About Stepmomming

It all started back in November 2016 with my stepdaughter’s mom, Amanda. She had just given birth to my stepdaughter’s sister, and she started a blog, Kandy Apple Mama, to make money from home. She blogged about motherhood, arts and crafts, and how to make money working from home. 

After she started writing about being a divorced mom specifically, she asked me to write a guest post on stepmotherhood. I’ve always loved writing and gladly obliged.

In January 2017, 2 months after she started the blog, Amanda shared with me her dreams for the blog and how she wanted to see it grow and help people. I had a crazy idea… I don’t know blogs, but I know business! I had just graduated with my MBA, and I offered to be her business partner. She accepted, and by the end of the day, we were working together!

We ran the blog together until November 2017, redirecting the site toward blended families. Amanda wrote about her experience as a divorced mom, and I wrote about my experience as a stepmom.

On top of that, we also lived together for 3 months! Here’s more on that adventure.

When Amanda decided she wanted to pursue other creative opportunities, I bought her out of the business, and officially rebranded as Stepmomming in January 2018.

Since then, Stepmomming has grown in unbelievable ways. 

More than 21,000 members have joined Stepmomming’s free Facebook support group for stepmoms.

I became a Certified Life Coach, and then more specifically, a Certified Stepparent Coach in 2020 and have since worked with 100s of stepmoms personally to help them create a blended family life they love.

I have recorded more than a dozen courses and hosted live workshops to give struggling stepmoms the tools that I needed in my early days.

Each week, I send out an inspirational email with a lesson and resources straight to the inbox of more than 14,000 stepmoms!

And in 2022, we officially launched the Stepmomming Made Easy podcast, which is consistently ranked in the top Parenting podcasts week after week!

Stepmomming.com and all of our other support channels aim to provide the support for stepmoms that feel alone and defeated from their struggles. 

Whether you want to read a blog post or listen to a podcast episode about a specific topic, follow on social media and see helpful advice each time I post, or get personalized feedback and coaching support, Stepmomming is there for you, however you need us!

A Bit About Me

Hey, I’m Kristen! My parents divorced when I was 2 1/2, so blended family life is all I’ve ever known. My mom remarried when I was 6, and my dad has remarried a few times, so I’ve had my fair share of stepparents over the years.

In 2012, I graduated with my BA in Political Science and Sociology from Pepperdine University, and in 2016, I graduated with my MBA. In 2020, I received my Life Coach Certification and my Stepparent Coach Certification.

Growing up, my parents were very high-conflict, and I often felt caught between them. I wanted to be a child who loved both of her parents, but I felt like they wanted me to choose sides. Much of my experience as a stepchild influences the advice I give to my coaching clients. I’m better able to empathize with the stepchild experience and can offer that perspective to my stepmom clients.

When I met Kevin in 2014, his daughter, Krista, was 4 years old. I wasn’t looking to date a single dad. In fact, I had actually made a rule that I wouldn’t. I’d had a bad experience with a single dad before, and I didn’t want the extra complications I knew came with it. But Kevin was different. He was the dream guy I started to believe didn’t exist.

I met his daughter in 2015, and things progressed from there before we married in 2017 and welcomed a son of our own in 2023. 

We had a season of high conflict with Kevin’s ex-wife, beginning with a great evening where everyone got along that abruptly ended with a surprise serving to modify the custody agreement a few hours later.

And we also had great seasons. Like when we worked together to build an incredible resource for stepparents. 

Now, we’re somewhere in the middle. Not best friends, but not full of conflict either. There’s more confidence in our individual roles, respect for each other’s households and parenting styles, and a mutual agreement to communicate directly and more effectively in the case of disagreement.

Beyond the co-parenting side of stepparenting, I struggled a lot in the beginning with my own stepmom stuff. 

I was incredibly insecure about coming second in my partner’s life; he’d already experienced so many of his firsts with someone else, and I was worried it wouldn’t be as special experiencing those things (wedding, buying a house, having a baby, etc.) with me.

I felt like an outsider when my husband and stepdaughter shared stories or inside jokes I wasn’t part of, or when I saw photos of my husband’s first family at his family’s house.

I craved control and hated when it felt like my life was dictated by my partner’s ex and the life he had before me. I didn’t want to live my life around a custody schedule and asking permission from his ex.

And I suffered from a serious identity crisis resulting in burnout.

Let’s just say… I had NO idea what I was signing up for when I became a stepmom! I thought I knew because I’d had so many stepmoms throughout my life, but boy was I wrong!

I’ve learned how to prioritize my peace and create a stepmom life I love, and I absolutely love teaching other stepmoms how to do the same!

Stop letting “step” step all over you, sweet stepmom!

Apply for stepmom coaching, and get started right away!


OUR MISSION

We provide comfort and guidance to overwhelmed stepmoms by giving them the tools and inspiration they need to overcome insecurities and discontentment.

We show them that stepmomming is what they do and not who they are, encouraging them to embrace their unique roles and truly love their lives.

OUR VISION

To ensure no stepmom feels like she’s doing this alone, to reverse the negative association with the word stepmom, and to provide stepmoms with the tools they need to THRIVE instead of merely survive.


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You can find our work featured in many other publications!


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