64. Accepting Your Stepmom Life, Even When It's High-Conflict, With Anita Inglis
Release Date: 05/04/2023
84. Healing Family Trauma, with Abbey Williams
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
How to break the cycle of relational trauma Today I'm talking to Abbey Williams, LSW about estrangements and healing to break the cycle of generational trauma. Abbey spoke at our recent (the Summit is over but you can still access the presentations for a few more days with an ) About Abbey: Abbey is a Trauma Therapist + Estrangement Expert, Founder of You, The Mother, Coach, Co-Founder of The Estrangement Project, Co-Founder of The Parenting with Trauma Project, and mother of 4. For over 10 years, Abbey has provided direct clinical and coaching services to individuals seeking healing...
info_outline
83. Family Feuds: Overcoming High Conflict and Parental Alienation with Maarit Miller
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
What happens when you realize you're in a high-conflict situation? All too often, stepmoms get into their stepfamily only to realize their spouse's ex is way more high-conflict than they realized or that there is some pretty nasty parental alienation happening. That's exactly what happened to Maarit Miller and we're talking all about her experience and how it led her to start coaching others through similar situations. Maarit spoke at our recent (the Summit is over but you can still access the presentations for a few more days with an ) About Maarit: Maarit has been a mom for 20+...
info_outline
82. Does High Conflict Coparenting Ever Get Better? With Megan Hunter
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Does High Conflict Coparenting Ever Get Better? That's what we're talking about in today's episode with CEO and co-founder of the High Conflict Institute, Megan Hunter, another "three-peat" guest ( and ) and speaker at this year's (which is coming up April 25-28th - you can get on the waitlist for doors to open ). Megan will give us a bit of a preview of what she and Bill Eddy will discuss when they appear together at the Summit in a few weeks - and, as always, some great tips for handling any high conflict personalities you may have in your life. About Megan: Megan Hunter, MBA,...
info_outline
81. How To Stepmom Without Losing Yourself
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Is it possible to stepmom without losing yourself? That's what we're talking about in today's episode with relationship crisis coach Jessica Frew - a "three-peat" guest ( and ) and speaker at this year's (which is coming up April 25-28th - you can get on the waitlist for doors to open ). And spoiler alert, Jessica has some great advice. About Jessica: Jessica Frew is a wife, ex-wife, mom, stepmom, and BOLD action taker. She has a successful podcast called “Husband in Law” that she records with her husband, Matt, and her ex-husband, Steve. Together they are sharing their stories of love,...
info_outline
80. Hey Stepmom, Stop Comparing Yourself!
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Let's Get Comfortable . . . In Your Own Skin. Today's episode is about getting more comfortable in your own skin. Specifically as it relates to your partner’s ex and comparing yourself to her. This is something that I hear ALL THE TIME from stepmoms. And it can take various forms. It can be overt, like wondering if your spouse thinks she’s prettier or smarter than you. But it can also be sneaky and lead to even more insecurities, like when you wonder why your partner married her to begin with. Whatever way it comes, you can find yourself down an unhealthy rabbit hole real...
info_outline
79. The People Pleaser's Guide To Coparenting
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Are you a people pleaser? If so, this episode is for YOU. Our guest today has been here before, back on episode 61. And she recently published her first book, The People Pleaser’s Guide to Coparenting Well. About Mikki: Mikki Gardner is a Certified Life and Conscious Parenting Coach, a mom, a speaker, host of the Co-Parenting with Confidence Podcast, and author of the People Pleaser’s Guide to Co-Parenting Well. Mikki’s personal struggles with divorce motivated her to become a “better mom” so that she could better help her son overcome the challenges of their new family...
info_outline
78. Is It Normal To Feel Like This?
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
In today's episode, I'm answering your questions! I put out a call before the holidays for questions and boy, did you respond! I'm so excited to tackle these and hope today is just the first of many Q&A episodes. Today's question is from Lauren, who wants to know if feeling like an outsider ever really gets better and how she can cope with it. If you've got a question you'd like me to answer, head and ask away! Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Submit a question to be answered on a future episode Join the Stepfamily Circle Are you enjoying The Stepmom Diaries? If so, please...
info_outline
77. When Your Expectations Fall Flat
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Today I'm talking to another veteran stepfamily coach, Amelia Lane, all about how to get "okay" with it when you realize your expectations do not line up with your stepfamily reality. Amelia has been a guest expert inside the membership, which you can learn more about . And she's got some great insights for you - no matter what stage of stepmom life you're in! About Amelia Amelia Lane is a Certified Stepparent Coach and the co-founder of The Art of Blended Chaos, based out of a small town in Ontario, Canada. As a {second} wife, mother of two, and stepmom of one, Amelia draws on 13 years...
info_outline
76. Staying Afloat After You've Jumped Into The Deep End Of Stepmom Life
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
Today I'm talking to a veteran stepfamily coach and one of last year's speakers, Mindy Kyle. We are talking about how it feels when you realize you've gone from dating to the deep end of stepfamily life and feel like you are barely staying afloat. Mindy has a wealth of experience in that very subject and some great insights for stepmoms who might be struggling right now. About Mindy Mindy Kyle is no stranger to the struggles that often come with the title of stepmom. She became a stepmom to 4 kids at the early age of 24. Because of her struggles through her own stepmom journey,...
info_outline
75. Can Stepmom And Mom Really Be Besties?
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
In this episode, I’m talking to a rockstar in the influencer marketing world, but one who also happens to be a stepmom and has one of the best relationships with her stepchildren’s mom that I’ve ever seen. Sarah Boyd and I actually met sitting next to each other at a dinner hosted by a mutual friend, Susie Moore, in Miami. And the more I talked to her about her family life and what a rockstar she is, the more I thought, I’ve got to have her on the podcast! The mom of Sarah's stepkids is journalist and influencer Catt Sadler, and it’s amazing how they have navigated their situation. I...
info_outlineToday’s guest is one of my favorite stepmom coaches. She's seen it all and her down-to-earth (and sometimes blunt, but in the best possible way) advice is always spot-on. And regardless of what you may be struggling with in your stepmom life, you'll get great advice from Anita in this episode.
About Anita:
As a step-child, divorced mother, and step-mother Anita has been part of a step-family for most of her life. This gives her important insight into the varied and complex dynamics at play within step- and divorced families and brings her personal experience and years of mentoring along with graduate and post-graduate qualifications in psychology to her work.
As a survivor of childhood trauma she understands the additional challenges being a trauma survivor adds to the step-family dynamic. Feelings of entitlement, not belonging, and negativity from other parties within the dynamic can all be triggering for trauma survivors. Having experienced a very high conflict custody situation and pathogenic parenting, Anita is well versed in how to maintain relationships with children who are experiencing pressure to reject the targeted parent and family.
Anita operates from a narrative therapy perspective, believing that the stories we tell ourselves, the stories that are told about us, and the stories of those we interact with, are all key in determining how happy our relationships are.
Anita is always one of our most popular speakers at the Stepmom Summit and this year was no exception. [and by the way, if you missed the Stepmom Summit last month, you can still grab an all-access pass HERE]. And Anita is the founder of the Institute of stepfamily dynamics. Anita was also the co-founder of Stepfamily Magazine, which Beth McDonough and I acquired from her last year.
You can find Anita:
On Instagram: @stepfamilydynamics
On her website: step-familydynamics.com
Are you enjoying The Stepmom Diaries? If so, please consider rating and reviewing the show. It will help me reach more stepmoms just like you so they can get MORE out of stepmom life! It’s super easy – all you have to do is click HERE and scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “write a review.” Then just let me know what you like best!