StepStories Podcast

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. Laura House:Email: imlaurahouse@gmail.com  Website:       http://laurahouse.comFacebook:    FB/imlaurakInstagram:    IG/imlaurahouseYoutube:       @imlaurahouseLinkedin:      in/laura-house88        Substack:     substack/@laurahouse       Publications:         LA Times article 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 Bruener welcomes South Africa–based animal expert and pet custody mediator Karis Nafte, author of “Who Keeps the Dog: Navigating Pet Custody During Divorce,” to discuss how pets are often overlooked in divorce and blended-family transitions. Nafte explains that sharing a dog between two homes may not work because frequent moves can stress dogs, and custody decisions should prioritize what’s best for the animal based on practical realities like housing, schedules, and the dog’s needs. She shares strategies and stories about integrating pets into new households—slow introductions, scent swapping, walking dogs together, and careful dog-cat integration—plus cases where rehoming was the healthiest choice. They also cover introducing dogs to newborns, managing pets with kids, choosing appropriate breeds, and not taking dog behavior personally. Karis NafteEmail:  karis@whokeepsthedog.comInstagram:     iIG/whokeepsthedogWebsite:        www.whokeepsthedog.comBook:             Who Keeps the Dog:Navigating Pet Custody During Divorce 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 Bruener interviews Dr. Rob Scheer, a former foster child who entered care at 12 carrying belongings in a trash bag, was pushed out at 18, and later joined the U.S. Navy to build a future. Rob and his husband Reece built their family through foster care, adopting five children—each arriving with a trash bag and significant trauma—and sharing lessons on consistency, grace, empathy, and unconditional love. Rob describes creating Comfort Cases to replace trash bags with backpacks filled with essentials and comfort items, delivering over 320,000 to all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. He discusses transracial parenting, forgiveness, therapy, maintaining connections to birth families, adopting an 18-year-old without a stipend, and the reward of never giving up, highlighted by son Makai’s progress despite fetal alcohol syndrome. Rob Scheer:Email:  dthalberg@comfortcases.org     Website:        https://comfortcases.org/Facebook:     FB/comfortcasesInstagram:     IG/comfortcases/TikTok: TTcomfort casesYoutube:        YT/comfortcasesLinkedin:       LI/comfort cases incPodcast:        podcasts 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 Debbie Loeffler about her path into step motherhood and what helped her build strong relationships in a blended family. Debbie shares how her parents’ divorce and her stepfather’s confident, “let the kids come to you” approach shaped the way she first met and bonded with her husband’s two children. She discusses delaying introductions, maintaining boundaries, and navigating a stepson’s anxious, difficult teen years while recognizing discipline should come from the biological parents. Debbie emphasizes starting with goodwill, staying out of ex-spouse conflict, and being proactively kind to the children’s mother—calling her on Mother’s Day and never speaking negatively—because it affects how kids show up at your home. She reflects on the payoff as a grandmother with close adult stepkids. Debbie LoefflerEmail:  tycooness@aol.com  Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

Step Stories Podcast Host Robin Breuner welcomes Christina Nelson from the Radical Stepmoms podcast to discuss the realities of step motherhood and creating a safe space to talk about the good, bad, and ugly of raising a step child. Christina explains the contradictions stepmoms face, the pressure of others’ expectations, and how stepmoms can feel conditional in their own families despite major sacrifices. She shares her story of meeting her husband when he had a three-year-old son, being in her stepson’s life for 13 years, and later having a daughter together, plus how their 50/50 parenting plan in Washington State provides structure even when it’s inconsistently followed. She highlights keeping kids out of adult conflict, the importance of communication and respect, navigating siblings across two homes, and the need for boundaries with ex-partners. As a licensed clinical social worker, she describes coaching stepmoms and couples to define the stepmom’s role, strengthen partner connection, and avoid “coming in too hot,” reminding stepmoms they have nothing to prove. Christina NelsonEmail:           radicalstepmomspodcastWebsite:       radicalstepmomspodcast.comInstagram:    IG/radicalstepmomspodcast 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 interviews UT Austin writing professor and journalist Mallary Tenore Tarpley about her memoir, Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery, and how losing her mother to metastatic breast cancer at 11 shaped her grief, identity, and anorexia. They discuss the “middle place” between acute illness and full recovery, why eating disorders can be driven by control, trauma, and genetic/environmental factors, and how stereotypes like “skinny white affluent girl” limit recognition and care. Mallary shares how her father dating and later remarrying intensified her disordered behaviors, her treatment experience and relapses, and how openness, storytelling, and ongoing check-ins support healing for grieving children and stepparents. They also touch on GLP-1 drugs and the need for broader resources. Mallary Tenore TarpleyEmail:           mallary.tenore@utexas.eduWebsite (personal): mallarytenoretarpleyFacebook:    fb/Mallary TenoreInstagram:    ig/mallarytenoretarpleyLinkedIn:      in/mallary tenore tarpleySubstack:     mallary.substackBooks: SLIP (hardcover), SLIP (paperback), SLIP(spanish) 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 interviews filmmaker and environmental advocate Kiki Goshay about blended families, divorce, and fostering. Kiki describes being split between parents after her Irish Catholic parents’ divorce, the pain of parents who didn’t respect each other, and how her father’s new wife limited time with him. She recounts her mother’s later remarriage into a 12-child household that felt like two families under one roof, emphasizing that love and belonging take time and shouldn’t be forced. Kiki shares why she became a foster mom, the challenges of caring for children with trauma, and why she now focuses on infants. She explains how she maintains a close, inclusive extended family with her ex-husband, his partner, and their child, advocating for “adding” relationships rather than cutting people off. She also mentions her film “Empowered Energy Heroes,” streaming on Tubi and on PBS. Kiki GoshayEmail: kikitgoshay@gmail.comWebsite: https://captainplanetfoundation.org/about/our-people/kiki-goshay/Facebook: fb@kikigoshayInstagram: @Kikigosh  Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube

In this week’s best of episode of the Step Stories podcast, host Robin Breuner talks with Julia Nurse, who shares her powerful story of growing up as the youngest of 12 siblings after losing her mother to breast cancer at the age of nine. Julia reflects on the chaotic yet nurturing environment of her large family, the struggles her father faced, and the invaluable support of her older siblings. Now a birth and postpartum doula in San Francisco, Julia discusses how her past has shaped her vocation in nurturing others through major life transitions. Along the way, she emphasizes the importance of finding support systems, honoring the legacy of loved ones, and engaging in personal healing practices.And thank you for supporting our sponsors: What’s Poppin’ PennyWebsite: https://whatspoppinpenny.com/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4BlpnEqNXgMVlBZrNK4jIsJulia NurseEmail: juliamnurse@gmail.com Website: SacredcyclesbirthInstagram: @sacredcyclesbirth Robin Breuner Email:  robinbreuner@gmail.comWebsite:  www.robinbreuner.comInstagram: stepstoriespodcastIGFacebook: stepstoriespodcastFBLinkedin:  RobinBreunerLinkINPodcast:  StepStories PodcastThreads:  @robinbreunerYouTube: StepStories Podcast YouTube