The Smart Stepfamily Conference is a 14 session course for stepfamily couples, single parents, dating couples with kids, and those who care about blended families.

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Learn how to succeed and love your stepfamily life from some of today’s most trusted and respected experts.

Building a new relationship with someone you care about can be an exciting and rewarding time, however, a step-parent’s experience can also feel painful and confusing.  In this workshop we discuss why connecting with stepchildren is often difficult and how to build a loving relationship.

Your child's safety in a pandemic is of utmost importance, but opinions vary regarding what "safe" looks like.  Join leading blended family author and educator Ron Deal LIVE as he discusses this and more with a panel of voices including an attorney, a physician, a stepfamily coach and a school teacher.

You married with love and hope in your heart. Yet your marriage and stepfamily feel more like a battleground than a place of respite. You unpacked your life when you blended families but did you unpack the hurts and expectations you brought with you?  Heather Hetchler explores dynamics that are inherent in every stepfamily. These dynamics and challenges transcend race, religion, location, class and more. The dynamics of a stepfamily are heart issues and to understand and navigate your stepfamily you need to understand them.

The prospect of building a blended family can evoke feelings of excitement, relief, nervousness and worry all at the same time.  Building a successful stepfamily requires significant energy and commitment, so partners should talk about expectations for each other and their new family before and after marriage. Addressing these important issues early can help avoid serious problems down the road. Setting realistic expectations and goals are crucial to creating a healthy, successful stepfamily.

Ending a relationship with a partner who is prone to conflict can be challenging on many levels. If you have children, one of the most significant difficulties will be figuring out how to build a working relationship as co-parents. 

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Dealing with a high-conflict co-parent can be mentally, physically, emotionally, and sometimes financially draining. In this workshop you'll find strategies to find peace of mind as you learn to manage your relationship with your high conflict ex-spouse.

Raising kids between mom's house and dad's house can be taxing and often is met with adult frustration. In this workshop we will be focusing on how children experience handoffs, competing attachments, 10 things kids wish they could tell their parents as well as what is at risk when they have two homes.

Solutions and strategies will be given to increase co-parent communication as well as dynamics within the stepfamily home to help children THRIVE! Kids in complex families live with one heart, between two homes - there is hope and it can be done well!

Join Stepfamily author Karalee Katsambanis all the way from Perth, Western Australia and Charlene Roberts, founder of the Stepfamily Network, as they discuss Karalee's recently published book, Step Parenting with Purpose - everything you wanted to know but were too afraid to ask.

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Karalee's book and this workshop provide invaluable insights and advice to those beginning or already on their stepparenting journey.

Creating a stepfamily is a huge decision — much bigger than getting married without dependent kids from earlier relationships — because of the obvious baggage. 

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As a stepfamily there is so much consideration that is required to make a family successful, but most of the time we just mess it up because we don't know how to effectively be in a stepfamily.  Join us to learn practical skills for creating the stepfamily you've always wanted.