The Stepmom Diaries | Blended Family & Stepmom Support Podcast

BONUS REWIND: Is Your Therapist Making Your Stepfamily Problems Worse? (Ep. 135)

What if the advice you're getting in therapy is actually making your stepfamily problems worse?

You've tried therapy. You've followed the advice. You've been told to be more patient, create more family togetherness, or take a bigger role in disciplining your stepchildren. And somehow, things have gotten even harder.

But what if the problem isn't you? What if your therapist is working from the wrong family map?

In this special Bonus Rewind of The Stepmom Diaries, Cameron revisits one of the most important conversations for stepmoms who have tried everything and still feel stuck.

The reality is that stepfamilies operate differently from first families, yet many therapists receive little formal training in stepfamily dynamics. Even well-meaning professionals can unintentionally offer advice that creates more frustration than progress.

Cameron breaks down what the research actually tells us about stepfamily development, why traditional therapy approaches sometimes miss the mark, and how to recognize whether your therapist truly understands blended families.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why traditional family therapy advice can make stepfamily challenges worse

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How stepfamily relationships develop differently from first-family relationships

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Four questions to ask a therapist about their stepfamily training and approach

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What a healthy, realistic stepparent and stepchild relationship can look like

This isn't about criticizing therapy or telling you to leave a therapist you trust. It's about making sure your family gets support that actually fits.

Because sometimes you're not doing anything wrong. You've just been handed the wrong map.

Originally released August 6, 2026, as Episode 135 of The Stepmom Diaries.

Sponsored by Cozy Earth: Upgrade your bedtime with Cozy Earth's temperature-regulating bamboo sheets and pajamas, and use code STEPMOMDIARIES at CozyEarth.com for up to 20% off.

Resources Mentioned

Learn more about Patricia Papernow and her clinical work on stepfamily development

Explore research by Todd Jensen on stepfamilies and the gap between research and professional practice

Look for Patricia Papernow's clinical book on working with stepfamilies

Ever feel relieved when your stepkids go back to their other home, then immediately feel guilty about it? You're not alone. And it doesn't make you a bad stepmom.

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries, Cameron Normand talks with Alyssa Kirk, founder of Stepmom Social Club, about stepmom guilt, impossible expectations, high-conflict co-parenting, and why taking care of yourself isn't selfish. From the pressure to treat your stepkids like your own to the judgment that follows when you do, Alyssa and Cameron get honest about the realities of blended family life.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why it is okay to need a break when your stepkids leave.

• The double standards and unsolicited advice that can fuel stepmom guilt.

• Grounding yourself before reacting to high-conflict co-parenting situations.

• Why connecting with other stepmoms can make the role less lonely.

They also talk about the evil stepmother stereotype, dealing with online criticism, and finding friends who understand the realities of your family. You don't have to love every minute of stepmom life to care deeply about your family.

Resources Shared in This Episode:

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Find Alyssa: Stepmom Social Club on Instagram and Patreon.

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Want to find your people? Join us inside Stepfamily Circle, the supportive community for stepmoms navigating blended family life: https://stepfamilycircle.com/

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

"I don't like being a stepmom today."

Have you ever thought that and immediately felt guilty about it? Maybe you're dreading another custody weekend, feeling resentful about everything you're expected to do, or just wishing you could take a little break from stepmom life.

I've been there. And here's something I want you to hear: You can love your stepfamily without loving every minute of being a stepmom.

In this episode, we're talking about those complicated feelings so many stepmoms experience but are afraid to admit out loud. More importantly, we're looking at what those feelings might actually be trying to tell you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why feeling frustrated or resentful doesn't make you a bad stepmom

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How stepmom guilt can make an already difficult situation feel even worse

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Three questions to help you understand what's really behind your resentment

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Why changing your boundaries and responsibilities may be more helpful than changing your attitude

You don't have to love being a stepmom every minute to be a loving stepmom.

Resources Mentioned:

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Episode 125: A deeper look at what's actually within your control as a stepmom

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Looking for a community of women who really get what it's like to be a stepmom? Come join us inside the Stepfamily Circle: https://stepfamilycircle.com/

If this episode made you feel a little less alone, share it with another stepmom who might need to hear it.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Can you love your stepkids and still grieve the child you may never have? It's one of those complicated feelings that can be incredibly hard to admit, even to yourself.

