Best Stepkids Podcasts (2024)

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#62: When Your Stepkid Doesn't Like You: How to Handle Feeling Defeated Without Losing Your Sanity 28:44

3h ago28:44

28:44

So, your stepkid doesn't like you? Join the club, girlfriend. You aren't the only stepmom that's felt that. In this episode, I discuss: -how it's really not something personal (promise!) -how to deal with the disrespect -why taking time for YOU is so important -ways to build respect (little by little) and more! Want a specific topic covered? Let me…

1
Debunking Assumptions About Our Marriage, Stepkids + The Ex with Darren 35:31

2h ago35:31

35:31

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, Darren is back and we are getting real by diving into the assumptions that people online make about our marriage, stepkids and the ex. From my relationship with my stepdaughter to the strength of our marriage, having strict rules at home and does the ex really hate me? We are covering it all! Upcoming Mast…

1
Bonding problems with stepkids. 1:19

4h ago1:19

1:19

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) The time, energy, and effort you pour into the relationship with your stepkid might not be reciprocated. At least, not yet. Then again, possibly not ever. Or else maybe it'll come back to you and then some! 🤷🏻‍♀️ The point is, you JUST NEVER KNOW which way it's gonna go with your stepkid. And that goes double or trip…

1
Stepparenting feels hard because it’s hard. 1:29

1h ago1:29

1:29

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Stepparenting in a nutshell reads like one long list of confusing contradictions. You’re supposed to be involved, but not so much so you’re overstepping. You need to give your stepkids space, but not so much that it seems like you don’t care. You need to be realistic about the role you’re taking on as a stepparent, y…

1
Co-parenting in a toxic cycle. 1:00

2h ago1:00

1:00

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Let me know if this cycle sounds familiar: The ex makes a unilateral co-parenting decision >> that decision interferes with your parenting time or otherwise conflicts with your morals, ethics, and values >> they know this and move ahead anyway >> you decide enough is enough and say you're not going along with it >> t…

1
Self-care boundaries for stepparents. 0:54

2h ago0:54

0:54

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) When we've become way too used to compromising our own values, beginning to say no sometimes can feel selfish. Boundaries and self-care can feel selfish. Prioritizing our mental health isn’t selfish, though; it’s us returning to ourselves after way too much time spent erasing our voice in an attempt to keep the peace…

1
Being a kid person vs. being a stepparent. 1:30

2h ago1:30

1:30

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Has anyone else noticed that way too many stepparenting resources act like stepparents are child-hating morons who have never interacted with a single kid in our lives? I remember reading books that seriously said shit like "Listen, you're dating someone with a kid, so you might have to get used to Friday night socce…

1
Stepparents need breaks too! 1:06

4d ago1:06

1:06

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Every parent needs a break from parenting once in a while, and that includes stepparents. Typically, society doesn’t accuse parents who need a break of hating their kids. Yet society loves to imply there’s something wrong with a stepparent who needs a break. Today’s pep talk is to remind you that you’re allowed to ta…

1
Stepkids in high conflict. 1:01

17h ago1:01

1:01

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) The ex being high conflict can have a direct impact on how well you’re able to connect with your stepkid. If your stepkid's other home is dysfunctional or abusive, then even their most basic interpretations of love, belonging, or family could be very different from yours. Maybe more different than you’d ever guess. S…

1
If your stepkid rejects you… 1:25

1d ago1:25

1:25

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) If your stepkid wants nothing to do with you, please know that's more of a reflection on what you represent to them than it is a commentary on your personality. Your stepkid doesn't care how great you are. All they care is that you represent change, and change feels scary — especially to kids who are still shaken up …

1
When the ex twists the custody order. 1:01

3d ago1:01

1:01

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Custody orders are not a matter of opinion. A parenting plan is an enforceable legal document that protects both parents' legal parenting rights. One parent cannot legally make arbitrary, unilateral decisions that affect the other parent's visitation time; that would be a violation of the custody order. And you have …

1
#61: Co-parenting at School, Lying, and Supporting Kids with Karin Jakubowski 34:47

3d ago34:47

34:47

Dr. Jakubowski is a well-respected international influencer on helping kids live happier, healthier lives. She has touched the lives of thousands of families in multiple states with her ability to connect and help kids experience success from challenging behaviors. With a doctorate in Educational Leadership, and nearly 20 years of experience in edu…

