Blended Family Breakthrough

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!

Resources
Click here to schedule your FREE COACHING CALL
239.  Feeling Responsible for Everyone? How Codependency Hinders Family Relationships and How to Heal [with Michelle Farris]
To connect with Michelle Farris, CLICK HERE 
Episode 138. How Relational Dysfunction Plagued our Marriage and How We Finally Broke Free
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!

Codependency can be tricky to recognize because it often looks like love, generosity, or “just trying to help.” But when our giving turns into fixing, rescuing, controlling, or sacrificing ourselves to earn love and approval, it can quietly create tension in our marriage, parenting, co-parenting, and stepfamily relationships.
In this episode, we’re joined by therapist Michelle Farris for a practical and hope-filled conversation about how codependency shows up in blended families and how to heal it. 
Michelle is a psychotherapist, codependency expert, and anger management specialist with a passion for helping people break free from toxic relationships. Her YouTube channel has over 3 million viewers, where she’s known for her practical tips and expertise. She’s written several ebooks and courses for creating relationships that work. 
Michelle helps us understand the difference between healthy care and over-functioning, why some parents struggle when their kids are hurting or moving between homes, and how our desire to protect or please can sometimes blur important relational boundaries.
We also talk honestly about how codependency can impact the parenting partnership in a blended family. When a bio-parent feels caught between their child and spouse, the pressure can intensify. When a stepparent feels responsible for things they don't have authority over, resentment sets in.  But there is a healthier way forward. Michelle shares how couples can take small steps toward clearer boundaries, stronger self-awareness, and more secure connection without becoming rigid, reactive, or disconnected.
If you’ve ever felt responsible for keeping everyone okay, struggled to set limits with your kids or ex, or wondered why you feel resentful after “helping,” this conversation will give you language, clarity, and hope.
You'll Discover:
The difference between being kind and being codependent 
How codependency can show up with your children, with an ex, or inside your marriage 
How over-functioning, fixing, rescuing, controlling, and people-pleasing can create ongoing resentment and disable others 
How to identify your non-negotiable boundaries without becoming rigid or reactive 
Three key areas of codependency and how you can move toward relational health and wellness
Resources from this Episode:
To connect with Michelle Farris, CLICK HERE 
Michelle's free guide: 7 Steps to Healing One Sided Relationships
Relationships That Work with Michelle Farris (YouTube)
Episode 138. How Relational Dysfunction Plagued our Marriage and How We Finally Broke Free
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 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!