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

    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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  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.

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.

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