Infertility as a stepmom brings a unique kind of grief. You're already part of a family, helping raise children, and watching your partner experience parenthood while wondering if you'll ever have a child of your own. And the guilt, resentment, and heartbreak that can come with those feelings? They're not always easy to talk about.

In this episode, Cameron sits down with Jen Powell, founder of The Sober Stepmom, a coach who supports childless stepmothers navigating identity, belonging, grief, and the emotional complexities of stepfamily life.

Together, they open up about their personal experiences with IVF, including Cameron's five unsuccessful rounds of treatment and Jen's heartbreaking decision to cancel an embryo transfer.

But this conversation goes beyond infertility. They explore what happens when the family you're already part of makes it harder to pursue the family you imagined, and why those feelings can bring an entirely different layer of guilt and grief.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why infertility as a stepmom can feel especially isolating when you're already helping raise someone else's children.

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The complicated emotions childless stepmoms often struggle to admit, including guilt, resentment, and grief.

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What led Jen to cancel her embryo transfer and why that decision was both heartbreaking and necessary.

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Why putting yourself first during infertility doesn't make you a bad stepmom, even when other people don't understand your decisions.

Loving your stepfamily and grieving the child you hoped to have can both be true, and you deserve the space to feel both.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

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Connect with Jen Powell, founder of The Sober Stepmom:

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Instagram: @the_sober_stepmom

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Facebook: The Sober Stepmom

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Grab our FREE "10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms": https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Should a stepmom discipline stepkids? It's one of those questions that sounds simple until you're the one living it.

A lot of stepmoms come in wanting to help, be supportive, and feel like a real part of the family. But when you're expected to parent without the same history, authority, or connection, things can go sideways fast.

In this episode, Cameron sits down with April Eldemire, LMFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist, couples therapist, blended family expert, and former stepmom with more than 13 years of experience working with couples.

Together, they dig into the big question: Should a stepmom discipline her stepkids, and if so, when?

April breaks down what stepmoms often take on too soon, what the biological parent should be handling instead, and why trying to "parent like a mom" before the relationship is there can backfire.

They also get into the bigger issue underneath all of this: What is actually your job as a stepmom? Because the answer may look very different than you think, and it may even look different with each stepchild.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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When should a stepmom discipline stepkids

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Why connection before correction matters so much when building trust with your stepkids.

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How unclear roles can leave stepmoms feeling like the bad guy, and what the biological parent can do to better support their partner. april-cameron

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The simple 15-minute weekly trick that can completely change how you and your partner handle stepfamily stress, parenting, and decisions.

If you have ever wondered whether you are too involved, not involved enough, or taking on responsibilities that should belong to your partner, this conversation will help you think differently about your role.

Being a good stepmom does not mean doing all the parenting. Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do for your relationship with your stepkids, your partner, and yourself is to get very clear about what is actually yours to carry.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Connect with April Eldemire, LMFT: Website: http://www.couples-thrive.comInstagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok: @couplesthrive

Grab our FREE "10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms": https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

April's Blended Family Quick Win Toolkit gives couples practical tools to reduce "my kid/your kid" conflict and start parenting more like a team in just 7 days.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

What if some of the things you've been told a blended family should look like are actually making things harder?

This episode is a special one pulled straight from our recent Stepmom Summit, where I sat down with three of the leading researchers in the stepfamily field to talk about how to make a blended family work based on what the research actually says, not what Instagram, your neighbor, or the Brady Bunch would have you believe.

Dr. Brad van Eeden-Moorefield is a professor of family science and human development at Montclair State University whose research looks at how stigma, culture, policy, and the expectations placed on families affect real stepfamily relationships.

Dr. Bailey M. Oliver-Blackburn is an associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock who studies stepfamily communication, conflict transformation, and family resilience, including what happens when children move between homes with very different rules, beliefs, and values.

Dr. Todd Jensen is a professor at UNC Chapel Hill and director of the Thriving Through Family Transitions Research Lab. Much of his work focuses on what helps kids thrive in stepfamilies and how strong relationships between stepparents and stepchildren actually develop.

