83. Family Feuds: Overcoming High Conflict and Parental Alienation with Maarit Miller

How Does The Daily Trauma of War Impact Stepfamilies? The trauma inflicted on stepfamilies is an aspect of war not often considered - but has a very real impact. In this episode, we are talking with Sigal Kaplan, a family counselor in Israel specializing in blended families. Sigal has done groundbreaking and captivating work around the impact of the ongoing war on Israeli stepfamilies. About Sigal: Sigal Kaplan is a family counselor specialist who works with stepfamilies, as well as families dealing with divorce. She teaches a course at Kibbutzim College for counselors and educators about divorce and stepfamilies. Sigal also founded the "Children First" project (2014-2018), supporting children and families dealing with divorce.   She has a B.A in Education and M.A in Organizational Consulting. Sigal is certified in parental coordination and EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy), and has certifications from the Adler Institute, the Ministry of Education, and the Step Family Foundation.  She is married to Aaron, stepmom to Noa, and mom to Ariel, Ben, and Zoe. You Can Find Sigal: sigalkaplan.com On Instagram And Don't Forget: Follow me on Instagram and TikTok for all my latest. Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

What Happens When You Stop Caring So Much About Your Expectations? In this episode, we welcome back our old friend and amazing stepmom and life coach, Naja Hall. Naja and I always have fun catching up - and then we have a great discussion about her journey to finally become "unbothered" and what happens when you can finally get there.   About Naja: Naja is the founder of  VIPStepmom and Blended and Black. As a Certified Coach and Educator, she understands that the family is THE MOST influential entity of human development, and her work centers around helping individuals, couples, and families navigate some of life’s toughest transitions. As the host of  popular podcast, I know I’m Crazy with Naja Hall and author of the Amazon best-seller Girl, Bye! book series, Naja’s life’s work is to teach empathy, accountability, and emotional intelligence through the art of story-telling and genuine human connections. She’s a Stepmom of 3. You Can Find Naja: najahall.com blendedandblack.com VIPStepmom.com On TikTok On Instagram And Don't Forget: Follow me on Instagram and TikTok for all my latest. Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

What Is Stepfamily Coaching, And Can It Help You?  Today we're going to talk a bit about coaching. What it is, how it can help stepfamilies, and how to find a good coach. I was actually a coach skeptic for a long time, but I'll tell you how my mind was changed. And if you’re interested in paying it forward and becoming a coach, or even if you're just a little “coach-curious” I’ll let you know that the doors are open this week to the Stepfamily Coach Academy.  Links Mentioned In Today's Episode If you're interested in giving back to other stepfamilies as a stepfamily coach, the doors are open for our next class of students inside the Stepfamily Coach Academy next month. Spots are limited, but you can find out more and apply HERE.  Follow me on Instagram and TikTok for all my latest. Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

Stepmom Guilt Is Just The Symptom I don’t know about you, but when I became a stepmom, I put a huge amount of pressure on myself. To be clear, I put a lot of pressure on myself in general, but it got worse when I became a stepmom. Because even if you aren't the type who puts pressure on themselves already, you'll start to when you marry or parter with someone who has kids.  So in this episode, I'm chatting about something that I have struggled with for a long time, and I thought it might resonate with you. And that’s stepmom guilt. We'll talk about what it is and a few things you can do to banish it! Links Mentioned In Today's Episode If you're interested in giving back to other stepfamilies as a stepfamily coach, we'll be opening doors for our next class of students inside the Stepfamily Coach Academy next month. You can get on the waitlist HERE.  Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

Back-To-School Isn't Always What It Seems It’s back-to-school time, which always leaves me with mixed emotions. On one hand, it can feel GREAT to get the kids back on the bus and out of the house all day every day. But on the other, the school year brings its own nuttiness with themed days, sports and other activities starting, and packed schedules.  So what's the best way to cope as a stepmom and look for your own fresh start? That's what this quickie episode is all about. Links Mentioned In Today's Episode If you're interested in giving back to other stepfamilies as a stepfamily coach, we'll be opening doors for our next class of students inside the Stepfamily Coach Academy next month. You can get on the waitlist HERE.  Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