1
Improving our stepkids’ lives. 1:16

4d ago1:16

1:16

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) One of my biggest stepparenting frustrations was feeling blocked in my ability to make changes for the better in the life of my stepkid. Yet — trying to parent my stepkid ended up causing stress and friction between me and my stepkid AND between me and my partner. And when that happens, it’s probably time to disengag…

1
Rocked By Stepmotherhood + True Authenticity In Stepmom Life with Kat John 55:13

8d ago55:13

55:13

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, Stepmom and Authenticity Coach Kat Jon is back on the show to talk about what it means to be an authentic stepmom. In this episode, we chat about how her life has changed as a stepmom now that she has her stepkids full time, her new book “Authentic” and how the real stepmom experience can truly rock us to …

1
Does life outside stepparenting even exist? 0:54

5d ago0:54

0:54

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Sometimes we get so wrapped up in stepfamily life that we forget there's a big wide world beyond our blended family bubble. We can try so hard to be good stepparents that we end up losing track of who and what we are outside of our stepparenting role. When we define ourselves only by how much our stepkids like us (or…

1
Try to enjoy the absurdity. 1:03

6d ago1:03

1:03

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) We tell our kids that big emotions feel scary, but that’s actually just as true for us grownups. Stepparenting is overwhelming a surprising percentage of the time. No matter how committed you are to building your blended family, you cannot be all in, all the time without some kind of pressure relief valve. Sometimes …

1
You are not alone! 1:07

7d ago1:07

1:07

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Today’s pep talk is simple. I just want you to know you are not alone. You're not. As isolated as you may feel, as many cheerleading posts about stepparenting that you might read (and then feel guilty that you don't feel like a cheerleading kinda stepparent), know that stepparenting being hard is also normal. It took…

1
High conflict changes the co-parenting rules. 1:21

8d ago1:21

1:21

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) You can’t coparent with someone who won’t compromise. If you're continually bending over backwards trying to make reasonable accommodations while the other co-parent keeps making unilateral decisions and refusing to meet you even close to halfway, I've got news for you: that's not co-parenting. That's you getting man…

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It's okay not to be an instant stepparenting expert. 1:21

9d ago1:21

1:21

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) We all understand that becoming a parent is a major adjustment, yet we expect stepparents to become instant experts in their role. And by “we” I mean society, but also including ourselves. We seem to hold ourselves to this ridiculous standard — like we’re not gonna make mistakes, or there won’t be a learning curve. F…

1
Minimize your contact with the ex. 1:49

10d ago1:49

1:49

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) If your partner’s ex is high conflict, limiting how much contact you have with them can also limit the potential for drama. When I saw how ridiculous Dan’s relationship was with his ex, I thought most of the conflict between houses could be pretty easily resolved through clearer communication. I’m a great communicato…

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#60: Let's Talk Addiction with Melanie Stern 35:51

10d ago35:51

35:51

Melanie Stern is a psychotherapist specializing in alcohol and substance use issues and individual adult therapy. She tailors treatment to the individual to reveal the root of the problem with therapeutic process that is informed by psychoanalytic thinking, systems, CBT techniques, and trauma-based theory and practice. She is also a mother and step…

1
Stepparenting PTSD? 1:08

11d ago1:08

1:08

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Becoming a stepparent gave me PTSD. And I do mean PTSD in the literal, clinical sense, as in diagnosed by an actual counselor. Living under the constant conflict between houses and never-ending uncertainty of where the next attack might be coming from turned my existing anxiety issues into a full-blown trauma respons…

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SOLO: Boob Job, If The Ex Won't Pay, Stop Feeling Frumpy + Stepmom Life Update 39:07

16d ago39:07

39:07

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, I am flying solo to give you a big life update + dive into some of the questions you asked on Instagram. An update on the ex, how to stop feeling frumpy, how I manage my home and keep it clean, what to do when the ex won’t pay for anything, getting your sparkle back, how my biggest insecurity encouraged me…

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What’d we sign up for again? 1:25

12d ago1:25

1:25

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Knowing Dan had a kid and knowing what I was getting into are two totally different things, it turns out. It’s not that I made the decision to become a stepparent without thinking about it. I honestly thought I knew EXACTLY what I was signing up for, especially since I already had a kid myself. (Famous last words, ri…

1
This needs to be a partnership. 0:56

13d ago0:56

0:56

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) One person in a relationship sitting back and expecting the other do all the work is never okay. And that goes double in a stepfamily. I can't believe how many stories I've heard from stepparents who are accused of not doing 'enough' by their partners… and yet their partner, the actual parent, REFUSES TO PARENT. This…

