StepStories Podcast

Robin Breuner

StepStories is an honest and heartfelt podcast exploring the real-life experiences of blended families. Host Robin Breuner, who has lived life as both a stepdaughter and a mother, brings deep empathy and understanding to conversations about the challenges and joys of blended family life. Each week, Robin talks with stepmothers, stepfathers, stepchildren, and step-siblings—sharing stories that reveal the love, tension, heartbreak, frustrations, and resilience found within these unique family dynamics. From families who've found harmony to those still working through the challenges, whether past or present, StepStories shines a light on every side of the journey. Through authentic storytelling and open dialogue, Robin creates a space for reflection, healing, and connection. Whether you are or have been part of a blended family, or are simply curious about the bonds that hold people together, StepStories offers honesty, hope, and heart in every episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 3d ago

    BEST OF - Kristen Skiles

    In this week's Best Of episode, Robin interviews stepmom coach Kristen Skiles, founder of Stepmomming.com, host of Stepmom Made Easy, and author of “Stepmomming Made Easy,” to discuss her work supporting stepmoms worldwide and her annual virtual Stepmom Con. Kristen shares her blended-family story, including marrying a single dad, navigating early high-conflict dynamics, and the unusual experience of her husband’s ex-wife and her new husband living with them for three months, which challenged boundaries but helped Kristen release unrealistic expectations and accept she isn’t her stepdaughter’s mom. They talk about adding two sons after a fertility journey, Kristen’s experience as a stepdaughter, why remarriage divorce rates are high, differences for stepmoms partnered with widowers, and what Stepmom Con offers, including expert interviews, live chat, connection hours, and upgrade options. Kristen Skiles Email: kristen@stepmomming.com Website: Stepmomming.com Instagram: Kristen Skiles (@stepmomming) Facebook: Stepmomming Blog Pintrest : Stepmomming with Kristen Skiles Threads: Stepmomming Made Easy Books: Stepmomming Made Easy Strategies Everything/ Robin Breuner Email: robinbreuner@gmail.com Website: www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin: RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast: StepStories Podcast Threads: @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@stepstoriespodcast/video/7569378260706938126 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Sep 24

    Ep. 40 - Suzanne Sherman: What Does It Mean To Live In The Long Shadow

    Robin Breuner welcomes author and memoir coach Suzanne Sherman to discuss her book, Living in the Long Shadow: Surviving a Legacy of Mental Illness (publishing Sept. 29). Suzanne recounts her earliest memories of her mother’s sudden-onset schizophrenia, her father’s lack of explanation, and the family’s upheaval, including her mother’s overdose attempt when Suzanne was 10 and later diagnosis and treatment with Thorazine. She describes her parents’ separation, her father dating a woman who became her stepmother, and how Suzanne, at 14, moved in with her father and new wife, initially facing rejection behind closed doors before the relationship improved over time. Suzanne also reflects on her mother’s eventual suicide, a letter explaining she couldn’t live with or without medication, and a later “sign” that brought comfort. She closes with advice that love and feeling valued matter most in stepfamily relationships. Feedspot is an RSS Reader that lets you follow your favorite podcasts alongside blogs and news in one place: https://podcast.feedspot.com/blended_family_podcasts/ https://podcast.feedspot.com/stepparent_relationship_podcasts/ Suzanne Sherman: Email: suzanne@suzannesherman.com Website: http://www.suzannesherman.com Facebook: FB/suzanne.sherman.14 Instagram: IG/suzanne_sherman_author Linkedin: IN/suzannesherman Books: Living In The Long Shadow Robin Breuner Email: robinbreuner@gmail.com Website: www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin: RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast: StepStories Podcast Threads: @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Sep 10

    Ep. 38 – Diana Daniele: We Three Who Made a Fourth

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, Host Robin Breuner welcomes PR specialist, writer, and advocate Diana Daniele to talk about her blended family and health journey. Diana describes secondary infertility, choosing adoption, and how social workers coached her on respectful adoption language and on not owing strangers personal details; she recounts being asked “Where’s the real mom?” and later apologizing to her daughter for sharing her adoption status. She explains raising a biological son and adopted daughter seven years apart, fearing sibling rivalry (“I’m the real child”) that never materialized, and discusses open adoption, ongoing contact with her daughter’s birth mother via an agency, and reunion at 18 framed as “more love.” Diana also shares five years of chronic migraines, depression and a suicide attempt, and being cured in 2014 by hirudotherapy (leeches), which helped her reconnect with her children; she concludes that love is the answer for parenting.   Diana Daniele: Email:            dianadaniele@me.com  Website:        https://dianadanielepr.com/  Substack:      @musingtimewithdianadaniele IG:                  ig/dianadanielepr FB:                 fb/diana.f.daniele Linkedin:       in/diana-foutz-daniele Youtube:        @Diana-Daniele   Robin Breuner  Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.com Website:  www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast:  StepStories Podcast Threads:  @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. Sep 3

    BEST OF: Cameron Normand - How to Survive being the “Stuck Outsider” with StepFamily Solutions Coach, Cameron Normand

    In this week’s Best Of episode of The Step Stories podcast, Robin sits down with Cameron Normand, CEO of Stepfamily Solutions and host of the Stepmom Diaries podcast. Cameron shares how she shifted from a 23-year career as a lawyer and policy executive on Capitol Hill and for Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures into stepfamily coaching after becoming a stepmom of four in a high-conflict situation and struggling to find resources. They discuss why stepfamilies are underserved, how untrained guidance can harm families, and Cameron’s Step Family Coach Academy built around research and Dr. Patricia Papernow’s framework. Cameron highlights common challenges like the “stuck outsider” role, Mother’s Day and event dynamics, the importance of encouraging parent–child one-on-one time, and key advice for stepparents: focus on connection over correction and be less hard on yourself.   2026 Stepmoms Summit Affiliate Link Cameron Normand Email:  cameron@stepfamilysolutions.com Website: https://stepfamilysolutions.com/contributors/cameron-normand/ Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stepfamilysolutions Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/stepfamilysolutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stepfamily-solutions/ Podcast: Stepmom Diaries  TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@stepfamilysolutions Pintrest : https://ro.pinterest.com/stepfamilysolutions/   Robin Breuner  Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.com Website:  www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast:  StepStories Podcast Threads:  @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. Aug 27

    Ep. 37 - Laughter Through Tears with Michael Vinton

    Host Robin Breuner welcomes Michael Vinton—comedian, actor, nonprofit director, and host of Unspoken Grief—to this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast to talk about building a blended family through adoption and fostering. Michael shares how he and his husband Tony pursued private open adoption in 2015–2016, including meeting their first daughter Zanna’s birth parents, and explains challenges for same-sex adoptive parents across different state laws. He contrasts fostering—where reunification is the goal—with adoption, describing multiple heartbreaking foster placements that returned home. Michael recounts how their second daughter, Sabrina, came to them via safe surrender after a NICU stay, adding a biracial dynamic to their family. He also discusses losing his brother in a murder-suicide, founding Impacted Survivors of Murder Suicide, and using Unspoken Grief to provide education, resources, and support groups, ending with advice on patience, openness, and acceptance in blended families.   Michael Vinton: Email:            info@impactedsurvivors.com  Website:        www.michaelvinton.com                         http://www.impactedsurvivors.org Podcast:        Unspoken Grief  IG:                  @therealmichaelvinton FB:                 Michael Vinton Linkedin:       m/ichael-vinton-6702a373   Robin Breuner  Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.com Website:  www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast:  StepStories Podcast Threads:  @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. Aug 20

    Ep. 36 – How My Eyes Have Opened

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, Host Robin Breuner shares a curated set of powerful clips from a few memorable guests from the show’s first 3 seasons. Christina Nelson (Radical Stepmoms) describes the conditional, often excluded experience of stepmothers—especially around Mother’s Day and family milestones—and how misunderstandings between stepmoms and stepkids can escalate without honest communication. Author Hope Edelman advises widowed fathers to wait at least a year (ideally two) before serious dating or remarriage, to support children through “firsts,” while also noting the risks of never moving forward. Barbara Sabido discusses fostering, attachment, and how fathers may struggle most with saying goodbye. Robin closes with insights from her daughter Natalie about compounded grief, anxiety, and the long, messy journey of blended-family life.   Hope Edelman Email:    hopeedelman@gmail.com Website: www.hopeedelman.com          www.motherlessdaughters.com Instagram: @hope_edelman Facebook: hopeedelmanauthor   Christina Nelson Email:            radicalstepmomspodcast Website:        radicalstepmomspodcast.com Instagram:     IG/radicalstepmomspodcast   Barbara Sabido                               Website:        apParent Love Facebook:     @bsabido Linkedin :      Barbara Sabido   Robin Breuner  Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.com Website:  www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast:  StepStories Podcast Threads:  @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. Aug 13

    Ep. 35 – Reema Zaman: What Does it Mean “To Belong” to a Family, to a Relationship, to Yourself?

    In this episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner interviews author and memoirist Reema Zaman (I Am Yours) about divorce, blended families, and how childhood family dynamics shape adult relationships. Zaman, originally from Bangladesh and raised in Thailand, shares her perspective as the oldest child of her parents’ arranged marriage, what she witnessed in an unhealthy home, and how her mother’s quiet deference changed after leaving the marriage. She discusses how the divorce affected siblings differently, the “tax” divorce can bring, and why she still advocates for divorce when a marriage is unhealthy. Reema also describes her mother’s rapid, loving remarriage, her bond with her stepfather (whom she calls Dad), and her ongoing journey of healing, belonging, and reclaiming her voice through writing.   Reema Zaman: Email:           reema@reemazaman.com Website:        http://www.reemazaman.com/ Instagram:     https://www.instagram.com/reemazaman Youtube:        Reeman Zaman Ted X  BSSP book :           I Am Yours   Robin Breuner  Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.com Website:  www.robinbreuner.com Instagram: stepstoriespodcastIG Facebook: stepstoriespodcastFB Linkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkIN Podcast:  StepStories Podcast Threads:  @robinbreuner YouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

StepStories is an honest and heartfelt podcast exploring the real-life experiences of blended families. Host Robin Breuner, who has lived life as both a stepdaughter and a mother, brings deep empathy and understanding to conversations about the challenges and joys of blended family life. Each week, Robin talks with stepmothers, stepfathers, stepchildren, and step-siblings—sharing stories that reveal the love, tension, heartbreak, frustrations, and resilience found within these unique family dynamics. From families who've found harmony to those still working through the challenges, whether past or present, StepStories shines a light on every side of the journey. Through authentic storytelling and open dialogue, Robin creates a space for reflection, healing, and connection. Whether you are or have been part of a blended family, or are simply curious about the bonds that hold people together, StepStories offers honesty, hope, and heart in every episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You Might Also Like