Making Family Part 3: Stepmom and Stepfamily Success Strategies
Join The Rose Woman, Christine as she continues on to talk about the many ways of making families. This week, we are joined by 2 amazing guests who will talk about the strategies in having a stepfamily and being in a step-motherhood. This is such an important subject because it concerns many lives, not just that of the step-mom and her spouse. It’s also with her children or his children and with their biological mom of course,
Our first guest for this topic is Dr. Patricia Papernow, an internationally recognized expert on “blended families.” Now entering her fifth decade of working with, learning about, and teaching about stepfamilies, she teaches all over the U.S. and the world. She is the author of the leading books in the field as well as dozens of articles and book chapters. For her work, she has received the Society Couple and Family Psychology Society award for Distinguished Contribution to Family Psychology.
Our second guest is Nathalie Savell, a biological mom of 2 kids ages 6 and 1, Stepmother to an 11-year-old, dog mother to an elderly pug mutt, Coach, and mental health therapist. She is passionate about empowering women to have healthy relationships with themselves, other people, food, sex, and work. She has a master's in pastoral counseling, and certifications including as a Health Coach, Step-family Coach, and Yoga Teacher. She approaches her work with a holistic perspective and believes strongly in the importance of integrating the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, relational, and cultural aspects of ourselves. She currently sees individuals virtually one-on-one for both therapy and coaching including Step-moms, entrepreneurs, and creative leaders. Sees step-couples for coaching support, runs a virtual Step-mom support group, and an in-person therapeutic hiking group in Baltimore County, Maryland. She believes in the healing nature of possibility, authenticity, and self-acceptance, and that sometimes you just need to dance and sing to feel better!
In this episode, we cover:
- Understanding the difference in structure between having a first-time family and blended families
- Patricia’s books on Blended families
- Differences in being a mother and stepmother and their relationships with the kids
- How do we support and the kids in this situation
- Understanding the role of the Parent in the middle of the two spouses
- Understanding parents of adult kids who recouple at a later age, how do each side cope
- How did Nathalie get interested in the subject of Step-Parenting
- What is a Step-mom coach and how does Nathalie work with women
- What does being a stepmotherhood part is harder
- What does Nathalie tell women on this transition to being a stepmom
- What are the relationships between stepmoms and the biological mother like
- Suggestions to stepmothers who has kids who are disrespecting their spouse
- Advice on keeping the relationship with the partner alive
Helpful Links:
- Dr. Patricia Papernow - Visit her website for lots of radio interviews and videos. A great resource for those who want solid research-based guidance. If you, or someone you’re close to, don’t like to read, it’s a gold mine of good helpful stuff. She is also the Author of 2 books on Stepfamilies:
Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t is the go-to resource for stepfamily members and therapists. Surviving and Thriving was written for both therapists and stepfamily members. It delves much more deeply into both the practical and emotional journey of forming a healthy stepfamily. It has been translated into Japanese and Russian, and soon, Dutch and Hungarian. Buy this book on Amazon
The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family” was co-authored with post-divorce co-parenting coach Karen Bonnell. As the title suggests, TSH offers step-by-step guidance from early dating with children on board, to stepfamily-dom. It was written for the public in breezy language. Buy this book on Amazon
- Nathalie Savell - Visit her website to learn more of her coaching services. Visit this link to join her Virtual Step-mom group. Get face-to-face with other Stepmamas who understand your journey Also, check out this link, to join her Therapeutic Hiking Group for women on a path to health in mind, body, and spirit while navigating adulthood.
Check out her Facebook | Instagram
- Stepmonster book by Wednesday Martin - A unique book for women with stepchildren, men with children of any age who repartner, adult stepchildren, and anyone who knows and cares about a woman with stepchildren. It is a reconsideration of stepfamily dynamics…from the perspective of the stepmother.
- Silversurfers.com - Largest dating site for over 50+ years old
- Find Rosebud Woman on Instagram as @rosebudwoman and Christine on Instagram as @the.rose.woman
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