The Stepmom Diaries | Blended Family & Stepmom Support Podcast

The Stepmom Summit Speakers Series Continues!

In this episode, we're going deep with Dr. Erin Careless on what it means to set some boundaries and "step back." We also talk about finding stepmom resources and why it's so important to look for tools that are evidence and research-backed.

Erin is one of the experts speaking at this year's Stepmom Summit and is the Chair of Stepfamily Magazine's Advisory Board. Erin became a stepmom when she met her partner Matt in 2014. That same year, she became a Certified Stepfamily Coach and founded Steplife as a way to share her experiences and provide support to other women navigating stepfamily life. Erin is also a Director of Adult Education, so her coaching is informed by adult learning principles and strategies such as reflection and critical thinking. Erin and Matt married in 2015, and in addition to her stepkids Oliver and Waverleigh, they are parents to Grace and Finn. Erin's PhD research is on stepmothering, and it is her passion to empower stepmoms to find the role in their family that works for them.

Mentioned In This Episode

The Stepmom Summit will happen August 25 - 27. If you haven't grabbed your FREE ticket, head HERE and sign up!

You can find Erin at Steplife

What Do Stepmoms Have In Common With Endurance Athletes?

Today's guest is another speaker at our second upcoming (and FREE) Stepmom Summit, August 25 - 27th. You can head HERE to make sure you are on the waitlist and can snag your spot when tickets open up on August 9th!

Sarah Freeman, CEO of Sarah Freeman Coaching, is a passionate endurance athlete, podcast host, step-mum, wife, and a brave, badass, big-hearted woman. Her mission is to guide women endurance athletes and step-mums to embody their next-level confidence through her one on one coaching, podcasting, and speaking.

Sarah believes that when women endurance athletes and step-mums start to embody their confidence, that's when anything is possible.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Sarah Freeman Coaching

The Stepmom Summit

Blending Families - And Households

In this episode, we're talking to Tamara Harris of Design Your Way Home. Tamara is an interior designer who breaks down decorating into easy-to-follow steps so you can confidently turn your house into a home you love, without frustration, overwhelm or regret-purchases.

Tamara is also a stepmom - and a speaker at this year's Stepmom Summit August 25 - 27th, where she'll be talking about the challenges of blending households as a stepfamily - and how to address them. In this episode, she gives a preview of her talk and some great decorating tips. AND she's giving you her Revive Your Room Checklist for free HERE.

You Can Find Tamara:

On her website: www.designyourwayhome.com

On Instagram

Don't forget to grab your FREE Revive Your Room Checklist - and don't forget to get yourself on the waitlist for The 2022 Stepmom Summit HERE. The summit is free and will feature 20 top experts on blended families. You don't want to miss it!

What happens when the people who are supposed to support you through thick and thin fall down on the job? Today we are talking about how tricky it can be to handle it when your friends don't support your life choices.

It's summertime and the travel is . . . wild?!

These days, whether you're traveling for the holiday long weekend or for a summer vacation, there are lots of factors that can make your trip better - or worse. Flight delays, rental car hiccups, and, of course, traveling with kids. And stepkids.

Traveling with kids can present all kinds of unique challenges, so this episode is all about making sure you're prepped for making the most out of your trip, wherever you're going and however you're getting there.

How Do You Change Your Stepmom Outlook?

What do you say when people ask if you enjoy being a stepmom?

I recently had someone ask me if being a stepmom was hard and the answer I blurted out surprised me. And it made me realize that I could use some mindset work myself. But guess what - changing your outlook and mindset can be harder than it sounds - and that's what this episode is all about.

Always a student! In the course of my stepmom coaching experience, and as the co-founder of Stepmom Summit and the co-owner/co-Editor In Chief of Stepfamily Magazine, I've helped thousands of stepmoms find peace with their journey. And what I've learned along the way is that the problems that every stepmom faces really boil down to 7 key issues and responses. And if stepmoms understand these issues, they can deal with literally anything that comes up in stepmom life. So I brought it all together into the BLENDED Family Formula. Whether you're dealing with high conflict ex issues - which so many stepmoms are - or a spouse that isn't supporting you. Or kids that are causing problems. Maybe you're feeling alone and like there isn't a place in the family for you. Or you're just feeling stressed and overwhelmed - the BLENDED Family Formula can help you address it.

And for the first time in a year, I've opened the doors to my BLENDED Family Formula course to the public. The course is only open for a few more days, but if you're a struggling stepmom, you need this episode. Because I'm giving you a sneak peek, behind-the-scenes look into the course.

You can sign up for the BLENDED Family Formula course HERE.

How To Use Your Personality Style To Communicate Better We have a special treat in this episode: we're talking to Karen Bemmes, a certified DISC behavior system expert. And she's offering a special bonus for my BLENDED Family Formula students (reminder that doors open next week!) [in the meantime, you can sign up for my FREE stepmom Masterclass on April 5 and 6 HERE]

Who is Karen?

Nearly 30 years ago, Karen Bemmes sat straight up in bed while reading a book called Positive Personality Profiles. She looked at her husband and said, "I understand Lisa for the first time in my life." You see, Lisa is her sister-in-law, who she never quite "clicked" with. Because of that book, she did, and they've stayed close for 30+ years. Since then, she has used the DISC behavior system she learned about in that book to improve every area of her life, which inspired her to get certified to teach about DISC and now helps other professional women improve their personal and professional life while making it all feel simple, easy and natural. Karen even makes housekeeping and organization easier with the Whole Home Reset program, where she takes something she used to hate and makes it easy and quick so you can get your home in order and get to the fun stuff faster. You can learn about all the ways DISC can help you on her website, Moving Toward Better.

You Can Connect With Karen:

Website: www.movingtowardbetter.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/movingtowardbetter/

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-bemmes-2787459/

Resources Mentioned During This Episode:

Register for my Stepmom Masterclass HERE

Get on the waitlist for the BLENDED Family Formula HERE

Why It Can Be So Hard To Relate To Your Stepkids If you've had a hard time getting to know, communicating, or relating to your stepchildren - you are not alone. It can be really difficult to develop that relationship, even when you're trying your hardest.

We'll talk all about why it's hard and how you can improve things in this episode.

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Episode 3 is a great introduction to handling it when your stepmom reality isn't quite measuring up to what you expected.

AND - the doors to the BLENDED Family Formula course will open in less than 2 weeks. This is going to be a gamechanger for you - in relating to your stepkids and every other area of stepfamily life. You can get on the waitlist HERE!

It's not WHAT you say, it's HOW you say it.

What do you do when it feels like you and your spouse just cannot get on the same page? When even small discussions turn into big arguments. You've got to dig deep and really examine how you're communicating with each other - and that's what this episode is all about.

Also, the BLENDED Family Formula course will open its doors on April 4th for just a few days! Join the waitlist HEREso you're the first to know! (and the course will do some deep dives on this issue, so if you like this episode, you'll definitely want to check it out)

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Here are a few of the books I've found valuable relating to communication and various personality assessments. I've got even more on the site at www.thiscustomlife.com/shop.

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey To Self-Discovery

Taking Flight!: Master The DISC Styles To Transform Your Career, Your Relationships...Your Life

Love More, Fight Less: Communication Skills Every Couple Needs: A Relationship Workbook For Couples