Christina welcomes Chanda to offer her experience in being both a biomom AND a stepmom. Chanda shares what's it's been like to accept a stepmom into her kids' lives and how she's found her own footing in the stepmom role. Should stepmoms and biomoms have an official first meeting? What if the stepmom is the high conflict one? What do we ALL have in common, and what's required to bring the peace? Whatever hat you wear, this one is for you. Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the ...
Feb 14, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Christina welcomes back Coach Michelle to talk about how we are caring for ourselves this year. We've all heard of Self Care, but what is Soul Care? In the world of stepmotherhood, we need to advocate for our own happiness...but how? Michelle also answers your questions...like how to reduce the amount of messages you get from the ex. Listen In! Mentioned in this Episode: Connecting with Michelle Other Episodes with Michelle Our Family Wizard Episode Why We Only Email Blog Post So much more than ...
Jan 31, 2024•53 min•Season 7Ep. 8
Christina welcomes Nicole to chat about her decision to not have an ours baby, the outside pressure to change your mind, the grief that decision comes with, and all the feelings that follow. Christina and Nicole discuss the very normal feelings of feeling pressured to "love them like your own", feeling like an outsider yet feeling like you live in a fish bowl. Whether you're a new(er) stepmom, or a seasoned one you'll relate - listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @r...
Jan 17, 2024•53 min
Christina welcomes Sara who had been a stepmother for 3 years and had a great relationship with her stepson. Once her pregnancy was announced, coparenting dynamics changed for the worse. Sara will discuss what she learned while navigating a new ours baby during a pandemic with a high conflict coparent and how she protected her daughter from the chaos. Listen in! Mentioned in This Episode: Ours Baby Workshop So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want...
Jan 03, 2024•1 hr 9 min
Christina welcomes Brent Crandal, an author and family psychologist to discuss how the feeling of "family" is formed. As stepmoms, we can often feel like outsiders as we step into an "already established family", but we have to change the belief that there's only one way to "family". Not only does Brent speak from his professional knowledge, but he speaks as a partner to a stepmom. How has he helped facilitate the relationship between her and his kids? What have they done to form their own uniqu...
Dec 20, 2023•45 min
Christina answers your holiday questions, everything from her own holiday plans, to navigating alienation, to implementing new traditions with or without an ours baby. What are some tips on how to keep your sanity and not lose the holiday spirit? Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want a little more support? Schedule a 1:1 session or become a Radical Member? Head to my website! I am excited for another amazing season! If you would l...
Dec 06, 2023•56 min
Christina welcomes Megan from the High Conflict Institute to chat about co-parenting with someone who operates with a repetitive pattern of high conflict. In order to be effective, we have to understand how a high conflict person thinks - so how do they? How do you flip the script to start interacting with them differently? Megan shares some great tools on how to change the way you communicate in your dynamic. Oh and a bonus... she's a stepmom! What would she have done differently? What has help...
Nov 22, 2023•53 min
Christina welcomes Sarah to chat her experience in developing a relationship with her partner's ex. Who's responsible for setting the tone? What contributes to a successful start and what boundaries need to be considered? How does it evolve overtime? Can it get better? This is an episode both stepmoms and moms can benefit from - if you're willing to look a little inward and ask yourself some tough questions! Listen in and enjoy! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmom...
Nov 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Christina kicks off Season 7 with live interviews from the recent Radical Meet-Up in Chicago! What were the hot topics discussed? What binds us together as stepmoms? What makes us "radical"? Christina also sets the tone for the upcoming season with a little pep-talk. Download this episode so you can save it for a stepmom rainy day. Enjoy and Cheers to Season 7! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want a little more support? Schedule a 1:1 session or become ...
Oct 25, 2023•32 min•Season 7Ep. 1
Christina wraps up Season 6 by welcoming Carl Knickerbocker -you my know him on IG as Unapologetic Parenting. Not only is he in Family Law, but he lives the blended life himself. Carl shares his own experience through the court system and how he supports his wife as a stepmom. He answers how bio-dad's can step up, how to recognize and establish boundaries, navigating the court system and the beauty of parallel parenting. Listen In! Special thank you for all your support in Season SIX! Thank you ...
