Blended Family Breakthrough

Resources:
Episode 241: Before you Take it Personally: Why the Backlash to Accept a Stepparent?
Building Love Together in Blended Families by Ron Deal and Gary Chapman
Episode 85. How to Uniquely Build More Love and Connection in Your Blended Family [with Ron Deal]
Episode 213. Discover How to Better Understand and Connect with Children of Divorce [with Lauren Reitsema]
Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question  
Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know!
We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share
Ready for some extra support?
We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see how we might help you experience more clarity, confidence and connection in your home.  Schedule your free call here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/free-call
You don't need to navigate blended family life alone.  Join our supportive community where you'll connect directly with us and other couples just like you who are intentionally investing in healthy blending strategies.  Click the link to find out how to join: https://learning.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/blendingtogether
Subscribe or Follow the Show 
Click here to subscribe on YouTube
Click here to follow on Apple Podcasts
Click here to follow on Spotify
Leave a Review in Apple Podcasts
If you’re feeling extra helpful, we would be so grateful if you left us a review over on Apple Podcasts too. Your review will help others find our podcast — plus they’re fun for us read too! :-)  Just click here to Review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and then select “Write a Review” — let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you, we really appreciate your feedback!

When we got married, we both wanted our new family to feel safe, connected, and secure. But good intentions didn’t prepare us for the painful tension that sometimes hit between Mike and Annika (Kim's daughter).
If you’re a stepparent who feels ignored, criticized, rejected, or kept at a distance, it’s easy to take your stepchild’s behavior personally. And if you’re the biological parent caught between your spouse and your child, you may feel pressured to keep everyone happy while you're wondering how to support them both.
But a child’s resistance may not mean what you think it means.
In this episode, we explore five common reasons kids struggle to accept a stepparent and why pushback is a common reaction to blending. 
Understanding these dynamics doesn’t mean excusing disrespect or allowing kids to control the home. It means slowing down long enough to look beneath the behavior so you can respond with wisdom rather than reacting from hurt. 
We’ll also give you two simple questions that can help you step into your child’s emotional world and approach difficult moments with greater curiosity and empathy.
You don’t have to force connection or find the perfect strategy. Instead, patience, maturity, and pressure-free love will help you to create the safety and trust that allow healthy step-relationships to grow over time.
You'll Discover:
Five common reasons kids may resist or reject a stepparent
Why resistance often has more to do with confusing dynamics than difficult people
How grief, insecurity, pressure, and loyalty conflicts tend to influence a child’s behavior
Two questions that can help you respond with greater curiosity, empathy, and wisdom
Resources from this Episode:
Episode 130. How to Build Trust that Nurtures Bonds with Your Kids and Stepkids
Episode 222. Step-by-Step Guide:  Facing Painful Pushback Without Making Things Worse
Episode 235. Stepparenting Takes Two:  How to Build Connection and Avoid Common Wrong Turns
Episode 159. How to Stay Hopeful as a Stepparent When You're Continually Rejected and Hurt
Episode 187. Basics for Blending:  How to Tolerate and Manage Discomfort and Distress
Episode 158. An Effective Stepparenting Approach Focused on What Works - and What Doesn't
Episode 72. The Best Way to Create Healthy, Bonded Relationships
Episode 219. From Chaos to Clarity: A Proven Strategy for Leading Your Blended Family
Ready for some extra support?
We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see how we might help you experience more clarity, confidence and connection in your home.  Schedule your free call here:  https://calendly.com/mikeandkimcoaching/freesession
Subscribe or Follow the Show 
Click here to subscribe on YouTube
Click here to follow on Apple Podcasts
Click here to follow on Spotify
Leave a Review in Apple Podcasts
If you’re feeling extra helpful, we would be so grateful if you left us a review over on Apple Podcasts too. Your review will help others find our podcast — plus they’re fun for us to read too! :-)  Just click here to Review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and then select “Write a Review” — let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you, we really appreciate your feedback!
Click Here to join us on YouTube and be sure to subscribe!

We’re popping in with a short summer update before taking a brief pause from releasing new episodes throughout July 2026.
But don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere!
We’re using July to prepare some fun and helpful new things we’ll begin sharing August 4th, including new podcast episodes in both audio and video.
Before we talk about what’s coming, we’re also taking a few minutes to reflect on something every blended family experiences: change. Whether it’s a shift in schedule, a new family rhythm, a move, or a parenting adjustment, change can stir up more than we expect.
That doesn’t mean change is wrong. It simply means healthy change needs clarity, patience, communication, collaboration, and room for everyone to adjust.
During July, we’d love for you to stay connected by revisiting past episodes, taking or retaking the updated Blended Family Breakthrough Quiz, and checking out our free audio course, The Five-Minute Blended Family Reset, inside the Blended Family Breakthrough app.
Then we’ll be back August 4th with new episodes, including important conversations about stepparent burnout and the complex question of having an “ours” baby.
You’ll Discover
Why we’re taking a short pause from releasing new episodes throughout July
How change can impact kids, parents, stepparents, and couples in blended family life
What’s coming when the podcast returns in both audio and video on August 4th
How the updated Blended Family Breakthrough Quiz and The Five-Minute Blended Family Reset can help you keep growing during July
Resources Mentioned
The updated Blended Family Breakthrough Quiz
Download the Blended Family Breakthrough app in the App Store or Google Play
Check out the Five-Minute Blended Family Reset audio course right inside the app!
Subscribe to the Blended Family Breakthrough Podcast on YouTube
Other Resources
Episode 89. Feeling Stuck in the Change Process?  Change Isn't the Issue - Transition Is
Episode 18. How to Help Kids Navigate Transition and Change
Episode 222. Step-by Step Guide:  Facing Painful Pushback Without Making Things Worse
Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question  
Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know!
We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share
Ready for some extra support?
We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see how we might help you experience more clarity, confidence and connection in your home.  Schedule your free call here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/free-call
You don't need to navigate blended family life alone.  Join our supportive community where you'll connect directly with us and other couples just like you who are intentionally investing in healthy blending strategies.  Click the link to find out how to join: https://learning.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/blendingtogether
Subscribe or Follow the Show 
Are you subscribed or following the podcast yet?  If not, we want to encourage you do that today so you don't miss a single episode.  
Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Click here to follow on Spotify
Leave a Review in Apple Podcasts
If you’re feeling extra helpful, we would be so grateful if you left us a review over on Apple Podcasts too. Your review will help others find our podcast — plus they’re fun for us to read too! :-)  Just click here to Review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and then select “Write a Review” — let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you, we really appreciate your feedback!

