56 episodes

Is stepmomming the most challenging thing you’ve ever done in your life? If so, you’re in the right place!
Welcome to the Stepmomming Made Easy podcast, where your host, Certified Stepparent Coach Kristen Skiles will ensure you never feel alone on this stepmom journey again. We’ll never be able to predict every stressor or struggle you could anticipate as a stepmom, but each week, you’ll learn new tools and techniques to prioritize your peace. Tune in for your weekly dose of validation, inspiration, and step-by-step guidance to build a stepmom life you love.

Stepmomming Made Easy Kristen Skiles

    • Kids & Family
    • 4.9 • 49 Ratings

Is stepmomming the most challenging thing you’ve ever done in your life? If so, you’re in the right place!
Welcome to the Stepmomming Made Easy podcast, where your host, Certified Stepparent Coach Kristen Skiles will ensure you never feel alone on this stepmom journey again. We’ll never be able to predict every stressor or struggle you could anticipate as a stepmom, but each week, you’ll learn new tools and techniques to prioritize your peace. Tune in for your weekly dose of validation, inspiration, and step-by-step guidance to build a stepmom life you love.

    EP 54: Unpacking the Double Standard Between Moms and Stepmoms

    EP 54: Unpacking the Double Standard Between Moms and Stepmoms

    Sometimes as a stepmom, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. And a big reason for that, is because of the double standard between moms and stepmoms. There is an underlying—often misguided—prejudice in our society that stepmoms are less than "real" moms, and today, we're going to break this double standard wide open.


    Stepmoms are not less than "real" moms, or anyone else. This is an archaic notion, and it's time for us to rewrite the narrative!


    Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 13 min
    EP 53: 3 Tips for Taking Back Control as a Stepmom

    EP 53: 3 Tips for Taking Back Control as a Stepmom

    When I first became a stepmom, I felt like everyone else (my partner, my stepdaughter, and my partner’s ex-wife) had more control over my life than I did, and it drove me WILD. Today, I’m happy to report, I have firmly taken back control and am happier than ever, and I want the same for you, stepmom. So, here are 3 very tangible ways to take back control as a stepmom!


    Links Mentioned:
    Listen to EP 28: Why I Think “Keep the Peace” is S****y Advice: https://stepmomming.com/ep-28-why-i-think-keep-the-peace-is-shitty-advice/
    Join Control Freak Collective: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/


    Ready to start setting boundaries, stepmom? Grab my FREE GUIDE Basics of a Boundary: https://stepmomming.com/boundaries-basics-guide/


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 13 min
    EP 52: 5 Challenges Stepmoms Face (& What To Do!) with Dr. Patricia Papernow

    EP 52: 5 Challenges Stepmoms Face (& What To Do!) with Dr. Patricia Papernow

    Stepparenting is not hard because you're doing it wrong. Stepparenting is hard because it's an entirely different family structure and dynamic than we've experienced before. Today, I'm joined by arguably the foremost expert on stepfamily dynamics, Dr. Patricia Papernow, to discuss 5 challenges stepfamilies face. We're normalizing the challenges you struggle with and talking all about what works and what doesn't work!


    Dr. Patricia Papernow is an internationally recognized expert on stepfamilies. She teaches all over the U.S. and the world about best practices for meeting stepfamily challenges integrating the now considerable research with her own four-plus decades of clinical work. She loves putting this good information into the hands of people in stepfamilies!  


    Patricia has written dozens of articles and book chapters and has authored the leading books in the field: Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t, and, with Karen Bonnell, The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family.” 


    She is the recipient of awards for Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology from the American Psychological Association and the award for Distinguished Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice from the American Family Therapy Academy.


    Links Mentioned:
    stepfamilyrelationships.com
    Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/3PLSuYk
    The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family” Book (affiliate): https://amzn.to/48IKC2y


    Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 52 min
    EP 51: 3 Tips to Make Transition Day Easier

    EP 51: 3 Tips to Make Transition Day Easier

    Transition Day can be SO challenging for stepmoms! Stepchildren often have a difficult time making the switch from one house to another, and act out in emotional ways. It makes stepmoms around the world dread transition day!


    In today's episode, I'm sharing 3 tips to make transition day easier! Set yourself and your stepchildren up for success with these tips, and you'll find that transition day isn't one to dread anymore!


    Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 11 min
    EP 50: Adding An Ours Baby with Kimberly King

    EP 50: Adding An Ours Baby with Kimberly King

    One of the biggest, most challenging transitions that stepmoms can make is adding a baby to their blended family. Today, Kimberly King joins me to discuss her experience and best tips for stepmoms who are preparing to add an "ours baby" to the family! We're answering all of your burning questions, like:
    How do you prepare your stepchildren for adding a baby to the family?Do you need to tell the ex you're expecting?Did your love for your stepchildren (or perception of that love) change after having a baby of your own?Did you ever feel territorial over your baby?When you had a baby of your own, how did your stepmom role shift?