Aug 02, 2023•51 min
Christina chats with KC to discuss the often unspoken reality of men's mental health through their divorce and into high conflict co-parenting. Women can be emotionally abusive too and many stepmoms are seeing the residual and continued trauma our partners experienced. How do we support them as they navigate their own healing? How do we advocate and protect our partners from more emotional abuse without being the scapegoat "villain"? Listen in! About My Guest: Hey! I'm KC a 25year old stepmom to...
Jul 12, 2023•52 min
Christina welcomes Matt from Our Family Wizard to discuss how Co-parenting apps can help organize and lessen the conflict in blended family life. There are more options out there now so what do you look for in an app? What tools are the most helpful? How do you get the use of the app court ordered and how do you get the other house to use it? If you're curious about getting started with a co-parenting app, listen in! About My Guest: Matt Havrevold attended the University of Minnesota where he gr...
Jul 05, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 23
Christina welcomes Marci, a "pandemic stepmom" whose introduction into the role was deeply impacted by a quick move-in with her partner and staying home with the kids for remote learning. Even being a teacher could not have prepared her! The two discuss being childless by choice and how circumstances change what we thought our families would look like. Marci also shares about her tricky relationship with the ex and how she manages the feelings of having an opinion, but not always a voice. Can yo...
Jun 28, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 22
Christina welcomes Dr. Ann, a psychologist, author and stepmom of 30+ years. Ann shares about her book "The Parent's Guide to Birdnesting" the decision some divorced couples choose to share a home so the kids don't have to transition, What?! Dr. Ann and Christina also chat topics like when is the best time to introduce a new partner and how it impacts the kids, and how biology plays into your attachment to your stepkids. How can all parents make the divorce and blending transition child-centered...
Jun 21, 2023•51 min•Season 6Ep. 21
Christina welcomes Dr. Tracy Dalgleish to discuss how we can unravel our difficult patterns and how we can change the way we communicate with our partners. Dr. Tracy shares her insights on shifting from a focus of wanting control to relationship and intimacy, prioritizing "we" over the need to be right and how to move through our feelings of resentment and find acceptance. It's not always easy making our relationships a priority, but as stepmoms (and statistics not in our favor) what can we do t...
Jun 14, 2023•48 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Yes, a stepmom and the ex CAN be friends. Christina welcomes Felisa, a stepmom who shares her story of stepmotherhood and how she navigates her friendship with her stepkids' mom. Who extended the olive branch? Are there any weird feelings? Felisa and Christina chat about what helps make a relationship like this to happen, and what boundaries might need to be present. It's not always possible, so when it does happen - bravo! Listen in! About My Guest: Hi I’m Felisa, I’m 30 years old. Born and rai...
Jun 07, 2023•42 min•Season 6Ep. 19
Christina welcomes back Coach Michelle, a licensed attorney, a Certified High Conflict Diversion Coach, as well as a Certified Martha Beck Life Coach. The two chat hot topics like communication, documentation, parenting plans and boundaries. Michelle anwers your questions about how to document in preperation for court, what to do about the misuse of cell phones, and what to do when the other house refuses to comminicate. Michelle is a great resource if you're wanting help distancing yourself fro...
May 31, 2023•40 min•Season 6Ep. 18
Christina chats with Charlotte, a long-distance stepmom and military wife. After moving from the UK to the US to be with her person, she knows the trial and errors of being a stepmom. Charlotte shares how she maintains a relationship with the kids when she doesn't see them often, what it was like to get the full-time for a year and then back to long-distance and how she prioritizes her relationship when her partner is deployed. For all those wondering about long-distance stepmomming - listen in!...
May 24, 2023•47 min•Season 6Ep. 17
Christina chats with Katie Beth, a stepmom who shares her story of falling in love, the complexities of dating with kids, managing not only a high conflict ex but her high conflict parents. The two discuss what happens when the stepmom shows up and there's no boundaries in place, raising a special needs stepkid and pregnancy after loss. What helped Katie Beth learn how to identify boundaries? What did she need as she prepared to bring home an ours baby? Listen in! About My Guest: Hi, I'm Katie B...
May 17, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Christina chats with Elly, a bio-mom who remarried and now finds herself rocking the stepmom role. With Elly's background in communication, she shares her dos and don't of co-parenting her SIX kids. The two chat group texts, methods to help lessen the conflict and how to manage when you feel your partner walks on eggshells. How has Elly's role as a bio-mom influenced how she shows up as a stepmom? What's her dynamic like with her kids' stepmom? Listen in! About My Guest I am a Bio Mom + Bonus Mo...
