.

Links Mentioned:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicafrew/

Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-next-best-decision/id1464470280

Website: heyjessicafrew.com/quiz

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

Welcome to Season 3 of the Stepmomming Made Easy podcast! In today's episode, I'm sharing five red flags to watch for when dating someone with kids. Stepmomming and being in a blended family can be immensely fulfilling when it's done with the right person. Avoid these pitfalls, and set yourself up for success!

Links Mentioned:

Grab the full Red Flags When Dating Someone With Kids download here: https://stepmomming.myflodesk.com/redflags

Ready to start setting boundaries, stepmom? Grab my FREE GUIDE Basics of a Boundary: https://stepmomming.com/boundaries-basics-guide/

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

Sometimes as a stepmom, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. And a big reason for that, is because of the double standard between moms and stepmoms. There is an underlying—often misguided—prejudice in our society that stepmoms are less than "real" moms, and today, we're going to break this double standard wide open.

Stepmoms are not less than "real" moms, or anyone else. This is an archaic notion, and it's time for us to rewrite the narrative!

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

When I first became a stepmom, I felt like everyone else (my partner, my stepdaughter, and my partner’s ex-wife) had more control over my life than I did, and it drove me WILD. Today, I’m happy to report, I have firmly taken back control and am happier than ever, and I want the same for you, stepmom. So, here are 3 very tangible ways to take back control as a stepmom!

Links Mentioned:

Listen to EP 28: Why I Think “Keep the Peace” is Shitty Advice: https://stepmomming.com/ep-28-why-i-think-keep-the-peace-is-shitty-advice/

Join Control Freak Collective: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/

Ready to start setting boundaries, stepmom? Grab my FREE GUIDE Basics of a Boundary: https://stepmomming.com/boundaries-basics-guide/

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

Stepparenting is not hard because you're doing it wrong. Stepparenting is hard because it's an entirely different family structure and dynamic than we've experienced before. Today, I'm joined by arguably the foremost expert on stepfamily dynamics, Dr. Patricia Papernow, to discuss 5 challenges stepfamilies face. We're normalizing the challenges you struggle with and talking all about what works and what doesn't work!

Dr. Patricia Papernow is an internationally recognized expert on stepfamilies. She teaches all over the U.S. and the world about best practices for meeting stepfamily challenges integrating the now considerable research with her own four-plus decades of clinical work. She loves putting this good information into the hands of people in stepfamilies!  

Patricia has written dozens of articles and book chapters and has authored the leading books in the field: Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t, and, with Karen Bonnell, The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family.” 

She is the recipient of awards for Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the award for Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice from the American Family Therapy Academy.

Links Mentioned:

stepfamilyrelationships.com

Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3PLSuYk

The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family” Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/48IKC2y

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

Transition Day can be SO challenging for stepmoms! Stepchildren often have a difficult time making the switch from one house to another, and act out in emotional ways. It makes stepmoms around the world dread transition day!

In today's episode, I'm sharing 3 tips to make transition day easier! Set yourself and your stepchildren up for success with these tips, and you'll find that transition day isn't one to dread anymore!

Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier

Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/

Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy