She's one of the great cultural villains; the evil stepmother. Stepmums are up against it. Besides fighting bad press generated by endless pop-culture references, they're chucked in the deep end of parenting without a life boat.

Yumi Stynes meets stepmothers who've experienced the joy of loving their partner's child as well as the difficulty of slotting into a 'mum' role when the kids already have one.

Plus, researcher Dr Bailey Oliver Blackburn explains the challenges of stepmothering, from responsibility without authority to constant comparison and feeling excluded.

This episode is a celebration of the unique role that stepmums play and offers some tools to navigate a complex family dynamic.

What to listen to next:

Toxic mums

Breaking the motherhood contract

Mental health: Overcoming depression

Mental health: Anxiety and how to beat it

Mental health: Loving someone with an addiction

You can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. 

What to read next: 

How Turia Pitt's body image changed in motherhood

The dark side of being a perfectionist

Why genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex life

What happens to your sex life during perimenopause?

This mini-series will answer questions like: 

• What is it like to be a stepmother? 
• How do you blend families? 
• How many families are blended in Australia? 
• How should you approach parenting as a step mother? 
• What is 'nacho parenting'?
• What are the benefits to being a stepmother?

This episode contains references to stepmothers, stepmom, stepmum, wicked stepmother, stepfamily, family, parenting, blended families, anxiety, stress, pregnancy, Cinderella, Parent Trap, Rapunzel.