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PODCAST

Stepmum Space

Stepmum Space — The Podcast for Stepmums Navigating Complex Stepfamily DynamicsIf your body changes before contact.If your home stops feeling like your safe place when the kids arrive.If you love your partner but feel destabilised by stepfamily life — this podcast is for you.Hosted by Katie South — stepmum, transformational coach, and founder of Stepmum Space, this is psychologically grounded support for women living inside blended family systems.This isn’t generic parenting advice.We talk about:–

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

9:19

Why Stepmums Overthink Messages from the Ex -...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/03/06

Many stepmums recognise this moment instantly. Life in your stepfamily feels fairly steady, and then a message arrives from your partner’s ex. Within seconds your mind starts working overtime — analysing tone, predicting consequences, rehearsing possible replies. Meanwhile your partner reads the exact same message… and carries on with his day. For many women in stepfamilies, this difference can feel confusing, frustrating, and deeply isolating. In this episode, Katie South explains why this p...

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42:36

Walking on Eggshells as a Stepmum: High-Conflict Ex,...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/03/04

If your body changes the day before contact, tight chest, busy hands, careful words — this isn’t you being “too sensitive.” It’s what chronic vigilance looks like in stepfamily life with a high-conflict ex in the background. There’s a particular kind of stepmum anxiety that rarely gets named: when your own home stops feeling like a safe place in your body the moment contact is approaching. In this episode, Annie shares what it’s like to live inside high-conflict stepfamily dynamics shap...

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8:52

Chronic Adjustment: Why Some Stepmums Stay in...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/27

Six years into stepmotherhood and you still don’t fully relax when the kids walk in. That isn’t “just blending” and it’s not something you simply have to accept. If this episode resonates and you’re ready for structured support, my six-week live programme Back in Control is designed specifically for stepmums who feel stuck in careful mode. You can read more here: Stepmum Space Back in Control Feeling like a guest in your own home years into stepfamily life is one of the most common - a...

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43:14

Stepmum Anxiety: When the Kids Are Fine but the...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/25

When the kids are settled and your home is calm… but one message from the ex derails your whole week. This episode is for the stepmum who’s tired of walking on eggshells and carrying the emotional load. Resources mentioned in this episode Back in Control — 6-Week Live Group for Stepmums If you’re tired of walking on eggshells or overfunctioning just to keep the peace, Back in Control is a small, live 6-week group designed to help you feel steadier, clearer, and more in control of your ...

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6:18

When Your Adult Stepdaughter Won’t Attend Your...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/20

Weddings in stepfamilies are rarely just about the wedding. In this Listener Question minisode, I respond to a stepmum whose 28-year-old stepdaughter says she may not attend her father’s second marriage — because she never saw her own mum marry him. This isn’t really about attendance. It’s about loyalty, grief, hierarchy and emotional responsibility. In this episode, we explore: • Why adult stepchildren can still experience powerful loyalty binds • Why weddings formalise hierarchy...

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54:21

My Stepchildren Still Won’t See Me: Parental...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/18

If your stepchildren have pulled away — and you don’t know how to reach them — this episode will land deeply. When rejection becomes long-term and you’re painted as the problem, how do you survive as a stepmum? This episode is a continuation of Lucy’s story. If you haven’t listened to the first part from 2022 — When Your Stepchildren Reject You: Feeling Powerless, Undermined & Unsafe in Bio Mum Conflict — you can search the title wherever you listen or hear it here, free: Part 1 - Lucy'...

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8:10

Stepmum Fairness & One-to-One Time: Ours Baby, Older...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/13

You’ve always encouraged your partner to prioritise time with his older child. But now you have an “ours” baby… and something feels subtly off. In this week’s Listener Question, we explore a blended family dynamic that many stepmums quietly wrestle with: one-to-one time. Louisa asks whether it’s still “normal” to encourage her husband to spend alone time with his older son now that they have an ours baby — especially when he doesn’t spend the same intentional time with their...

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40:35

Surprise Baby, Lockdown Chaos, and a Holiday Meltdown...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/11

It started easy. Bowling trips. Dad’s friend. No drama. Then came lockdown, a surprise baby, a six-person household… and the birthday card drama that changed the way they do gifts forever! This is more of a fairytale than scary-tale! Clare became a stepmum unexpectedly — meeting three young children in what felt like the “easy” stage of stepfamily life. There were meals out, holidays, and the freedom of not yet being responsible for homework, bedtimes, or household routines. And then 20...

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9:08

Stepmum Resentment: When Dad Won’t Discipline and...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/06

Do you feel resentful because your partner won’t hold boundaries with his child? This isn’t about you being too strict. It’s about a home that no longer feels protected. Resentment is one of the most common stepmum struggles — and one of the hardest to admit out loud. In this Listener Question episode, Katie responds to a stepmum who feels overwhelmed by resentment as her stepdaughter lies, steals, and faces no consequences. Her partner avoids discipline out of fear that his child “won’t want...

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61:09

Stepmum Burnout: Doing Everything and Still Feeling...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/02/04

You can give everything to a stepfamily and still feel like the villain in your own home. This is what stepmum burnout really looks like when dad won’t lead and the children turn on you. What happens when you jump into stepfamily life with the best intentions… and four years later you’re emotionally exhausted, resented, and questioning whether you can keep doing this? In this powerful conversation, Jane shares the reality of becoming the default parent in her blended family while having none ...