And between the three of them, there is a LOT of research to unpack.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

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Why there is no single right way to be a stepparent and what actually matters more for building a strong relationship with your stepkids

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What research says helps kids thrive in blended families, including warmth, timing, connection, choice, and learning to "read the room"

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How to navigate very different rules, routines, beliefs, and values between two households without making your stepchild feel stuck in the middle

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Why stepfamilies are not broken versions of first families and what decades of research tell us about creating relationships that work for your family

If you've ever wondered whether you're doing this whole blended family thing wrong, this conversation may completely change the way you look at your family. There isn't one perfect formula. There are many paths to strong relationships, and the research is finally catching up to what stepfamilies have needed to hear for a long time.

Want More From the 2026 Stepmom Summit?

Get access to all of this year's Stepmom Summit recordings for just $97 and catch the sessions you missed or rewatch your favorites before the offer ends October 4th, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET: https://thestepmomsummit.com/rs-upgrade-purchase

Resources From This Episode

Dr. Brad van Eeden-Moorefield: https://inside.montclair.edu/directory/brad-van-eeden-moorefield

Dr. Bailey M. Oliver-Blackburn: https://baileyoliverblackburn.com/

Dr. Todd Jensen: https://www.instagram.com/drtoddjensen/

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

High-conflict co-parenting has a way of making it feel like someone who doesn't even live in your house somehow has way too much control over what happens inside it.

The texts, the emails, the constant curveballs, the tension with your partner... it can start to feel like your entire relationship is being shaped around someone else's chaos.

In this episode, I'm talking with Livi North, founder of Unfuck Your Co-Parenting, where she helps parents and stepparents navigate high-conflict co-parenting, parallel parenting, and difficult exes without letting the chaos take over their lives.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

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How to tell the difference between normal post-divorce conflict and a truly high conflict dynamic

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Why strong boundaries matter more than trying to change a high conflict ex

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How getting angry for your partner can accidentally create even more stress

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Why parallel parenting, intentional couple time, and limits around venting can help keep the conflict from consuming your relationship

Because the truth is, you may never be able to control what a high-conflict ex does. But you can decide how much space their behavior gets to take up in your home, your relationship, and your life.

Resources Mentioned:

→ Connect with Livi North: Visit unfuckyourcoparenting.com for resources and coaching, including a $189 one-hour intro call; follow @unfuckyourcoparenting on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook; and listen to the Unfuck Your Coparenting podcast.

→ Upgrade your bedtime with Cozy Earth's temperature-regulating bamboo sheets and pajamas, and use code STEPMOMDIARIES at CozyEarth.com for up to 20% off.

→ Unfuck Your Co-Parenting: The Coaching Couch Podcast (Available wherever you listen to podcasts)

→ Connect with Livi on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook: search the handle @UnfuckYourCoparenting

→ Free High Conflict Ex Guide: Get our FREE 10 Quick Tips To Dealing With Your Spouse's Ex, and stop letting your partner's high-conflict ex take over your life at stepfamilycircle.com/high-conflict-ex-tips.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Have you ever felt like the harder you try to be a good stepmom, the worse things seem to get?

That was me in my first few years of stepfamily life. I tried to make the kids like me, stepped into authority too quickly, rearranged my entire life around our parenting schedule, and kept wondering why I still felt like I was failing.

What I eventually learned is that I wasn't dealing with a lack of effort. I was trying to navigate a stepfamily using a first-family blueprint.

Once I started digging into published stepfamily research and the academic work around stepfamily dynamics, so much of what I had been experiencing finally made sense. Those lessons, combined with my own lived experience, ultimately became part of the foundation for the Stepfamily Coach Academy.

In Today's Episode, We're Talking About:

• Why trying too hard to make your stepkids like you can actually work against connection

• Why building a relationship needs to come before stepping into authority

• How treating your stepfamily like a first family can leave you feeling like you're constantly failing

• Why keeping your own life, understanding your role, and learning the actual research on stepfamilies can change everything

If you're a newer stepmom looking for tips for new stepmoms, I hope this episode gives you something I desperately needed back then: proof that there really is a roadmap for this.

Resources Mentioned:

The 2026 Stepmom Summit: Out Loud → https://thestepmomsummit.com/We're LIVE September 14th-18th, 2026 with more than 30 experts talking about the parts of stepfamily life we need to start saying Out Loud!

