Seven

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 show my own process toward finding a resolution when faced with a problem within my own family. During my career as a Coach, I’ve not purported that mine is a postcard-worthy comothering relationship. Like many of the people that seek my expertise, I have faced the horrors of high conflict. I know the sheer helplessness of watching the man you love and his children be tormented by parental alienation. I am well aware of the fact that family court emboldens people whose mission is to wreak havoc. I have felt and thoroughly studied the effects that disordered personalities can inflict upon others. My stepdaughter recently celebrated a birthday and was not able to take part in the celebration for no reason other than, I am just a stepmom. I am not immune to the hurt that you feel, I am, however, able to go through a mental process that allows me to swiftly move on from bad feelings.

On camera, I confronted my husband and together we worked through a few common issues for stepmothers:

• Feelings of Isolation due to alienation
• Learning to self-soothe when feelings of anxiety or resentment arise
• Frustration with your partner
• Reverse Stepmom Enmeshment