Blended Family Podcast

Latest Episodes:

136-What I've been up to, listener questions, and a giveaway! Aug 07, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

This episode I talk about some of my own recent struggles, and what I've learned from them. Plus I answer some listener questions.

What to do when two parents have completely different parenting styles

How to help children who have been taken from their mom

What to do when you don't like the choices the other parent is making for your kids in their home

And a giveaway!

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Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

135-Estate planning for blended families, with Katie Brewer Jul 24, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Katie Brewer started Your Richest Life because she believes that every professional should have access to a financial planner. Katie helps clients alleviate their stress about money by helping them clarify their goals, identify and eliminate obstacles to those goals, and create a financial action plan to achieve them. Katie has accumulated over 10 years of experience working with clients and their money. She is no stranger to hard work as she pursued both her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certification and her MBA while working full time.

Katie has been quoted in articles in The New York Times, Forbes, Money, Lifehacker, and Real Simple and she regularly blogs about financial planning topics. She often speaks to groups about financial education.

In this episode, she joins me to talk about estate planning, which is a sensitive and challenging topic for blended families. We talk about

What is estate planning
9 things to keep in mind when planning an estate
What makes blended family estate planning different
Setting up a guardian
What can go wrong when an estate is not planned
When is the right time to plan an estate
Who can set up an estate
Listener question
And much more

Connect with Katie

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

134-Positive sides to being a stepparent! Jul 17, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Being a stepparent certainly comes with challenges, but it does have its plus sides too. In this episode I will share what those are so that you can shift your perspective.

You get to be the fun one
You do not have to be the disciplinarian
You are looked at differently than mom or dad
You get to develop your own special relationship
You can be influential in their life
You get to help a family
You get to walk away or get a break
You bring new perspectives in the mix
You are listened to in a different way
You can learn a lot about yourself from being a stepparent

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

133-Living in the shadows of someone Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Living in the shadows of an ex or a deceased partner can be really difficult to navigate. Both situations have similarities, but both need to be handled in different ways. We will talk about photos, memories, family and friends, and children in this episode. Plus I'll share three emails from listeners about this topic.

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

132-How to love your teenagers Jul 03, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Raising teenagers can be extremely challenging and frustrating. As parents, we can get caught up in the negativity of it all, and we can forget to enjoy the journey. Hopefully this show can help to shift your perspective a bit, so that you can see the joys in between the madness!

Listen to my interview on the Couple Money Podcast here

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

131-Anxiety, with special guest, Stephanie Dalfonzo Jun 26, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Anxiety is something that many people suffer from nowadays, especially in a blended family. Even children are more prone to anxiety now than ever before.

My guest, Stephanie's Dalfonzo's first career was as Stevie Knox," one of South Florida's most popular radio DJs during the 80s and early 90s. Shifting careers as she raised her children, she delved into the Healing Arts. Over 20 years later, Stephanie is now a Speaker, Spiritual Healer and Coach, Yoga Teacher and Certified Hypnotist (among other things). Sharing inspirational empowerment with simple action steps. Stephanie empowers women to move from anxiety, fear, stress and despair to freedom, peace of mind and joy in their lives. She has freed thousands of people, from ages 8 to 82, from their fears, stress and anxiety.

In this interview, we talk about

Her personal story
What anxiety actually is and what it feels like
Why anxiety seems to be more prevalent these days
Medication and anxiety
Children and anxiety
And much more

Connect with Stephanie

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Free download of quick and easy coping skills for stress, anxiety and fear

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

130-Father's Day Special with my husband, Shawn Brown Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Happy Father's Day! My own husband and favorite dad, Shawn, joins me this week to talk about his own parenting journey this year, which has been especially challenging. We talk about

What life was like before he had custody of his son
Emotions he experienced when he gained custody
Some of the challenges he faced this year
Guilt he has experienced
Some positives that happened this year
His advice on why it's important to be open with the kids
Aspirations for the coming year
Advice to other dads
And much more

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

129-Stepparents with no bio children, often called the childless stepparent Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Stepparents who have no bio children of their own are commonly called childless stepparents. They deal with issues and emotions that are unique from bio parents and stepparents who are bio parents as well. In this episode, I will discuss those issues, which are

Feeling unimportant
Feeling like you take a backseat
Feeling unqualified or being told that you are
Feeling like you're missing out on time and experiences
Feeling worried about having a child of your own
Feelings of jealousy
Feeling like an outsider
Feeling like you're not respected
Feelings of anger and resentment

Also I will discuss some ways to help overcome the above issues, which are

Acknowledge and accept your feelings
Involve yourself
Bond with the child
Be yourself
Communicate your needs and feelings
Practice self care
Have date nights and alone time
Separate your feelings for the child from bio parent
Don't take it personal

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

128-Living arrangements, together or separate Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Deciding whether to live together or apart is a big decision for a blended family. Some blended families need to try it both ways to decide which works best for them. In this episode I outline ten things to consider when making this important decision. Plus I'll list some pros and cons of both.

The length of your relationship
The quality of your relationship
The ages of your kids
The relationship between the stepkids
How well do you and your partner co parent
How do the kids feel about the situation
What is your value on a stress free and peaceful life
What is the difference in expenses from one home to two
Shared care of living together opposed to caring for children alone
What is your ideal family vision

Read this article from the Huffington Post!

This Blended Family Doesn't Live Together And They're Happier For It

Join the Private Facebook Group

Listen and Rate/Review on Itunes

Connect with me on Facebook

Connect with me on Twitter

Send questions or feedback to melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

Send me a voicemail at Speakpipe

Visit the website at www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Schedule an interview or coaching session here

Send mail to Melissa Brown

5445 Murrell Rd

Unit 102 #178

Viera FL 32955

127-Author Amy Baker, Co parenting with a Toxic Ex May 22, 2017

Show notes

melissa@blendedfamilypodcast.com

www.blendedfamilypodcast.com

Amy Baker has a PhD from teachers college of Columbia University. She has 25 years conducting research on parent-child relationships and child maltreatment. She is an author or co-author of 8 books and over 100 articles. She is a nationally recognized expert in parental alienation. She has trained legal and mental health professionals around the country and served as an expert in courtrooms in the US and Canada. She also provides telephone coaching to help targeted parents enhance their relationship with their alienated children.

In this interview we discuss