Stepfamily Coach Academy → https://stepfamilycertification.com/

Want to understand stepfamily dynamics on a much deeper level or use what you've lived through to help other families? The Stepfamily Coach Academy brings together published research, the academic study of stepfamilies, practical frameworks, and lived experience to train the next generation of stepfamily coaches.

If this episode made you think of another stepmom who is trying way too hard and wondering why it still isn't working, send it to her. And if you haven't already, subscribe and leave a review so more stepmoms can find the support they've been looking for.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Have you ever felt like people see you differently the second they find out you're a stepmom?

The wicked stepmother stereotype has been around for centuries, showing up in fairy tales, movies, and cultural stories long before any of us stepped into this role. And even when no one says it out loud, that stereotype can quietly shape how other people see stepmoms and how stepmoms start seeing themselves.

In this episode, Cameron unpacks the shame behind the wicked stepmother stereotype and the pressure so many stepmoms feel to prove they're loving enough, patient enough, helpful enough, or "good" enough to belong.

She also explores what happens when that pressure turns into overfunctioning, shrinking in your own home, or staying silent about how hard stepfamily life can actually be.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the wicked stepmother stereotype still affects modern stepmoms

• How shame can show up as overfunctioning, shrinking, and silence

• Why comparing yourself to your stepchild's biological mom puts you in a competition you were never supposed to enter

• How to separate the cultural story about stepmoms from the truth about who you actually are

You did not break up a family simply by becoming part of one. And you do not have to spend your stepmom life proving that you deserve your place in it.

Sometimes the first step is recognizing that the story you've been carrying was never yours to begin with.

Resources & Links

• Free Resource: 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

If this episode hit home, share it with another stepmom who might still be trying to prove she isn't the villain in somebody else's story. And don't forget to follow The Stepmom Diaries so more stepmoms can find these conversations too.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

What does your stepchild actually need from you, even if they cannot put it into words?

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries, Cameron sits down with Robin Breuner, host of Step Stories: Thriving and Surviving Life in Blended Families, to talk about the stepmom and stepchild relationship from a perspective stepmoms do not often get to hear: the adult stepdaughter looking back.

Robin shares what she wishes her own stepmothers had understood, what she now sees differently as an adult, and why giving stepchildren space to maintain their relationship with their biological parent can actually help build trust with a stepparent.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• What Robin wishes her stepmothers had understood about her behavior as a child

• Why stepchildren may need one on one time with their biological parent, and why stepmoms should not take that personally

• How stepmoms can become a safe adult without trying to replace a child's mother

• Why education and realistic expectations matter before and during stepfamily life

Resources Mentioned:

• Learn more about Robin: https://robinbruner.com

• Follow Robin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stepstoriespodcast/

• Free Resource: 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

When Bio Mom Doesn't Like You: Dealing With a High Conflict Bio Mom

There are some parts of becoming a stepmom you expect to be complicated.

Your relationship with your partner's ex probably isn't one of them.

But when you're dealing with a high conflict bio mom, suddenly someone outside your marriage can affect your schedule, your relationship with your stepchildren, and sometimes even how peaceful your own home feels.

And if you're someone who is used to being liked? It can be especially hard to understand why this person seems determined not to like you.

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries podcast from 2021, Cameron talks about how stepmoms can navigate conflict with a biological mom without getting pulled deeper into the drama. She also shares one of her favorite communication strategies for high conflict situations: the BIFF method developed by Bill Eddy of the High Conflict Institute.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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How to create healthier boundaries with a high conflict bio mom

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How the BIFF communication method can keep difficult conversations from escalating

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Why protecting kids from adult conflict and loyalty binds matters so much

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How to stop waiting for bio mom to like, approve of, or validate you

One of the biggest shifts Cameron talks about is realizing that you do not have to convince your stepchildren's mom that you are a good person, a good partner, or a good stepmom.

You can control your boundaries. You can control how you communicate. You can control the environment you help create inside your own home.

You cannot control what she thinks about you.

And sometimes accepting that is where the peace starts.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Get your FREE copy of my guide"10 Quick Tips To Dealing With Your Spouse's Ex" that you can download here: https://stepfamilycircle.com/high-conflict-ex-tips

Bill Eddy, of The High Conflict Institute, has some great resources to deal with high-conflict situations - both in blended families and in the workplace.