Can You Actually Have It All In A Stepfamily? Today I'm sharing an interview I did for this year's Stepmom Summit because it's the kind of story that we don't get to hear enough of as stepmoms: a stepmom and mom who not only get along, but are real-life friends, work together, and have made co-parenting virtually seamless for their kids. I'm talking with Emmy Award-winning journalist Catt Sadler and Digital Dept. CEO Sarah Boyd. These women are each superstars professionally, and both vowed to put the kids in the stepfamily first. It's a wonderful story of how the dynamics can come together in a loving and positive way.  About Catt: Catt Sadler is a three time-Emmy winning journalist, renowned for her work on E! Entertainment, where she spent more than a decade contributing to E! News, E! News Weekend, Daily Pop, Live From E! and hosting various network specials. She’s also been a fixture on the red carpet covering high-caliber events and interviewing celebrities during awards season. She has been co-host of the Vanity Fair Oscars Party show for the last several years. Today, she is the host and EP of her weekly podcast: CATT SADLER Now. Catt has appeared on The View, The Talk, The Tamron Hall Show, and many other programs. After choosing to leave E! over a wage gap issue and receiving an outpouring of support, Catt became a prominent voice for the equal pay movement. She has spent much of her time contributing to the cause by taking part in the LA Women’s March, speaking at the Equal Pay Day rally at City Hall in New York, and starring in LUNA Bar’s Equal Pay Day campaign. Catt was also selected for the NYDJ Denim campaign highlighting women leading change. She starred in the SECRET deodorant “I’d Rather Get Paid” initiative and MM.Le.Fleur’s “What Are You Made Of?” fashion campaign. In 2021 she was featured with a diverse group of women in Summersalt’s swimwear campaign celebrating an eclectic group of confident and successful women who love their bodies – in all forms, at any age. Championing women has always been her passion. About Sarah: Sarah Boyd is the co-CEO of The Digital Dept., which represents the most sought-after celebrity influencers. Her current/past clients roster includes Alessandra Ambrosio, Jamie Chung, Olivia Culpo, Julianne Hough, Lauren Bushnell Lane, Jana Kramer, and many more who look to Sarah to help them capitalize on their influential status in the entertainment industry to make their mark in the influencer world. Sarah started her career in Fashion PR and in 2012, she decided to channel her expert industry know-how, her extensive list of contacts, and relationships into starting her own business, SIMPLY, a collective with one goal in mind: connecting. The SIMPLY ‘Do What You Love’ event is an annual Fashion and Beauty Conference in cities such as LA, NY, Chicago, and Dubai. Since 2012, SIMPLY has hosted tens of thousands of attendees. Sarah has secured partnerships with prestigious brands like CITI, Topshop, Barney’s NY and many more. She’s been featured in Marie Claire, People Style Watch, Fox News, E!, LA Business Journal, to name a few. She was named a “Female Founder to Watch” by Forbes and is now a Forbes Fashion and Beauty contributor. In 2017, Sarah completed a successful acquisition for SIMPLY with Socialyte (under the NYLON LLC parent company) and Sarah held the position of President of Socialyte. In 2018, Sarah co-founded the Moms + Babes Box with partner Jana Kramer which is a quarterly subscription box filled with 6+ full sized products for moms and their babes. In 2020, Sarah and Jana sold the business. In 2022, Socialyte was acquired by Dolphin Entertainment, and in 2023, Socialyte and Be Social merged to become The Digital Dept. where Sarah was installed as co-CEO. You Can Find Catt and Sarah: On Instagram: @iamcattsadler @sarahpboyd On their websites: thecattwalk.com thedigitaldept.com Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Sarah appeared on the podcast back in episode 75, which you can listen to HERE.   Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