    It's a great discussion that will help you feel better prepared for the exciting next chapter in your family!


    Kimberly King is a multifaceted entrepreneur and owner of Honestly Mum (www.honestlymum.com). She is bonus mum to 2 girls, and bio mum to 2 boys.


    After meeting her husband in 2016, Kimberly dove right into the deep end of step motherhood without a life vest and it’s been a wild ride ever since. Just 5 years into our marriage, the family has moved quite a bit. They lived in the Caribbean for several years and now reside in her husbands home state of Pennsylvania. 


    As a biracial woman, raised in the inner city of Los Angeles, Kimberly, who is also a first generation American, specializes in Interracial + Intercultural stepfamilies, peeling back the layers of race and ethnicity. We work on identifying how these differences are helping or hurting your overall stepfamily dynamic and how to improve on your current situation. As a once expat herself, she is also well versed in overcoming struggles relating to relocation and all the hard parts of doing that with another new “ours baby” in tow. Her practice focuses on keeping marriage first and all facets of building confidence in your role as a stepparent.


    When Kimberly isn’t working with stepfamilies, the stay at home mom moonlights as a chef creating beautiful home cooked dishes.


    Links Mentioned:
    https://www.instagram.com/kimberlykamish.king/


    Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 37 min
    EP 49: Shitty Advice for Stepmoms from Well-Meaning Therapists

    EP 49: Shitty Advice for Stepmoms from Well-Meaning Therapists

    So many stepmom clients I work with have tried therapy before coaching, and the advice they get from well-meaning therapists who aren't trained in blended families actually does more harm than good. Maybe you've heard this advice before too, or maybe you'll be just as shocked by some of it as I was. Regardless, I want you to know that you deserve a stepmom life you love.


    This is a safe space for stepmoms. I want you to feel validated and comforted here.


    Ready to create a stepmom life you love? Grab my FREE GUIDE 15 Ways to Become a Happier Stepmom Overnight: https://stepmomming.com/happier


    Let’s work together: https://stepmomming.com/quick-links/


    Join our FREE support group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stepmommingainteasy

    Here's something I wish I learned a lot sooner...
    I have control over my stepmom life.
    And once I found it, everything changed.


    I want to help you find it, too! Our signature program helping stepmoms claim control is BACK for a limited time!

    Join Control Freak Collective now: https://stepmomming.thrivecart.com/control-freak-collective-april-24/.

    • 10 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
49 Ratings

49 Ratings

tiarrak1 ,

Highly Recommend ! ✨

I’ve been listening to this podcast almost since the beginning and I think it’s fantastic! The advice Kristen gives, the guests she speaks with and the topics she decides to approach always have my interest as a stepmom of almost 6 years! It’s always thoughtful and tangible advice and you know you’ll feel seen or heard with each episode.

I highly recommend this podcast to any stepmom who’s struggling or just wants to hear another more affirming perspective. Kristen is kind and real, the delivery is comforting and it’s been awesome listening to. I enjoy seeing the evolution of her podcast and her podcasting style over time. I can’t wait for the next season and I hope you give it listen. Add it to your weekly podcasts, and then go out and share with a stepmom friend, your partner or a bio mom who may need to hear this perspective!! You won’t regret it! ✨

jenn Lehou ,

THIS! All of this!

I have been a full time stepmom to 4 children for the last 10 years. While I certainly had some struggles early on, it’s the teen years I am really finding challenging. I can absolutely relate to all the emotions you express. But the 5 Things I Want My Partner to Know NAILED everything I’ve been wanting to express to my partner but couldn’t put into words THANK YOU! Would love an episode on parenting teens.

AmiDave ,

You reminded me I am powerful 🥰

I appreciate your insights and inputs about a lot of tiny little details which bother us in our day to day life. Also it has been an addiction to listen to your podcast😊.

Top Podcasts In Kids & Family

Calm Parenting Podcast
Kirk Martin
Good Inside with Dr. Becky
Dr. Becky Kennedy
Mysteries About True Histories (M.A.T.H.)
Starglow Media / Atomic Entertainment
Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Kids
Education Matters With MySchoolOptions
Institute For Quality Education
Circle Round
WBUR

You Might Also Like

The KICK-ASS Stepmom Podcast
Jamie Scrimgeour
EmPowered Couples with The Freemans
Aaron & Jocelyn Freeman
FamilyLife Blended® Podcast
FamilyLife Podcast Network
The Stepmom Diaries Podcast
This Custom Life
The Mark Groves Podcast
Mark Groves
How Not To Suck At Divorce
Morgan L. Stogsdill and Andrea Rappaport