Another great resource is Stepmom Magazine - an online publication with the tagline, "Even when it's good, it's complicated."

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Have you ever felt like you have to be helpful enough, easygoing enough, or needed enough to truly earn your place in your stepfamily? Psychotherapist and bestselling author Terri Cole joins Cameron to explore how a father wound in stepmom life can quietly show up as overfunctioning, people pleasing, resentment, and the belief that everyone else's needs should come before your own.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why high achieving, capable women can still carry a deep worthiness wound

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How overfunctioning and constantly putting yourself last can become your way of trying to belong

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How to tell when a difficult stepfamily situation may also be activating something from your past

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How stepmoms can help children feel seen, valued, and emotionally safe without trying to replace a parent

Terri also shares her own experience becoming a stepmom to three teenage boys and why she believes stepmoms have to stop silently suffering, walking on eggshells, and waiting for someone else to give them permission to matter.

Resources From This Episode

Terri Cole's new book, Father Wound Learn more and preorder at fatherwoundbook.com. Terri also shares information there about her virtual Father Wound retreat for preorder customers.

Connect with Terri Cole Find Terri, her work, podcast, upcoming appearances, and more at https://www.terricole.com/.

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

What happens when you have an ours baby in a blended family and suddenly one child is staying home while their siblings leave for another house?

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries, Cameron sits down with Morgan Lindahl and Amanda Gonzales, two moms and stepmoms who created a resource specifically for the children in blended families who stay behind when their siblings transition between homes.

Morgan shares how becoming a biological mom changed the way she saw herself as a stepmom and gave her a new perspective on her stepchildren, their mom, and the emotions that come with moving between two homes. Amanda brings both her personal experience and her background as a children's therapist to the conversation, including why predictability and consistency can look very different in a blended family.

They also talk about something that does not get nearly enough attention: what life feels like for an "ours" baby in a blended family when their brothers or sisters leave. For some kids, transition day means suddenly going from a full house to being the only child at home, and those repeated goodbyes can bring some very big feelings.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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How having an ours baby can change your identity and confidence as both a mom and stepmom

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Why sibling transitions can be especially emotional for the child who stays behind

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How to create connection and security when blended family schedules are constantly changing

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Why intention and self compassion matter when you cannot make every transition feel easy

Morgan and Amanda also share the story behind their book, How Many More Days?!, which was created to help children process the goodbyes, waiting, and reunions that come with having siblings who live between two homes.

Resources Mentioned

Learn more about Morgan and Amanda's work and Pre-order a copy of the book, How Many More Days?! & get their 25 Transition Day Rituals download for FREE! Simply add both products to your cart and use the code: STEPMOMDIARIES https://forthekidswhostay.com

Follow Amanda & Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forthekidswho.stay/

Get our free Stepmom Scripts Guide with real-life scripts for common stepfamily conversations: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

When sex starts feeling like one more thing on the to do list, it is easy to assume something is wrong with your relationship. But often, what is happening in the bedroom has a lot more to do with what is happening outside of it.

In this episode, I sit down with marriage coaches and Marriage365 founders Meygan and Casey Caston for an honest conversation about intimacy in marriage, sex, resentment, mismatched desire, and why couples need to actually talk about the things they would rather avoid.

For stepmoms, this conversation hits especially close to home. Blended family life can come with stress, complicated schedules, parenting conflict, emotional exhaustion, and resentment that slowly chips away at connection between partners.

Meygan and Casey share practical ways couples can rebuild trust and intimacy, including why scheduling sex might actually help your relationship instead of hurting the romance.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why intimacy in marriage starts with trust, not sex • How resentment outside the bedroom can affect connection inside it • Why scheduling sex can actually create more anticipation and intimacy • How couples with mismatched sex drives can stop keeping score and start communicating

They also break down their four Fs of a healthy sex life: foreplay, frequency, feelings, and fun, and share a simple way to start a conversation about sex with your partner without making it awkward or confrontational.

If intimacy has started getting pushed to the bottom of the list, this episode is a reminder that connection rarely happens because you magically find the time. Sometimes you have to intentionally make it.