1
Your partner’s past. 1:21

14d ago1:21

1:21

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) You can trust your partner completely and still feel jealous of the life they had with their ex. It's normal to feel bummed that you'll never share all those important "firsts" with your partner because they already shared them with someone else. It's normal to feel angry that you'll never enjoy an uncomplicated rela…

1
Crazy doesn’t need a reason. 1:25

15d ago1:25

1:25

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I used to blame myself when Dan's ex would go off the rails, like it was my fault I encouraged him to grow a backbone. Like maybe I never should've tried to create rules and structure for my stepkid. Maybe if I'd just kept my mouth shut, the conflict between houses wouldn't have escalated the way it did. Then I remin…

1
Be the change! 1:34

16d ago1:34

1:34

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) If you're a stepparent feeling frustrated, stuck, or unhappy, change for the better is absolutely possible. But it's probably not gonna come from the direction you think it is. We keep waiting for our stepkids or partners or the ex to change so our lives become easier. We get increasingly frustrated when no one seems…

1
Moving past the anger. 2:02

17d ago2:02

2:02

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Let's talk about your partner’s ex for a sec. Anyone else gotten wayyy too obsessed with the ex for their own good?? 🙋🏻‍♀️ That was definitely me. Man anger is a tough emotion to shake. Especially when the ex is causing so much drama that you feel like you never get a damn break from their presence overtaking your en…

1
#59: How to Navigate Grief As A Stepmom with Krista St-Germain 46:29

17d ago46:29

46:29

Krista St-Germain is a Master Certified Life Coach, grief expert, widow, mom and host of The Widowed Mom Podcast. When her husband was killed by a drunk driver in 2016, Krista’s life was completely and unexpectedly flipped upside down. After therapy helped her unfurl from the fetal position, Krista discovered Life Coaching, Post Traumatic Growth an…

1
Stepkid problem? Or partner problem? 1:42

18d ago1:42

1:42

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I found it tough to connect with my stepkid, especially in our early years. She came across as entitled. She spoke in a cutesy baby voice almost constantly. She had terrible manners, including frequently being rude to me. I’m embarrassed to admit how long I thought this was a problem with her. It literally took years…

1
How To Negotiate (Or Co-Parent) With A Narcissist with Rebecca Zung 52:00

18d ago52:00

52:00

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, I am chatting with Best-Selling Author and lawyer Rebecca Zung. As a globally sought-after expert in negotiation and co-parenting with a high-conflict personality, Rebecca shares tips and strategies to help you effectively negotiate with a high-conflict ex, and win. We also dive into why narcissism and gas…

1
Making stepparents into scapegoats. 0:58

19d ago0:58

0:58

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) As the newest members of our stepfamilies, stepparents are the outsiders, which means it's easier for us to see any dysfunction or unhealthy patterns that have been invisible to everyone else. That's why, when we bring up issues that concerns us, we're told there either isn't a problem, or it's just OUR problem. Like…

1
Stepparents are allowed to have boundaries. 1:00

20d ago1:00

1:00

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) "No" is a complete sentence. And it's a sentence stepparents are allowed to say. It really is okay if you don't want to drop everything to watch your stepkids when your partner decided to change the visitation schedule at the last minute and didn't check with you first. It's also okay if you choose not to attend yet …

1
When stepparenting feels tough. 1:21

21d ago1:21

1:21

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) A lot of folks act like stepparenting is easy. If it’s easy for them, that’s great. But stepparenting being hard for you doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. So many books and articles I read in my early stepmom days made it sound like there'd be this brief adjustment period and then we'd all be BFFs. So I thought, fe…

1
Parental alienation & wanting to give up. 2:15

22d ago2:15

2:15

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) At first I thought my stepkid just had terrible manners or a bad attitude. TBH, those might be true too. But after years of this with no improvement and actually seeing her behavior get suddenly worse, I finally realized my stepkid was being super shitty to me & Dan on purpose; she wanted to drive us away. And that i…

1
Stepkids vs. your relationship 1:06

24d ago1:06

1:06

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) One of the few things stepfamilies have in common with a traditional family is that your romantic relationship acts as the foundation. In a traditional family, we know exactly what would happen if we continually neglected our partner to tend to the kids. We know the kids can’t come first at the cost of our relationsh…

1
ARE you overstepping though?? 2:13

24d ago2:13

2:13

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) The vast majority of stepparents enter this role with a reasonable amount of respect for our partner’s ex as our stepkid's other parent. We don't want to overstep. We want to do right by our partners and our stepkids. So we take any suggestions that we're overstepping very seriously. The last thing we want is to make…