Resources
Episode 240. Energize Family Bonds One Meaningful Conversation at a Time [with Ashley Noelle]
Order your Blended Bond Deck here: blendedbond.com (be sure to use Promo code: BREAKTHROUGH20 to receive 20% off your purchase)
Episode 136. How to Intentionally Create Positive Family Time  and Reduce Relational Tension
Suggest a Topic or Ask a Question  
Would you like us to discuss something specific or answer your question on the show?  Let us know!
We've made it easy.  Just click here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/share
Ready for some extra support?
We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see how we might help you experience more clarity, confidence and connection in your home.  Schedule your free call here:  https://www.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/free-call
You don't need to navigate blended family life alone.  Join our supportive community where you'll connect directly with us and other couples just like you who are intentionally investing in healthy blending strategies.  Click the link to find out how to join: https://learning.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/blendingtogether
Subscribe or Follow the Show 
Are you subscribed or following the podcast yet?  If not, we want to encourage you do that today so you don't miss a single episode.  
Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Click here to follow on Spotify
Leave a Review in Apple Podcasts
If you’re feeling extra helpful, we would be so grateful if you left us a review over on Apple Podcasts too. Your review will help others find our podcast — plus they’re fun for us to read too! :-)  Just click here to Review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and then select “Write a Review” — let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you, we really appreciate your feedback!

In blended family life, it’s easy for kids, parents, and stepparents to feel unsure, unseen, or disconnected as everyone adjusts to new relationships, new rhythms, and new expectations.
We know how hard it can be to want deeper connection, but not know what questions to ask or how to create the kind of safe space where honest conversations can happen.
In this episode, we talk with Ashley Noelle, the founder of Blended Bond, a conversation-based tool designed to help blended families, co-parents, and single-parent households build stronger connection through meaningful dialogue. Rooted in her own lived experience within a blended family, Ashley created Blended Bond to support families navigating complex dynamics, transitions, and emotional barriers.
With a background in co-parenting coaching and a deep understanding of modern family structures, Ashley now focuses on creating tangible resources that help families communicate, connect, and feel less alone in the process.
Together, we explore how intentional questions can help kids feel seen and heard, why “safe zone” conversations matter, and how parents and stepparents can keep showing up with patient persistence, even when kids shut down or resist.
Ashley also reminds us that every blended family is unique. You don’t have to force your family into someone else’s mold. You can build trust, strengthen bonds, and create meaningful connection one honest conversation at a time.
You'll Discover:
Why open-ended questions can help kids feel seen, heard, and understood 
How to keep showing up with patience when kids shut down, roll their eyes, or say “I don’t know” 
Why “safe zone” conversations can build trust, honesty, and emotional security 
How shared activities and fun prompts can create teamwork and help kids feel included 
Why every blended family gets to build its own unique identity, instead of trying to fit a cookie-cutter model
Resources from this Episode:
Order your Blended Bond Deck here: blendedbond.com
And be sure to use Promo code: BREAKTHROUGH20 to receive 20% off your purchase
Connect with Ashley at instagram.com/theblendedbond
Ready for some extra support?
We all need some extra support along the blending journey — we're here to help.  You can connect with us for a free coaching call to see how we might help you experience more clarity, confidence and connection in your home.  Schedule your free call here:  https://calendly.com/mikeandkimcoaching/freesession
You don't need to navigate blended family life alone.  Join our supportive community where you'll connect directly with us and other couples just like you who are intentionally investing in healthy blending strategies.  Click the link to find out how to join: https://learning.blendedfamilybreakthrough.com/blendingtogether
Subscribe or Follow the Show 
Are you subscribed or following the podcast yet?  If not, we want to encourage you do that today so you don't miss a single episode.  
Click here to subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Click here to follow on Spotify
Leave a Review in Apple Podcasts
If you’re feeling extra helpful, we would be so grateful if you left us a review over on Apple Podcasts too. Your review will help others find our podcast — plus they’re fun for us read too! :-)  Just click here to Review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and then select “Write a Review” — let us know what your favorite part of the podcast is.  Thank you, we really appreciate your feedback!