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8:08

When You Feel On Edge Around Your Stepkids - Stepmum...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/30

Do you feel on edge around your stepkids because of complaints from the ex? Like you can’t fully relax or be yourself in your own home? This is a common but rarely named stepmum struggle in stepfamily life. In this Listener Question episode of Stepmum Space, Katie responds to a stepmum who feels judged and under pressure when her stepchildren visit because criticism keeps coming from the other household. Over time, repeated complaints can lead to hyper-vigilance, self-editing, and walking on ...

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41:22

Stepmum Struggles: Even When the Relationships Are...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/28

Stepmum life can feel heavy even when the relationships are good. If you’re carrying guilt, questioning your feelings, or wondering why it still feels hard, this episode is for you. One of the most confusing parts of stepfamily life is that things can be relatively stable — and still emotionally demanding. Many stepmums find themselves holding a lot of guilt, mental load, and self-doubt, especially when they care deeply and want the family to work. In this episode of Stepmum Space, I’m joined...

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8:56

Should We Reply to Bio Mum’s Message? (Listener...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/23

When your private home life suddenly feels scrutinised, it can knock your sense of safety as a stepmum. This episode explores what’s really going on when a bio mum sends “feedback” — and how to respond without fuelling anxiety. A listener writes in after her partner’s ex emails a list of things their stepdaughter is supposedly unhappy about, pyjamas, nicknames, and hair brushing. On the surface, it sounds small. But underneath, it taps into something far more familiar to many stepmums: ...

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56:05

False Accusations, High-Conflict Co-Parenting & Being...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/21

If you’re constantly watching what you say, do, or post because you’re scared it’ll be twisted later — this episode is for you. Because in a high-conflict stepfamily, “being nice” doesn’t always keep you safe. Content note: this episode includes discussion of threats, violence, and false allegations. What do you do when you love your stepchildren… but the wider system makes you feel unsafe? In this honest conversation, Clare shares 11 years of stepfamily life across two completely dif...

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8:28

Listener Question: Should My Stepkids Have Keys to...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/16

Your stepkids asking for keys sounds simple — but your body says otherwise. If you feel “weird” about it, this episode is for you. A listener asked a question that many stepmums quietly wrestle with: Should my stepkids have keys to our house? On the surface, it sounds practical — even ordinary. But in stepfamily life, very little is ever just practical. In this episode of Stepmum Space Listener Questions, we explore why that uneasy, hard-to-name feeling matters — and why it’...

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42:16

Why Stepmum Life Feels Hard Even When Everything’s...

Stepmum Space ·

2026/01/14

Join the Stepmum reset workshop. Ever felt anxious when the stepkids are due to arrive… even though they’re lovely and your partner’s supportive? This episode is for the stepmum who’s thinking, “Why does this feel so hard when nothing is technically wrong?” You can have great stepkids. A supportive partner. A stepfamily set-up that looks “fine” from the outside. And still feel your stomach drop on transition days. Still feel like your home isn’t fully yours. Still feel guilty for wantin...

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47:56

Episode 62: “I Forced My Role”: The Stepmum Trap No...

Stepmum Space ·

2025/12/17

Christmas is when stepfamily pressure peaks — and for many Stepmums, it’s when the “perfect blended family” myth hurts the most. In this episode, I’m joined by Courtney, a stepmum in Australia navigating 50/50 care with two stepkids (14 and 12). Courtney shares a raw, honest account of what happened when the other household’s new partner became highly involved — and how panic, comparison, and control slowly escalated co-parenting tension, affected her relationship, and left her stuck in fight...

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41:55

Episode 61: Parallel Parenting With a High-Conflict...

Stepmum Space ·

2025/12/10

If you’re juggling a high-conflict ex, 50/50 schedules or loyalty binds, this one’s for you. Katie talks to Lauren, a Scottish stepmum who reconnected with her high-school love—now a dad of three with two exes—and built a calm, child-centred blended family through clear boundaries, parallel parenting and a truly united couple stance. We cover: meeting kids at their pace, handling retaliation without taking the bait (haircuts, earrings & house rules), why a written agreement beats a ...

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42:59

Episode 60: Stepmum Survival: Court, Trauma & Keeping...

Stepmum Space ·

2025/12/03

(Trigger warning: miscarriage, domestic violence) What happens to a stepmum when the whole family system is in survival mode? When there’s court, withheld contact, trauma, ASD needs, transition day meltdowns, and a partner trying to hold everything together with guilt-soaked hands? In today’s episode, Jean (not her real name) shares her raw, complex and human journey on Stepmum Space. Across this conversation we explore: What it’s like to fall in love with someone whose ex weaponises contact&...

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49:33

Episode 59: Hostile Exes, Clashing House Rules — and...

Stepmum Space ·

2025/11/26

High-conflict exes, clashing house rules and an ours baby — today’s episode goes deep into the reality of stepfamily life. If you’re a stepmum feeling overwhelmed, anxious or alone, this one will speak straight to you. Katie talks with Jane (name changed), a stepmum navigating secrecy for safety, court cases, three stepchildren, and a new baby, all while trying to build a stable home anchored in values and routines. Jane shares how belonging grows slowly, how she built trust through small con...

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78 results

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