Navigating Stepfamily Life After Tragedy Strikes Today we are taking on a tough, but important, topic: picking yourself (and your stepfamily) back up after your worst nightmare comes to life. I'm talking to stepmom and grief expert Krista St-Germain, who moved through unthinkable tragedy to learn how to thrive again. She's got an inspiring outlook and some amazing insights for stepfamilies who may be dealing with grief. About Krista: Krista St-Germain is a Master Certified Life Coach, Post-Traumatic Growth and 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 uncurl from the fetal position, Krista discovered Life Coaching, Post Traumatic Growth and learned the tools she needed to move forward and create a future she could get excited about. Now she coaches and teaches other widows so they can love life again, too. Krista has been featured online and in print in Psychology Today, Medium, Thrive Global, Bustle, Psych Central, and Parents Magazine and on select podcasts such as The SelfWork Podcast, Seek The Joy, Life Check Yourself, and You Need A Budget to name a few. You Can Find Krista: On Instagram: @lifecoachkrista On her website, coachingwithkrista.com/ Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Krista is generously offering a course on navigating grief to our listeners for FREE - You can access it right HERE.   Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!

A rockstar journalist navigates stepmom life in real time Today I'm talking to Jamie Yuccas, Emmy-Award-winning journalist - and stepmom. I first met Jamie a few months ago when she reached out to cover The Stepmom Summit for KCAL/CBS News Los Angeles. I enjoyed chatting with her so much I knew we had to have her on the podcast!  About Jamie:  Jamie Yuccas is a CBS News correspondent known for her coverage of high-profile stories, including the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, the wildfires across the Western United States, and the social justice protests following the murder of George Floyd. She is a co-anchor for KCAL News Mornings, a seven-hour weekday morning news program. Yuccas joined CBS Newspath from WCCO-TV, the CBS-owned and operated station in Minneapolis, where she won two Emmy Awards and contributed reporting to the CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning for breaking news stories in the Midwest. She also won an Emmy Award for coverage of Hurricane Sandy. As an anchor, reporter, and producer at WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, Yuccas won a Florida Associated Press award for a feature story about a U.S. Marshals operation. You Can Find Jamie: On Instagram: @jamieyuccas On her website, KCaLnews.com Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, dealing with your partner's ex, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!  

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 Stepmom Summit (the Summit is over but you can still access the presentations for a few more days with an Ultimate Access Pass) 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 from relational trauma. She writes and speaks about various parenting, relational, and mental health topics.  Abbey focuses on helping moms heal from their childhood wounding, navigate difficult family dynamics, estrangement, and breaking generational trauma. She is committed to supporting, empowering, and connecting with her community by providing accessible information on her podcast, "You, The Mother Podcast," social media platforms, coaching, support groups, healing book club, retreats, and webinars for people all over the world.  She has been featured by PopSugar, Parents, SheKnows, and Romper, and was named a top 50 parenting podcast by Podcast Magazine.  Abbey navigates her blended family/coparenting life in Cincinnati, OH with her husband, four kids, and two sister labs. You Can Find Abbey: On Instagram: @youthemother On her website, youthemother.com Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Get your Ultimate Access Pass and get access to the Stepmom Summit HERE! Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE

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 Stepmom Summit (the Summit is over but you can still access the presentations for a few more days with an Ultimate Access Pass) About Maarit: Maarit has been a mom for 20+ years, a stepmom for 15+, and was one of the founding moderators over at the stepparent support subreddit. She's been nominated for Best Stepmom Blog and named a Top 10 Blended Family Blog. Blended Family Frappé was also listed as one of the best blended family Instagram accounts to follow. And she says when she's running her site, she's probably eating tacos while watching Star Wars. You Can Find Maarit: On Instagram: @blendedfamilyfrappe On her website, blendedfamilyfrappe.com  Links Mentioned In Today's Episode Get your Ultimat Access Pass and get access to the Stepmom Summit HERE! Got a question for me or something you're struggling with in your stepfamily life? Submit a question to be answered on a future podcast episode HERE Want to go deeper into coparenting, finding your own peace, and other blended family challenges? Join the Stepfamily Circle HERE 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! And the best part about leaving a review? If you send me a screenshot of your review, I’ll send YOU my 20-minute Stepmom Self-Care Blueprint. For FREE. It’s normally $49 and it’s a great tool to quickly set up a self-care plan you’ll actually use. Just head HERE to send me your screenshot and grab your blueprint!