1
#58: What To Do If You Are Caught In the "What If" Cycle 8:04

30d ago8:04

8:04

First, it's normal! Completely normal. Everyone has done it, so don't beat yourself up about it. In this episode, I discuss why it happens and how to break the cycle of repeating it. Let's be honest, you want to stop the cycle, too. You don't want this living rent free in your head. Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair; you can do it all day…

1
Don’t let “blending” become your whole life’s purpose. 1:29

25d ago1:29

1:29

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) As a former single mom, all I wanted was to give my kid a "real" family. Even if it killed me. The thing is, meeting Dan and then trying to force 4 strangers to feel like a family just about DID kill me. Because at no point along the way did I remember to put my oxygen mask on first. All that self-care advice I’m alw…

1
Rage Texts, High Conflict Co-Parenting, Special Needs Co-Parenting & Boundaries with Mindy Wender 55:00

25d ago55:00

55:00

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, I am interviewing Stepmom, Bio Mom and Podcast Host Mindy Wender about her unique perspective on blended family life. Mindy and I dive into co-parenting special needs children and what people really need to understand, sending rage texts (and why it’s not the most productive form of communication) and how …

1
Ignore this stepparenting advice. 1:05

26d ago1:05

1:05

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I’ve been sharing all these little tips and reminders and pep talks and advice for many days in a row now, so I feel like maybe this is a good time for a disclaimer. Please remember that no stepparenting advice applies to every stepparent. If what you're doing works for you & your family, keep right on doing it! Feel…

1
Unrealistic expectations. 1:30

27d ago1:30

1:30

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I talk a lot about the need for us to have realistic expectations about stepparenting, and once in a while someone gets snarky with me about that statement. They’ll say things like they shouldn't have to lower their expectations for their stepkids. That they deserve to run their household the way they want. It’s real…

1
Blending is all about the tiny victories. 2:37

28d ago2:37

2:37

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Over on Instagram, I used to host Tiny Victory Tuesdays in my stories. New followers initially felt discouraged by this — they'd DM me saying they didn't have any wins to share. I'd remind them that all we're looking for is tiny victories and no win was too small to celebrate. Gradually, even the most stressed-out st…

1
How to spot a narc co-parent. 1:51

29d ago1:51

1:51

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I’m not here to armchair diagnose anyone or water down the word ‘narcissist’ — which is an actual diagnosable mental disorder — but I do want stepparents and their partners to be aware when they’re involved in a dysfunctional co-parenting situation that goes way beyond the realm of standard post-divorce stuff. So her…

1
“Stepmom” is not a dirty word. 1:59

30d ago1:59

1:59

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I used to shy away from using the word “stepmom” like it was a dirty word. But “bonus mom” squicks me out even worse so… “stepmom” it is. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I got to wondering, why am I so uncomfortable with that word? Introducing my stepkid as my step kid shouldn’t seem like an insult — it's a fact. That is our legal relationshi…

1
Struggling to respect your partner. 1:46

1M ago1:46

1:46

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) I used to kind of go off on Dan when I thought his kid was being kinda shitty to him & taking advantage of his generosity. And he’d just let her get away with it. UGH. Dan's sweetness & generosity of spirit are qualities I LOVE about him, so I get a little wild when anyone plays him for a sucker. (By “anyone” I mostl…

1
#57: You Want Me To Apologize To My Stepkid? 9:22

1M ago9:22

9:22

I know this sounds like a crazy concept, especially if you have an upbringing like mine. You know, one with the authoritarian parent. "Do as I say, not as I do." or a parent that expects you to jump when they say, "jump." Listen in on why apologizing to your stepkid when you are wrong/made a mistake is actually helpful to your relationship. Dare I …

1
Ditch that stepparenting guilt! 1:16

1M ago1:16

1:16

💬 Send us a text! (Yes really!) Stepparenting guilt can lead you one of two ways: down into a vicious shame spiral, where you end up silent, scared, and paralyzed. OR you can let that guilt propel you upwards, forgive yourself for your mistakes, and keep growing. Just like regular parents, stepparents mess up sometimes. Just like regular parents, s…

1
Parental Alienation, Narcissism + High-Conflict Ex with Dr. Sherrie Campbell 55:34

1M ago55:34

55:34

This week on The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast, I am chatting with Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Best-Selling Author Dr. Sherrie Campbell who specializes in helping healthy people cut ties with toxic people in their lives. In this episode, we talk about strategies for co-parenting with a high-conflict ex who is trying to interfere with your relatio…

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