{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/68e5829dd798804c9ed0a1e7/6a6aa8606043035f893b80e2?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Ep. 34 – Laura House: How to be a Safe Adult for a Stepkid","description":"<p>On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner talks with writer and stand-up comedian Laura House about step-parenting older teenagers and navigating blended-family dynamics with authenticity. Laura explains why you can’t force connection, how she approached her stepkids (then 18 and 19) by giving them space and aiming to be a “safe adult” rather than a controlling authority, and how a health crisis—her partner Brian’s emergency triple bypass—deepened family bonds. She also shares her adoption story: knowing she was adopted early, searching for her birth mother through sealed and redacted records, feeling rejected after failed contact attempts, and ultimately connecting via 23andMe with a half-brother who introduced her to her birth family, including a grandmother who had prayed for her each birthday, leading to a new understanding of nature, nurture, and family.</p><p><strong><u>&nbsp;</u></strong></p><p><strong><u>Laura House:</u></strong></p><p><strong>Email: </strong><a href=\"mailto:imlaurahouse@gmail.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>imlaurahouse@gmail.com&nbsp; </strong></a></p><p><strong>Website: &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"http://laurahouse.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>http://laurahouse.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Facebook:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/imlaurak\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>FB/imlaurak</strong></a></p><p><strong>Instagram:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/imlaurahouse/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IG/imlaurahouse</strong></a></p><p><strong>Youtube</strong>:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@imlaurahouse\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>@imlaurahouse</strong></a></p><p><strong>Linkedin: &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-house88/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>in/laura-house88&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></a></p><p><strong>Substack:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"https://substack.com/@laurahouse\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>substack/@laurahouse&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong></a></p><p><strong>Publications:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2026-04-09/la-affairs-live-winner,%20https:/www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2026-04-17/la-affairs-laura-house-after-getting-dumped-by-cheater-could-i-ever-find-love-again\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>LA Times article</strong></a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong><u>Robin Breuner&nbsp;</u></strong></p><p><strong>Email:&nbsp;&nbsp;<u>robinbreuner@gmail.com</u></strong></p><p><strong>Website:&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong><a href=\"http://www.robinbreuner.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>www.robinbreuner.com</strong></a></p><p><strong>Instagram:</strong><a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/stepstoriespodcast/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong> stepstories</strong></a><strong><u>podcastIG</u></strong></p><p><strong>Facebook: </strong><a href=\"https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582689185910\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>stepstoriespodcastFB</strong></a></p><p><strong>Linkedin:&nbsp;</strong><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-breuner-23a84134/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>&nbsp;RobinBreunerLinkIN</strong></a></p><p><strong>Podcast:&nbsp;</strong><a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stepstories-podcast/id1846685487\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>&nbsp;StepStories Podcast</strong></a></p><p><strong>Threads:</strong><a href=\"https://www.threads.com/@robinbreuner?xmt=AQF0GOVjXGjpQJa7Aphz1ZVD0-WwsL41APbphovVTHeblsU\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;@robinbreuner</strong></a></p><p><strong>YouTube</strong><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@StepStoriesPodcast\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>: StepStories Podcast YouTube</strong></a></p>","author_name":"Robin Breuner "}