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. 6d ago

    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.

  2. Aug 6

    BEST OF - Greg Eskridge: How to Resurrect a Life after Childhood Trauma and Thirty Years in Prison

    In this week’s Best Of episode of The Step Stories Podcast, host Robin Breuner sits down with Greg Eskridge, whom she met through Diane Kahn’s Humans of San Quentin. Greg describes being raised by a single mother who moved from Memphis to Southern California, later enduring severe abuse from his mother’s partner, running away at age 10, and cycling through 15–20 foster and boys’ homes while surviving unhoused. He recounts the fight outside a Shakey’s Pizza that led him, at 20, to fatally shoot someone, for which he received 58 years to life plus two life terms. After decades at San Quentin, Greg explains his deep remorse, his rehabilitation in prison, a recall of sentence after laws changed, and his current work as co-director of the Uncuffed radio program amplifying incarcerated people’s stories.   Greg Eskridge Email:   gregory23.eskridge@gmail.com Website: KALW Instagram:     We.Are.Uncuffed Facebook:     Uncuffed Linkedin:       Greg Eskridge   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. Jul 30

    Ep. 34 – Laura House: How to be a Safe Adult for a Stepkid

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner talks with writer and stand-up comedian Laura House about step-parenting older teenagers and navigating blended-family dynamics with authenticity. Laura explains why you can’t force connection, how she approached her stepkids (then 18 and 19) by giving them space and aiming to be a “safe adult” rather than a controlling authority, and how a health crisis—her partner Brian’s emergency triple bypass—deepened family bonds. She also shares her adoption story: knowing she was adopted early, searching for her birth mother through sealed and redacted records, feeling rejected after failed contact attempts, and ultimately connecting via 23andMe with a half-brother who introduced her to her birth family, including a grandmother who had prayed for her each birthday, leading to a new understanding of nature, nurture, and family.   Laura House: Email: imlaurahouse@gmail.com  Website:       http://laurahouse.com Facebook:    FB/imlaurak Instagram:    IG/imlaurahouse Youtube:       @imlaurahouse Linkedin:      in/laura-house88        Substack:     substack/@laurahouse       Publications:         LA Times article   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. Jul 23

    Ep. 33 – Karis Nafte: Who Keeps the Dog?

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, Host Robin Bruener welcomes South Africa–based animal expert and pet custody mediator Karis Nafte, author of “Who Keeps the Dog: Navigating Pet Custody During Divorce,” to discuss how pets are often overlooked in divorce and blended-family transitions. Nafte explains that sharing a dog between two homes may not work because frequent moves can stress dogs, and custody decisions should prioritize what’s best for the animal based on practical realities like housing, schedules, and the dog’s needs. She shares strategies and stories about integrating pets into new households—slow introductions, scent swapping, walking dogs together, and careful dog-cat integration—plus cases where rehoming was the healthiest choice. They also cover introducing dogs to newborns, managing pets with kids, choosing appropriate breeds, and not taking dog behavior personally.   Karis Nafte Email:  karis@whokeepsthedog.com Instagram:     iIG/whokeepsthedog Website:        www.whokeepsthedog.com Book:             Who Keeps the Dog: Navigating Pet Custody During Divorce   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. Jul 16

    Ep. 32 – Lanee Blaise: A Masterclass in Blending

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, Host Robin Breuner interviews Lanee Blaise, an executive producer of film and TV projects and co-writer of the family-friendly drama Blended, about friends becoming family after a tragedy. Lanee shares her own blended-family experience: her parents divorced when she was four, both remarried within a year, and all four parents worked cooperatively, including managing long-distance visits and holiday travel. She describes gaining multiple step- and half-siblings, often taking on caregiving responsibilities, and how her upbringing shaped her parenting and nearly 30-year marriage. Lanee emphasizes that time, forgiveness, and consistent age-appropriate conversations with children can reduce stress and help families “blend it for the best,” even through moves, loss, and change.   Lanée Blaise Email:   BlaiseTV@icloud.com        Instagram:     IG/blaisetalks Linkedin:       IN/laneeblaise    Podcast:        www.imagineyourselfpodcast.com/   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. Jul 9

    Ep. 31 – Dr Rob Scheer: A Child Just Needs to Feel Loved

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, host Robin Bruener interviews Dr. Rob Scheer, a former foster child who entered care at 12 carrying belongings in a trash bag, was pushed out at 18, and later joined the U.S. Navy to build a future. Rob and his husband Reece built their family through foster care, adopting five children—each arriving with a trash bag and significant trauma—and sharing lessons on consistency, grace, empathy, and unconditional love. Rob describes creating Comfort Cases to replace trash bags with backpacks filled with essentials and comfort items, delivering over 320,000 to all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. He discusses transracial parenting, forgiveness, therapy, maintaining connections to birth families, adopting an 18-year-old without a stipend, and the reward of never giving up, highlighted by son Makai’s progress despite fetal alcohol syndrome.   Rob Scheer: Email:  dthalberg@comfortcases.org     Website:        https://comfortcases.org/ Facebook:     FB/comfortcases Instagram:     IG/comfortcases/ TikTok: TTcomfort cases Youtube:        YT/comfortcases Linkedin:       LI/comfort cases inc Podcast:        podcasts   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. Jul 9

    Ep. 30 – Debbie Loeffler: How a Stepfather’s Example Paved the Way for a Future Stepmother

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner interviews Debbie Loeffler about her path into step motherhood and what helped her build strong relationships in a blended family. Debbie shares how her parents’ divorce and her stepfather’s confident, “let the kids come to you” approach shaped the way she first met and bonded with her husband’s two children. She discusses delaying introductions, maintaining boundaries, and navigating a stepson’s anxious, difficult teen years while recognizing discipline should come from the biological parents. Debbie emphasizes starting with goodwill, staying out of ex-spouse conflict, and being proactively kind to the children’s mother—calling her on Mother’s Day and never speaking negatively—because it affects how kids show up at your home. She reflects on the payoff as a grandmother with close adult stepkids.   Debbie Loeffler Email:  tycooness@aol.com    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.

  8. Jul 9

    Ep. 29 – Christina Nelson: Radical Stepmom

    Step Stories Podcast Host Robin Breuner welcomes Christina Nelson from the Radical Stepmoms podcast to discuss the realities of step motherhood and creating a safe space to talk about the good, bad, and ugly of raising a step child. Christina explains the contradictions stepmoms face, the pressure of others’ expectations, and how stepmoms can feel conditional in their own families despite major sacrifices. She shares her story of meeting her husband when he had a three-year-old son, being in her stepson’s life for 13 years, and later having a daughter together, plus how their 50/50 parenting plan in Washington State provides structure even when it’s inconsistently followed. She highlights keeping kids out of adult conflict, the importance of communication and respect, navigating siblings across two homes, and the need for boundaries with ex-partners. As a licensed clinical social worker, she describes coaching stepmoms and couples to define the stepmom’s role, strengthen partner connection, and avoid “coming in too hot,” reminding stepmoms they have nothing to prove.   Christina Nelson Email:           radicalstepmomspodcast Website:       radicalstepmomspodcast.com Instagram:    IG/radicalstepmomspodcast   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.

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5
out of 5
37 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.

Information

  • Creator
    Robin Breuner
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Robin Breuner
  • Show Website
    StepStories Podcast

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