Blended family dynamics will inevitably create a minefield of challenging situations. If there's one thing you can expect, it's this: you're going to get your feelings hurt! In this episode, we're sharing our real-life examples and painful experiences to help you discover why forgiveness is absolutely critical for you and your family.

Discover 5 powerful strategies that will help you get on the same page as you lead your family forward — together! These strategies will reduce the negative impact of parent-child allegiances and keep the two of you connected, even when you don't agree.

…join us for the second half of the conversation all about the "easy wrong turns" that stepparents often make when they're frustrated with feeling stuck on the outside of a parent-child allegiance.

Tune into the first half of our conversation about the "easy wrong turns" that stepparents often make when they're frustrated with feeling stuck on the outside of a parent-child allegiance. We'll share the rest of the conversation in the next episode.

…join us for the second half of our conversation about the challenges bio-parents often face when they're stuck in a parent-child allegiance.

Listen in on the first half of our conversation about the challenges bio-parents often face when they're stuck in a parent-child allegiance. We'll share the rest of the conversation in the next episode.

In this episode, you'll discover a critical strategy for overcoming discouragement. In a conversation with our clients Dan & Renee, you'll hear their hopeful and inspiring story — and learn how they discovered positive, new approaches to their challenging dynamics that moved them beyond discouragement.

In this episode, you'll discover a powerful strategy for overcoming discouragement when you listen in to the conversation with our clients Jake and Whitney. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll relate to their story of struggle. Plus, you'll discover ways that you can thrive by following their examples!

It's common for blended family couples to get stuck in discouragement. Especially when they experience painful setbacks and feel like they've failed. In this week's episode, we'll share how we broke free from discouragement and learned to turn setbacks into opportunities for growth.

In this week's episode we'll uncover the four common styles of communication and help you develop the skill of clear, honest and more assertive communication so you can speak your truth, be heard and connect more with your spouse.

In this week's episode, we'll uncover the realities around why 'priority issues' are so tough for blended families and share how we learned to work as a united team to overcome these challenges in our home.

It's tough for stepparents to admit that sometimes they really do feel like their step-kids are ruining their marriage. Check out this episode to discover what you can do to build your romance and safeguard your marriage — even if the kids seem to have all the power.

Don't let conflict steal your connection. Find out how you can actually handle conflict in a way that leads you to more connection and intimacy in your marriage — and in your blended family!

Clear and healthy boundaries allow for stronger bonds and more satisfying relationships. Check out this episode to find out the best way to set these boundaries in your blended family.

In this episode, we’re talking about how to get unstuck when you’re feeling Trapped between your spouse and your kids. We call that being a Trapped Teammate and just about every parent in a blended family experiences this to some level. We’re sharing a couple of mindset shifts, some “stories” to avoid, and even a simple 5-step process to help relieve the pressure of feeling trapped.

I (Mike) often felt stuck on the outside as a step-parent. Kim and Annika had their little inside routines and jokes that I couldn’t seem to connect with. What I really wanted was to instantly feel included…but blended family life just doesn’t work that way. When I was feeling like a Stranded Stranger, what I was really wanting was for our family to “blend”. But one stepfamily expert says that “compartmentalizing” is a better approach…

If you want to show up better in the moments when one or both of you is feeling Trapped or Stranded — then you’ve got to start from a place of already being connected, rather than trying to “connect” in the moment of stress…

Step Parents, have you ever felt left out? Has it ever felt like there's a big relational chasm that you just can't seem to cross — like you're Stranded?

Bio-Parents, have you ever felt stuck between your spouse and your kids? Do you feel pulled back and forth trying to please both, but not seeming to please anyone — like you're Trapped?

Sooner or later, every step-couple experiences these feelings of being Trapped or Stranded. For some, the feelings are paralyzing and for others, they're just annoying…

What do you want for your family over the next year? If you're like most couples in a blended family, you might feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how to move forward. 1 year from now, you probably don't want everyone experiencing the same challenges they are now. You want something new…something better. But how do you make that happen? That's where we come in. Check out this week's episode to discover your starting point to something new for your family this year!

How does a blended family couple come together around discipline? That's a question we recently received — and that's what we're tackling in this podcast episode. We'll discuss the first things we should focus on as bio-parent and step-parent to become a great parenting team. Check it out…