Resources Mentioned

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Check out https://marriage365.com/

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The Marriage Habit by Meygan and Casey Caston

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Free Resource: 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

• The Stepmom Diaries Podcast: Ep 96. A Better Marriage Starts With A Better You, with Casey & Megan Caston

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Have you ever left therapy feeling heard, but not truly understood?

Maybe you were told to be more patient, create more family togetherness, present a united front, or step up and discipline your stepchildren. You followed the advice, and somehow things got even harder.

That does not mean you failed.

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries, Cameron explains why therapy for stepfamilies can go sideways when professionals apply advice designed for first families to blended families.

Most therapists are not given meaningful training in stepfamily dynamics during graduate school or through continuing education. As a result, even a skilled and caring therapist may be working from the wrong family map.

Cameron breaks down the gap between what research tells us about stepfamilies and what actually reaches the professionals supporting them. She also shares four practical questions you can ask to determine whether a therapist understands how stepfamilies really work.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why traditional family therapy advice can make stepfamily challenges worse

• How stepfamily relationships develop differently from relationships in first families

• Four questions to ask a therapist about their stepfamily training and approach

• What a healthy and realistic stepparent and stepchild relationship can look like

The goal is not to criticize therapy or convince you to leave a therapist you trust. It is to help you recognize whether your family is receiving advice that reflects the research on stepfamily development.

You are not failing because advice created for a different kind of family did not work for yours. You may simply need a therapist who understands the unique structure, pace, and challenges of stepfamily life.

Resources Mentioned

• Upgrade your bedtime with Cozy Earth's temperature-regulating bamboo sheets and pajamas, and use code STEPMOMDIARIES at CozyEarth.com for up to 20% off.
• Patricia Papernow's research and clinical work on stepfamily development
• Todd Jensen's research on stepfamilies and the gap between research and professional practice
• Patricia Papernow's clinical book for professionals working with stepfamilies
• Stepfamily Solutions and its evidence-based approach to stepfamily coaching
• Ready to feel less alone in your stepfamily journey? Join thousands of stepmoms at the FREE 2026 Stepmom Summit for expert advice, real conversations, and practical tools to help you thrive: https://thestepmomsummit.com/

When you became a stepmom, you probably expected your life to change.

What you may not have expected was how easy it would be to lose yourself in the process.

Between navigating stepfamily dynamics, supporting your partner, caring for children, managing schedules, and trying to keep the peace, many stepmoms quietly put their own dreams, interests, and identity on hold.

In this episode, Cameron sits down with former Apple executive, creator of Whole Wellness Mamas, and speaker Amy Nesbitt to explore how curiosity can become one of the most powerful tools for rediscovering yourself. Rather than making massive life changes, Amy shares how small "experiments" can help you reconnect with the person you've always been—and maybe even discover someone new.

They also discuss how curiosity can improve marriages, strengthen relationships with stepchildren, reduce conflict, and help blended families communicate with more empathy.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why so many stepmoms lose their identity after joining a blended family

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How curiosity helps you reconnect with yourself

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The power of tiny experiments instead of overwhelming life changes

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Practical ways to make time for yourself without guilt

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Simple ways to connect with your stepchildren through shared experiences

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How curiosity can reduce conflict in stepfamily dynamics

Whether you've been a stepmom for six months or sixteen years, this conversation will remind you that rediscovering yourself doesn't require changing your entire life- it simply begins with being curious.

Resources Mentioned

• Learn more about Amy Nesbitt: https://wholewellnessmamas.com

• Follow Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholewellnessmamas

• This Japanese American Life YouTube Channel

• Amy Reads YouTube Channel

• Join the waitlist for The Stepmom Summit: https://thestepmomsummit.com

• Free Resource: Download our 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Finding your stepmom identity can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to figure out where you fit in your blended family. Bestselling author Amy Porterfield knows that feeling well. Long before she became one of the world's most recognized business educators, she was learning the same lessons so many stepmoms face today.

In this candid conversation, Amy opens up about the emotional journey of discovering her stepmom identity. She shares what it was like trying to earn her stepson's love, the pressure she felt to be the "perfect" stepmom, and the moment she realized she did not need to replace his mom to build a meaningful relationship.

