Simple Step: Why Stepparents Need a Strong Sense of Identity
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The Blended Family Coaching Show
We're Mike and Kim Anderson. We set out on our blended family adventure over 20 years ago thinking it would be a cinch…but quickly found out how complicated things can be. Following a painfu...
Episodes
20 of 368 episodes243. How Stepparents Can Thrive by Protecting Their Heart, While Still Showing Up [with Laura Petherbridge]
Stepparenting can be deeply meaningful, but it can also leave you feeling rejected, exhausted, and unsure of your place in the family. We kn...
Simple Step: Get on the Same Page
Resources Episode 167. Achievable Strategies to Make Your Marriage the Foundation of Your Blended Family Episode 206. Avoid These 5 Common P...
242. Stepparent Burnout? 4 Steps to Reduce Resentment and Rebalance Roles
Stepparent burnout doesn't start in a dramatic moment. It develops quietly as a stepparent keeps giving, serving, adjusting, but ends up wit...
Simple Step: Managing the Motivational Gap
Resources: Episode 241: Before you Take it Personally: Why the Backlash to Accept a Stepparent? Building Love Together in Blended Families b...
241. Before You Take It Personally: 5 Reasons Kids Resist a Stepparent
When we got married, we both wanted our new family to feel safe, connected, and secure. But good intentions didn’t prepare us for the painfu...
A Short Summer Pause and What’s Coming August 4th
We’re popping in with a short summer update before taking a brief pause from releasing new episodes throughout July 2026. But don’t worry, w...
Simple Step: How Patience and Persistence Create Space for Bonding
Resources Episode 240. Energize Family Bonds One Meaningful Conversation at a Time [with Ashley Noelle]Order your Blended Bond Deck here: bl...
240. Energize Family Bonds One Meaningful Conversation at a Time [with Ashley Noelle]
In blended family life, it’s easy for kids, parents, and stepparents to feel unsure, unseen, or disconnected as everyone adjusts to new rela...
Simple Step: Healthy Boundaries that Protect Relationships
Resources Click here to schedule your FREE COACHING CALL239. Feeling Responsible for Everyone? How Codependency Hinders Family Relationships...
239. Feeling Responsible for Everyone? How Codependency Hinders Family Relationships and How to Heal [with Michelle Farris]
Codependency can be tricky to recognize because it often looks like love, generosity, or “just trying to help.” But when our giving turns in...
Simple Step: Assertive Communication
Resources Episode 50. How to Openly Communicate What You Really Want Episode 179. Conquer Fear and Embrace Your Blend with Confidence and Cl...
238. Co-Parenting Conflict? 4 Tools for Effective Communication to Increase Cooperation and Create Boundaries
Co-parenting conversations can escalate fast, especially when an ex is reactive, manipulative, dismissive, or unreasonable. It’s tempting to...
237. Communication Frustration? Gain Powerful Tools & Insight to Help Reduce Conflict & Stay Connected
If there’s one thing we’ve learned in our 25 years of marriage, parenting, and blended family life, it’s this: communication problems aren’t...
Simple Step: Navigating Mother's Day
Resources Episode 236. Does it Ever Get Easier? How to Stay Hopeful by Playing the Long Game [with Gayla Grace]Episode 157. 3 Seasoned Stepm...
236. Does it Ever Get Easier? How to Stay Hopeful by Playing the Long Game [with Gayla Grace]
In this episode, we sit down with our friend Gayla Grace for a deeply encouraging conversation about what it really takes to build a strong...
Simple Step. The Value of 1 on 1 Bio-Time
Resources from this episode Episode 235. Stepparenting Takes Two: How to Build Connection and Avoid Common Wrong Turns Episode 103. 4 Reveal...
235. Stepparenting Takes Two: How to Build Connection and Avoid Common Wrong Turns
When we got married, we stepped into blended family life with a lot of hope, but also a lot of unrealistic expectations. We thought connecti...
Simple Step: Outlaw Words that Drive Negativity
Resources Episode 234. Caught in the Negative? How to Reframe Painful Moments and Regain Hope Episode 106. How to Avoid "Outlaw Words" [with...
234. Caught in the Negative? How to Reframe Painful Moments and Regain Hope
The reality is, blended family life gives us plenty of painful moments to get caught up in: tension with an ex, a hard interaction with a st...