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. 12h ago

    Ep. 28 – Mallary Tenore Tarpley: Fighting Family Upheaval One Bite at a Time

    In this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, Host Robin Breuner interviews UT Austin writing professor and journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley about her memoir, Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery, and how losing her mother to metastatic breast cancer at 11 shaped her grief, identity, and anorexia. They discuss the “middle place” between acute illness and full recovery, why eating disorders can be driven by control, trauma, and genetic/environmental factors, and how stereotypes like “skinny white affluent girl” limit recognition and care. Mallary shares how her father dating and later remarrying intensified her disordered behaviors, her treatment experience and relapses, and how openness, storytelling, and ongoing check-ins support healing for grieving children and stepparents. They also touch on GLP-1 drugs and the need for broader resources.   Mallary Tenore Tarpley Email:           mallary.tenore@utexas.edu Website (personal): mallarytenoretarpley Facebook:    fb/Mallary Tenore Instagram:    ig/mallarytenoretarpley LinkedIn:      in/mallary tenore tarpley Substack:     mallary.substack Books: SLIP (hardcover), SLIP (paperback), SLIP(spanish)   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.

    54 min
  2. Jun 11

    Ep. 27 – Kiki Goshay: Fostering Inclusivity in Family and in Caring for the World

    In this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, Host Robin Breuner interviews filmmaker and environmental advocate Kiki Goshay about blended families, divorce, and fostering. Kiki describes being split between parents after her Irish Catholic parents’ divorce, the pain of parents who didn’t respect each other, and how her father’s new wife limited time with him. She recounts her mother’s later remarriage into a 12-child household that felt like two families under one roof, emphasizing that love and belonging take time and shouldn’t be forced. Kiki shares why she became a foster mom, the challenges of caring for children with trauma, and why she now focuses on infants. She explains how she maintains a close, inclusive extended family with her ex-husband, his partner, and their child, advocating for “adding” relationships rather than cutting people off. She also mentions her film “Empowered Energy Heroes,” streaming on Tubi and on PBS.   Kiki Goshay Email: kikitgoshay@gmail.com Website: https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-people/kiki-goshay/ Facebook: fb@kikigoshay Instagram: @Kikigosh    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.

    44 min
  3. May 21

    Ep. 26 – Donna Kendrick: Widow, Wisdom and Wealth

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, Host Robin Breuner introduces financial advisor Donna Kendrick, host of Widow Wisdom and Wealth and author of A Guide to Widowhood and The Life Stages Financial Guides. Donna recounts losing her first husband in 2013 while raising three kids after years abroad in Rome, leaving the workforce, and relying on prior planning such as estate documents and life insurance. She explains why many widows switch financial advisors and how her experience led her to build a practice serving widows and families in transition, including divorce. Donna discusses blending her family after remarrying in 2022, combining six children through the pandemic and later navigating his ex-wife’s illness. She shares practical blended-family financial steps: inventory assets and debts, clarify “mine/yours/ours,” review credit reports and beneficiaries, use prenups, update estate documents, address the family home, and consider neutral executors to help keep peace.   And thank you for supporting our sponsors:   What’s Poppin’ Penny Website: https://whatspoppinpenny.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BlpnEqNXgMVlBZrNK4jIs   Donna Kendrick Get your financial house in order in just 6 weeks. Each week, Donna will send you an email with video instruction on a simple task you can complete – those things you’ve been putting off but know are important. Access it here:  https://donnajeankendrick.com/6-week-challenge/   Email:     support@donnajeankendrick.com Website:        donnajeankendrick.com     Facebook:       fb@DonnaJeanKendrick Instagram:       IG@donnajeankendrick TikTok:    Donna Jean Kendrick Youtube: @donnajeankendrick Books:    A Guide for Widowhood                A Guide for Blended Famiilies The Divorce Money Map             Podcasts: Widow & Wisdom   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.

    46 min
  4. May 14

    Ep. 25 – Carly Schwartz: I’ll Try Anything Twice

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast, host Robin Breuner interviews author and journalist Carly Schwartz about her memoir “I’ll Try Anything Twice: Misadventures of a Self-Medicated Life,” her journalism career (Northwestern Medill, editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Examiner, founding HuffPost San Francisco), and her current storytelling work in climate tech, robotics, and responsible AI. Carly describes growing up in Connecticut after leaving San Francisco as a baby, intense emotions and overachievement, and a family history of depression, suicide, and bipolar disorder. She discusses her parents’ divorce during her freshman year of college, her own escalating depression, substance abuse, study abroad struggles, suicide attempt, treatment, and returning to Northwestern to graduate. Carly explains her father’s later marriage to her stepmother and the family’s adjustment from distance to intentional connection, emphasizing sibling bonds, recovery, chosen family, and community.   And thank you for supporting our sponsors:   What’s Poppin’ Penny Website: https://whatspoppinpenny.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BlpnEqNXgMVlBZrNK4jIs   Carly Schwartz: Email:      carlyschwartz@gmail.com Website:   carly.ink Instagram: @carlicita LinkedIn: in/carlicita Books:     I'll Try Anything Twice   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.

    50 min
  5. May 7

    Ep. 24 – Genevieve Kingston: Did I Ever Tell You?

    Step Stories Podcast host Robin Breuner welcomes author, actor, and playwright Genevieve Kingston this week to discuss her memoir Did I Ever Tell You?, inspired by her Modern Love column and named a best memoir of 2024 by Oprah Daily. Kingston shares how her mother, diagnosed with cancer when Genevieve was three and gone by nearly twelve, left letters and gifts for birthdays and milestones through age 30—creating an ongoing conversation that shaped Kingston’s identity and grief. They explore growing up with a terminally ill parent, the vital role of friends and extended family, and the challenges that followed her father’s quick remarriage: stepmother-stepdaughter conflict, feeling unable to mention her late mother, and a blended family dynamic complicated by a stepsibling the same age from her school. Kingston reflects on her brother as an anchor, her father’s suicide during her college years, the importance of making a missing parent “mentionable,” and the lifelong impact of therapy, while also sharing current theater projects and hopes for a second book   Genevieve Kingston: Email: kingston.gwen@gmail.com     Website:   http://genevievekingston.com/   Instagram: @genevieve__kingston.      Books:https://bookshop.org/p/books/did-i-ever-tell-you-a-memoir-genevieve-kingston/20239880?ean=9781668006290   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.

    53 min
  6. Apr 30

    Ep. 23 - Barbara Sabido: How To Blend An Unconventional Family

    On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner introduces Barbara Sabido, a married mother of four who fostered 17 children over 17 years, mainly newborns to age six, describing how she started after meeting a veteran foster mom, how her sons were interviewed during licensing, and how placements ranged from 24 hours to a year. Barbara shares the emotional challenge of saying goodbye, her retired police-officer husband’s role and boundaries, and lessons about avoiding judgment of biological families while keeping children’s needs first, including limited ongoing contact depending on reunified or adoptive families’ wishes. She also discusses serving as executive director of Marin Foster Care and the heavy caseloads social workers face. Barbara explains founding the nonprofit Apparent Love to provide “a parent’s love” and chosen family for LGBTQ+ adults through dinners, gatherings, and outings, urging openness to broader definitions of family.   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 TikTok:    www.tiktok.com/@stepstoriespodcast/video/7569378260706938126 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    44 min
5
out of 5
34 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.

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