StepStories Podcast

Join host Robin Breuner in this week’s episode of the Step Stories Podcast as she welcomes renowned stepfamily expert Dr. Patricia Papernow, who has spent five decades researching, teaching, and practicing in stepfamily relationships and is the author of Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships and The Stepfamily Handbook. Dr. Papernow explains why stepfamilies differ fundamentally from first-time families, why clinicians receive little stepfamily training despite widespread prevalence, and why what works is not intuitive. She emphasizes that parents should retain discipline and authoritative limit-setting, while stepparents build trust through “connection, not correction,” warmth, and one-to-one time; harsh discipline by stepparents can be toxic. They discuss “stuck insider/outsider” dynamics, moving slowly for kids, communication skills, gray divorce and later-life stepfamilies, and planning for end-of-life care, inheritance, and sentimental items, including after a parent’s death. Dr. Patricia Papernow Email: ppapernow@gmail.comWebsite: https://stepfamilyrelationships.com/Books: Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships The Stepfamily Handbook Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

Join host Robin Bruener in this week’s episode of The Step Stories podcast as she sits down with Cameron Normand, CEO of Stepfamily Solutions and host of the Stepmom Diaries podcast. Cameron shares how she shifted from a 23-year career as a lawyer and policy executive on Capitol Hill and for Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures into stepfamily coaching after becoming a stepmom of four in a high-conflict situation and struggling to find resources. They discuss why stepfamilies are underserved, how untrained guidance can harm families, and Cameron’s Step Family Coach Academy built around research and Dr. Patricia Papernow’s framework. Cameron highlights common challenges like the “stuck outsider” role, Mother’s Day and event dynamics, the importance of encouraging parent–child one-on-one time, and key advice for stepparents: focus on connection over correction and be less hard on yourself. Cameron NormandEmail:  cameron@stepfamilysolutions.comWebsite: https://stepfamilysolutions.com/contributors/cameron-normand/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/stepfamilysolutionsFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/stepfamilysolutionsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stepfamily-solutions/Podcast: Stepmom Diaries TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@stepfamilysolutionsPintrest : https://ro.pinterest.com/stepfamilysolutions/ Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

On this week’s episode of The Step Stories Podcast, host Robin Breuner interviews Dr. Todd Jensen, assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Thriving through Family Transitions Research Lab, about research on blended families and youth wellbeing during family structural transitions. Jensen explains why relationship quality, especially stepparent–stepchild connection, can support behavioral, psychological, and physical health outcomes, and clarifies terms like “social parent” and stepparent, including non-married long-term partners. They also discuss adolescence as a challenging transition period, blending family cultures slowly with patience, and why adults often shoulder more responsibility. Jensen also notes overlaps with military family transitions, shares Dr. Todd JensenInstagram: @drtoddjensen Twitter/X: @toddmjensen Linkedin: LinkedInBluesky: @toddmjensen.bsky.socialWebsite: toddmjensen.comEmail jensen@unc.edu Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

In this week’s episode of The Step Stories Podcast, host Robin Breuner sits down with Greg Eskridge, whom she met through Diane Kahn’s Humans of San Quentin. Greg describes being raised by a single mother who moved from Memphis to Southern California, later enduring severe abuse from his mother’s partner, running away at age 10, and cycling through 15–20 foster and boys’ homes while surviving unhoused. He recounts the fight outside a Shakey’s Pizza that led him, at 20, to fatally shoot someone, for which he received 58 years to life plus two life terms. After decades at San Quentin, Greg explains his deep remorse, his rehabilitation in prison, a recall of sentence after laws changed, and his current work as co-director of the Uncuffed radio program amplifying incarcerated people’s stories. Greg EskridgeEmail:   gregory23.eskridge@gmail.comWebsite: KALWInstagram:      We.Are.UncuffedFacebook:      UncuffedLinkedin:       Greg Eskridge Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

On this week’s episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner interviews her longtime friend Susan Galamba, a respected family law attorney practicing in Kansas and Missouri, about setting blended families up for success after divorce. Susan explains how divorce settlement terms and parenting plans can address future issues involving a new partner or stepparent. They also discuss how remarriage can complicate finances through child support, maintenance/alimony, debt, and the influence of a new spouse, as well as why estate planning, powers of attorney, and beneficiary decisions matter in blended families—especially with older parents and adult children. Susan GalambaBook: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Underwear-Susan-Saper-Galamba/dp/1475122454 Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

In this week’s episode of Step Stories, host Robin Breuner talks to Michelle Bennett to discuss their shared experience of growing up as 'motherless daughters.' Michelle's journey, marked by the tragic loss of her mother at 13 and an eventual diagnosis of complex PTSD, is both inspiring and deeply moving. The conversation also shines a spotlight on Michelle's experiences in becoming a stepmother to her husband’s two boys. She offers profound insights on maintaining respect for biological parents, the importance of keeping ego aside, and the necessity of open communication within blended families. Tune in to discover Michelle's philosophy on creating a nurturing environment and her advice for navigating the complexities of step-parenting. Michelle BennetEmail: michelle.bennett2525@gmail.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/mrs.michelle.bennet & www.intragram.com/michellebennettwrites Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube