Contributing Writers
Wednesday Martin, Ph.D., is a social researcher and the author of Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do (2009). She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stepmonster) and blogs for the Huffington Post and on her own web site (www.wednesdaymartin.com). She has appeared as a stepparenting expert on NPR, the BBC Newshour, Fox News and NBC Weekend Today, and was a regular contributor to the New York Post’s parenting page. Stepmonster was a finalist in the parenting category of the 2010 ”Books for a Better Life” award. A stepmother for a decade, Wednesday lives in New York City with her husband and two sons. Her stepdaughters are young adults.
Mary Kelly-Williams, M.A. is a therapist, mother of four, and ally to her husband’s daughter. Mary practices in Boulder, Colorado and regularly conducts workshops for couples and women with stepchildren. As well as in-person counseling, Mary offers telephone stepparent coaching. For more information, visit her website: www.marriedwithbaggage.com
Peggy Nolan loves teaching stepmoms how to stand in their power and expand their wholeness of mind, body, and spirit. Peggy is a Self-Care coach and certified yoga teacher. She is the mother of two and the bonus mother of four. Peggy hosts “The Stepmom’s Toolbox Radio Show” on www.blogtalkradio.com. Connect with Peggy at either www.thestepmomstoolbox.com or www.infiniteyogaandreiki.com
Lisa Bagshaw is an Urban Stepmom (successful, childless career woman who meets a man with kids later in life) who married for the first time at 43. She balances a demanding career in media, and life with her husband, twin 10-year-old stepsons, a dog and two cats in Vancouver, BC. Catch her lessons learned at blog www.urbanstepmom.com or on twitter at @urbanstepmom. She is currently writing a book “A Survival Guide for the Urban Stepmom” and is open to any and all tips.
Katherine Maguid
is a freelance writer and lives in Berkswell, England. For the last seven years, she has been married to her amazing husband and a stepmother to her two handsome and precocious stepsons.
Ms. Taken is a stepmom, mom, wife, and writer. She has an overly fuzzy and utterly useless watchdog, and small stack of restraining orders against the hubby’s ex. Ms. Taken devotes herself to increasing the space between—and decreasing the fury of—total breakdowns of order and decorum in her home. Her attempts can be further scrutinized at http://amothermstaken.blogspot.com
Laura Vomvos resides in New York, is the manager of two real estate firms and proud mom of a blended family of nine. The yours, mine and ours scenario is not new to her as a child of stepfamily living. Combined childhood experiences with the realities of heading up her own blended family, Laura shares her views in her column www.steppingintoday.com.
Emily Bouchard, MSSW, founded www.blended-families.com to provide tools to dramatically improve relationships in blended families. A leading expert in the field, Emily has been featured on numerous TV and Radio shows including The Today Show and NPR, and has been quoted in print around the world, in publications such as Newsweek and The New York Times.
Photo by www.melissamermin.com
Heidi Ducato is the Stylish Stepmom and 2010-2011 Mrs. Oklahoma. You can find her at: www.stylishstepmom.com, Twitter: @stylishstepmom and on Facebook: Heidi Schmidt Ducato
Elizabeth Guerra is the owner of Relish in Miami, Florida. She’s a stepmom, an accomplished caterer, personal chef, and a regular contributor to StepMom Magazine.
Laura Petherbridge is an international author and speaker who serves couples and single adults with topics on stepfamilies, relationships, divorce prevention, and divorce recovery. She is the author of When “I Do” Becomes “I Don’t”—Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce, and The Smart Stepmom, co-authored with Ron Deal. She is a featured expert on the DivorceCare DVD series. Her website is www.TheSmartStepmom.com
Joel Schwartzberg is the father of three kids and husband to a wonderful stepmom, and the award-winning essayist and author of “The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad” (www.bookfordad.com). His essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, New Jersey Monthly, The New York Daily News, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and parenting magazines around the country.
Wendy Deppe is StepMom Magazine’s crafts contributor. She welcomes comments at stepmomscrapbook@gmail.com and invites you to read her blog at http://stepinthetrenches.blogspot.com. Check out her books on Amazon: The Stepmom Scrapbook and Diary of a Stepkid!
Erin Hallstrom-Erickson, both a stepdaughter and a stepmother is the writer of a personal blog, The Erin Experiment (www.erinexperiment.com), and the creator of Stepchicks (www.stepchicks.com) and the Stepfamily Letter Project (www.stepfamilyletterproject.wordpress.com). She can be reached at erin@erinexperiment.com.
Susan Wisdom, LPC, is author of Stepcoupling: Creating and Sustaining a Strong Marriage in Today’s Blended Family. Susan and her husband have raised 5 children in their successful stepfamily since 1976. She has a counseling practice helping stepcouples understand and deal with the issues common in stepfamilies. She believes that the stepcouple is the foundation and glue in the stepfamily. Visit: http://www.stepcoupling.com
Heather Hetchler helps StepMoms thrive in their role as the heart of their blended family. She is the Founder of www.CafeSmom.com where she brings positive resources, inspiration, and support to stepmothers. CafeSmom offers the only e-shop with products designed exclusively for the StepMom. As a StepMom Coach, her passion is to help stepmothers define their own positive path to success. Heather is the host of StepMom Connection on www.MomTv.com. She resides in Cleveland with her husband and four children and two stepchildren.
Susan Swanson, LCSW, BCD, is the executive director and founder of The StepFamily Center in Beverly Hills, Calif. She is a noted authority on issues involving divorced and remarried families. Through The StepFamily Center, she offers individual and couples counseling, support groups and a newsletter. She also has a weekly radio show, The Susan Swanson Show, which covers topics relevant to all relationships.
Michele Howe is the author of ten books for women and has published over 1200 articles, reviews, and curriculum. After having undergone four shoulder surgeries, she saw the need for a women’s inspirational health-related book co-authored with her orthopedic surgeon titled, Burdens Do a Body Good: Meeting Life’s Challenges with Strength (and Soul), released May 2010. Read more of Michele’s work at http://michelehowe.wordpress.com
Joan Sarin, M.S. is a social psychologist and stepfamily coach with the Stepfamily Foundation. Her online Stepfamily Success Course provides stepfamily members with a comprehensive, step-by-step system for understanding the principles and strategies required to succeed in stepfamily life. A free introductory class is available through www.StepmomSOS.com. A stepmom for twenty years, she understands the stepfamily from the inside.
Jacquelyn B. Fletcher is the author of the award-winning book A Career Girl’s Guide to Becoming a Stepmom, the co-creator of The Stepfamily Letter Project, and the host of the popular Stepmom Circles Podcast. Find out more at www.becomingastepmom.com.
Dr. Lisa Doodson is a psychologist and well respected expert in the field of stepfamily relationships. She writes for national magazines and press on the topic of extended families and relationships and regularly appears on British TV and radio to discuss stepparenting. She offers a range of stepparenting courses and services to families and organisations through her company Happy Steps. Her new book ‘How to be a Happy Stepmum’, can be ordered through her website www.happysteps.co.uk or via Amazon.co.uk
Jennifer Newcomb-Marine is a mother and co-author of No One’s the Bitch: A Ten Step Plan for the Mother and Stepmother Relationship
Erika L. J. Arnold lives in Marin County, California, with her husband, 12-year-old stepson and a dear old Labrador named Buddy. Her memoir-in-progress is titled “Surrendering: One Woman’s Journey toward Loving a Stepson.” She can be reached at littleredstepmom@gmail.com.
Carrie Collins Fadell is a freelance writer from Port Huron, Michigan, and a stepmother to two teen boys. Find out more at www.carriecollinsfadell.com.
