Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast

Send us a textHi Stepparents,Welcome back to the finale of my conversation with Rose Schlaff, a Pelvic Physical Therapist, Intimacy Coach, and founder of Be Well with Rose, LLC as we wrap up our discussion about sex and intimacy. Rose and I quickly bonded from the get-go over our passion about the need to shed light on issues that most of us struggle with but feel uncomfortable discussing. Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/50. Get comfy, grab your favorite beverage and join us for this convo. It’ll be worth your while. Topics Covered: - Introducing Rose Schlaff- Today’s explicit landscape- The key to opening to door and creating safety- How to safely explore sexuality- How to encourage self-advocacy while adhering to expectations- The Do’s and Don’ts of what to say when talking to your kids about sex- Action Items Click to listen!Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,Welcome back to part 2 of the conversation with Rose Schlaff, a Pelvic Physical Therapist, Intimacy Coach, and founder of Be Well with Rose, LLC. This week we are continuing our discussion about sex and intimacy. We cover:- Introduction of Rose Schlaff- why and how your body image plays a role in intimacy- how to love your body- the surprising gift of sharing your whole truth - why and how to talk to your kids about sex Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/49. Be sure to check out Rose’s links below. She has some amazing free resources to help you on your journey of having these conversations and reclaiming your sexuality. One powerful way to sustain knew knowledge is to share highlights from what you’ve learned. So shoot me a DM on LinkedIn @synergisticstepparenting or on FaceBook @marianatapov and share your biggest takeaways and “Aha”s. Until next time, be well!Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,We are continuing our conversation about sex and intimacy this time with an expert on this topic. Rose Schlaff is a Pelvic Physical Therapist, Intimacy Coach, and founder of Be Well with Rose, LLC. I’m so excited to share this conversation with you. When Rose and I first met, we quickly found that we were both passionate about the need to underscore and shed light on issues that aren’t often discussed and often feel uncomfortable to talk about.Having more of the dialogue around gender norms and societal expectations and conditioning around these norms, expectations around sex and what keeps people from having a healthy and vibrant sex life. Stick around, it’s going to be a good one.  Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/48.  Topics Covered: - Introducing Dr. Rose Schlaff- Societal messaging and conditioning about gender norms- Expectations about sex- The medical system’s approach to sexual health and well-being and why it falls short- What holds most people back in from having healthy and vibrant sex lives- How you can start allowing pleasure to unfold in your life- Action ItemsThis actually ended up being a 3-part conversation. So, be sure to tune it next week as we share more wisdom about increasing your pleasure and intimacy in your relationships and how to set your kids up for success in this area as well. And shoot me a DM on LinkedIn @synergisticstepparenting or on FaceBook @marianatapov to let me know how it goes and your biggest “Aha”s and takeaways. Until next time, be well!Click here to listen!Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,Today we are continuing our conversation about sex. And I’m thrilled to welcome back my partner and Lilah’s dad, John to the show. John was a great sport! He was very transparent about why he had several talks with his daughter about sex and why you should be doing this too. He shared the key to navigating those conversations. He also shared his 4 tips for making those conversations as productive as possible.  Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/47. I’m so excited to share this conversation with all of you, so here we go … Let me know how it goes! You can DM on LinkedIn @synergisticstepparenting or on FaceBook @marianatapov. Remember it just takes practice. Which starts with choosing and committing to a small action that will move you towards your goal. From there it’s just rinse and repeat. You can do this!Until next time, be well!Click here to listen!Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,Today we are continuing our conversation about sex. And I’m thrilled to welcome back to the show my step-daughter, Lilah. Who generously let me pick her brain about the sex talk. In our case there were multiple which I strongly encourage all parents to do. Which is to have multiple sex talks and not just one throughout a child’s development. Lilah and I will discuss why that is in this show so stay tuned. We also discuss what was most helpful about our talks, how we curbed the awkwardness, and what are the biggest issues facing teens are facing right now related to sex. Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/46. During this conversation there are times when Lilah refers to me as step-mom and other times that she refers to me as mom. I realize this may be a little bit confusing. She shared why that is during our conversation in Episode 33 entitled Confessions of a Stepdaughter – Broken Silence: Part 1. Find the show notes for that episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/33. Check that out if you’re want to learn more about that.  I’m thrilled to share this conversation with all of you, so here we go … Topics Covered:1)    Why it’s best to have multiple conversations about sex with your child and to start when they are young2)    8 Things to do to ensure that your child is comfortable, engaged and is getting value from the conversation3)    What issues tweens and teens are dealing with most right now4)    What parents can do to best support kids when it comes to sexPlease DM on LinkedIn @synergisticstepparenting or on FaceBook @marianatapov.I’d love to hear what you found valuable and if you have any other questions that I can address for you. Until next time, be well!Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,Today we’re talking about something different than what we’ve discussed on the show before …So let’s talk about sex baby, let’s talk about you and me… yes, that's me doing a little nod to Salt-N-Pepa.We are definitely going to talk about “all the good things and the bad things”. There are lots of misconceptions about sex, both for parents and certainly for children. So today we’re talking about some of them. Find the Show Notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/45. I’m excited to have this conversation because it’s so important. And don’t worry because of course I have other perspectives to share with you on this topic in upcoming episodes. Including an interview with my step-daughter, her father, and an intimacy expert.But today we’re talking about why this is such an important topic and why you want to be paying attention to it and not overlook it.Topics Covered: - My Childhood Experience with Sex Talks- Why Having Sex Talks With Children is Important- Start Early- Figure it Out Together- 4 Steps for How to Begin- Should Stepparents Take the Lead to Have Sex Talks with Their Step-child?- Your Action StepsUntil next time, be well.Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi Stepparents,I’m excited to be joined by Debra Doak and Tracy Callahan of Divorce Coaches Academy. And if you don’t know what a divorce coach is, don’t worry friend, you’re not alone. They will share all about it so just keep listening. Find the show notes at synergisticstepparenting.com/44.Debra and Tracy are rockstar divorce coaches dedicated to their profession and ensuring quality, competence, and success within it. To that end they founded Divorce Coaches Academy to create quality training, community, and professional development for up and coming as well as established divorce coaches.They are disruptors in the best sense of the word. And now I’m thrilled to introduce them to you …Topics Covered:We’re going to be diving into why they started the Divorce Coaches Academy, what to look for and look out for when hiring a divorce coach, and why doing divorce right is so important.I know this will be a valuable conversation so let’s dig in …+ What is a divorce coach?+ Why they started the Divorce Coaches Academy+ What to look for and look out for when hiring a divorce coach+ The biggest casualty in a bitter divorce+ Opportunity created through divorce+ Top 3 things that a divorce coach can help with during your divorce process+ Action StepsThanks for joining us for this jam-packed conversation! Aren’t Debra and Tracey just fantastic? I know, it’s clear they are experts in their field. I love how they laid out all the important aspects to consider as one navigates divorce.Things that probably don’t occur to most of us off the top of our head. But these considerations make such a huge impact on the outcome of the divorce and the family created on the other side of it.Was this episode helpful? I’d love to hear from you. You contact me here or find me on LI or FB and shoot me a DM. I always love to hear from you!Ok my friend, thanks for listening and wishing you a wonderful week!Until next time, be well.Rate, Review & Follow on Apple Podcasts“Tons of value in this episode, love and appreciate your authenticity in all of your content.” If you like the show, please consider rating and reviewing us. This gives us the ability to reach and help more stepparents – like you – move towards the life and relationships that they desire with their blended clan.Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate us with 5 stars, and select “Write a Review” then be sure to let me know your favorite thing about the episode.Also if you haven’t done so yet, follow the podcast so you don’t miss a thing. Follow now!

Send us a textHi, Step-parents!I am so excited to bring to you Part 2 of my conversation with the fabulous Leks Vucko in this week's episode. Leks is a health and fitness coach and what I love about her work is that she brings a lot of mindset and emotional awareness to her work and how she talks about health. Last week she gave us the low-down on the complicated and confusing health & fitness industry, the do's and don'ts of eating healthy and how to nourish your body. And she breaks down the body’s response to foods. She once and for all answers all of your burning questions and puts to rest the myths. Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/43. I'm incredibly excited for Part 2 of this amazing conversation. So, without further ado, I introduce to you Leks Vucko. After 20 years in the health and fitness industry, Leks has created a unique program where she helps high-performing business owners who, although successful, are feeling on the verge of burnout and are not sure how to get back on track. Her unique program taps into biohacking, physical health, mental strength, etc. and helps her clients feel focused, impactful, and successful reaching their peak performance daily to build their business and thrive on energy and passion. Day in and day out for years to come. Her passion comes from her own experience with training, mindset and burnout. That passion is to help others become the best version of themselves no matter where their starting point may be. Topics Covered:-       How food codes the body -       Best advice for making healthier changes to your eating habits-       What sabotages your ability to stick to healthy eating habits -       Common misconceptions preventing most from eating healthy-       Fasting Do’s and Don’tsThank you so much for tuning into this episode. I hope you got a ton of value from this one, I know I did.  I love how frankly and boldly Leks speaks about all things nutrition and healthy habits. I don’t know about you, but I’m certainly feeling inspired to take action on adopting some of the strategies that Leks shared with us.  I suggest you listen to last week’s and this week’s episode again and think about what little tweaks or changes you can start to make to improve your health and the health of your family. And maybe it simply starts with just noticing which choices you’re currently making. Remember every journey starts with just one small step.  If you haven’t yet, consider subscribing to the Synergistic Stepparenting podcast so you don’t miss a thing. I have a great perk for you, when you do. You can find out more about that at synergisticstepparenting.com/subscribe. I would love to continue to be a resource and make sure that I am providing value and valuableContent, so, please, drop me a line!You can find me on LinkedIn or Facebook and just shoot me a DM. Or feel free to email me at Maria@synergisticstepparenting.com anytime! I'm always happy to hear from you and would love to hear any questions that you might have or any topics you would like to hear me discuss on the show. Thank you again, my friends, and I hope you have a fantastic week. Until next time, be well.*Notes: How to leave a review on Apple PodcastsOpen the Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.Navigate to the Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast.On Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast page, scroll down to find the subhead titled “Ratings & Revi

