FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

Blake Hudspeth tells Ron Deal about growing up in multiple stepfamilies pieced together from death & divorce. As a result, he carried unresolved wounds into adulthood & gives advice to parents on helping their kids navigate growing up blended.

Guidance for blending families can be found in stories from scripture. Ron Deal talks with Laura Petherbridge about her latest book, Stepfamilies of the Bible, and how God's heroes from stepfamilies of biblical times provide tools for today's families.

Divorce and the death of a spouse bring grief. But we don't always recognize the grief our kids carry. Ron Deal talks with Stanley and Mryna Brown about how they navigated their own grief when they married and later, learned how to help their kids also.

Every blended family navigates common stages on their way to finding familyness. But some get stuck along the way. Others experience a detour or two. Gayla Grace shares the six stages of stepfamily development and tips on how to navigate them well.

Good co-parenting with a former spouse helps our kids navigate life in two homes with greater ease. Ron Deal's conversation with Jay and Tammy Daughtry teaches us how to be parental partners, not angry associates, through a businesslike relationship.

According to Dr. John Townsend there are four essential character traits essential for stronger relationships: attachment, separation, integration, and adulthood. He shares with Ron Deal what's required in each that helps raise resilient kids.

The stepmom-stepdaughter relationship can be hard to navigate in blended families. Ron Deal talks with Jessica & Jayla Pickens about their struggles, which began early & continued for years, how they cut through tension, and built a trusting relationship.

Tim & Olivia Smith brought six kids into their blended family. They share with Ron Deal the joys and challenges of relationship building. Tim’s daughter, Christie, joins in with her perspective as a teenager from the early years of their blended family.

Robert & Jennie Lord both grew up in blended families and share their story with Ron Deal of the impact from the maze of multiple stepparents, challenges in relationship building and their desire to now build healthy relational bonds in their own family.

Jennifer Maggio shares her story with Ron Deal of her challenges as a single mom that propelled her to begin a national ministry, serving over 1,000,000 single moms. Now married in a blended family, she continues the mission that no single mom walk alone.

What do you do with feelings like anger, jealousy, hurt, or rejection in your blended family? Listen to Ron Deal’s conversation with Dr. Alison Cook, who offers a three-step process to work through hard feelings and find healing and hope for your journey.

Parenting a prodigal creates pain and helplessness in how to navigate. Listen to Ron Deal’s conversation with Judy Douglass, a prodigal parent, on how to tenderly manage the dynamics & do our part to bring them back into a loving, trusting relationship.

Cheryl Shumake wants to reach brown & black blended families with brown & black voices. She & Clifton Howard talk with Ron Deal about her new ministry, Sawubona, which means “I see you” & its goal to break through the barriers with culture-informed spaces

Ron Deal talks with Brian Goins, author of Playing Hurt, A Guy’s Strategy for a Winning Marriage, on finding the resolve to stay in your marriage despite the struggles and how husbands can win at marriage by taking on the mind of Christ in Philippians 2.

Do you want more harmony or connectedness in your marriage? Ron Deal talks with co-authors of his new book ,The Mindful Marriage, on how couples can understand their part of marital tension, why they react the way they do, and how to relate as companions.

Luke Landwer was young when his parents divorced, and he enjoyed time with just his mom for many years. When she remarried a man with six kids, Luke made many adjustments. Listen to his conversation with Ron Deal about adjusting to a bigger family.

Life in a stepfamily as a young adult can carry challenges and blessings. For Amelia Dellaripa, it carries many more blessings. Listen to her conversation with Ron Deal on how her stepfamily of 7 developed love and acceptance with one another over time.

What’s it like to be a teenager in a blended family? Ron Deal talks with Davis and Campbell Faulkner about adjusting to a stepdad after their dad passed away and how they’ve navigated loss and grief and found gratitude for their current journey.