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Build an Empowered Blended Family with Cameron Normand
In this episode of The Terri Cole Show, Terri sits down with nationally recognized stepfamily expert Cameron Normand to explore the unique challenges stepmoms face and why traditional parenting advice often doesn’t work for blended families.
Cameron shares practical guidance on building relationships with stepchildren, navigating parenting and discipline, setting clear expectations with partners, and managing the stress of stepfamily life. She also explains why it can take four to seven years for a stepfamily to feel cohesive and why moving at the children’s pace is essential.
Cameron also shares details about her annual Stepmom Summit, a virtual event designed to give stepmoms expert guidance, resources, and a supportive community. The summit starts September 14th and you can get your free ticket at terricole.com/stepmomsummit
Topics
- 00:00 Welcome to The Terri Cole Show
- 02:52 From Capitol Hill Lawyer to Stepfamily Expert: Cameron’s Origin Story
- 07:08 Why “Super Step” Overperformance Backfires on Stepmoms
- 12:04 The Training Gap: Why Therapists Are Giving Stepmoms the Wrong Advice
- 14:53 What New Stepmoms Should Actually Expect (Including the 4-7 Year Timeline)
- 17:12 The “Connected Adult” Role: Why Stepmoms Should Skip the Disciplinarian Hat
- 21:43 The Partner Conversations Most Couples Never Have Before the Wedding
- 24:30 Why Stepmoms Have Higher Depression Rates Than Bio Moms and Stepdads
- 26:23 One Thing Walking-on-Eggshells Stepmoms Can Do Right Now
- 28:15 Find Cameron, the Stepmom Summit, and Free Tickets at thestepmomsummit.com
Resources mentioned
- Step Family Solutions: Cameron Normand’s organization offering stepfamily coaching, education, and resources. Find them on social media at @StepFamilySolutions.
- Stepmom Diaries Podcast: Cameron Normand’s podcast about navigating stepfamily life.
- Stepmom Summit: An annual virtual summit for stepmoms, happening September 14-18.
- Boundary Boss: The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen, and Finally Live Free by Terri Cole.
About Cameron Normand
CEO, Stepfamily Solutions & Stepfamily Magazine. Host, The Stepmom Diaries Podcast. Founder, Stepfamily Coach Academy & The Stepmom Summit. Cameron Normand is a nationally recognized stepfamily expert and founder of Stepfamily Solutions, where she runs the nation’s leading certification program for stepfamily coaches and hosts the top-ranked Stepmom Diaries podcast and the annual Stepmom Summit. Through her coaching, courses, and events, Cameron has empowered thousands of stepmoms to redefine what blended family success looks like. She has been featured on CBS Los Angeles, the CW Austin, and in Newsweek, Kiplinger, The Cut, Business Insider, CNET, Scary Mommy, and the Today Parenting Team, among others. Previously, Cameron spent 23 years working in politics first on Capitol Hill, then leading policy strategy in roles at two of the world’s top movie studios. After becoming a stepmom of four, she realized that the tools to help blended families were few and far between. So at the peak of her career, she walked away to start a company that would fill the void. Cameron serves on several non-profit boards and was named one of the Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business.” Cameron received her BA from the University of SouthCarolina, her JD from Emory University School of Law, and is pursuing a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the College of William & Mary.
“If we can get ourselves a little bit better regulated to deal with some of this stuff, to understand what we actually have control over, which by the way is very little, and then to regulate ourselves for the things that we don’t have control over, which is a large majority of step family life — I think that that can make a huge difference.” — Cameron Normand