May 10, 2023•58 min•Season 6Ep. 15
Christina welcomes Cameron, a stepmom who found her voice and founded This Custom Life, is host of The Stepmom Diaries podcast, Co-CEO of Stepfamily Magazine, and Co-founder of The Stepmom Summit. Cameron discusses how she stepped into her role and how the ages of our stepkids can impact the way we show up. Christina and Cameron chat how the bond can be different between your different stepkids, the guilt we carry and some mistakes stepmoms make when trying to define their role. Cameron also sha...
May 03, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 14
Christina welcomes Amanda and Joe to talk full-time step-parenting, supporting one another through HCBM's antics, how to establish boundaries and MORE. Grab your partner for this one. Hearing from another stepmom is validating, but it's always enlightening to hear from how another couple navigates the good, bad and ugly. Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want a little more support? Schedule a 1:1 session or become a Radical Member? Head to my w...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Christina chats with Haley, a former stepmom ready to share her story of love, life, struggles and choosing to walk away. What led to Haley's decision? Is she able to maintain a relationship with her stepkids? How is she protecting her our's baby? Stepmotherhood can be a rough road, what would Haley do differently? Has her perspective on blended life changed now that she's a biomom? Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want a little more support? ...
Apr 19, 2023•45 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Christina chats with Tori to share her story of co-parenting, parallel parenting and how her family is gradually finding their way back to co-parenting. What does it take to co-parent effectively? When should you make the move to parallel parenting? How do you build trust and manage your own high conflict tendencies? They also chat about when the ex gets a new partner, the feelings of needing to prove yourself as a stepmom and how our own childhoods impact our views of our blended family. Tori g...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Christina and Jacob continue their conversation in Part 2! If you haven't listened to Part 1 (S6:Episode 8) - you should go back and do that first! They start by sharing how they stay connected when blended life feels all consuming. Do you put the relationship first? How do they see their blended family evolving as their kids get older? What does Jake struggle with most in dealing with his ex and how does it impact his relationship with his son? Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me ...
Apr 05, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Christina chats with Mallory to share her story of being the non-preferred house, alienation and how she's protected her ours baby from the harshness of blended life. Mallory speaks to what it's like living in the same home her husband shared with the ex - maybe excessive amounts of paint and redecorating?! Ever reach your limit and stand up the the ex? What happens after alienation? Listen in! About My Guest: I’m Mallory! I’m married to a wonderful man and have a SD15 and an ours “baby” who is ...
Mar 29, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 9
Christina welcomes back her husband Jacob to chat her recent choice to disengage. What led her to stepping back? How does Jacob feel about it and what does he struggle with? What do they bicker about besides blended family life?! Christina and Jacob talk candidly about who’s the preferred parent, when you just can’t stop talking about the ex and the hard feelings about being the partner of a disengaged stepmom. Listen in to Part One of this Two Episode series - enjoy! So much more than a podcast...
Mar 22, 2023•59 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Christina chats with Kelly who shares her journey of being a pandemic stepmom, teens and parenting with a "performative" biomom. Do you feel like you live in a fishbowl? Is it weird to have never met the ex? With all the ups and downs, let's talk our greatest lifeline: Disengaging. Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me on the Gram @radicalstepmomspodcast Want a little more support? Schedule a 1:1 session or become a Radical Member? Head to my website!
Mar 15, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 7
In this solo episode, Christina shares what many stepmoms are asking about and gives her hot take. What if a stepmom doesn't want a relationship with the ex - no matter how nice she is? Is it ever okay to look at the ex's social media? How does a stepmom manage disciplining the stepkids? Christina chats it all! And if you're a stepmom who's super hard on herself...listen in. Christina shares some tips on how you can show more compassion for the amazing stepmom you are! Enjoy! So much more than a...
Mar 08, 2023•35 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Christina welcomes Amanda who understands the highs and woes of having stepkids in extracurricular activites. What's the big deal? Well, let's chat about it! Do you show up to the games/practices? If you do - do you sit with the other parent? How do you handle the cost of uniforms? What do you do if the ex signs the kids up without telling you? How do our own values, needs and personality play a part in how we show up - or don't? We chat it all! Listen in! So much more than a podcast!!! Find me ...
Mar 01, 2023•59 min•Season 6Ep. 5