Send us a textHi, Step-parents!I am so excited to bring to you this week's episode. We have a special guest named Leks Vucko who is a health and fitness coach, and she is a complete powerhouse. We speak frankly in this interview.She gives us the low-down on the complicated and confusing health & fitness industry and the do's and don'ts. And she breaks down how our body responds to foods and why it responds the way that it does. She once and for all answers all of your questions and puts to rest the myths. I'm incredibly excited for this amazing conversation. So, without further ado, I introduce to you Leks Vucko. Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/42.After 20 years in the health and fitness industry, Leks has created a unique program where she helps high-performing business owners who, although successful, are feeling on the verge of burnout and are not sure how to get back on track.Her unique program taps into biohacking, physical health, mental strength, etc. and helps her clients feel focused, impactful, and successful reaching their peak performance daily to build their business and thrive on energy and passion. Day in and day out for years to come.Her passion comes from her own experience with training, mindset and burnout. Her passion is to help others become the best version of themselves no matter where their starting point may be.Topics Covered:What makes our relationship with food complicated?How has food changed in the last 100 years?How does food impact our emotional state?How can one develop a healthy relationship with food?Thank you so much for tuning into this episode. I hope that you found this conversation with Leks as enlightening as I did. It was such a fantastic conversation that we ended up going into Part 2, which will be released for you guys next week.So be sure to stay tuned and tune in to get those nuggets!I would love to hear from you about how it's going so far. What are some of your favorite episodes, what themes and things are coming up for you in your lives on your step-parenting and blended family journeys.I would love to continue to be a resource and make sure that I am providing valuablecontent so please drop me a line! You can reply to the emails, for those of you who have subscribed.You can also feel free to find me on LinkedIn or Facebook and just shoot me a DM. Or feel free to email me at Maria@synergisticstepparenting.com anytime!I'm always happy to hear from you and would love to hear any questions that you might have or any topics you would like to hear me discuss on the show. Thank you again, my friends and I hope you have a fantastic week.Until next time, the well.*Notes: How to leave a review on Apple PodcastsOpen the Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.Navigate to the Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast.On Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast page, scroll down to find the subhead titled “Ratings & Reviews.”Under one of the highlighted reviews, select “Write a Review.” If you like what you hear – give us a 5-star rating! And let us and others know what you like about the show.

Send us a textHi Stepparents,I’m so excited to share this week’s episode with you where I had the pleasure to interview Christine Luken who is a financial dignity coach helping high earning professionals, pay off staggering amounts of debt and massively increase their net worth through her financial coaching.She is a the author of several books including Money is Emotional and Financial Dignity After Divorce where she blends wise money management with emotional intelligence.This week, Christine shares her best tips for how to optimize finances in a blended family for individuals going through a divorce or co-parenting post-divorce. We tackle whether it’s best for blended families to handle their money together or separately, how to diffuse emotions around money to prevent mistakes you’ll later regret, and the #1 thing blended couples can do to reduce money disagreements.You don’t want to miss this episode! So here we go …Find the Show Notes at synergisticstepparenting.com/41Thank you so much for tuning into this episode and thank you to Christine for her priceless actionable tips!To recap we discussed the following ... 1) Whether blended families should handle money together or separately. 2) Financial trauma, what it looks like and what the individual healing through it needs. 3) How to diffuse emotion around money to prevent mistakes you'll later regret. 4) Having your own back in your financial decisions. 5) How blended couples can reduce money disagreements.Check out all of Christine’s links in the show notes and check out her work and her fantastic books, including the new one titled Financial Dignity After Divorce.I hope you found as many golden nuggets in this conversation as I did. Please share this episode with 1-3 people you know who are going through a divorce or are co-parenting after a divorce. Because one of my goals is to support individuals touched by divorce to live their best lives.Thank you so much, if you enjoyed this episode, please rate us and leave us a review. We’ve got the steps for how to do in the show notes.Until next time, be well!*Notes: How to leave a review on Apple PodcastsOpen the Podcasts app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.Navigate to the Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast.On Synergistic Stepparenting Podcast page, scroll down to find the subhead titled “Ratings & Reviews.”Under one of the highlighted reviews, select “Write a Review.” If you like what you hear – give us a 5-star rating! And let us and others know what you like about the show.