https://youtu.be/Bgkf7DgSCk4 Our very own Coach Bee is giving us the low down on custodial stepmotherhood, parenting amidst loss, and learning to work with deceased biomom’s family. Grab your pen and pad and take notes because Coach is taking us to school. If you are not yet a member, click HERE to join now! If you […]
Coach Naja and Coach Bee have a pseudo-celebration about the day a stepchild turns 18…but what does it really even mean? Is it some major milestone toward Stepmom heaven or is it just more of the same? https://youtu.be/_IDHycuh7rs If you are not yet a member, click HERE to join now! If you want to […]
Coach Ivana gets real and shares her own CURRENT and very personal journey. Most people don’t enter a marriage expecting divorce, but sadly, the D-Word is her next challenge. Check out her take on love, self-care, and how to move forward. Please follow her everywhere! Watch directly on Youtube HERE or below! https://www.tiktok.com/@selfcarved https://www.tiktok.com/@selfcarved https://www.youtube.com/@SelfCarved […]
Coach Naja explores the benefits and drawbacks of learning how to center yourself when the blended family conflict gets to be too much. Mom and stepmom guilt can run rampant and it can really be tough on your psyche, your relationship, and your whole life. In this episode, we explore ways to give ourselves permission […]
https://youtu.be/kaLHuNf2eVM Coach Naja and Coach Anthony Johnson have a candid chat about the ins and outs of coparenting. After Anthony and his coparent ended their romantic relationship, he spent time learning how to take his family away from hardship to love. It wasn’t always easy for him, but today he helps other families, individuals, and […]
Coach Naja discusses child the two types of parentification: instrumental and emotional. Instrumental parentification includes functional responsibilities and physical tasks given to a child that isn’t age-appropriate. Emotional parentification is when one or both parents turn to their child to fulfill their emotional needs. This is considered the more problematic and damaging type of parentification. […]
Coach Naja chats with the VIP community for an unabashed Q& A session about some of the common challenges most stepmoms will face at some point during their journey. Below are the topics that were covered if you’d like to jump to your favorite part of the video. https://youtu.be/_gmZWlYPM3Q Topics 1. Should you find BM […]
https://youtu.be/1HaNumuDtlM I made a post on the VIPStepmom IG page that sparked a great conversation and many shared sentiments. I wanted to go more into detail regarding the meaning behind the post and break down the act of “holding space”. If you missed the post, here is the copy. “Dear stepchild. I know you love […]
This month, I sat down with my friend, Kate Anthony. Her name may sound familiar as I’ve collaborated with her countless times and we literally have so much fun together. Check out our interview on my podcast I Know I’m Crazy Today Kate and I are discussing divorce- something that’s crossed the mind of just […]
https://youtu.be/7yTKK3YBe7o Coach Naja posed a question to the VIPStepmom online community and the responses were quite interesting. It seems that some of our partners are not as passe as we’d like to think and they have a hand in perpetuating the drama with their coparent. This Expert Workshop discusses ways that we can help our […]
This month’s Expert Workshop host is Coach Brittany Simo. She is chatting about boundaries and the steps to take when your partner cannot set them. Coach Brittany gives a play-by-play on how to not only “deal” but how to help your partner asset themselves with their kids and coparent. Visit Coach Brittany online www.brittanysimo.com. https://youtu.be/C2FCCcx6eBE […]
This month’s guest expert is Kisha Batsuli of Blendedontherock.com. Kisha’s 2017 wedding dance went viral because she invited her new stepson’s mother to do a family dance at her wedding! During this workshop, Kisha shares how she managed that awesome feat and where her own stepmom/biomom relationship stands today. https://youtu.be/9SZOptbQLpM If you are not yet […]
As stepmothers, we pride ourselves on making our homes our sanctuaries. With so many outside factors that affect our happiness, our relationships, and our balance, stepmoms can face some immeasurable points of stress. Coach Naja is breaking down best practices for stepmoms whose stepkids have gotten comfortable ignoring them! https://youtu.be/oz3o5s110EQ If you are not yet […]
