Stepmom Sanity

Join Cheryl and Dr. James and Gina Dellaripa as they chat about their innovative communication tool used in courts, and families of all types, to help those families decrease family stress, increase family harmony, and live like a family.

Connect with our Guests

Author and speaker Kia Stephens shares about her book, Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God's Perfect Love, speaking to wounded women everywhere about the power of God's love to transform them and redeem their brokenness. Listen as she declares that our father wounds do not have the last word in your life; God does, and gives practical tips for helping the daughter's in our care recover from the same.

Connect with Kia:

How would you feel if you could change the narrative on your family? What if your brokenness is not only okay, but beautiful in the eyes of our Lord? Our guest, Elisa Morgan, helps us reframe our thinking so we can receive the blessing of brokenness and broken people.

Elisa Morgan (MDiv) has authored over twenty-five books including The Beauty of Broken, Hello, Beauty Full, She Did What She Could, When We Pray Like Jesus and You Are Not Alone. For twenty years, Elisa served as CEO of MOPS International and now is President Emerita. She writes for Our Daily Bread Devotional and co-hosts Discover the Word and God Hears Her for Our Daily Bread Ministries.

With her husband of forty-three years, Evan, she has two grown children and two grandchildren who live near her in Denver, Colorado. Her constant companion is Mia, an elderly Jack Russell who shadows her every move.

Ways to Connect with Elisa:

It's been said that we train others how to treat us. But what if we don't know how to do that? What if we struggle with accommodating unacceptable behavior? Even worse, what if we think it's biblical to do so? Our guest today unpacks the importance of establishing and maintaining good boundaries in your blended family.

It has been said that ministry to blended families is a high-need low-demand endeavor. However, if we're going to have healthy, functioning blended families we need the cheering and support of our church communities. For every pastor, ministry leader, and Joe next door, wanting to be part of the team that meets the demand, this conversation may just be the nudge you need.

In Blended and Redeemed, Scott and Vanessa have provided a roadmap through the challenges unique to living in a step family. Their vulnerable and empathetic voice invites readers to honest reflection. Their unwavering adherence to the Word of God invites readers to challenge their hard emotions with hard truth. Using their own story as a backdrop, Scott and Vanessa demonstrate how practical steps and Biblical principles work hand in hand to help couples create workable solutions for what may seem to be unwinnable circumstances. Join Cheryl, Scott and Vanessa, as they talk about the victory of being blended and redeemed.

A well-adjusted, inclusive bonus grandparent can make a huge a difference in helping a blended family bond... and a divisive grandparent can cause great harm.  Join Cheryl, author, Jennifer Elwood, and Cheryl's mother, Gwen Brown, as they chat about grandparenting in a blended family.

Join Cheryl and Ron Deal as they chat about overcoming territory wars in blended families. If you are struggling in an us vs. them dynamic in your home, you will want to listen in.

Link to Purchase Books Mentioned in Podcast Episode:

As Christ-following, Bonus Moms, we are called to love and serve children who may act out of hurt, without absorbing the pain of their hurtful actions. Putting Christ at the center of our stepmothering is imperative for accomplishing God's purpose in and through us for our families. Join Cheryl and Summer Butler as they chat about rising to the call of Christ-Centered Stepmothering. 

LINKS TO RESOURCES

Financial issues have the ability to dash your dreams for couple unity and family bonding. Listen in as Cheryl provides beyond the basic money moves every blended family should make.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Most couples, no matter how in love they may be, struggle with spiritual intimacy. I know Jonathan and I do. But what if, rather than drive us apart, these struggles are opportunities to press towards deeper intimacy, not just with each other but the Lord ? What if, there was a resource that helped us have conversations designed to humble us, invite God into our marriage, and pull us towards one another? Emily Jordan, founder of The Joyful Stepmom has created just such a resource. Join us for a conversation about her new devotional: The Blended Family Devotional for Couples: 52 Weeks of Growing Together, Leading Your Family, and Learning from God

Join Cheryl, her mom, and a few of her friends as they discuss what it means to have a "living hope" in these turbulent times. 

Connect with our guests:

Sara Broyhill Anderson:

Join Cheryl as she chats with Ebony Mason, co-founder of "Blendistry."  Ebony shares her unique way for tackling holiday stress unique to blended families.

Blendistry is an outreach ministry for blended families to grow closer to each other and God through their shared stories of struggles and triumphs.

Blendistry “Blending Families Through Ministry”

205-253-0616

What if someone gave you a roadmap for entering blended family marriage well? What if you, as a pastor, step-couple coach, or counselor, knew exactly what to do to help the engaged couples you serve lay a foundation for success?  Bestselling author of The Smart Stepfamily series, and director of Family Life Blended, Ron Deal, has written just such a resource. Listen in as Cheryl and Ron discuss his new book, Preparing to Blend: The Couple's Guide to Becoming a Smart Stepfamily. It is sure to become the premiere premarital guide for blended-family couples.

Whether we call it step, co, nacho, or parallel, we all parent and the children we parent manage some type of loss. None, however, is more keenly felt that loss due to the death of parent. I have experienced this in my own blended family. And so has our guest, Gayla Grace. Join us in a conversation about parenting the grieving bonus child. 

Cheryl chats with Canadian Stepmom Coach, Amelia Lane, about her stepmom journey and her free ebook, Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Stepmom.

Join Cheryl and Tamara Johnson, aka, Tammy J, of Stepmom Goals as they talk about defining and cultivating intimacy in a blended couple marriage.

Past trauma can cause stepmoms to live in fear of future calamity. In turn, that fear,  ciphers our joy in the moments,  traps us in the present torment of harrowing circumstances, and inspires disbelief in God's promises for the future. Cheryl speaks with author, Sara Broyhill Anderson about her new book: The Best is Yet to Come: Facing the Fears of Today with God's Hope for Tomorrow. Join us as Sara encourages you to take the long view for every area of your life because,  as Sara writes: Today, your worry ends. The future has been set: The Best Is Yet to Come!

Join Cheryl and her friends, Author Summer Butler, Author Jennifer Elwood, Pastor Ernestine Howard, and Pastor Angela Wimberly, for part one of a holiday round table sure to bless and encourage you.

Tune in next week for part two.

If, beginning December 1st,  you read a chapter a day of the gospel of Luke, you will read the entire book by Christmas Eve. But, if you just read it, you might miss the gifts waiting to be discovered.  Join Cheryl and Jennifer Elwood, wife, mom, bonus mom, bonus grandma, as they discuss her new book , Counting Up to Christmas: 24 Gifts from the Gospel of Luke.  They will point you to the true source of peace, and help you prepare your heart to thrive through this unprecedented Holiday Season.