If you have ever questioned your place in your blended family or wondered whether you are doing enough, this episode will remind you that your stepmom identity is not something you earn. It is something you grow into over time.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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Why developing your stepmom identity takes time and why that is completely normal.

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How to build a meaningful relationship with your stepchildren without trying to replace their mom.

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Why perfectionism keeps so many stepmoms from feeling confident in their role.

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How embracing your unique place in your blended family leads to stronger relationships.

Resources Mentioned

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Amy Porterfield

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Get your copy of Two Weeks Notice

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The Amy Porterfield Show podcast

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Ready to feel less alone in your stepfamily journey? Join thousands of stepmoms at the FREE 2026 Stepmom Summit for expert advice, real conversations, and practical tools to help you thrive: https://thestepmomsummit.com/

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Free Resource: 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

One day your stepchild is excited to see you and your spouse... and the next they're distant, angry, or refusing visits altogether.

Is it normal family conflict? Is it the stress of divorce? Or could it be parental alienation?

In this episode, Cameron sits down with internationally recognized researcher and author Amy J.L. Baker, PhD, to unpack one of the most misunderstood topics in divorce and blended families. Together, they discuss what parental alienation really is, how it differs from legitimate estrangement, and what parents and stepparents should know if they suspect someone is interfering with a child's relationship with the other parent.

Dr. Baker also explains her evidence-based Five-Factor Model, common parental alienation strategies, and how stepparents can support their partner without making an already difficult situation worse.

In this episode, you'll learn:

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What parental alienation actually is, and what it isn't

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The difference between alienation and justified estrangement

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The Five-Factor Model used to identify parental alienation

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Common strategies that can damage a parent-child relationship

If this episode encouraged or helped you, please share it with another stepmom, parent, or blended family who may need to hear this conversation.

Resources Mentioned

Amy J.L. Baker, PhD: https://www.amyjlbaker.com/

Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome by Amy J.L. Baker

Ready to feel less alone in your stepfamily journey? Join thousands of stepmoms at the FREE 2026 Stepmom Summit for expert advice, real conversations, and practical tools to help you thrive: https://thestepmomsummit.com/

Free Resource: 10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

Are you the one tracking the dentist appointments, school forms, birthday gifts, custody schedules, groceries, and all the details everyone else seems to forget?

That invisible work has a name: the mental load.

In this episode of The Stepmom Diaries, I'm sharing my conversation with Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play and Find Your Unicorn Space. We talk about the mental load in blended families and why so many stepmoms feel exhausted from carrying invisible labor no one else sees.

This conversation is honest, validating, and so needed for stepmoms who feel like they are holding everything together behind the scenes.

In this episode, we cover:

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Why stepmoms often carry the invisible labor

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How the mental load shows up differently in blended families

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Why boundaries and communication have to come before systems

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The real antidote to burnout

Resources Mentioned

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky

Fair Play Cards

Follow Eve on Instagram

Get our free Stepmom Scripts Guide with real-life scripts for common stepfamily conversations: https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Get on the waitlist for The Stepmom Summit happening September 14th-18th, 2026!

Love The Stepmom Diaries? Please rate and review the podcast on Apple or Spotify. Your support helps us reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.

We've all been there.

Someone makes a comment about being a stepmom that they probably mean well... but it still stings.

"You knew what you were getting into." "At least you get a break." "They're not really your kids."

In the moment, it's hard to know what to say. Later, you think of the perfect response.

This listener-favorite replay is packed with practical, gracious ways to respond to some of the most common (and frustrating) comments stepmoms hear—while also helping friends and family better understand the realities of blended family life.

Whether you're new to your stepfamily or years into the journey, this episode will help you navigate these awkward conversations with confidence and compassion.

In this episode:

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Why "You knew what you were getting into" misses the reality of stepfamily life

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Thoughtful responses to common stepmom comments

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How to respond to friends and family without becoming defensive

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Ways to protect your peace while building stronger relationships

If this episode encourages you, please share it with another stepmom who needs the reminder that she's not alone.

Resources Mentioned

Grab our FREE "10 Essential Scripts for Stepmoms": https://stepfamilycertification.com/stepmom-scripts

Love The Stepmom Diaries?

Please consider rating and reviewing The Stepmom Diaries on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps the show grow and reach more blended families who need honest conversations like this one.