Coach Naja answers some very specific questions about her stepmom journey. A podcast listener got curious about your fave expert and decided to shoot her shot by asking Naja some specifics about her own circumstances. In this very transparent interview, Naja discusses what she would do if her stepkids came to love with her, how […]
So often, we find ourselves caught up in the words and ramblings from the “other household”. Sticks and stones can break our bones, but words can cause PTSD! Coach Naja discusses ways to diffuse what “she said” and how to squash crippling thoughts before they cause a mental infestation. Many times a biomom can spew […]
One of my absolute favorite topics to help clients tackle is high conflict people, mainly HCBMs. What I’ve found is they’re not big, scary monsters. They’re just pitiful beings that live their lives based on survival. While it’s nice to show compassion, these types of people can traumatize you and suck you into their dark […]
Sherelle Avery, founder of @dopemombrand discusses her journey from being a stepmom with 2 HCBMs to reaching a place of peace. Sherelle says, “I’ve learned so much over the years, so many ups and downs. I’m the step-parent who had to learn by trial and error. The step-parent who found the invisible boundaries and learned […]
This month’s Expert is Bree Gordon. She’s a Stepmom and she’s a Music Therapist. Her work is so transformative because she helps us use music as a healing tool. in this workshop, she even teaches us how to write our own song. Naja stopped by Bree’s podcast. Listen here. About Bree: Bree earned her Bachelor’s […]
When I was a baby blogger, Kate Chapman was one of the seasoned experts that sewed into my work. She took the time to befriend me, and she even contributed to my mission. Over the years, Kate’s impact on the blended family community still holds true and she stopped by to chat grief, stepparenting, and […]
As a Master Stepfamily Coach, my days are filled with sorting through the lamentations of individuals and stepfamilies in transition. As a stepmom, I have a personal and a professional vantage point that allows me to help my clients navigate their emotions because I’ve experienced some of the exact feelings. In this tutorial, I decided to […]
https://youtu.be/hKhQarBkuxE Nancy, my mom chats on 43 years of marriage. Mom dishes advice on how she stayed married to my dad. At one point I ask her if she understands my job, is she proud of me and has she forgiven her father for abandoning my Grandma. This is probably the most in-depth conversation I’ve […]
I recently held a live Masterclass for For Burned Out Stepmoms and of course my VIPs get easy access to the replay! If you attended, then you know this was a transformational session. We got to connect, learn, and grow. Just a heads up, this is a very intense session and there is a lot […]
https://youtu.be/93MmhUSU5KI In this month’s expert workshop, Naja sat down with psychologist @Dr. Jennelle to discuss a topic very familiar to women in our community. At some point in our relationships, stepmoms think about calling it quits because this role can be too much. When surveyed, over 64% of VIPStepmoms replied that if they could have […]
In this month’s Expert Workshop, I chat with Coach Latoya C. She has been married for 14 years and her custodial stepmothehood experience has taught her many lessons on humility, patience, and love. Although her two stepchildren are older, she can very much observe the aftermath of coexisting with a HCBM. Also, she JUST became […]
For this month’s Expert Workshop, I chatted with Bill Gobin, a custodial dad that went to family court 47 times AND WON! As a fellow coach, Bill provides the perspective of a Dad that successfully navigated two HCBMs. So many stepmoms suffer because their men do not know how to stand up to BM and/or […]
Naja sits with Kennisha (biomom of 3), an engaged SM who is trying to learn tools to maintain her sanity and her relationship while dealing with a HCBM. She and her partner got together while he was divorcing his childhood sweetheart ex. The relationship was toxic and resulted in 3 kids. Kennisha and her fiance […]
I chatted with The Teenager Whisperer, Kirsten Cobabe for my public podcast, “I know I’m crazy.” After we wrapped up the public portion, she and I broke away to discuss stepmom specific tactics. She has a very unorthodox way of dealing with teenagers and I think this will help many of us understand the positions […]
A loving dad named Brandon reached out to me because he wants to learn how to ease his girlfriend’s stepmom stress. He has been trying to finish his divorce however, his high conflict ex has other plans. His lady feels anxiety about their situation and it is affecting his relationship. I decided to tap my […]